Client: Visit Baltimore

Challenge:

Visit Baltimore, a prominent destination marketing organization, faced the challenge of providing comprehensive and tailored training solutions to diverse stakeholders in the tourism and hospitality industry. They needed a platform to deliver relevant training to front-line workers, assist in workforce development for newcomers, empower local entrepreneurs with business skills, and ensure seamless tracking and measurement of training outcomes.

Solution: The Tourism Academy Collaboration

Visit Baltimore partnered with The Tourism Academy | tourismacademy.org, a leading learning management system (LMS) technology provider and instructional design expertise. The Tourism Academy's expertise in tourism and hospitality education made them a natural fit to create a fully customized learning environment named the Visit Baltimore Academy.

Critical Elements of the Solution:

1. Customized Learning Tracks: The Visit Baltimore Academy offered diverse learning tracks to cater to the needs of various stakeholders. These tracks included critical skills and service training for front-line workers, workforce development courses for new residents and immigrants, and essential business and management programs for local entrepreneurs and enterprises.

2. Technology-Enabled Training: The Tourism Academy's LMS technology allowed Visit Baltimore to deliver training content seamlessly. This technology facilitated on-demand learning, enabling stakeholders to access courses whenever and wherever needed, eliminating scheduling constraints.

3. Instructional Design Expertise: The Tourism Academy provided instructional design support to Visit Baltimore, helping them create engaging and practical courses. This support ensured that the training content was informative, engaging, and aligned with modern learning preferences.

4. Partnerships for Enriched Content: Visit Baltimore leveraged partnerships with local colleges, universities, and career centers to enrich the Visit Baltimore Academy's content. This approach introduced new knowledge, training styles, and perspectives, making the learning experience more dynamic and relevant.

5. Branding and Customization: The Visit Baltimore Academy was completely branded to match Visit Baltimore's identity. This ensured that stakeholders felt a solid connection to the organization and the training resources provided.

Results:

The collaboration between Visit Baltimore and The Tourism Academy led to the successful creation of Visit Baltimore Academy, a cutting-edge online learning platform. This platform provided significant benefits to both Visit Baltimore and its stakeholders:

• Enhanced Stakeholder Engagement: The tailored learning tracks addressed the unique needs of different stakeholders, enhancing their skills, knowledge, and engagement within the tourism and hospitality industry.

• Flexible Learning: Stakeholders could access training content on-demand, promoting a flexible learning environment that accommodated their schedules and learning preferences.

• Measurable Outcomes: The LMS technology enabled Visit Baltimore to accurately track training progress and outcomes. This data-driven approach allowed them to assess the impact of the training programs and make informed decisions for future enhancements.

• Collaborative Partnerships: The partnerships with local educational institutions enriched the learning content and brought in diverse perspectives, strengthening the overall quality of the training offerings.

• Branded and Cohesive Experience: The Visit Baltimore Academy maintained a consistent brand identity, reinforcing Visit Baltimore's image as a leader in the tourism and hospitality sector.

In conclusion, Visit Baltimore's collaboration with The Tourism Academy created a customized, branded, and easy-to-maintain online learning environment. By addressing the diverse learning needs of its stakeholders, Visit Baltimore was able to foster skill development, workforce integration, and business growth within the tourism and hospitality industry. The Visit Baltimore Academy is a model for leveraging technology and expertise to provide tailored training solutions that empower stakeholders and strengthen the sector.