Bill Geist's Zeitgeist

Don't Wait, Supplies Are Limited.

Readers of this blog that are also members of Destination Marketing Association International might have caught CEO Don Welsh's Friday e-mail that informed the membership that his senior leadership team had gathered for a two-day strategic planning workshop...facilitated by yours truly.

While it was a sensational honor to be asked to serve as the team's trusted advisor during the process, it will be the level of engagement, passion and commitment I witnessed from staff that will stay with me for years. Truly, I can't remember a time when I was surrounded by more high-level thought and ideation in this sector. Don has assembled an amazing team.

Which should suggest to anyone in our industry that has been holding back on registering for this year's Annual Convention in Minneapolis that they'll be kicking themselves when they hear from their peers about what they missed.

It's the New DMAI, babies.

But, don't wait...there are precious few hotel rooms remaining.

Just sayin.'

 

Generational vs. Values

Labeling people sucks...unless they are consumers. Then it's OK.

Because research has given us insights into the way that ethnicity, wealth (or lack thereof) and age influences purchasing decisions, we design our marketing messages to match those stereotypes.

The easiest is age. Millennials are different from Boomers (except when they are not). Gen Xers are slackers who now have kids. 

You see where this is going?

Virgin Hotels isn't buying a bit of it as they design their new properties. As Skift's Greg Oates wrote last week in a great piece on the brand: "Virgin Hotels is attempting to find the right design and programming balance that caters to people within different age groups who share the same lifestyle values."

What a concept, because lots of us possess traits from different generations and different realities. And, Greg's interview with Virgin Hotel CEO Raul Leal has tons more gems. 

Worth your read...

If That's How They Want to Spend Their Money...

Years ago, the agency behind Wisconsin Tourism placed a billboard across the street from the Minnesota Tourism Office. The board playfully played off Minnesota's claim to being the Land of 10,000 lakes with the following message:

Come to the Land of 15,000 Lakes...and ours have fish.

It still cracks me up.

That kind of playfulness isn't going to happen this year in Cleveland, where the airport has just rejected a $50,000 advertising contract with the Dallas CVB. You see, Dallas was the runner-up in the competition to host the Republican National Convention...and they'd like to remind delegates arriving to the convention that they were (in their minds) a better choice.

The airport didn't see the humor there...and turned down the ad buy.

Destination Cleveland CEO David Gilbert had a different take: "If that's how they choose to spend their money, that's fine,"

Indeed.

When Travel and Politics Collide

Boycotts suck when they happen to us...but they are an effective way of sending a clear message.

The owners of a UK Travel Site abhor the direction that the American Republican party is moving with its new standard bearer, Donald Trump. But, releasing a statement to that effect would cause nary a ripple on this side of the pond.

Removing all Trump hotels and resorts from their website will...and EarnAway hopes it starts a movement among other online travel agencies to follow suit.

In making the announcement, EarnAway's Robert Berrisford said,"we feel it's ethically and morally wrong for us to effectively help fund and contribute to a political campaign that we have such strong opposition to."

It will be interesting to see whether others will place ethics over profit.

It's the Elections

In 2009, DMOs universally complained that group bookings were off. The same held for 2013.

In a 2013 Z-News post, we suggested that, while we should wait to see what 2017 would bring, it was an uncertainty brought about by the American Presidential elections that was causing some groups to postpone booking their meetings and conventions for the next year. 

Travelport CEO Gordon Wilson is suggesting the same thing.

Is it time to rethink the ROI of this whole election thing?

The Impact of Destination Marketing

As National Travel & Tourism Week winds down across America, we have two more Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs) to feature.

Just as the Greater Madison CVB did this week with their Tourism Takeover videos, two other DMOs took different paths on the way they communicated the impact of Destination Marketing on their communities.

Meet Chicago Northwest was all business in their approach with a video that featured key community and industry leaders extolling the benefits of the DMO and the visitor economy. And, it completely resonates with their brand.

As does the video the Oshkosh CVB debuted at their annual breakfast on Tuesday (which I was honored to keynote). As Wisconsin's Event City, their video perfectly embodied their staff...and its impact on the community.

Tourism touches us all, enhances our lives and helps keep resident taxes down.

And, damn...we have fun doing it.

Tourism Takeover

I can't think of a career more fun than the travel and hospitality sector. But, just because it's fun doesn't mean it isn't hard work...as members of the Greater Madison (WI) CVB staff found out last month.

As a way of saying "thank you" to their industry partners for National Travel & Tourism Week, CEO Deb Archer and her team performed "Tourism Takeovers" at destination businesses, stepping behind the scenes at area attractions and restaurants.

And, of course, capturing it all on video. You can see the lead Tourism Takeover video here...and more Takeovers here.

Not that easy, is it? But, definitely fun.

And, a reminder for us all to thank the people who serve us every day in the Hospitality Industry.

You make all of our lives richer.

Capitalizing on the Final Four

While his team didn't make it through Friday night, we gotta hand it to Visit Syracuse's David Holder for taking the opportunity to issue an invitation to the President to hang in the 'Cuse. 

Well played, my friend.

The Cost of Nuanced Intelligence

Hilton Worldwide raised some eyebrows last autumn when it announced a pilot program that would assess a $50 fee for canceling a reservation. Not just 24 or 48 hours out...but any cancellation.

They've since stepped back, saying they won't implement the policy any time soon. CEO Christopher Nassetta said that the company implemented the program in "a really blunt-force way" to gauge customer reactions.

"Customers hated it, but that's not really surprising," Nasetta said. "We knew they would, but we did get some nuanced intelligence out of the experience." 

Interesting strategy. Poke your customer in the eye with a stick to see how loud they scream.

Here's hoping the risk was worth the gain...as I see consumers walking away from brands for far less.

The Slippery Slope

Lots of tongues are wagging in the Destination Marketing sector after Skift's Greg Oates recently highlighted a new study by a new firm in our space named FULCRUM. The crux of the findings: Meeting Planners are increasingly copying their peers in the Sports Tournament world and requiring incentives to land their business.

Those of us that have worked in both spheres knew this was bound to happen. But, for the past few years, National Association of Sports Commission President Don Schumacher has been issuing the clarion call that the practice of bid fees and incentives has gotten completely out of hand.

When we shared the stage at a recent NASC event, he talked of a hockey tournament that had secured over $50 in per room add on fees for a tournament. He said then as I'll say now..."we're about to kill the golden goose."

Planners know that there will always be destinations desperate for business. And, they count on DMOs buying into that desperation to increase incentives that support their bottom line.

It's easy to say that we won't play that game. But, there will always be the competitor that will, forcing our hand.

It's become a way of life for destinations in the tournament sector. Will we now be forced into a war not based on the best fit for meetings and conventions but the highest bounty?

Sigh...