Bill Geist's Zeitgeist

The Pledge

Lots of destinations have moved to pledges to engage visitors (and residents) to respect the culture and environment of their special place.

This one touched my heart.

Door County is where I spent a few weeks every summer from the age of 7 to 34 (when parenthood broke the streak). It's where I learned about nature, great books, the joy of a summer rain and the coolness of small towns (and goats on the roof).

Door County is a magical place. I often tell clients that I wish they could be seen as Door is. When someone says they are going to Door County for the weekend, the inevitable response is, "Really? Where?"

Because every town is so different. Tell me your town and I know who you are. If you say Bailey's Harbor...I'll know we're gonna party all night. If you say Ellison Bay...we're just gonna chill.

We haven't been back for too long. COVID was a part of that, to be sure. But the congestion and lack of respect by new visitors was part of it, too.

Congratulations to Destinations Door County for reminding us all to take care to preserve this sensational place.

And...we'll be back soon.

A Fascinating Take

Israel wants to more than double its visitor count by 2030. There's only one problem...they don't have enough hotel rooms to do that.

So, Minister of Tourism Yoel Razvozov says that the government will pick up 20% of the cost of new or expanded hotel construction.

That's entrepreneurial vision...and an inherent understanding of the concept of Return on Investment.

When the Levee Breaks

I never knew the backstory of the classic Led Zeppelin track "When the Levee Breaks." But, as I searched for inspiration for this Music Friday, I found it...in a Playing for Change video.

The basic tune traces back to 1929 when blues artists Kansas Joe McCoy and Memphis Minnie wrote a song about the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927. While the original lyrics are mostly intact, Jimmy Page inserted a new guitar riff and, of course, John Bonham added a ferocious drum beat...today, one of the most sampled beats in the world.

Here's the original. Here's Zeppelin. And, here's when Plant and Page reunited for a time.

And, here is John Paul Jones, Derek Trucks, Susan Tedeschi and over 20 musicians from seven countries with a riveting performance of a song written over 90 years ago.

Enjoy....

This Summer's Silver Lining

It's the Summer of Revenge Tourism. Who cares what it costs? We're just going.

But...to where? Increasingly, consumers are eschewing long-haul bucket-list destinations and staying closer to home. Air travel has become so unreliable that we've extended our company's travel policy. What was a 6-hour drive before we considered air has now extended to closer to ten. Not to say I'm excited to drive 10 hours...but I have a better chance of getting there than depending on the airlines.

With the shitshow that is now air travel, we lay on the cost of driving that is significantly higher than it has ever been. Here in Wisconsin, we are seeing an increasing interest from Chicago consumers to shift from heading to the southern and eastern coast to returning to what was a Chicago tradition: Wisconsin.

It's where this Illinois boy vacationed every summer until I accepted the CEO position at what is now Destination Madison. And then, I was home.

Not sure if the link will work (the Tribune is so anal about trying to monetize its content)...but suffice to say, almost every source they interviewed said that business is booming with people rediscovering the Badger State.

Welcome back...and please remember why you once loved us. It's pretty cool up here in the land of 15,000 lakes.

And, ours have fish.

The Jaw Drop Move

Many in the DMO space likely know of Jon Schmieder, Founder and CEO) of the Huddle Up Group, a sports consultancy with which we work from time to time, when the situation requires a broader synergy and vision. 

Jon posts a weekly newsletter called the "Monday Huddle Up" which deserves your subscription. But, if you're reticent because, like streaming services, you're already overwhelmed, at least take time for yesterday's post. It's one of his best.

And an awesome story.

Sailin' Shoes at 50

Hard to believe that it was 50 years ago that Little Feat (a band in which survivors are still touring to this day) recorded their sophomore album called "Sailin' Shoes."

This week also marked the anniversary of the untimely passing of then band-leader Lowell George after a concert in DC. It was a moment in time immortalized by Jackson Browne on his "Hold Out" album with the poignant "Of Missing Persons."

But, "Sailin Shoes" was such a tour de force for a band that mixed pop, rock, blue, country and cajun influences. This was not a band that had a lot of "hits," but their aural visibility on FM album rock radio was undeniable.

And then, there were the covers. Little Feat may not have had the hits...but Linda Ronstadt, Robert Palmer and others refined Lowell's best compositions into something that mainstream radio programmers could embrace.

From "Sailin' Shoes," we say happy 50th on this Music Friday with a few of my favorites. "Easy to Slip" kicked off the LP and hooked you hard. The Dead's Bob Weir covered it on his sadly under appreciated album, "Heaven Help the Fool."

They reworked "Willin" from the first album...and Linda Ronstadt ultimately had the hit.

And then, there's the title track, "Sailin' Shoes," which Robert Palmer funked up to lead off his first album. paring it with Alan Toussaints' "Sneaking Sally Through the Alley," on which Lowell George played.

50 Years. Who knew what this band would do? But they did and still are.