Theory: Collaborating With Others - Networking & Co-creation

The first step to initiate a collaboration (or a professional contact with a relevant actor in your sector/community) is to understand the relevance of your ecosystem as a company or (future) professional in the tourism sector.

The term "ecosystem" can have two meanings here:

a)    Firstly, it can be defined as a biological system constituted by a community of living organisms and the physical environment where they are related. The natural environment and/or the biological diversity of your area can be an element of great relevance for the tourist attractiveness of the region and, therefore, a factor to consider in the development of your professional activity.

b)    As far as the DIGITOUR training programme is concerned, the "ecosystem" itself is understood as the set of actors and professionals that act or have influence in your area of activity (geographically or sectorially speaking) and that, therefore, co-construct the conditions in which you develop your activity or provide your services to potential clients. From a globalised perspective, the ecosystem in which you develop your activity is increasingly broad. An example of this is the increasingly important role played by the digital presence of companies, which allows them to access new markets at the click of a button or to establish international professional contacts quickly.

Knowing your ecosystem will allow you to more easily identify people to network with, but keep in mind that there are also people outside your direct ecosystem who could be very relevant.

Therefore, we recommend that you spend some time reflecting on your "ecosystem" at different levels:

●     Who are the most relevant actors for your activity in terms of influence / power?

●     With which professional/business profiles would you be interested in collaborating in the future? Why?

●     Where are these actors located? Geographically, sectorially, within the logistics chain, etc.

●     Do you both share common values?

●     What resources do you need? Is there any business or organisation owning them?

Once you have mapped your ecosystem, it will be easier to identify those people or organisations you are interested in. If you already know them, you can start the collaboration process, but if you don't know them, a first step on the road to collaboration is networking (see more about digital networking opportunities in the next section of the Module).

However, sometimes one’s ecosystem is easier to grasp as initially it seems. On that note, you can think of your professional inner ecosystem as both: employees (or colleagues) and customers!