Bill Geist's Zeitgeist

The Proving Just Got Tougher

Those who have seen me present in Boardrooms and on stages know I'm pretty dismissive of counting Room Nights as a primary measure of the efficacy of Destination Marketing. Don't jump to conclusions here. Achieving Room Nights is important. Using them as your proof has been a slippery slope for over a decade.

And, it just got slipperier.

A new study from Hilton, NYC & Company and the PCMA Foundation has found that the practice of convention attendees booking outside the contracted hotel block has gotten much worse over the past 5 years. Like, twice as bad as the last study I saw.

Over the past three years, roughly half of all delegates attending large-scale, urban conventions are booking accommodation outside the block. 25% of attendees actually booked the HQ hotel...but didn't identify themselves as attendees qualifying for the block. Thus, they haven't been counted. Thus, our "proof" just got shakier. 

As the report states, all participants in this dance will need to re-evaluate the practice of establishing Room Blocks from the consumers' point of view.

And, DMOs need to find other ways to communicate our value.

I Got a Line on You

Spring has officially sprung (though it did snow the other day here in Wisconsin) and the forecast for the weekend hints that I may get to drop the ragtop tomorrow (with a jacket and the heater at the ready). So, my thoughts on this Music Friday drift to the tracks that used to make up my "Road Mix" tape (then CD and now Playlist). You know...those songs that are just made for cruisin' with the top down.

Spirit's "I Got a Line on You" was one of those tracks that has always been a staple. Storming out of Los Angeles, the band produced a solid catalog of progressive music, with the occasional radio-friendly hit thrown in. More importantly, Spirit springboarded the careers of bassist Mark Andes (Jo Jo Gunne, Firefall and Heart) and Jay Ferguson (Jo Jo and a solo career that spawned the hit "Thunder Island" and a personal fave, "I Come Alive").

The band reunited for a concert in 1984 and invited a veritable "Who's Who" to join them: Skunk Baxter (Doobie Brothers & Steely Dan), Bob Welch, Joe Lala (Blues Image), Howard Leese (Heart and Bad Company) Neal Doughty and Alan Gratzer (REO) and several others.

While my "Mix Tape" will always feature the original, you gotta love how much fun these guys are having with a true rock classic, "I Got a Line on You."

Shop Drunk Much?

Over 2000 alcohol-consuming American adults polled suggest a $45 Billion industry in drunk shopping. That's billion, with a drunk-ass B.

At least that's the primary data points of a study performed by The Hustle. Among the key findings, 4 in 5 of those who consume alcohol have bought something when they were drunk. It's primarily clothes and shoes (not another drink) and Amazon is the platform of choice.

Millennials buy more while drunk than Boomers. The wealthier one is, the more they buy drunk. Beer makes you buy drunk more than wine...but hard alcohol trumps beer. The biggest drunk shopping States are Kentucky and Connecticut; Montana the least.

I have no idea why this intrigues me or what it means for Destination Marketers. But, I'm quite sure one of you will figure it out.

Let me know when you do.

 

Belizesure

While one might be tempted to criticize the latest marketing move by the Belize Tourism Board as too micro-focused, the reality is simply the opposite. More than 4 out of 5 of us have "bleisured" in the past year (that's combining business and leisure). So, what the BTB has done is pretty brilliant.

The newest promotion is a giveaway of a 5-night stay in an overwater beach bungalow on Tobacco Caye, complete with a standup desk and "pretty OK Wi-Fi." The video says it all. And, even if one doesn't register to claim the trip, the vibe of the beach side of this sensational destination comes through loud and clear.

Well played, my friends. Well played.

The Invisible Burden

In our work with up-and-coming destinations, we often attempt to encourage an awareness of the potential of "over-tourism." Being on the DMO Board for an ascendant destination, most in the room scoff at the notion. There's lots of time to think about that, they say.

Not really. Success in destination market carries with it the seeds of its own destruction. There is an "invisible burden," according to a new report commissioned by The Travel Foundation. And, we're seeing it take root even in communities that aren't bursting at the seams with hoards of tourists.

Consider the growing number of communities in which the City is now refusing to pay for festival and event security. Or, the impact that Airbnb rentals are having in urban neighborhoods that don't have enough parking spaces for residents, let alone overnight guests.

The Visitor economy is vital to quality of life, economic development and long-term sustainability. But...we cannot ignore the "invisible burden."

The study is worth your read.

The Shortsightedness of an Anti-DMO Bias

As we noted last Thursday, members of the Florida House of Representatives (and now, some Senators) are looking to throttle or eliminate Visit Florida, that State's Destination Marketing Organization. I guess it's a case of "if first you don't succeed," but one would think they would have gotten the message after two failed attempts to derail destination marketing in the Sunshine State. It's almost like a bad April Fool's Day joke.

Those that continue down this path have clearly not understood (for, I am sure they have at least seen it) the "Halo Effect" research from Longwood's International. There is a direct correlation between destination marketing and future residency and corporate investment. And, no one knows this better than Kenneth Strickland, director of research and air service development for Tampa International Airport.

In a great article on why people are moving to Florida, Strickland connects the dots between international investment and a visit. In a Tampa Bay Times survey, 83% of resident respondents report they were not born in Florida. They visited. They liked. They moved. They now pay taxes...to the very State in which a number of Legislators are now attempting to disrupt that pipeline. 

Maybe that's the way those that want to see Visit Florida survive should pitch it. Cut off Destination Marketing and you cut off the supply of people who visit, which cuts off the number of potential residents (future voters) who would be clueless enough to vote for you next time around.

Nah...they're not listening to anybody anymore.