Bill Geist's Zeitgeist

A Belated Thank You

We're coming off the 2nd Annual Board Leadership for Destinations Symposium...and I've been remiss in sharing my sincere appreciation.

First, to our Consortium partners Searchwide Global, CFO by Design, Civitas, Fired Up! Culture and Maura Gast...you never cease to impress with the breadth of your knowledge and commitment to our sector.

To Don Welsh and Destinations International for sponsoring an exceptional panel discussion with the Mayors of Columbus, Little Rock and Phoenix. While many DMOs struggle to convince their elected leaders of the vital importance of Destination Marketing in the broader effort for communities to compete for talent and investment, these three (pictured) are the gold standard.

To Ron Price and his team at Visit Phoenix for rolling out the red carpet and securing media coach Kristy Siefkin to help Board Leaders better prepare for their interactions with the media.

And, to the over 40 DMO CEOs that entrusted your Board Leaders to our Consortium...thank you. And, we can't wait for next year (details coming soon).

Next Up on DMOU > Cheryl Kilday

There's a reason why Chamber-DMO combos aren't as prevalent as they were in the '80s and '90s...and that's because they generally don't work all that well. But, the ones that do, tend to rock their communities. Cheryl Kilday is the CEO of Destination North Myrtle Beach and, on this episode of DMOU, she shares how she has cherrypicked the best aspects of both models to create a community asset that drives the economy and the region's Quality of Life. And, how 55 community leaders landed 138 new members in a three hour span.

Monday Morning Consequence

Readers of these missives know that I possess a keen sense of (and respect for) consequence. It's why I can coach my clients and friends on what could happen next, depending upon their chosen course of action.

Roy Williams authors a weekly newsletter called "Monday Morning Memo." It kicks off every one of my weeks...and has for years. 

And, today's edition is as perfect of an encapsulation of consequence as there is.

What if...

The Harp Twins

Two twins playing harps. Two twins banging the shit out of drums.

On this Music Friday, we give you The Harp Twins covering the Stones' "Paint it Black."

Hell yeah.

The Three A's

One of my regular morning reads is Fortune's CEO Daily. Editor Alan Murray has been in Davos the past few days, hanging with CEOs from around the world. Last night, Fortune sponsored a dinner with 80 of them...from Amazon to Intel to Williams Sonoma.

They asked the CEOs to discuss, at their tables, the biggest risks and the biggest opportunities facing business in 2024. The discussions were held under Chatham House rules, so individual comments aren't attributable. But the answers are fascinating.

My favorite quote: “In terms of risk, we talked about three A’s—asteroids, AI and assholes…assholes meaning politicians, misinformation, deep fakes—you name it."

A to that.

Billy Joel Goes Retro

The Billy Joel Channel comes and goes on SiriusXM...and it's back. By chance, I was listening in the car as I did some local chores about town this week. The Channel was playing all of Billy's songs A to Z with commentary from the singer/songwriter on each that was fascinating.

Biggest take-away? A boat load of his songs were written in homage or to emulate a sound he heard from others. The Four Seasons. Robert Palmer. Beach Boys...the list is long.

In a song I completely missed (maybe because it was initially released as a single and didn't exactly fit most radio formats out there), "All My Life" was Billy's tip of the hat to Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett and all the crooners of the '50s and early '60s.

On this Music Friday, chill with Billy Joel's "All My Life."

New on DMOU: Randy Fiveash

After over 45 years in the Tourism trenches, Randy Fiveash retired last year for the second time after a sensational career in the Destination Marketing world. From his local DMO work in places like Branson, Myrtle Beach and Gatlinburg to leading State Tourism Agencies in Kentucky and Connecticut, he’s seen it all…and, on this episode of DMOU, we learn his life lessons that still resonate today. From paying it forward to sharing his thoughts on what we once knew about Destination Marketing that we’ve somehow lost…it’s a fascinating conversation with an industry icon. Join us.

Me Thinks That's a Reach

Stumbled upon a fascinating "study" from the University of Buffalo that claims that, in communities where local newspapers go under, non-profit executive pay soars. Indeed, the sub-head from the University's News Service reads, "Study highlights the important role local papers play in monitoring nonprofits."

I guess I didn't realize that non-profits were such threats that they needed consistent media "monitoring." I would have thought the media should be paying attention to, I don't know, politicians and monopolies?

While non-profit executive pay may well be increasing...I have a hard time connecting those increases to a lack of media scrutiny. Never in my 25+ years of almost weekly interactions with non-profit Boards have I ever heard someone say that because the media has folded or isn't paying attention that it's time to jack the CEO's salary.

Instead, the authors of this hit piece have clearly misunderstood the role of non-profits in American society and how much they enhance the Quality of Life and livability in our communities. That those CEOs have been historically underpaid became painfully clear during the Plague when it was non-profits (not the private sector) that stepped up to ensure their communities survived. 

We need the best and the brightest leading our non-profits. And that won't happen if we pay them $60,000/year because many of the best and the brightest will opt for the private sector.

Most non-profit executives deserve to be competitively compensated, as they are critical to our collective quality of life. One of the authors of the report stated, “Donors and volunteers expect their contributions to go to the execution of the nonprofits’ mission, rather than leadership salaries." Yeah...but if you hire the village idiot to run the non-profit because those with the talent to sensationally execute that mission won't work for the peanuts that non-profits have been offering? What then will the donors think?

Are the authors looking for a new scapegoat to stoke class warfare? Because this is the wrong fight.

The Frozen Dead Guy

Listeners to the DMOU Podcast heard the story of the festival in Estes Park called "Frozen Dead Guy Days." A whimsical event celebrating the cryogenically frozen Grandpa Bredo that began in Nederland, Kara Franker and her crew at Visit Estes Park secured the rights to the festival late in 2022 and pulled off an amazing event last spring.

Now, the owner of the Stanley Hotel (think "The Shining") has secured the rights to the Frozen Dead Guy himself. If you missed it, catch this segment of this week's CBS Sunday Morning.

And, while Visit Estes Park was sadly missing in the piece...we know the real story.

A story that was exceptionally well played.

Sinead O'Connor

Sinead O'Connor was an enigma, to be sure. Shaved her head in an era when women didn't. Shredded a photo of the Pope on national TV, effectively canceling her mainstream career. And yet, had the international number one single in 1990 with her cover of Prince's "Nothing Compares 2 You."

And that's pretty much what we'll remember as we note her recent passing to the next plain. But, I always wished radio would have picked up on what I thought was the perfect follow-up to her massive hit (they didn't).

On this Music Friday, we say farewell with "Jealous."