Bill Geist's Zeitgeist

Smiles All Around

Walking back to my hotel after an early morning presentation to the Rockford Area CVB Board, I came upon a corner that made me smile (click image to enlarge). 

It was the stone in front of the Rockford Park District that read "Webbs Norman Center." Along with former CVB CEO Wendy Perks Fisher, Webbs was one of the early national visionaries that saw the potential in Sports Tourism almost 40 years ago. It was their early partnership that set into motion the transformation of Rockford Tourism. This video offers a glimpse of that relationship.

My smile grew larger when I noticed that the street in front of the Webbs Norman Center has been renamed Tim Dimke Drive...as Tim and his crew took Webbs' and Wendy's vision and expanded it even further with current RACVB CEO John Groh.

As I ducked into the sensational riverfront Embassy Suites Hotel for a quick bite before heading out, I had to smile again because I heard joy and laughter coming out of the kitchen...and that's a sound we've all missed over the past few years. But, there it was...and, as I surveyed my fellow diners, I could see how infectious it was for all of us.

And, that's just damn good management...the kind that empowers employees to have fun, please the guest and take incredible pride in their work.

Thanks Rockford...let's see if my next stop continues the streak.

That's Bold

Every year seems to favor a new word...intentional one year, paradigm the next, pivot during the plague, etc.

In virtually every interaction I've had with community leaders in the destinations with which we've been working, this year's word is "bold." As in community leaders looking to their Destination Marketing Organization to "be bold." While DMOs are under fire in several destinations, there are many other communities that are looking to their DMOs to step up and lead. Which is exactly what we should be doing. As I've said before (and will to my last breath), our sector is less DMO than DLO: Destination Leadership Organizations.

And, there is no other DLO that has been bolder this year than the Sedona Chamber and Tourism Bureau. Readers of this blog have followed with us the dumpster fire of a community that lost their shit 5 years ago. Listeners of the DMOU podcast have heard former CEO Jennifer Wesselhoff explain how the Chamber moved aggressively to mitigate issues that residents found onerous.

On Monday, the Sedona Chamber cut ties with the City and called upon it to rescind the portion of the Room Tax that historically funded tourism promotion. In doing so, the Chamber took a bold step to support local business and the community's economy in ways in which elected officials are unable...doing what's right without fear of retaliation or retribution by people who are singularly motivated by what will get them re-elected and not what's right for the community.

Bold kudos to you, Sedona Chamber/Bureau. Here's to doing what's right, regardless the cost.

A Cautionary Tale

This isn't the story of a clueless Destination Marketing Organization. Indeed, two of their six Directors within the past decade have gone on to work at the State Tourism level, one as Director of the State's Tourism Association. So, it's not that they haven't been blessed with experienced talent.

Rather, this is the story of a careless DMO Board that, according to a just settled lawsuit, passed over an experienced Number 2 to install an individual with no apparent experience in the hospitality and travel industry as its new CEO. The lawsuit claimed the reason for the hire was that he was Black and she was White. In the filing, the Board was accused of saying that, since the town is predominantly Black, the DMO should be headed by someone who is Black.

The story gets more convoluted...and you can follow the rabbit hole if you choose. But suffice to say the Board ultimately hired the Number 2 as interim when the original hire split after less than half a year...while the lawsuit was in play.

But, here's the true cautionary tale: The company that issued the Directors & Officers insurance has alerted the local agent that they are dropping the DMO...and the local agent told the Board that he's having a hard time finding another company that will touch them, if they don't stop making "stupid decisions." When the Board President shot back that "it hasn't been proven nowhere," the agent said, "All right, that's what I needed to hear. Y'all need to get (your insurance) from somewhere else." And he walked out of the meeting.

Losing D&O Insurance is significantly more troubling than settling a discrimination lawsuit which, of course, is troubling enough. Because now, with no insurance, who is gonna wanna serve on that Board?

There are consequences to everything...and some really hurt.

 

 

That's a Wrap

For those that have been missing their daily dose of Zeitgeist, j'excuse. We've been burning on finalizing preparations for and launching the inaugural Board Leadership for Destinations Symposium with our friends from SearchWide Global, Civitas Advisors, CFObyDesign, Fired Up! Culture and representatives from Destinations International. Hosted by one of our dearest friends in the industry, Maura Gast and the exceptional team at the Irving Convention Center, the event exceeded even our expectations when we hatched this egg of an idea in Toronto last summer.

Thanks to the DMOs that joined us on this journey for your faith in our ability to deliver compelling content to your Board members and provide them the opportunity to interface with their peers from across the country, from Mat-Su to Savannah and Newport to Anaheim. And thank you for the closing session encouragement that this was, indeed, an empowering experience for CEO and Board members alike. That was our intent all along.

And, for those that couldn't join us because of scheduling conflicts, know that we'll be announcing future dates in the coming weeks.

Because, this was just too cool of an experience for all of us to not do it again.

For all that joined us in Irving...Thank You.

New on DMOU

For as long as I can remember, those who serve as Chair of Destinations International do so with an agenda that layers on top of the organization's Vision and Mission. It was the Environment for Rick Antonson and Transparency for the late Spurgeon Richardson...just to name a few.

For Visit Baltimore's Al Hutchinson, his role as Chair will be marked by "four pillars." And, he and I go deep on two of them (Workforce and DEI) on the latest episode of the DMOU Podcast that just dropped this morning. Plus, we'll discuss the HBCU Scholarship Program that is surpassing all initial expectations.

And...in the Bonus Round, the man who, at the age of 8, saw James Brown perform in concert reveals his favorite all time band.

Check it out.

The Intangibles

Every once in a while, I stumble upon post on Social Media that elicits a "hell yeah."

That happened earlier this week when I was blessed with a 2nd level contact on LinkedIn named Stephen Eastridge, the Executive Director of the Jasper County IN Economic Development Organization:

"Economic development in rural communities is tricky. It often means focusing on 100 other things that have nothing to do with the metrics our board members or elected officials measure success by. Last week success looked like this. 6 artists from all over the country breathing vibrancy into our community. I’m grateful to be a part of this each year and excited to work with Cameron Moberg to continue to spread art throughout Jasper County."

And ain't that the truth for all of us in community development? Prove it, they say. Prove that you're moving the needle.

And you can't...but you know you have.

Rando Thoughts on the Annual Convention

A week out from Destinations International's Annual Convention in Toronto, we look back and say thank you. Thanks for the camaraderie, the networking and the learning. Thanks for the honor of getting to moderate a killer panel of DMO thought leaders (Brookhaven's Renee Areng, Burlington's Jeff Lawson and Rapid City's Brook Kaufman) that attracted a standing room only crowd of over 300 attendees.

And thanks for the laughs. Best line I heard in another session's Q&A (and, no...I won't say who said it because it could cost them their job) was that they were struggling with managing Board Members who were eligible for carbon dating.

Which I had to laugh again today when I see that there is so much carbon being emitted in our world that carbon dating is no longer accurate.

So...I guess you're stuck with them, dude.

The Future of Tourism > DEI

Honored to be interviewed (along with my friend Mike Gamble of SearchWide Global and Tourism Diversity Matters) by David Peacock on Simpleview's Future of Tourism podcast.

You can find the video here 

You can listen to the audio here.

It's an important conversation on the importance of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in Destination Marketing.

Thanks David, for the opportunity and for all you do for our sector.

10,000

When we relaunched DMOU (Destination Marketing Organization University) as a podcast in the Summer of 2019, I'm not sure we had a goal in mind...other than to share compelling stories from people in and around the Destination Marketing space. It's what we love to do; shining a light on people who are making a difference.

But, waking up this morning to the fact that, overnight, DMOU passed the 10,000 download mark? That's cause for humble celebration.

Thanks to the over 50 guests over the past year and a half that have taken time out of often brutal schedules to share their truths. You inspire us...and we're thrilled to give your voices wings. And, to those that have powered the downloads, thanks for valuing what we've created.

And, if you've yet to listen, the entire library of conversations is available here, as well as on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and other audio platforms...including our latest episode with Visit Alexandria's Patricia Washington.

Here's to 20,000!

Home Field Advantage

For those who follow sports, there is the belief that playing at home, in front of your team's faithful fans, will give you an edge. And, indeed, home teams historically have had an advantage.

Except in this year of no fans in the stands. As the NFL playoffs progress this weekend, we can look back on the regular season and note that, for the first time in the Super Bowl era, visiting teams won more than home teams. Put another way, this has never happened in over 50 years...and the only rationale is the absence of fans in the stands.

So what does this hafta do with Destination Marketing Organizations? This proves that the more supportive voices (fans) you can assemble at budget time DOES make a difference. The Home Team wins with fans in the stands. 

Cultivate them now...because the reckoning is just around the bend.

Photo Credit: Chicago Tribune