Bill Geist's Zeitgeist

A Brilliant Solution to a Northern Problem

Here in the geographic upper tier of the United States, it gets cold in the winter. Sometimes bone-chilling below-zero cold. So, the walk from the parking garage to the airport terminal can be a dilemma if one is traveling south for some warmth.

Let's be honest...an overcoat is only necessary in the two transits between terminal and parking. You don't need it during your excursion to tropical climes. And, stuffing your big-ass coat in your bag once in the terminal is a hassle and could needlessly put you over the weight limit for baggage.

Enter MKE...one of a handful of airports that offers a coat check for frigid passengers to doff their heavy coats before heading to warmer destinations. It's $2/day with a maximum charge of $10 regardless how long you're gone. And, they provide the service in their Summerfest Marketplace retail store...exposing those dropping off their cold weather gear to a plethora of cool local products.

Pretty brilliant, eh?

Phoenix Rising

As we breezed around a corner into the trade show area of last week's Upper Midwest CVB Fall Conference, what to our wondering eyes would appear but our friend Staci Wilken (the former CEO of Visit Kankakee County). 

As we talked about the tumultuous year that she's had, I thought back to a DMO CEO with whom I worked during my days in Madison. When I asked why she abruptly stepped away from what was (at least outwardly) one of the choicest gigs in the Midwest, she replied, "you can only be told "fuck you, you suck" so many times a day before it's really not worth it anymore." And, this was an individual that rarely swore in public.

That's pretty much what happened to Staci at the hand of a micro-group of community "leaders" who wanted her gone...despite the incredible work she had accomplished in her time there. So, she left behind the sickening bullying to recapture her life.

And, like a phoenix, there she was, launching her new venture called Experience Edit, an experience-based management agency. A what, you ask? Check out her Facebook page to get a more nuanced understanding of how Staci can assist you and your organization.

And, welcome to this side of our world, my friend. 

DEI is also Visual

As we noted yesterday, addressing Diversity, Equity and Inclusion is so much bigger than ethnicity and gender. It also can extend to how Destination Leaders address ensuring that visitors with sight challenges are able to enjoy the experiences we offer. 

Travel Yukon has partnered with EnChroma to deploy special glasses designed to help the color-blind among us to see the Northern Lights in all their radiant glory. As the news release from EnChroma notes: "Ten tourism operators in Yukon, and the Yukon Visitors Information Centre, will loan EnChroma glasses to color blind visitors. This partnership will enhance accessibility and inclusion, help attract more tourists and make the visits of those who are color blind more colorful and memorable."

Wanna experience what one man saw? Click Here.

And, for the millions around the globe with colorblindness, this is so very cool.

Admitting Mistakes

Politicians rarely admit their mistakes. Corporations do more often...but still less than we'd all like.

And, while Apple didn't apologize this week for the several head scratching "advancements" they've made to their hardware over the past few years, the new Macbook Pro boasts a positively last-decade feel. Back are ports (no more infuriating dongles), function keys and the magnetized charging port. They've returned to a more traditional keyboard after years of complaints. In the end, they've taken the most exasperating aspects of owning a recent Macbook and relegated them to the dump.

Now we wait for them to ship to see if my pet peeve gets solved. At some point, the development team at Apple thought that it would be a good idea to disable the backlit keyboard until one logs in. Did no one who beta tested this design fail ever try entering a password in a dark environment? I silently swear at whoever cooked up this each evening when, not wanting to disturb those around me, I crack my Mac on the back porch or in the living room.

I'm holding my breath in anticipation.

 

Impact Sustainability Travel & Tourism is Back

Earlier this year, on the DMOU Podcast, we hosted Paul Nursey, CEO of Destination Greater Victoria to talk about his organization's outsized role in environmental sustainability. In one of our questions, we delved into an event they helped launch in 2018 called Impact Sustainability Travel & Tourism.

After a scaled back COVID-driven virtual event last year, the event is back in Victoria as a live event set for January 22-26. If you're a Tourism pro in Canada, you know you must go. If you're from anywhere else, you know you should go.

Size is in the Eye of the Beholder

In my newsfeed this afternoon, I see a story on a proposed $1.3 billion entertainment, event, dining and retail project. I see a proposed $34 million sports complex in the Midwest. And, I see the largest of the three communities getting excited that a new Starbucks could help revitalize downtown.

Sometimes, it's the little things that mean the most.

DMOU: Getting LGBTQ+ Right

Authentic. It's the word we often hear when Destination Marketers attempt to develop messaging for consumers. But when reaching out to a market that doesn't look or live like you, achieving authentic is often elusive. Last month, HospitableMe's Billy Kolber and Kenny Porpora joined me on the DMOU Podcast to break down how DMO pros should approach the LGBTQ+ market. From working with the local community to determine whether your destination is ready to designing and executing authentic messaging, this is a conversation you won't want to miss. Plus, they revealed details on their new Master Class, with a discount for DMOU listeners that expires at midnight tonight.

Check it out!

New on DMOU: Getting LGBTQ+ Right

Just up in the DMOU vault is an insightful conversation with our friends Billy Kolber and Kenny Porpora of HospitableMe into the world of LGBTQ+ travel. From ensuring that your community is ready...to hitting all the notes perfectly in your messaging, this podcast is for any DMO pro that recognizes the opportunity to welcome a vibrant and growing market to your community.

You'll also hear about their new Master Class...and score a DMOU / DMOproz discount code, just for listening. And, yeah...their Bonus Round questions are pretty fun, too.

Join us.

Prime Visibility

On an episode of the DMOU podcast, Visit Nashville's Butch Spyridon quipped that he never thought he'd be a film producer. But, with last year's release of the sensational "It All Begins with a Song," he did.

I'm guessing Visit St. Pete/Clearwater's Steve Hayes could say the same thing after "Life's Rewards" premiered on Amazon Prime last week. A story of a guy who loses everything (except his billions of hotel points), the series is shot on location at the Don CeSar hotel on St. Pete Beach (TripAdvisor's 2001 Best American Beach).

The first DMO-produced TV series designed to stream on a major platform, "Life's Rewards" is a joint project by Visit St. Pete Clearwater, the St. Pete Clearwater Film Commission and Visit Florida and stars Sebastian Rocha. You can check out the trailer here.

Gotta love it!

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.