It's the time of year where we are (and have been) bombarded by predictions of what the new decade will bring. But, so many are from pundits...and not the people directly on the front line.
Which is why I was thrilled to see these predictions from Sonoma Valley's Tim Zahner...ranging from Cannabis to Community Engagement.
Enjoy (and consider)...as you set your sights on 2020.
There were two paths forward for the reauthorization of BrandUSA...as part of an omnibus spending package that needed to get approved before Congress headed home for the Holidays and one right after they would return. And, thanks to work of the US Travel Association and many of us in the Destination Marketing industry who made calls to our legislators, the bill is now headed to the President's desk.
From US Travel: "Thank you, Senator Roy Blunt, Amy Klobuchar, Senator Cory Gardner and Catherine Cortez Masto for all your work to help reauthorize this important program before the end of the year."
Hell yeah.
Now, it's on to Michigan and Florida.
U.S. Travel Association EVP of Public Affairs and Policy, Tori Barnes, addressed the Board of Destinations International today with an update on the precarious reauthorization of Brand USA, this nation's Destination Marketing Organization.
Getting any bill passed through Congress is an arduous process in the best of times. In these times, it's next to impossible. But there are two omnibus bills that apparently must pass in the next few weeks...and that is the current strategy; to add the "Brand USA Extension Act" to the pile that could be voted on as early as next Tuesday.
Now would be a good time to reach out to your Congressional delegation in DC, asking them to urge Senate and House leadership to include Brand USA in next week's vote.
Need talking points? They're here.
You know what to do...
Face it. We're drawn to Top Ten Lists like moths to flame, flies to cowpies and me to Terri.
And, for my hometown, being named to scores of these lists has truly been a blessing to increasing consumer and investor interest in the Mad City (even when one firm said Madison had one of the Top 10 Oktoberfests...spoiler alert, we don't have one that is even close to being of destination-defining quality).
But, it cuts both ways. What happens when you topple to the Bottom Ten? It happened to the now ascendant Rockford IL some 20 years ago when a national magazine ranked them as the Worst Place to Live in America. But, that's only because that magazine stopped counting at #300. There was a #301. Hell, the town in which I grew up was slotted in at #427...so, yeah. There were worse places to live than Rockford that year.
But, what's even more concerning is the assumptions that go into setting the criteria to crown a Top Ten and put a dagger into the Bottom Ten. As with Rockford, cutting off a "Best Of" list at an arbitrary number sends a misleading message...as a recent assessment of the Most Expensive and Inexpensive Airports did. The research team decided to only consider the Top 50 American airports by traffic. So, airports with less traffic (where airfares are generally higher) were excluded from the "Most Expensive" stigma. I'm sure they are all breathing a sigh of relief.
So, while I'm about to point out a fatal flaw in the methodology of this study, I gotta give props to the research team. They didn't limit their analysis to just airfare. They added ancillary costs of traveling through said airports like the cost of coffee and Smarte Cartes. But, they also made a dangerous assumption when they added the cost of transportation to and from the airport.
The study's most expensive airport turned out to be Newark...and unless one dives down beyond the infographics, they'll just take that at face value. The research team does note, deeper in the report, that Newark won the top (or bottom) spot because of the cost of ground transportation into New York City.
Ummmm, that assumes that everyone flying into Newark doesn't intend to visit or do business in Newark. I'd dare say that business travelers on an assignment to visit Audible, Prudential, Panasonic or any other corporation that proudly calls Newark home aren't spending $100 to get to their destination. And, I'm sure that the vast majority of other airports ranked weren't dinged in this way. Was Chicago judged on those travelers headed to Indiana's South Shore? Was Seattle judged on those heading to Bellevue? Doubtful.
But, this single erroneous assumption that nobody flying into Newark actually stays in Newark completely fudges the rankings, regardless of how much a cup of coffee costs at EWR.
I love The Points Guy. I've actively followed their stellar work for almost a decade, well before his current tribe discovered Brian and the Team's sensational take on the travel industry. But, this lone assumption that nobody flying into Newark stays in Newark (where hotel occupancy averages over 80%, so well over 3,000 visitors a night are staying in Newark) has done a serious disservice to a city on the rise.
A decade ago, I said that Rockford would be the next Midwest success story. Trust me, it won't take Newark that long...as they are so close.
But, rankings like this don't help.
Excited to be presenting at The Destination on the Left Virtual Summit, a new kind of conference for the travel industry - one without registration costs or travel time. My friend and podcaster Nicole Mahoney has gathered 17 industry experts (and past guests on her show) that are ready to share their knowledge with you December 9th through the 11th.
The best part? You don't have to hop on a plane or book a hotel because you'll absorb hours of content, all from the comfort of your office or home. The second best part is it's free. Check out the lineup of speakers at the link above and reserve your free ticket.
And, you can get a sneak peek at some of the topics I'll be covering by checking out Nicole's interview with me earlier this year.
The creative team assembled by Discover Puerto Rico is a wonder to behold. And, the hits just keep coming.
The street art in San Juan, especially in the neighborhood known as Santurce, is exceptional...but doesn't match the critical mass of other street-art rich destinations around the world. At least, not yet.
The DMO has gathered internationally recognized Puerto Rican artist Alexis Bousquet and local artists Celso González, Vero Rivera and Bob Snow to identify wall spaces throughout Puerto Rico and paint "Reserved for" signs, which will serve as larger-than-life blank canvas invitations for global street artists around the world, to feature their art alongside Puerto Rico's very own. The invitation mat is out.
Wow. Just, seriously, wow.
We can't wait to return.
Yesterday, our friend Chris Jennings announced that he was stepping away from the top spot at the Spartanburg SC CVB to get closer to his family in the Northeast. And, he leaves quite a body of work over the past decade...which was chronicled by his DMO's ad agency (click image to view the very cool tribute).
Chris and I traded e-mails yesterday in which he said that he knows there'll be a lot of interest in his soon-to-be vacated spot, as Spartanburg is a destination on the move (and, when it's posted, you'll find that opportunity on the biggest DMO Job Board on the planet). And, whoever steps up t0 the plate, they'll have Chris to thank for teeing up a sensational opportunity (yeah, I know I'm mixing sports, here).
Congratulations on a stellar run, Chris. We can't wait to see what's next.
On the road pretty non-stop over the past few weeks, I returned home over the weekend and began catching up on local news through my community's two weekly newspapers. Alas, I learned that a former collaborator and conspirator had departed terra firma during my absence.
Morris Andrews was, truly, the most amazing political mind with whom I've ever had the opportunity to work. This obit in the Capital Times outlines his amazing accomplishments...and the ability to artfully and deftly work both sides of the aisle (a skill that few today possess).
My eulogy for Morrie will take a much more targeted tack. It was his involvement in the referendum fight for Madison's Monona Terrace the caused our two paths to collide. I was the new kid in town. He was the veteran. His lower lip would often protrude when I'd suggest a tactic for the campaign...and I never knew if it meant he was considering the concept or if he was trying to figure out how to tell me I was an idiot.
It was Morrie that suggested, early in the 2-year campaign, that we field phone banks. I (the padawan) questioned him (Yoda) as to the efficacy of such a move. Why would we attempt to sway public opinion more than a year out from the vote?
With a wry smile, he suggested that this phone bank wasn't to inspire...but to gauge public opinion. He needed to know why residents opposed the project in order to mount an effective response to ultimately win the public vote.
As I look back upon the keys to the win, it was that moment that rises to the top. Within days of the weeks-long phone banks, we knew that there were only two issues that concerned voters. The opposition was flailing away with 13 reasons why the project was a bad idea. It was Morrie that guided us to focus on what mattered to the electorate and to ignore the superfluous.
My other favorite memory of those heady times was that I was, admittedly, a bull in a china shop when it came to engaging the opposition. I desperately wanted to respond to every lie and misdirection they threw out into the public discourse. It was Morrie that subtly shook his head and held me back, knowing that it was not yet time.
I'll never forget the moment, a week before the vote, that he smiled that wry smile, nodded and said "Go." And, minutes later, I faced off against an opposition spokesperson on the evening news and took him down hard.
Days later, we won with 50.8% of the vote (4 out of 5 people on the street today will say they voted for Monona Terrace, so successful it has been in the renaissance of the Mad City). Morrie's brilliant counsel accounts for at least 10% of that vote...maybe more.
Madison is blessed to have had Morris Andrews and George Nelson in position to help lead the community through the '90s. We are who we are because of these two great individuals.
Godspeed Morrie...you were an inspiration and a teacher to so many of us. And, I'm able to guide others toward success because of the truths you taught me.
New research that indicates that the carbon footprint of flying is worse than previously thought is creating a new phenomenon called "Flight Shaming" (making those of us that fly a lot feel bad about our choices). Beyond how you choose (or not) to alter your mode of travel, how will this impact your destination?
If you are a destination that depends upon flight, this could, obviously, have some ramifications. Indeed, there are companies in Europe that are banning their employees from flying in-continent. If you are, however, a destination that derives the majority of its visitors from ground transportation, how will you respond...without being predatory?
With 1 in 5 consumers flying less because of their climate concerns, this is going to be a thing. How we respond will be interesting.
I'm no longer surprised at such stories...but, continually bemused when I watch a government axe its contract for Destination Marketing services, only to be shocked when, a couple months later, the website is out of date and its social media channels have gone dark.
It's happening again, this time in Solvang CA. This summer, the City Council there terminated its 33-year contract with its Destination Marketing Organization. A few months later, it has occurred to them that they didn't have a Plan B. The City's Public Information Officer said, “We’ve made a request to the CVB repeatedly as well as the city attorney and have not received (online) assets or, frankly, information about where these assets live currently. So we’re waiting on that, and while we wait for that, we’d like to correct information (online) that isn’t correct and also get information about businesses and what there is to do in Solvang on the internet,” said Fleckenstein.
Ya think?
The City has directed staff to find a "public relations contractor," and "marketing contractor" and a "sales consultant." One Council member rightly doubts if this approach will save the City money. But, one thing's for sure: if the DMO isn't handing over its online and Social assets, it likely won't share the meeting planner database it has cultivated for decades. And, that will take years to rebuild.
Governments are free to change direction whenever they want; I have no argument with that. But, would a government kill a contract for telecommunications, healthcare or social services without having a replacement teed up to replace it? So, why do an increasing number think they can get away with such a cavalier approach when it comes to Destination Marketing?
It's because Destination Marketing has yet to be viewed as a Community Shared Value...which will be one of several topics that will be explored at Destinations International's Advocacy Summit next month in Madison. If you are from the DMO-world, I hope to see you there.
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