Bill Geist's Zeitgeist

The Conundrum

Increasingly, Destination Marketing Organizations are assuming the role of ensuring a more complete destination experience for the visitors they lure. In most cases, this is a response to an absence of a private sector answer to a consumer need. For example, when Visit Quad Cities received repeated requests for bike rentals from visitors, they acquired bikes to supply the need.

But, what if there were private sector bike rental companies already providing such a service?

Over the weekend, I saw an Op-Ed piece from an entrepreneur that supplies bike rentals in Cocoa Beach FL, challenging the allocation of Room Tax revenue to develop a bike-share program in the destination. The TDC there has apparently allocated over $100,000 to create an option for visitors to bike the destination.

The existing private sector provider certainly has an axe to grind. The County is using tax dollars to "compete" with his business model. At the same time, the entrepreneur might not be in a position to deliver a destination-wide solution. I have absolutely no idea who here is right and who is less right. Nobody here is wrong, as everyone is looking to ensure visitors a great experience.

But, it is a signal to us all in the DMO space. Be very clear that the private sector doesn't have a destination-wide solution before stepping in. And, if there isn't a destination-wide solution (but a small solution exists), look for ways to enable entrepreneurs to grow to fill that need.

It only makes sense. 

 

 

Hummingbird

Never a "hit," I first heard one of my favorite Leon Russell songs on the first solo disc from Elton John's longtime drummer, Nigel Olsson.

Nigel's version of "Hummingbird" (sung by session vocalist Kathi McDonald and, sadly, nowhere to be found on the 'net) had less passion behind it...but more polish and would, for a few years, be the only version I knew. 

In time, I came to love Leon's version and B.B. King's rendition.

On this Music Friday, we share a newer take on the classic from Joe Bonamassa, live from the Greek Theatre.

Crank it up!

When it's Time to Expand the Convention Center

DMO pros in Columbia SC have been saying, for quite some time, that their Convention Center is significantly undersized; that groups that would love to meet in South Carolina's Famously Hot and Surprisingly Cool Capitol City simply can't due to space constraints.

The Convention Center is hosting a regional convention this week that has consumed virtually every square foot of space.

So much so that the Board of Directors of the Destination Marketing Organization that markets the region was forced to hold their monthly meeting in...

Wait for it....

A Storage Room in the facility.

I so had to chuckle...

The Frightgeist

You work really hard on your Halloween costume. You can't wait for the compliments. And, then, the big moment arrives...you walk into the party.

And see four other people costumed just like you.

Want a leg up on the competition? Check out Google's Frightgeist...a fascinating insight into the most searched for costumes on the web.

Suicide Squad's Harley Quinn and The Joker top the list with the obligatory Clown, Witch and Pirate hanging tight in the Top Ten.

Better yet, Frightgeist reveals in which cities certain costumes are trending. So, if you have your heart set on being Deadpool and live in Rockford IL or Panama City FL, you might want to rethink that notion.

And, here's to devising a bad ass costume that's NOT on the list!

That's a Big Fan

They say everything's bigger in Texas...and this fan certainly bears that out.

Recently seen in Bryan...check this monster out.

And, click the image to reveal the name of the company that made it.

That's a big fan...

My G-G-G

Sorry I've been AWOL this week...simply slammed with a couple projects.

But Music Friday must go on.

I don't know how I missed this...but it was posted on YouTube before many of us knew there was a YouTube. Yet, it has stood the test of time.

They call themselves The Zimmers...and nine years ago, they posted this cover of the Who's My Generation. With a then-90 year old lead singer and a chorus with a collective age of 3000 years recorded at Abbey Road, the video is a sensational statement of the timeless impact of rock...even as they intone the line "hope I die before I get old." Because...they're not.

Years later, a much depleted version of the group appeared on Britain's Got Talent. One could easily imagine so many of the stars of the original video having passed on to their next world.

RIP...you rocked well.

As witnessed by over 6 million people.

The Juxtaposition of Two Impossibilities

But, then again, very little surprises me anymore.

Bob Dylan is honored with the Nobel Peace Prize for Literature? The Chicago Cubs are the odds on favorite to win the World Series?

Yes, two of the three signs of the approaching apocalypse have just occurred.

So, for this Music Friday, I could go with a really cool video of Dylan and George Harrison rehearsing for the Concert for Bangladesh. I could go with an eerie (but cool) duet with Eric Clapton. I could also share his very first TV appearance in 1963 (what a long strange trip it's been).

But, I'm going with a song that Dylan wrote about baseball Hall of Famer Catfish Hunter (the juxtaposition). Sadly, there isn't a video of Bob doing the song...but a cover by the late, great Joe Cocker will do quite nicely. It is, after all, the lyrics that won Bob the Nobel.

I'm going to the bunker now...

Black Friday No More

I've never really understood the concept of Black Friday, the nickname for the day after Thanksgiving...a day when holiday shoppers collectively lose their shit and swarm America's major retailers. Regardless of the purported savings, it doesn't sound like fun in the least.

Experts are now saying that Black Friday is losing it's status as the biggest shopping day of the year.

Indeed, half of American consumers believe their holiday shopping will be complete by Thanksgiving. Then there's the reality of the calendar. Christmas falls on a Sunday this year, meaning Christmas Eve shopping will likely end for most by mid-afternoon.

Thus, the biggest shopping day of 2016 is expected to be Friday, December 23rd.

As it should be. 

The Inspiration

Like so many communities impacted by Hurricane Matthew, Savannah is just coming back on line. Like so many other residents, our friends from Visit Savannah are making their way back to town. But, as they do, they'll have a little bit of inspiration thanks to the responses to a status post on Facebook.

CEO Joe Marinelli picks up the story: 

"I wanted to share with you how inspired I am by .... people .... people in general.  Sunday, after being "dark" the last few days, we posted a message on our social media sites from me. The numbers in just over six hours are amazing by themselves (1,200 likes and loves).  But take a few minutes to read the (over 100) comments.  They're incredible and a true testament to the human spirit (and, a day later, the post stood at 2,800 likes and loves).

"One of the lessons our team learned from watching our counterparts after Katrina is this: until you actually go through something like this, you can only do so much to be prepared.  We were ready and our staff has handled it.  And we will continue to do so over the coming days and weeks.  But, I will use the commentary of our fans to inspire (yep, there's that word again) our team to rise up, even though they have been relocated from their homes for days and will come back to no electricity, destruction in their yards and neighborhoods and so much more."

While none of us wish the kind of crisis that precipitated the group hug that Savannah (and other destinations) has gotten post Matthew, it is a warm reminder that we all build amazing friends and fans by inviting people to our sensational communities through destination marketing.

Rapid, Flexible, Reliable.

Just some of the qualities of the best Destination Marketing Organizations (and, frankly, every entity that covets success). That was the motto of the 67th Expeditionary Signal Battalion during the Vietnam War when its leader (MailChimp's CEO Ben Chestnut's dad) made the most of the hand he was dealt.

In a great story from the New York Times, Ben shares how his father's stories about his time in battle helped instill values that enabled him to build MailChimp (which powers the monthly Z-News) into an almost $400 million enterprise without resorting to venture capital. 

The best story: 

Ben's dad would, from time to time, be given a soldier he did not want, somebody who was a little unpredictable because he had a reputation of taking weirdos and turning them into useful soldiers. One was a former leader in the Hell’s Angels who was drafted and was very trigger-happy. Everyone was scared to have him on their team.

One day, he took him aside and told him, you’ve got to put your gun on safety when we march because you could accidentally kill your fellow soldiers. The guy just refused. So, Ben's dad made him walk in the front.

He was always adapting.

Just as we all must to succeed.