Bill Geist's Zeitgeist

A Sharing Economy that Shares?

Home sharing plays, such as Airbnb, have not only disrupted the taxi industry...but, according to many, neighborhoods that report increasingly unaffordable housing, lack of sufficient parking for residents and the "evisceration" of the character locals love. And, as tourism must work first for residents, that's not a good thing.

Enter Fairbnb, a Dutch start-up that is about to launch a sharing play that gives back to the community to fund projects in the neighborhood, selected by the residents being impacted. It's not a perfect solution, but this story from City Lab offers hope to neighborhoods what welcome Fairbnb into their homes.

What Took Us All So Long?

Sometimes, we are so consumed with the job at hand that we can't see the opportunity before us. Sometimes we get comfortable with the "norm" of how business has always been done. And, that's when innovation is an orphan.

My alma mater DMO, Destination Madison is starting to pick up some serious industry buzz for its recent roll-out of a concept that is deceptively simple. One that sort of paraphrases Simon Sinek's "Start with Why" to "Start with the Customer."

The Destination Madison Team took the time to break down the challenges faced by today's meeting and event professional. And, juggling contract upon contract from each of the hotels they planned to use certainly floated to the top as one of a planner's biggest pain points.

How to solve the dilemma? Design one contract for all the hotels in the city the planner intends to use.

They call it "One City. One Contract."

It's One brilliant idea. 

Kudos to Deb, John and the Team that makes those of us that call Madison home so proud...

One Last Salute to National Tourism Week 2019

Another National Travel & Tourism Week is in the books...a week where we salute and honor the impact that the Visitor Economy (and all those that make it happen) has on our way of life.

Interestingly, last week was also International Economic Development Week. Which got me to thinking. As "Tourism is the First Date for Economic Development," shouldn't International Economic Development Week be this week? Just sayin...

A significant number of DMO pros wrote op-ed pieces for media releases and blogs that ran all last week. All pinpointed why Tourism and Destination Marketing are critical to a thriving community. One of our favorites came from John Groh (Rockford Area IL CVB). In "The Top 5 Reasons Travel Matters to Illinois...and to the Rockford Region," he clicks through many of the same points so many made last week.

What I admire most about John's missive was how he personalized the message beyond the stereotypical numbers we so often use. My two favorite lines: "Locally, more than 3,000 of our neighbors go to work every day at jobs generated by visitor spending." 

And then, this: "Travel helps families connect, creating everlasting memories and develops a lifelong bond. When surveyed, most children (61%) say the best way to spend quality time with parents is on vacation. At their core, adults know this: 62 percent of adults say that their earliest, most vivid memories are of family vacations taken between the ages of five and 10."

Drop the mic, my friend. That's how it's done. Touch their emotions...not their logic.

Bang on.

Breakthrough Thinking

McDonald's is launching an initiative to attract older workers. Long the land of first-jobs and young workers, it has become increasingly clear to the fast-food mothership that Boomer workers are an answer to its workforce challenge.

Younger workers either don't want to work service jobs (what a shame) or can't because of school commitments. Empty nest Boomers can and, in many cases, want to.

Best line of the article from CNBC: " They bring a unique skill set that we're very excited about." Calm under pressure, experience in problem-solving and dealing with difficult customers are cited as reasons that older workers are often more desired than their younger cohort. They also can mentor those younger workers who choose a hospitality path.

Something to consider, as our industry partners struggle with finding a quality workforce. How do we reach out to retired Boomers to provide the quality experiences we strive to offer? 

 

Travel Matters

It's National Travel & Tourism Week in America, a time during which we celebrate the power of the Travel Economy.

If you're not directly in the travel or hospitality sector (for we are all connected indirectly), take a moment to consider how your quality of life might decline if not for the non-resident taxes generated by visitors, the restaurants, nightspots and attractions you enjoy and your friends that enjoy a regular paycheck thanks to the hospitality and travel industry. And then, take a moment to consider the importance of your community's Destination Marketing Organization.

Travel Matters for all of us. Still a non-believer? Check out this video from the US Travel Association.

And, join us this week as we recognize the people who make it all happen.

Compromise is in the Air

As we begin to close out the week before those in the Destination Marketing world begin to celebrate National Travel & Tourism Week, two of the most high-profile political stand-offs appear to have found a sense of common ground.

The now-annual battle between the Florida House of Representatives and Visit Florida appears to have been mitigated with a compromise agreement to keep the DMO's doors open...but with a 33% reduction in State investment in the program. Sadly, you can be sure this won't be the last time this battle erupts again in Tallahassee.

And, in New Orleans (where the Mayor channeled the donkey in Shrek when referring to her disagreements with DMO Chief Stephen Perry in a State hearing), it looks like a deal is also in the offing.

In both cases, Destination Marketing loses ground...but not the war.

I was honored to be a presenter at this week's summit of the Virginia Association of Destination Marketing Organizations, where I heard a DMO pro sigh that it is so hard to tell our story to government because what we do is not a "core service."

Destinations International's Jack Johnson quickly retorted, "but, Destination Marketing is a core service." And, minutes later, took to the stage to prove it.

Let's make this the year that the conversation of our importance and efficacy shifts from defense to offense. Our communities deserve no less.

Best Analysis Yet of the Challenges Ahead for Destination Markets

And, not just because I'm quoted.

Skift's Hannah Sampson does a masterful job of comparing and contrasting all sides of the argument...as there appears to be a ray of hope for the continuation of Visit Florida.

Read and weep? Nah, read and take action.

Crunch Time in Florida

We've watched this circus twice before. You know, the one where the Florida Speaker of the House sets his sights on eliminating that State's Destination Marketing agency. Says that money is being misappropriated and that marketing Florida really isn't necessary because of its beaches, attractions and high consumer awareness.

It's the tired "high consumer awareness" crack that makes me shake my head every time. Apple has high consumer awareness. Nike has high consumer awareness. They spend billions on advertising because not everyone has yet tried their product. But, there is one product that every single person on the planet has tried.

Milk. Every one of us is a past or present user. We know what it tastes like and whether we'd like some more. And yet, the Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin (formerly known as the Milk Marketing Board) spends over $20 million a year to convince consumers to use more of a product they already know.

There is one difference this time around, however. There is a new Speaker of the House...and he is the CEO of a highly successful corporation that produces an award-winning product. When he's not trying to jam a spike through Florida's Travel and Hospitality industry, Jose Oliva runs Oliva Cigars. I could be way off, here...but, I'd be willing to bet that his company advertises in cigar magazines, works with media outlets to promote all the awards they've won and offers co-operative promotions with retailers around the world.

So, when he says, “In a trillion-dollar economy, a few million dollars put towards advertising a few different places cannot possibly have a direct correlation with tourism,” one can't but involuntary snort one's drink through one's nose.

With little more than a week left in this legislative session, prospects for saving Visit Florida have never been more tenuous. Several Florida DMOs are blanketing their stakeholders with urgent e-requests to contact their representatives to attempt to put an end to this dangerous legislative recklessness.

Since he apparently doesn't believe in the efficacy of advertising, someone should ask Mr. Oliva how much his company spent on promoting his family's line of cigars last year. 

The Evolution of DMOs

Evolution is a fascinating beast, eh?

When I entered the Destination Marketing field, I was told we were in service to our hotels (that whole "heads in beds" thing). That slowly transformed into our Members/Partners (including restaurants, attractions, nightspots, etc.).

Then we were in service to the customer; the client...because everything that makes them happy serves our Members/Partners.

And now, here we are where we should have been all along. We are here to serve residents.

Fresh off Destinations International's CEO Summit, Don Welsh offers an interesting take on our true customers.

The Critical Importance of Tourism

Community excellence occurs when we collaboratively develop a really cool place to live and visitors agree. Sophisticated community leaders know the power of tourism (which I'll be speaking on today at the Mississippi Tourism Association's Spring Conference in sensational Meridian). But, there are still those that refuse to accept that supporting a Visitor Economy is a pre-requisite to community exceptionalism.

That wasn't the case in McDonald County MO in 1961. Apparently, the highway leading to the lakes and attractions was omitted from the State Map. Within weeks, a movement to secede from the State was mounted. "Adjoining counties in Arkansas and Oklahoma were invited to create a 51st state. Stamps and passports were printed and, most importantly, the news hit the national press. A border guard of volunteers formed. They delighted in toting muzzle-loading rifles and black powder revolvers. It made for great photos," according to Joplin Globe writer Bill Caldwell.

"Arkansas Gov. Orval Faubus stirred the pot by inviting McDonald County to join Arkansas as its own bootheel on the west. Joplin’s Chamber of Commerce invited the territory to have an embassy in Joplin for passports and visas."

Cooler heads, of course, prevailed. But, isn't it fascinating how important tourism was to a county in the 1960s.

It's just as important today.

Image Credit: Missouri Life