Bill Geist's Zeitgeist

We're Still Gonna Travel

Consumer confidence continues to slog through uncharted negative territory...and discretionary spending has consistently remained at 30% off last year's levels all year.

Discretionary spending. That would encompass leisure travel, eh? So, if one believes the numbers, leisure travel should be off 30%.

But, it's not (according to Suzanne Cook at the US Travel Association). Domestic leisure travel posted only a 2.7 percent decline in volume and a 10.3 percent loss in spending year-to-date through Q3 '09. Shorter, closer-to-home and less costly travel options continue to be the norm, and some destinations are benefiting from this shift.

We may be holding back on the bling...but we apparently don't regard leisure travel as discretionary. And that's a good thing for the economy.

The New Normal for the Meetings Industry

One of the thought leaders I've been following recently is Jeff Hurt, Director of Education and Events for the National Association of Dental Plans. His insightful post in August regarding why conference attendees are ignoring early-bird discounts really caught my imagination. And, now, he's back with even more...

His 16 realities of how the Meetings Industry has changed...possibly forever.

It's a must read if you make your living marketing hotels, convention centers, meetings or destinations.

In the Year 1993

Who knew what a wired (and unwired) world would look like?Turns out...that would be at&t.

My friend Joe Buhler stumbled across these TV ads from 16 years ago that are so uncannily insightful.

Isn't it simply amazing how far we've come in such a short span of time.

The New Breed of DMO Professionals

Just back from the Upper Midwest CVB Fall Conference. And...damn. I am so impressed and invigorated.

First off...the content was the best I've seen in years. And, if you are a past attendee that faded away over the past 5 years, you need to consider putting this conference back into your budget for 2010.

But, more importantly, for the first time...I saw a cadre of new DMO professionals that are just flat out whip smart. I moderated a ideation session on Day One...and watched as break-out groups that had to be 80% 20-somethings were coming up with incredible ideas and strategies for ways to attract visitors.

OK...maybe that means I'm getting old (but I damn sure outlasted most of the attendees the past couple nights). But these new DMOpros are so the future of our industry. In a world where our relevance is questioned, I am so more positive than ever before.

Cause the next generation of DMOpros so get it.

And I can't wait to hang with them again next year.

Photo (l-r): Me, Christine Rebout (Janesville WI CVB), Terri and Cole Carley (Fargo-Moorhead CVB)...all sporting the Zeitgeist tattoo.

Understanding True Customer Service

My friend Bill Haight recently posted a rant about the differences of customer service between major league businesses...and small business.

It's a lesson for us all on the concept of consequence.

There are a lot of people that don't "get" the concept of consequence. Pity them...because they will lose in the new economy.

The Increasing Relevancy of DMOs

In last week's edition of the Z-News, we posted a thoughtful response from Meilee Anderson of Seattle Southside regarding the relevancy of DMOs. In a nutshell, she opined that DMOs are the only ones that can make sense of the incredible overload of information available on the internet.

I received another take this week from Deb Lewis of the Park City CVB, agreeing with Meilee and taking it a step further:

"Our visitor services staff finds the questions people are asking have shifted from, “What should we do while we’re here?” … to questions like, “Here’s stuff we pulled from the internet. Can you help me make sense of it?”  My staff seems to be “going deep” with visitor services more and more as people come in armed with some information about Park City, but need an expert to help them sort it out."

I'm sensing a significant opportunity here. You too?

The question? How to prove the ROI of this crucial service we are all about to provide.

Disintermediated? I don't think so.

Photo Credit: Omaha CVB's way cool Visitors Center / Coffeehouse

The Next Gen for Twitter

When it's all about location, Destination Marketers need to pay attention to Twitter. In the very near future, the micro-blogging juggernaut will be debuting location based code in every Tweet.

While the new service will be defaulted to "off" for personal security reasons, imagine the opportunity to target messaging to Tweeps in your destination, offering deals and packages to a finite target audience.

Still think Twitter is stoopid? Think again.

We Still Intend to Travel More

Once again, Americans say they intend to travel during the next six months at rates higher than the same period last year (now 63%, up from 61% in 2008). That from the latest travelhorizons study.

Good news if we can believe them. Good news if it's not just bravado talking in the face of the recession.

The Relationship Between GDP and Hotel Demand

In a fascinating post on the 4Hoteliers blog, JMBM's Jim Butler shares research from NYU's Bjorn Hanson that shows an uncanny symmetry between U.S. Gross Domestic Product and Hotel Room Demand. Since 1920, with very few exceptions, the two growth rates have mirrored each other.

That is...until the Year 2000. During the last recession, hotel demand dropped like a stone compared to the decline in GDP. It's done the same in this one.

Last time around, the trend boomeranged back rapidly...but began following the GDP trend line again at a decreased level. The question Butler poses is chilling. Will the recovery for hotels replicate the last recovery...or are we in a totally new paradigm with this one?

Either way, the numbers don't look good.

Content vs. Networking

It's a beautiful thing when you can achieve both at a conference (like last week's Annual Convention of Destination Marketing Association International in Atlanta). But an interesting post from meeting planner Jeff Hurt (and picked up by Sue Pelletier last week) suggests that, more and more, it's the networking that is driving attendance.

Jeff (like many meeting planners) has noticed more and more people registering at the last minute. Many of us figure that this is just our way of making sure we can still make an event, given our hectic and ever-changing schedules. But Jeff's research indicates that it's more about making sure that the people with whom we want to network will be there.

Has the Attendee List become more important than the Conference Program? It's something for planners to consider as they try to increase attendance...