Using Technology to get more people outdoors

by Doug

Media Release

Connecting with Digital Demographics to Co-Create Appealing New Age Outdoor Activities

NEWS

As populations become increasingly urbanized, activities like electronic gaming, social networking and living in a virtual bubble are slowly taking the place of the real world interactions that a lot of us grew up with.

Canada has become an urbanized society. Traditional outdoor activities such as fishing, hunting, boating, camping, wildlife adventures, snowmobiling, and other “destination” outdoor sporting activities, including tourist attractions,  just do not appeal to the new age consumer.“Anyone closely attached to the outdoor industry will tell you that things aren’t what they used to be.  Participation is slipping, especially when it comes to recruiting youngsters; product sales are not what they once were and the average age of regular participants is creeping upwards.  The outlook is bleak!” states Wayne Izumi of Izumi Outdoors.

For many towns and villages the outdoor tourism is their lifeblood. The growing urban – rural divide and declining tourism is putting their future at risk. Doug Matatall of TecVana states “Many rural towns which are the backyard for non-urban outdoor activities are now desperate to find and develop new “cool” outdoor adventure activities that are more in line with the younger generation’s expectation of what is “fun”; adventures that would appeal to them, their family and friends, adventures that are exciting enough for them to actually want to take part in! If we can’t get more people actively engaged in recreational outdoor activities, it could spell the end of rural society as we know it.”

“Dryden has openly decided that it is now critical that they embrace change and reinvent rural purpose to better meet the needs of today’s younger population. The long accepted tourism approach which was based on, “This is what we have to offer” won’t work any longer. It now needs to be revised to a new approach that asks, “What do you want us to offer”? says Vicki Kurz of Dryden Development Corporation, Dryden Ontario.

TecVana Corporation, a small entrepreneurial social media marketing start-up in London, has partnered with Izumi Outdoors and the community of Dryden to work together to tackle this serious problem head on.  The team is targeting the emerging urban connected demographics focusing its efforts on finding meaningful solutions that will motivate them to turn their virtual world into a real life experience. The program is designed to empower the younger generation to collaboratively develop new age outdoor activities that will appeal to their lifestyle. Craig Matatall, President TecVana Corporation says “TecVana is all about giving the younger generation a strong voice in becoming the driving force of change; to make a real difference, socially, economically and environmentally”  

Earlier in 2010, TecVana challenged Fanshawe students involved in the Multi Media Design & Production program to develop digital technology beta concepts in the areas of “interactive real-life gaming” and “game-driven marketing” focusing on the recreational outdoor activities.    TecVana felt that next generation gaming is one of the social media tools that could be used to connect youth with the outdoors. 

The students successfully demonstrated how gaming can go to beyond the traditional on-line games of today and be a social media tool to create awareness and interest in a topic, be highly educational and effective in knowledge-transfer, motivational and influence change, create skilled jobs and most importantly, move people from virtual to reality.

With this as a starting point, the TecVana team is now running a special promotion designed to reach the youth market and solicit their input and thoughts about outdoor activities that would that have great appeal. The survey will provide TecVana and its partners with some insights about what the market would like to see rural communities offer in the future and help rural communities to realign their focus to meet this need. The quick survey found at www.tecvana.com is also an entry into a chance to win a unique exciting outdoor adventure.

“While today most of us care and are vocally concerned about environmental issues, we forget that many of our small towns and villages that dot our rural landscape are in fact the stewards of the environment. They manage our natural resources, the wilderness, nature, and the great outdoors as well as support the local agriculture sector; the source of many of our food staples. They take care of our backyard. This is the cause that should resonate with everyone and make everyone care about the future of rural society”! said Doug.  And let’s not forget Aboriginal communities who are equally at risk due to the growing divide.  TecVana has the support of high profile actor, Adam Beach who states “Finding a solution that will work for all of our youth population is my passion, my commitment and my journey”.

This innovative approach and has caught the attention of two key people in the World Economic Forum and INSEAD University, Geneva; Dr. Bruno Lanvin and Dr. Soumitra Dutta.  They feel that the tourism issue being addressed by TecVana is a global problem and therefore has global appeal.  Innovation is the engine for growth.