How DMOs connect to the world using DAM

As the destination marketing organization (DMO) for the Government of Alberta, Travel Alberta is the bridge between Alberta, Canada and the rest of the world. 

Alberta is a land of stunning vistas and picturesque adventures, which means Travel Alberta has no shortage of amazing images and videos to share. But that bounty comes with its own problem: how to most easily store, organize, collaborate on, and share these assets?

Travel Alberta needed a digital asset management solution. And for an organization whose tagline is “Remember to breathe,” it was critical that a DAM not add stress to the process of finding and using assets. 

Gone are the days of mailing hard drives 

Travel Alberta produces amazing, award-winning content to promote their province — whether through acquiring assets from outside photographers and videographers or by using high-end video and photography equipment to capture the perfect shot through their internal agency. 

Of course, high-quality files are so big that it’s nearly impossible to transfer them over the internet. Before implementing NetX, Travel Alberta would transfer those assets on hard drives through the mail, said Alex Chan, Travel Alberta’s Global Digital Content Producer. The process was time-consuming  and not secure, but now they can easily share large assets with the click of a button. 

Stress-free onboarding 

NetX’s user-friendly interface makes setting up accounts a breeze for both internal users, like the marketing and web development teams, and external users, like tour guides, the media, and other government agencies. With around 100 internal users and over 4,000 external users, the team can’t spend their time onboarding and managing every request. 

Travel Alberta uses AutoTasks within NetX to manage user permissions. When a new user registers on the site, the asset management team gets an automated email with the user’s information. After verification, the user gets slotted into the correct user group, which automatically updates their permissions and triggers an email to inform the user of their new account status and permissions for their NetX Portal.

The interface also makes it easy to train new users on accessing Travel Alberta’s library or retrain occasional users who may not log in regularly. 

More user flexibility

Some users may not be as technically savvy and know how to use Photoshop to resize the asset , noted Alex. Giving them the ability to download not only the original asset but also different sizes and formats (jpg, png, etc.) allows users hassle-free flexibility.

NetX’s search function also makes it simple to find the assets users are looking for in the system, especially since the DAM’s latest iteration. “Everything’s a lot more smooth and feels more modern,” said Alex. “It’s an easy-to-use platform.”

Hassle-free customization

Travel Alberta’s DAM needs are as unique as the region itself. But in working with the NetX team, they were able to add custom features like automated email notifications and integrations with other regional systems. 

Cooperation with other organizations like Edmonton Tourism and the Canadian Tourism Board is a big part of how Travel Alberta connects with their target audience. Previously, if Travel Alberta had an asset that would be of interest to Edmonton Tourism, they would have to email it or set up a Dropbox link. But with both organizations using NetX, now their systems can talk directly to each other. 

“The Support Team has always delivered every time we asked them for something,” said Alex. “Seeing the evolution of NetX’s system has been really positive for us.”