Zerve Shutdown and 10 Other Digital Trends This Week

Every week we post hundreds of stories across various sectors in travel, connecting the dots across various global trends, and in these weekend posts we highlight the stories that tackle these trends. This one looks at top digital trends.

For all of our trends roundups, go here.

>>All of the platform players are scrambling to pick up the pieces of Zerve: Tours Land Grab Under Way as FareHarbor Gives Temporary Lifeline to Zerve

>>Chat-based apps that use real travel agents are getting a lot of buzz: Corporate Travel Embraces Chat-Based Apps With Hyper Travel Acquisition

>>At least now it’s certain that there was at least one concrete buyout offer: Tour Platform Zozi Offered to Acquire Zerve for $6 Million After Shutdown Announcement

>>The holy grail for a travel manager would be an all-in-one app that travelers would actually want to use while staying within company policy: Business Travelers Are Using Mobile Apps — But Not Necessarily the Way Employers Wish They Would

>>Companies creating immersive video formats say they’re driving exponentially higher engagement levels: Travel Brands Experiment With Virtual Reality as Consumer Adoption Lags

>>Corporate events planners have been slow to use automated event venue booking sites, but Kapow hopes to change that: Online Marketplace Seeks to Automate Corporate Event and Activities Bookings

>>A growing number of event tech companies and content creators are developing advanced VR and 360-degree video platforms: The Rise of Immersive Video Content for Event Planners — Meetings Innovation Report

>>67 percent of venture capital deals for travel tech startups took place outside the U.S. in the first half of 2016: Travel-Tech Startup Funding Takes a Dive in First Half of 2016

>>What solutions and strategies will help hotel owners stay competitive and profitable? How Guest Expectations and Changes in Mobile Habits Impact Hotel Tech

>>Instagram is no longer just an “experiment” for the travel industry. The service’s most popular content creators are turning their posts into big business: The Instagram Photo That Launched a Travel Brand – Digital Marketing News This Week

>>It’s theoretically a great time to be investing in and creating hospitality tech startups, but several factors are making investors cautious: Hospitality Tech Funding Is on a Downward Trend So Far in 2016