Bill Geist's Zeitgeist

Can You Say "Schizophrenia?"

It's been am interesting month so far for this nation's leaders as they take their first meaningful steps to develop a Tourism Strategy for America.

This good news, of course, is that the Commerce Department unveiled its strategy for reaching 100 million international visitors by 2021 last Thursday. And, for the most part, reviews have been favorable.

At the same time, however, the President used a mallet to address a problem with which the government had already dealt...namely, the GSA mess. Instead of moving on, the the Obama administration has placed new restrictions on federal travel and meetings. A 30% reduction from 2010 levels has been ordered to be the law of the land through 2016.

Then there was the good news that the U.S. Travel Association's Geoff Freeman has been named Chair of the Passenger Advocacy Subcommittee of the Aviation Security Advisory Committee at the Transportation Security Administration. A shorter way of saying that is what Geoff said in a prepared statement: "Travelers deserve to have a voice in Washington when it comes to the aviation screening process and entry procedures." True Dat.

At the same time, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (the what?) announced that demand for gasoline this summer will be at an 11 year low. At the same time, MMGY Global and U.S. Travel revealed that intent to travel this summer is up significantly over last year.

What's it all mean? America has a tourism strategy (at least until the Republican House takes another whack at it). Cutting federal meetings and travel is a typically hamhanded response to a media-inflamed issue. Summer travel will be up but we'll drive shorter distances.

And, there is finally a glimmer of hope that TSA might become more customer focused.

OK...not really. But, we're excited that Geoff will shake a few cages in the process.

Yeah, but....

Nearly half of Travel Leader Agents expect customers to spend more this year, according to Travel Weekly. On the surface, this can be nothing but good news.

Except "nearly half" means that MORE than half will spend the same or less.

Not quite the recovery we had hoped for, gang.

Buckle up...it will continue to be a bumpy ride. And, we look forward to the journey with you.

SoMeT So Rocks It...Again

After a week on the road in New Orleans and Tunica, it's taken a little time to ketchup here at the Zeitgeist compound. And, Monday night (as the Packers-Vikings game got completely out of hand), I finally had the chance to reflect on the force of nature that is SoMeT (Social Media in Tourism Symposium).

As I was downloading video from SoMeT for DMOpro, I was reminded why I said that last year's edition was one of the best tourism conferences out there. Whip smart presentations by both practitioners and vendors (with nary a scent of the "selling" that has become so rampant at other conferences). Incredible networking. And, a culture in which many of the speakers said that they learned more than they believe they shared.

That's just too cool.

Be watching DMOpro.com for clips in December. Subscribe to get notified when they're posted in the A/V Room.

And, to Dave and the crew behind this amazing conference, thanks for inviting us...and thanks for another mind-blowing event.

Honestly...Can the Administration Buy a Clue?

This class warfare shit has got to stop. And our President needs to think twice three times before he injures the hospitality industry yet again.

First it was his infamous slap at Vegas. Then he said we should save our money and not take vacations. Then he tried to stop federal travel to save the environment. Now, his Office of Government Ethics has proposed a new rule that would prohibit federal employees from accepting free admission to conferences held by organizations that lobby the government.

Which would be...errrr, virtually EVERY organization (including the Democratic Party).

Look...I'm not trying to pile on when his performance ratings are at their lowest. And I certainly don't see a clear-cut alternative. But, seriously...I can't recall a President that has ever been as dismissive of an industry that means so much to this country's economy.

Federal employees are insulated enough from the real world. This punitive rule would exacerbate that insulation even more.

So they get to go to a conference or a dinner (or your National Convention). Who the hell really thinks that will unfairly influence federal decision making?

Really?

Loving Where You Live

There are those towns in America that get a bad rap. And, I refuse to list them...because, in my job, I've been to many of them. And, guess what? I like every one of them.

As I told the assembled at the Fargo-Moorhead CVB Annual Breakfast yesterday, it's because these towns always exceeded my expectation. As Fargo did years ago for me. And, because of that, I always look forward to my visits.

Following my presentation, the CVB presented a number of awards to area individuals and organizations that advanced the destination in a number of ways. One was Alexander Wagner, a professor at North Dakota State University that had assisted in bringing the International Conference on Discrete Simulation of Fluid Dynamics to Fargo. A group that has, over the past 20 years, met in such destinations as Beijing, Geneva, Kyoto, Nice and Oxford. Last year, they were in Rome.

When Alexander got up to accept his award, he told the crowd that, to his international colleagues, Fargo was seen as an "exotic" destination. And, they're still talking about their visit in glowing terms to their friends.

My favorite part of his speech, however, was when he playfully chastised the crowd for not always realizing what a fabulous community Fargo-Moorhead is. He explained that he could have moved anywhere when he left Germany. He chose Fargo for its beauty...and for how wonderfully the air smelled. Yes...sometimes it is the simplest of things. And yet, the most important.

We all need an Alexander Wagner in our communities to remind us of just how cool our town is.

Thanks to Cole and the gang at the FMCVB. It was a great morning!

Like She Said

Here at the Zeitgeist Compound, we're back and working on a number of projects, one of which is a "Best Practices" study of DMO Operations and Philosophies.

Over the weekend, I have been fascinated by some of the cool, whip-smart and paradigm-shifting concepts we've seen from respondents. Especially when it comes to the concept of providing "incentives" to encourage convention and event groups to choose their destination over the competition.

In other words, "buying the business."

While most respondents acknowledged that they did it begrudgingly...there were the refreshing handful that said "no way."

My favorite response: "We do not give cash and wish others would stop devaluing their destinations by doing so."

What a concept...and so true.

The Changing Face of Meetings

Is it just me?

Or are you seeing the majors (MPI, DMAI, ASAE, etc.) all promising dramatic changes to their upcoming annual summer conferences?

MPI is promising "Solution Rooms," DMAI is promoting "Mega Sessions" and "Knowledge Sessions." And, ASAE is offering "Game Changers" and "Deep Dive Workshops." And the list goes on.

Have they all been reading Jeff Hurt's blog?

Or have they realized that the sound they are hearing over their shoulders is the drumbeat of discontent? Over vapid motivational keynote speakers that provide no content. Over Concurrent Sessions filled with non-stop pitches from vendors. Over Panel Discussions that are poorly designed and executed. And, over not nearly enough time for Networking.

Me thinks that this may well be a kick ass summer of conferences. And I can't wait.

Where Do These People Come From?

In most states, it's stoopid season...as politicians wield their newfound partisan power like a meat-cleaver in the budget process. And, I get that everybody is broke. But, some of the ideas that are being introduced are simply nuts.

Like this one from the State of Washington: a permanent restriction on state agencies from using funds for travel and renting private facilities like hotels for meetings.

Really? REALLY? And do the politicians behind this simply clueless manuever believe this will solve their budget crisis...or is it just a punitive poke at State workers?

Because this won't hurt State workers. Hell, most don't want to travel. Who this will hurt are hospitality workers across the State that rely on business and government travel to keep the economy strong.

But, would we expect anything more from a Legislature that is also preparing to close its State Tourism Office?

The Future of Meetings

There are those that believe that technology will be the death of meetings. And, they'd be right...if meetings don't change.

Our belief that a different kind of meeting is in the offing for most associations seemed to gain even more traction last meek at the Professional Conference Management Association's annual convention in Las Vegas. Rather than scratch their collective heads regarding the future, PCMA went to the source and hosted a panel of Millennials.

And, they said they plan on continuing to come to meetings...for the social aspect of the event. Like we've been saying, it's not the content anymore. It's the contact.

We can get content anytime. The crucial component for meeting planners that expect to keep their jobs is developing more face time. And, those of us in the Destination Marketing business need to be there to help them redesign their events in our communities.

A Fascinating Take on the Obsession over Group Sales

With all due humility in this admission, there are those that look to Zeitgeist Consulting as a thought leader in Destination Marketing. We've been called that by several...and ended up using the line on our website. And, we certainly appreciate the kudos.

But, we don't just make this stuff up on our own. We simply aggregate the best ideas in one place (like DMOpro) and try to deliver value to our friends, followers and clients.

One of the sources of way cool ideas for us has always been my friend Reyn Bowman who has posted a must-read treatise on the obsession of many DMOs for the holy "group sale."

Required reading, my friends in Destination Marketing...