Bill Geist's Zeitgeist

The Cost of Doing Business...Successfully

I've talked to many business owners that say they are forced to put off upgrades to their product because of the economy. Hell, I've put off investments in my company because of the economy.

But, when one of this country's most impressive hotels (The Breakers in Palm Beach) invests $20 million on upgrades...every year, despite the economy?

It kinda puts us all to shame.

Because, they're raking in hundreds of millions of dollars in profits because these upgrades make them more desirable.

What are the rest of us making as we wait?

We Still Have Some Work to Do

PhoCusWright is one of the premier tourism and travel research firms in the world. They are staging a Conference in November for which they are promoting an "Unmatched Speaker Roster."

Not a single speaker listed is from the Destination Marketing Organization hemisphere.

Not one.

We clearly still have some work to do on this whole relevancy thing.

And Yet...We Keep Voting for Them

So...if we, indeed, are so non-plussed by our congressional leaders, why the hell do we keep voting for them? Or, do we trust the ones we elect from our Districts...but, just none of the rest of them?

A recent Gallup poll shows that only 10% of us have any level of confidence in Congress (the lowest approval rating of any institution ever analyzed). Last time I checked, one needed 50% plus one to get elected. So how do these clowns maintain their jobs? I mean, really...if only 10% of my clients trusted me, I'd be begging the local Wal-Mart to give a younger guy a chance at being a greeter.

What is it going to take for Americans to take back our country from the morons, sycophants and special interests that are strangling this country's greatness.

We once were great...but will never be with these people at the wheel.

 

Jim Steinman

For (as Maura Gast famously said) "the previously unchurched," Jim Steinman is the guy that wrote and produced Meat Loaf's most engaging songs. But he is so much more...and you've heard his touch on countless classic songs across a number of genres. He perfected the "angels on high" aura that surrounds such great tracks as Karla DeVito's "Midnight Confessions," Bonnie Tyler's "Total Eclipse of the Heart," and Celine's "It's All Coming Back to Me Now."

I'm not exactly sure why it hasn't yet happened, but I can design a "Moving Out" style production with Jim's songs in a heartbeat. That's because they are almost always about young love and lust. And, really...what more do you need to create a production that can grab you by the throat and not let go.

I'm pretty sure Jim sees it too...but, for some reason, it's never happened.

On this Music Friday, we give you "Rock and Roll Dreams." Not his best work...but, this video (cheesy as it is...but, hey, it was the '80s) offers the slightest hint of where Jim could take songs like "Surf's Up," "Lost Boys and Golden Girls," and "Everything Louder Than Everything Else" in a feature-length production.

And Maura, Terri and I will be first in line for tickets.

"Cause we're living in a powder keg and giving off sparks," and you think that we'll be bad for just a little while. But, I know that we'll be bad for good.

And That's Why...

I've been a Mac since 1986. So, people are usually surprised when they learn I don't own an iPad.

As I explain, I just haven't seen the need. I often require the power and speed of my MacBook Pro when I'm on the ground with clients, as media heavy graphics, video and presentations are often in play. When I'm in the air between destinations, an iPad would be perfect for light computing and reading...but I'm prevented from having it powered up for the first and last 20 minutes of a flight.

So, what's the point? I just bring a book for those wasted moments.

Except, here's the thing: a new study has indicated that over 105 million hours of productivity are lost because of this ban on electronics for passengers. Pilots get to use their iPads during those first and last 20 minutes...but not us.

I know...it makes no sense.

It doesn't to Senator Claire McCaskill (D-MO) either. Here's hoping she makes good on her threat to force the FAA to lift the ban so we can all get back to work.

 

The Cuts Keep Coming

Despite the fact that hotel profits are expected to increase again this year, some continue to cut back services that were once an expected part of hospitality.

The latest? New York City's largest hotel (the Hilton) has announced it is axing room service in August. Despite the bloated prices and the addition of service fees, tips, etc., most properties apparently can't seem to turn a profit on this staple of full-service hotels.

While there is the concept of "loss leaders" that would cause customers to choose you over the competition (thus, making the loss acceptable), a lot of the folks running lodging operations today are bean counters...and not hospitality professionals. And, it will be interesting to see if this ends up hurting the bottom line that they are so deperately trying to inflate.

But, the author of this article has some even better ideas for hotels that want to do away with this cost center...and, honestly? They're pretty brilliant.

Going Face to Face with Stephen Colbert

The chance to spar with the amazing Stephen Colbert on the international stage must be an incredibly intoxicating opportunity. And, yet, supremely frightening.

Because, if you're not adept at improvisation, how in the world do you not come off as clueless or inept? It's the age old conundrum of how to respond to the "when did you stop beating your spouse?" question. There is simply no good answer.

My freshly-minted Congressman, Mark Pocan, appeared on Colbert's show last week. I've known Mark for over twenty years and, while he comes off stiffer and more guarded than the Mark I know, I'm pretty sure most of us would, in the same situation. And, yet, he handled most of Colbert's antics (100 candles on a cupcake, poking him about his husband and his former job as a magician, etc.) with a steady calmness.

Congratulations, my friend. Well played.

Except for that part about Obamacare and the death panels. He kinda gotcha on that one.

Fighting Blacklisting

After a number of government agencies were caught spending an exorbitant amount of taxpayer money on over the top meetings and conventions, the Obama Administration made it pretty clear that shit had to stop. But, in doing so, resort destinations suffered the hamhanded backlash as they were, de facto, blacklisted from future consideration.

As anyone that has ever planned events knows, there are almost always times on the calendar during which a resort destination is a far less expensive choice than a destination that is perceived as more "business-like." And, as Congressman Joe Heck (R-NV) said, “Resort cities like Las Vegas are not the problem here. Irresponsible federal workers are."

Too true...which is why he and other lregislators from Nevada have introduced the "Protecting Resort Cities from Discrimination Act of 2013."

While oddsmakers give the bill only a 12% chance of reaching the floor, kudos to public officials that are sophisticated enough to understand that meetings mean business, jobs and a thriving economy.

Those Allman Brothers Kids...

What is it about Sarasota?

Seems like I'm always bumping into the progeny of the Allman Brothers Band when I'm in town. First it was a couple of torid sets from Gregg's son Devon Allman over the past couple years. And, Wednesday night, it was Berry Duane Oakley, son of the late, founding bassist for the iconic band.

Caught a set from Berry (and his new project Skylab) at the "under new management" Cabana this week...which caused me to do a search to learn why I had missed this guy.

Turns out he's been playing here and there and with him and her (including step dad Chuck Negron, formerly of Three Dog Night). Most interesting, however, was his brief stint with a short-lived band called Bloodline that also featured the sons of Miles Davis and Robbie Krieger (the Doors).

On this Music Friday, check out this gem from that lone album. One that features an 18-year old Joe Bonamassa.

Hell yeah...

They're Getting Closer....

...and one of these days, they'll nail it.

Google tried once before with City Tour. It was close, but no cigar.

Now, they're quietly slipping back into the game with an unbranded feature that presents a promotional icon bar highlighting "things to do" in a destination when that term is searched. The box offers up horizontal thumbnail images of the main attractions for each destination, apparently generated with an editorially influenced algorithm.

Like City Tour, the algorithms are a mystery...but may point to a future in which they could be influenced by sponsorship dollars. Right now, as noted in a recent article on Tnooz, the first option when searching Dublin is not the destination's most popular attraction. But, a search on Madison, Sarasota and Pittsburgh were pretty solid, save for the inclusion of the stray shopping mall.

They're circling, boys and girls...and when they find the key, the world of Destination Marketing will change forever.

Too Much Information

Have we gotten to that point when it comes to violent weather?

Until just recently, the National Weather Service would issue severe weather warnings for a whole county. Hamhanded...yes. But, it kept us vigilant without making us crazy.

New technology allows the NWS to be much more precise with its warnings (like, down to neighborhoods)...but, last weekend's spate of tornadoes in Oklahoma suggests that such precision may not be a good thing.

Nine of the dead were in cars (in addition to 3 professional storm chasers), trying to outrun the storm that the NWS said was approaching.

 

Searching for a Do-Over

This past year hasn't been a tropical cruise for Carnival. Or, maybe it has. Maybe stuffing that many people on an aging ship that harbors nasty noroviruses and overflowing toilets is what cruising has become.

Regardless, Carnival wants us all to stop thinking about all that and get excited about cruising again. Like, right now.

And, they're looking for a new ad agency to work that mumbo jumbo, hocus pocus magic on us.

Like firing a head coach when a team loses, the incumbent agency is not being invited to make a pitch (as if it was their fault that boats ran aground and caught on fire).

I get that it's a big account. And, if I could actually pull a rabbit out of a hat for Carnival, I'd be set for life with a steady stream of future clients throwing bushel baskets full of money at me to do the same for them.

But, honestly...I'm not liking the odds.

Depends on How You Look at It

The Obama Administration is proposing a $14 per flight (yeah, $28 per roundtrip) tax be imposed to pay for improvements to our aviation infrastructure and, oh yeah, deal with the deficit.

While I'm the last to say "hit me" when it comes to taxes that I have no earthly idea of their final destination, I think most of us can agree that the nation's aviation infrastructure needs attention. How much of this new tax that actually benefits we poor souls that must endure the ignominy of air travel is, of course, the question.

Regardless, I had to laugh the other day when a spokesperson for Airlines for America blasted the plan, explaining that air fare hikes are different and OK...because those revenues are used to reinvest in services to passengers.

Pu-leeeze. Those revenues are to dig you out of debt and pay big bonuses to the folks in the C-suite.

And, even if it was for us, wouldn't a tax to fix up our airports and security be the same thing?

Just a thought....

Feels Like Summer

I'm not sure what it is...but this song from Rival Sons feels like Summer.

Early Summer. Not Late Summer.

Like...right now.

Turn this Music Friday track up loud. And, if you're in the Midwest, catch these guys live tonight in Detroit, Sunday in Rockford, Monday in Madison and Tuesday in the Twin Cities before they head to Europe.

End of an Era

Growing up in the Great Depression, John Q. Hammons swore he would never be poor.

But, the billionaire hotel developer did more than live that dream. He revolutionized the way meetings and conventions evolved in the '80s and '90s, giving meeting planners what they had always wanted: connectivity of sleeping rooms and meeting space. And, by doing so, he changed the expectations of planners across the country.

Talk about a disruptive force...he was one of the biggest in the hotel and meetings space. He certainly shook Madison up shortly before my arrival in 1990, electing to build a hotel conference center combo in a suburb after growing weary of the way City officials were jerking him around. When asked why he built his hotel a few feet outside the city line, he reportedly said, "so I can stand in my parking lot and spit into Madison."

I never had the honor to meet the man...but those that did would hear that story and say, "yeah...that sounds like Mr. Hammons."

And that development, successful in its own right, was a significant catalyst in Madison's realization that it needed to quit screwing around on the topic of a Convention Center and get serious. The result: the simply sensational Monona Terrace.

And, while there are many that had a hand in one of the City's most successful ventures, no one can deny that John's impatience helped my city realize its future.

He departed terra firma Sunday at the age of 94 with a legacy that will not soon be forgotten.

Thanks, Mr. Hammons. Thanks for eveything...

The Insidious Power of Innuendo

It's a tactic that is found in more and more toolkits that encircle reporters' waists. It's called innuendo...and it has the power to completely shift a story's ultimate meaning from reality to the world view of the reporter.

Case in point: the recent story that the New Orleans CVB's budget could see a substantial increase if State lawmakers vote today to allow area hoteliers to enanct an assessment.

An opponant to the measure is quoted as saying: "The state of Louisiana gives the CVB $7 million of taxpayer money every year, and as you can see...over half of that money has gone to salaries."

Whoa! Stop the presses! Hold the phone! No shit? They're paying half their budget in salaries?

Scandalous!!!

Except, Destination Marketing is a people-to-people business. It's about salespeople, services personnel, welcome center staff, marketing professionals.

Imagine if I opposed a pro football team getting tax revenue for a new stadium...and I complained that half the money the team spends goes to player salaries.

No one would bat an eye. Because...that's how the game is played. With, ummmm, people.

Same thing with Destination Marketing Organizations.

A responsible journalist would make that point...or ignore the innuendo offered up as gasoline to the fire.

Just saying...

 

UPDATE: The bill passed the House 79-18. It's now back to the Senate for some technical clean-up and onto the Governor's desk for his signature.

HSAS

Word on the street is that there may just be a second life for the short-lived '80s supergroup known as HSAS.

Sammy Hagar (at the time, coming off his run with Montrose and building a solo career), Neil Schon (Santana and Journey), Kenny Aaronson (Stories and Rick Derringer) and Michael Shrieve (Santana) came together for a brief moment in time to produce a blistering LP of power rock in 1984. But, it couldn't last. Neil had his ongoing commitment to Journey. Sammy was becoming a big deal in his own right. Still...HSAS cooked.

Neil and Sammy recently reunited in the studio with the rhythm section of Hagar's new band, Chickenfoot. And, by the sounds of this video, could actually put the band back together...kind of...with Michael Anthony (ex-Van Halen) and Chad Smith (Red Hot Chilli Peppers). Kind of, because Anthony and Smith are the "AS" to Hagar and Schon's "HS." HSAS again, indeed.

On this Music Friday, it's a two-fer with the original line-up on "Top if the Rock" and "Missing You."

Spin around, baby!

Travel = Corporate Profits

We're increasingly a society that does its business virtually...when that's the last way that business should and needs to be done.

Research from Oxford Economic shows clearly that every dollar invested in business travel resulted in $2.90 in profit.

It also validates one of the most compelling spots ever created on the subject of business travel.

And thanks to my friend and co-conspirator Harvey Briggs for the link.

Can We Move On?

Research indicates that 30% of us "forget" to turn our mobile devices off upon liftoff. Add to this that virtually all pilots are utilizing iPads for take-offs and landings.

Can we stop the insanity that our mobile devices will bring planes crashing down?

Please?

The Exception to the Rule

You don't see it as much today as we all did a number of years ago. Governor's starring in their State's Tourism ads was never a great idea. And, whether it was vanity or an unabashed attempt at publicly funded face time on the run up to an election (assuming the spots ran in-state), the results were predictably unimpressive.

Nobody chooses a state for a getaway because of its governor.

Except when that Governor is a bonafide celebrity. And, while not quite on the level of an Arnold, Chris Christie is a personality. With guest spots on SNL and the very funny viral video (which features Jon Bon Jovi, Alec Baldwin and the Ragin Cajun), the New Jersey Governor attracts attention.

I get that Jersey Democrats are wound into knots because he's starring in the new TV spot encouraging visitors to return to a post-Sandy New Jersey. After all, if you can't be pissed off at something every week, you're not doing your job.

But, on this one? It's a great spot that will attract visitors and their much needed money.

So, sit down and shut up.