During the presentation of the Globus Awards courtesy of ‘touristik aktuell’, audiences had a welcome reunion with Seán, the sheep: The e-learning programme designed by Grafenstein for Ireland was the runner-up in the category “Best Online Learning Programme”.

The Globus Awards were given away for the first time this year at the “Reisemesse CMT” in Stuttgart. Along with the most creative travel agents, awards also went to national tourist offices. The jury was made up of travel agents themselves, who had previously cast their votes on the internet, thus judging a total of 122 tourist offices. Ireland Information Tourism and Grafenstein convinced the panel: Seán and friends managed to come second on the list.

The “Pubquiz” transmits knowledge about Ireland in a playful and entertaining way: The cartoon-sheep ´Sean plays the quiz master - reminding us of ´Who wants to be a millionaire?´. Just like in the well-known TV show, Sean asks both simple and tricky questions about Ireland and the products of different partners.

Berlin, June 2007 – With its entry "Direct-Mail Campaign for Ireland Conference Tours", Grafenstein came third in the nationwide direct-mail competition by Deutsche Post and was awarded the prize money of 1,000 Euros. The Berlin-based agency had come up as regional winner in the category "open format" in the preliminary round and was here chosen among 32 entries from all over Germany. Out of a total of 600 mailings entered, only two entries from the tourism industry were picked and judged in the five categories – Ireland being the only tourist destination.

"The category ‘open format’ provided us with the opportunity of being totally creative, without any restrictions with regards to format or weight,” Frank Grafenstein, managing director of the Berlin agency explains the background of his company’s competition entry. The mailshot had been sent out to 500 major businesses in Germany as well as all German companies with headquarters or subsidiaries in Ireland on behalf of Irland Information/Tourism Ireland during spring 2006. The novel idea of a folding cardboard box in the distinctively Irish tweed pattern, complete with covering letter, information leaflet and country-specific give-away in the form of a hip flask, made the Ireland mailing stand out against ordinary mailshots, thereby making an impact on decision-makers in the incentive industry.

The annual mailing competition by Deutsche Post was created in 1996 and has since become a central platform for dialogue marketing. This year, more than 600 agencies from all over Germany sent in entries to be judged in five different categories. The entries were judged according to the criteria concept/strategy, creative idea and realisation, target-oriented approach as well as effectiveness.

For further information on the set-up and concept of „Direct-Mail Campaign for Ireland Conference Tours” click here!

Berlin, March 2007 – Infotainment and Edutainment meet current trend. On March 15, 2007 the new Ireland Pub Quiz by the Irish Tourist Board goes online on the website www.irland-reisebranche.de. The game, which is directed at sales personnel working in travel agencies, alludes to the popular quiz show format “Who wants to be a Millionaire”. In the manner of host Chris Tarrant, the well-known sheep mascot Sean asks questions around the subject of tourism in Ireland – commenting right and wrong answers from candidates in an animated way. Contestants may find the answers to the questions on the above website as well as the Internet pages of partner companies Aer Lingus, Irish Ferries, DERTOUR and TUI Wolters Reisen. As a reward, one of ten trips to Ireland can be won.

The concept of the game developed by Berlin agency Grafenstein is about self-directed and ‘explorative’ learning on the part of the contestants. They are encouraged to actively use the trade website and partner websites in their search for the right answers. The didactic principle is an effective way of imparting knowledge, since actively acquired knowledge is lodged permanently in the learners’ memory. Moreover, they get to know the information offered on the websites – an ideal combination made up of edutainment and infotainment!

“When it comes to ways of acquiring new knowledge, travel agents and future tourism experts have different needs and preferences – in order to reach everybody and to catch up with them at the point where they are, it makes sense to use parallel ways of imparting knowledge rather than be limited to one particular tool, such as e-learning,” sums up Juliane Metz, Grafenstein’s specialist for didactic online learning tools.

Infotainment is in line with the current trend, as witnessed at the recent ITB 2007 in Berlin. In a panel discussion during the 2nd Educational Forum of the School of Tourism experts debated the future of virtual learning in the tourism industry. Among the main issues discussed were the correct composition of Edutainment whilst maintaining the quality of the learning matter and optimum use of all available information during the professional training of tourism experts.

Click here to play the Ireland Pub Quiz: www.irland-reisebranche.de/lernquiz.html

The new "Lepman” game which Grafenstein developed on behalf of the Irish Tourist Board is really addictive! The Leprechaun, a legendary figure from Irish myths, has to collect gold coins and defend them against cheeky Vikings.

Besides the game, there are special autumn offers; the players can recommend the game with an e-mail form to friends and register to participate in a competition where they can win lottery tickets.The Irish Tourist Board promotes the campaign by sending e-mails to 150,000 email addresses.
With this campaign, the Board opted for a particularly successful form of direct marketing in which data collection is particularly efficient.

See for yourself under:
www.irland-herbstangebote.de

Grafenstein Freizeit- und Tourismuswerbung:

On the occasion of the Saint Patrick´s Day on 17th March, Grafenstein developed a microsite for the Irish Tourist Board, which features, besides information about the destination Northern Ireland, an online game with integrated database for data collection. Every visitor of the incentive website of Tourism Ireland can participate in this game and is informed about incentive congress opportunities in Northern Ireland at the evaluation (?). Moreover the user can win a trip to Ireland. Before the launch of the game, about 2000 agencies and tour operators received newsletters with hints to (about) the game. Collect (yourselves) clover leaves on the Giants Causeway: www.irland-incentive.de/

Grafenstein Freizeit- und Tourismuswerbung:

The Irish Tourist Board has commissioned Grafenstein to produce a brochure on language courses to be published in several languages. In addition to the German brochure, there are translations into Czech, Hungarian, Polish and Russian.

Grafenstein Freizeit- und Tourismuswerbung:

British sights follow the Irish sheep!

Grafenstein has developed a new online game! The Shear-the-Sheep-Game on the Irish Tourist Board’s German website keeps inspiring more and more delighted people since its upload in summer 2003. A good reason for Grafenstein to develop a new online game – this time for VisitBritain: Since 16 February, the "Cities-in-Britain-game” enriches the cities-campaign-Website www.visitbritain.de/city – with esprit and educational effect. The players have to photograph several sights of the cities Brighton, Edinburgh, Liverpool, London, Manchester and Newcastle Gateshead without wasting their restraint pictures in shooting surprising obstacles. Successful players can win attractive prices. And with the options "recommend the game” and "send an E-card”, the game takes directly part in its diffusion.
But we stop talking now – try it yourself: www.visitbritain.de/city

Grafenstein Freizeit- und Tourismuswerbung:

On behalf of the Irish Tourist Board Tourism Ireland, Grafenstein Freizeit- und Tourismuswerbung GmbH has published a special-interest guide for the city of Dublin, aimed specifically at visiting couples of the same sex. The compact guide which fits into your back pocket contains a wealth of information regarding places to visit, plus shopping, activities, restaurants and gay-friendly hotels and clubs.