Bill Geist's Zeitgeist

Too Cool

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.

 

A Classy Send-Off

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.

Morris Andrews

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.

How Will "Flight Shaming" Impact Your Community?

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.

 

A Lack of Foresight

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. 

 

Workforce Development

For Destination Marketing Organizations that are evolving into community development agencies, the concept of workforce development is often a struggle. We know that our tourism partners are wrestling to secure workers (one of Madison's top restaurants just closed with the owner saying that the lack of workforce was a key driver in the decision). But, how do we respond?

Hyatt has created a program called RiseHY ("rise high") that seeks to bring out-of-school, out-of-work young people into the Hyatt workforce. And, today, nearly 1,300 “Opportunity Youth” have integrated into the Hyatt world. But, not without some interesting lessons learned along the way. Like showing up to work on time is often most difficult for these individuals, in part because people have complicated living arrangements and uneven access to transportation. 

Hyatt CEO Mark Hoplamazian said: “There are many things you can be proud of in life, but few things provide as much inspiration and hope for the future as watching one of these young people come into the workforce and achieve success.”

Motivational words for us all.

 

The Weaponization of Destination Marketing, Indeed

In one of the most high-stakes political gambits we've seen in years, Governor Gretchen Whitmer has zeroed out the Pure Michigan budget for the upcoming fiscal year. All $37.5 million that the Legislature had approved and sent to her desk has been frozen...along with over $900 million in funds earmarked for roads and bridges, education and healthcare.

It's a bold maneuver for a Governor that had sought to increase the Pure Michigan budget by $6 million. The Legislature only approved a $2.5 million increase and didn't, in the Governor's mind, authorize enough for prisons and cyber-security. So, she took programs that enjoyed broad support and axed them to force Republicans back to the budget table.

One of the most successful Destination Marketing programs in the nation...held hostage by party politics.

Why am I not surprised? 

Everything Old is New Again

In the mid-1970s (when smoking weed was illegal everywhere), Southern Illinois University in Carbondale was known throughout collegiate circles as the Pot Capital of the Midwest. Is the pendulum poised to swing back some 40 years later?

The Carbondale City Council appears ready to legalize recreational use of pot upon that opportunity becoming reality for cities in Illinois at the start of the new year. One Council member is beyond bullish on the concept to attract visitors to Carbondale.

According to a recent story in the Journal Gazette-Times Courier, "I think it puts heads in beds," Adam Loos said, adding that it would attract people between the age of 40 and 60 years old. "You'd be surprised how many people in that age smoke pot," he said. He also thinks it will help student recruitment at SIU.

It certainly encouraged a lot of visits in the '70s.

This is What Success Looks Like

This week, the Asheville City Council voted unanimously to impose a one-year moratorium on hotel development. That's what success looks like these days as citizens in popular destinations begin to push back, in their minds, to attempt to "reclaim" their communities.

This isn't, of course, a black and white issue. Those supporting the moratorium are not taking into consideration the long view of how this could stunt the growth of the local economy by limiting future investment in all industries, not just lodging. And, a one-year moratorium (while sounding "reasonable") will likely mean two to three years before new hotel product can come online because of the application, financing and construction windows that follow. And, how many remember when Asheville wasn't the hip darling of the travel consumer? Yeah...missing very few meals over the past decade causes a degree of social amnesia. 

That said, the optics of $25 million of Room Tax being invested each year to continue to increase the very visitation these people blame for ruining their lives has caused moratorium supporters to not consider such nuance...but just see red. Another reason that, for the long term benefit of our residents, we need better words and stories to convey the value of Destination Marketing.

Which is why DMO pros should strongly consider attending Destination International's Advocacy Summit in Madison, November 12-14. 

When it's Not About the Next Election

I love Chicago. Maybe it's because I grew up in its shadow and I feel "at home" there...but, it's just such a perfect destination for the arts, culture, entertainment, sports and culinary. 

Except when you live in pockets of the city that have been ignored for decades; where crime and decay rule. That's the part of any city that breaks our heart.

Chicago has a new Mayor. And, she has a mountain to climb to fix what's wrong with her city while supporting all that is right.

A recent critique in Patch laid bare the challenges ahead. But, it also included a quote from Mayor Lori Lightfoot regarding the path forward that was as refreshing as an autumn morning: 

"And if it means that I sacrifice myself politically, so be it in pursuit of the right thing."

I so want to believe.