Bill Geist's Zeitgeist

That Sheen

No...not Charlie.

That's what I feel when I hear those classic 80s rockers from band like Asia and GTR. A sheen.

To be sure, there were lots of period rockers that found their success in killer base lines and chunky guitars. But, bands like Asia and GTR played in treble-land, merging power chords with a soaring guitar riffs.

Like Asia's "Heat of the Moment." And GTR's "When the Heart Rules the Mind."

A lot of this was clearly Steve Howe (ex-Yes and a central figure in both bands)...but it certainly wasn't completely his influence, as his prior and subsequent solo work never attained the success of any of his bands.

For this Music Friday, a rarity from a re-constituted Asia in 1996...an accoustic (and updated) version of "Heat of the Moment."

Enjoy. And have a sheen-y weekend.

Smart Tactic

My layovers at airports are generally under two hours...and there are always e-mails and project work to fill my time between flights.

But, I have been stranded for significantly longer, waiting for a flight, wishing that I could get out and explore a community during my layover. But, it always seems to be too much of a hassle.

Except in Salt Lake City...where they actively encourage visitors through their airport to get out and enjoy the destination (click image to enlarge) on a two-hour tour.

Very cool.

Tourism = Insult?

For those watching the painful machinations of Wisconsin politics, you'll know that, despite a million signatures demanding his ouster, Governor Scott Walker retained his post in last month's recall election. The Democrats regained control of the Senate by one vote, however, preventing the Governor from continuing to run the table.

Maybe.

Word out of Milwaukee yesterday has Democratic Senator Tim Cullen suggesting he might flip independent over a perceived slight, as the new Senate Majority Leader failed to appoint Cullen to the committee he wanted. That's right...anybody who feels slighted could end up the most powerful person in the State, as they will control the swing vote. And, right now, Cullen is that guy.

But...that's just the background.

It turns out that Tim was offered a committee chairmanship...but turned it down. And, in an interview on WTMJ Radio yesterday afternoon, he opined that being offered the Chairmanship of the Tourism Committee was "an insult." That such a post was for rural senators (up nort, ya know) that just used the title to look good to their constiuents.

Hey Tim? I understand that most people think that Tourism in Wisconsin is all about up nort. But, the collective economic impact of visitor spending in the counties that you represent in southeastern Wisconsin is over $1.4 billion and employs over 30,000 potential voters.

An "insult" to represent us? To advocate for us? To make sure that Tourism promotion isn't just about "up nort?"

Care to rephrase that thought?

Restating Our Past

Seen this weekend in downtown Santa Fe: A monument to those soldiers that fell in battle in various wars (click image to enlarge).

On the side referencing those who died fighting Native Americans, one of the words etched into stone in 1868 has been gouged out.

I'm guessing that the word removed was "Savage."

Wasn't there a better way to interpret this historic monument (and an era of stunning unsophistication) than deface it?

Just a thought...

It's Called Relevancy

The Destination Marketing world has been struggling with its perceived relevance for the past few years. And, as one of the panelists opined at the just completed annual convention of Destination Marketing Association International, it we'd only quit beating ourselves up over this perception and just do our jobs, we'd be relevant.

Maybe...but that would necesitate having stakeholders that a) understand what we do and b) not have ulterior motives that would be advanced by our irrelevance.

All that relevancy stuff became just a bit more moot last week with the release of a study that indicates that DMOs influence the booking of 1 in 5 group hotel rooms sold in America. And that is huge.

Those crickets you hear? That would be those in government and the hotel community that want to divert revenues away from a clearly significant generator of visitor spending in our communities...but whose leg upon which they stand has become significantly more wobbly.

I'll Stand By You

Chrissie Hynde and the Pretenders. One of the most beautiful songs ever written, ever performed.

Kinda perfect on this Music Friday.

The Consequence of Over Reaction

The brainiacs at the General Services Administration (GSA) are hard at work to ensure that the rampant abuse of travel and meetings policies on the part of their peers will never, ever happen again. Because, err, if they can't do it...then nobody gets to do it. So there...na na da boo boo.

Their current point of attack is to slash the pier diem rate for any government lodging (though, I'm guessing, Congress gets a day pass). One proposal slashes the per diem by 30%. In one of the destinations in which we worked this year, that would force hotels desiring government business to offer a $49 rate. And, that is simply insane.

The U.S. Travel Association and the American Hotel & Lodging Association released some interesting responses to the proposals. These draconian measures would severely limit the number of hotels available to federal travelers, making it harder to find lodging close to places of business, increasing transportation expenses and making federal travel less efficient. They would also lead to an estimated loss of $750 million in lodging revenue and result in American job losses of at least 28,000 workers.

But, I'm sure GSA will fire back that these two associations have a bias and that their argument holds no water.

Fine...how about the government's own Congressional Budget Office, which has released a report that says that meeting the new requirements would actually create at least as much cost to the federal government as it would save.

Hey GSA? Here's a novel idea: why not just enforce the policies you already have on the books and quit playing with fire.

Just a thought...

I Guess I Don't Get It

A national coalition of disability rights groups is calling for a boycott of all hotels that have not yet installed wheelchair lifts in their swimming pools.

But, ummm, if I were in a chair, wouldn't I already be avoiding those hotels?

Just a thought...

RFP for a DMO

While I understand the concept behind municipalities putting contracts up for bid, I always laugh my ass off when the RFP is for Destination Marketing.

Like the RFP for the Knoxville CVB.

Because, in every case, the municipal leaders are showing their ignorance regarding how our business is run. If there is a DMO in existence, it likely has a database of meeting, tournament and event planners that it has been working for years. It likely has a database of potential leisure visitors with which it communicates on a regular basis, encouraging future visits.

The ad agencies that swarm to the RFP...not so much.

What DMOs do is a highly specialized form of Economic Development. And, I don't see a lot of communities putting their Economic Development contracts up for RFPs.

So...why DMOs?

The Power of Recognition

The guy at the bank drive-up said, "Thanks, Bill...have a great weekend."

Really? This is a fairly new branch for me and I've been out of the public eye in this town for over a decade.

There was a time that unknowns calling me by name was not unusual. I was pictured and quoted in the paper a lot. I was on the top TV morning show once a week. Having unknowns saying, "Hey, Bill," was fairly common.

But today? I'm way off the radar doing my own thing. Most don't even know I'm still in town.

So, this teller has no idea who I was...or am. But, he called me by name...and it felt good.

Of course, he had my contact information on his screen and it was easy to know my name. But, that is the difference between businesses that get it...and those that don't.

Greeting any customer by name changes the equation every time.

Look for ways that you can...