Bill Geist's Zeitgeist

The Future of Officing

In destinations as diverse as Kankakee County and Kansas City, Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs) have made the decision to ditch their physical offices after experiencing a degree of success working virtually during the pandemic. Other DMO CEOs have planted their feet firmly in the "back to the office" camp to preserve staff culture and creativity.

Visit Omaha has elected to do a hybrid approach, leaving its Downtown location in favor of virtual officing...but utilizing some of the $250,000 it would have sunk into lease payments into renting meeting space at destination hotels when it needs to meet face to face. Smartly, they'll keep their sensational Visitors Center open and use it as their administrative hub.

How is your DMO evolving when it comes to the future of its Office and Visitor Center?

Taking a Stand

Back in the '90s, a movement began that is de rigueur today in hotels around the world...that if you don't need your towels washed every day, you'd help save the environment. I remember making that then novel suggestion in my DMO's member newsletter and having an innkeeper tell me, "ohh puleeeze." In the end, she was wrong and I was right, as it caught on as both the right thing to do and a cost savings for hotels.

As we emerge into a post-Trumpian world where climate change is once again a valued concern, is this our moment to take a stand?

The Oregon Coast Visitors Association, the agency which promotes tourism on all 363 miles of the Oregon coast, joined tourism agencies around the globe this month when it declared a “climate emergency.”

The DMO says that its goal is to provide a “blueprint” for how the hospitality sector can reduce their carbon footprints. Recommendations will be completely voluntary...but that it's a necessary first step in environmental sustainability. It's also a sensational reaffirmation of the Coast's brand identity.

The movement has begun. Shall we join in?

Adding Resident Acquisition to the Job

Yesterday, we shared how Destination Cleveland was capitalizing on its hosting, beginning tomorrow, of the NFL Draft. But, they've taken it so much further.

A couple years ago, the South Shore CVA spearheaded a campaign targeting residents of Chicago's suburbs to consider jumping the State line and move to Indiana. South Shore CVA CEO Spero Batistatos shared the story on an episode of the DMOU podcast, which is worth a listen.

David Gilbert and his intrepid crew at Destination Cleveland are taking advantage of this week's Draft to also expand their role in Destination Marketing to include future residents. The DMO is leading a "Cleveland Wants to Draft You" campaign to show people why Cleveland is more than a great visitor destination...but also a great place to live.

As we've said before (and we'll say again), the future of DMOs will be to become the community's marketing agency, targeting everybody for every reason.

Well done, Destination Cleveland.

Understanding the Power of Destination Marketing

I completely get that New York City is nothing like the vast majority of communities that dot this land. It's freakin' New York City! The center of business, arts, culture and hospitality for the nation, if not the world. Everyone knows it. Many aspire to be a part of it, if for only a few days. 

But, the pandemic's devastating impact on the city cries out for support. And the City is doing just that. launching a $30 million campaign to welcome America back to NYC.

Yeah, unless you live in New York City, you're not New York City. But, unless you live on the coast, your community is probably hurting too. While $30 million to jump start your economy is likely out of reach, consider pealing off a 0 or two. Wouldn't your community benefit by an infusion of $3 million to jump start the recovery? $300,000? $30,000 for small towns?

I'm not saying that the brain trust in New York City is smarter than that of other communities. But, if NYC's leaders think it's time to invest, isn't that an indication that every community should at least consider the opportunity to arm its DMO with the resources it needs to welcome visitors, investors and future residents to return?

Nod, if you agree.

A Deal That's Hard to Refuse

The 'VID has taught us all that remote work in many industries is, indeed, both possible and, for many, a more desirable alternative to office politics and distractions. And, the elimination of the office commute...and all those minutes and hours we can reclaim? And then, there was just the belief that urban environments were less safe than more urban settings...and we've begun to see a significant migration to the country for those city dwellers with the means.

Even before the pandemic, some States and communities were rolling out incentives for people to move to their locales. But, our friend Amir Eylon (Longwoods International) just tipped us to this insanely lucrative offer from West Virginia.

Powered by a $25 million investment from Intuit's Brad Smith and his wife Alys, the program offers an incentive that is worth $20,000 in cash, free workspace and a year of free outdoor recreation passes and rentals for those that want to work remotely in the Mountain State.

The details are at AscendWV.com. First destination up: Morgantown.

Wow. Simply wow.

And, this ties in so perfectly with former Colorado Tourism Director Cathy Ritter's recent comments on targeting visitors that share your destination's appreciation and respect for the environment on the DMOU podcast. That episode drops later this week...and you can hear the conversation first, if you follow DMOU in the upper right hand corner of our vault site. 

Boycotts and Cancellations

A few years ago, North Carolina and Indiana infamously passed "bathroom bills" and quickly lost major sports events and future corporate investment. Both States ultimately backed off...but the damage was done to their national reputations.

Today, it's Georgia. After passing a law that many believe will restrict voter rights, Major League Baseball has pulled this year's All-Star Game from Atlanta. Will Georgia legislators blink?

Don't get me wrong, I abhor restricting voting rights for any citizen of this country. But, does pulling the All-Star game hurt the citizens of Cobb County more than the clearly teflon politicians that passed this tone-deaf measure? Will they back down as other States have done? Or does this reaction inflict further pain on a travel industry that has been decimated this past year?

I caught this interesting take yesterday from WSB Radio in Atlanta. Yeah...lots to unpack here.

The law still sucks...but, if Georgia legislators won't budge, who gets hurt?

The unintended consequence, indeed.

The Chef as The Story

If you've yet to catch an episode of the new CNN travelogue series Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy, treat yourself. Beautifully shot, the series explores the variations in cuisine, traditions and preparations throughout the country.

Just as beautifully shot (and no less culinarily compelling), is a new online series we recently stumbled upon from our friends at VisitNorfolk.  City with Bite is a semi-weekly video series featuring local food and culture icon Nomarama as your host with a stated mission to try all 600 of Norfolk's independent restaurants. And, with 4 episodes already online and streaming, we're so planning our next visit to the city!

Click on the slightly irreverent trailer and I dare you not to watch all four episodes.

Congratulations to Kurt Krause and the crew at VisitNorfolk. Sensationally played!

36 Minutes of Inspiration We Need

For Destination Marketing pros, saying that this last year sucked is like saying that the February ice storm in Texas was a cold snap. But, imagine being in Puerto Rico. Double-slammed by two hurricanes, a President that shamefully refused to release disaster aid, then Zika, three weeks of earthquakes, political upheavals and a fiscal crisis. And then, one of the most aggressive responses to the plague in the nation. Yeah...you simply do not get to bitch about the virus.

You want 36 minutes of pure inspiration? The Simpleview Future of Tourism Podcast (hosted by our friend David Peacock) featuring Discover Puerto Rico CEO Brad Dean dropped yesterday...and I dare anyone to say these 36 minutes aren't the other shot you need in your arm.

Yeah, he kindly drops my name. But really...it's a sensational conversation with two of the brightest voices in our sphere. Treat yourself.

This is How it's Done

Last week, Visit Savannah CEO Joe Marinelli joined us on the DMOU podcast to discuss, among other topics, their highly successful "Savannah Safe" Pledge, one of the first COVID-era responsibility promise programs in the nation. And, he shared that his Team was planning to refresh the campaign for St. Patrick's Day, Spring Break and Mother's Day.

Yesterday, we sadly reported how Spring Break went so wrong in Miami Beach over the weekend. But so far, that seems to be a fairly isolated occurence.

This Spring, over on the Gulf Coast, Visit St. Pete-Clearwater (like all beach and resort destinations) faced a dilemma. Up until now, it had been difficult for communities to pin previous viral spikes on the DMO. Those occurred because people ignored exhortations to avoid Thanksgiving and the Winter Holidays. But, Spring Break? In destinations that have grown weary of bad behavior in their communities, associated with Spring Break revelers, DMOs often get the stink-eye as being at least somewhat responsible.

Beyond all that, educating today's visitors to the expectations of a community is becoming more and more important for DMOs. To do that, Steve Hayes and his crew at Visit St. Pete-Clearwater created the "Rise to Shine" program, sweetened by a sweepstakes: "When you travel in St. Pete/Clearwater, we ask that you do so responsibly. Sign the Rise to Shine Pledge to mask up, spread out and wash hands - and be entered for a chance to win the Ultimate Beach Getaway, including airfare, beachfront accommodations and a private beach cabana!"

To date, over 25,500 have taken the Pledge. And, Visit St. Pete-Clearwater isn't done there, as staff is roaming the destination passing out $25 gift cards when they see Spring Breakers following protocols.

Very very smart.

A Tale of Two Countries

In the days before the 'VID, residents in Iceland were pushing back on the overwhelming onslaught of international visitors. Today, just a handful of flights arrive at their international airport and the country is starved for visitor spending.

In New Zealand, it's a different story. They too were dealing with an influx of visitors that was threatening their way of life. However, Leadership there is viewing the pause in visitation as a moment to rethink how it will manage tourism in future years.

This is not to say that leaders in Iceland aren't having the same conversations (it just wasn't part of the story that created the juxtaposition that spurred this post). But, shouldn't this be the discussion we all should be having?

After the pause...what do we want visitation from the outside to look like in our communities? The decision is wholly in our hands....and the clock is ticking.