Bill Geist's Zeitgeist

It All Starts with a Visit

It was ten years ago this month that Irving's Maura Gast unleashed the phrase "It All Starts with a Visit" during her closing address as Chair of Destinations International. If she had a Franklin for every time that phrase has been uttered over the past decade...well, let's just agree she wouldn't need to purchase a lottery ticket ever again.

It surfaced in the media again last week as Southern Delaware Tourism announced a collaborative Visitors Guide with Sussex County Economic Development. As CEO Scott Thomas said, “All the time, we see first visits turning into summer vacations that become beloved traditions families share for generations. For entrepreneurs and business executives, first visits often lead to serious, detailed inquiries about our local business climate and, from there, to new local businesses. It just makes sense to offer information of interest to both visitors and entrepreneurs in the same resource guide because the two groups often overlap."

As Tourism is the first date for Economic Development, this is an interesting partnership...and I can't wait to see how this plays out.

And, for more thought leadership from Maura, don't miss the chance to listen to her recent interview on the recently resurrected DMOU.

Saying You're Sorry

I seriously don't know where most people learned (or, more appropriately, didn't learn) to drive. The times I'm almost sideswiped when a self-absorbed asshole merges into my lane on an interstate has increased tenfold. And, those drivers that juke in front of me to get into a different lane? It happens daily.

Not unlike Air Laws, there should be Road Laws. And, the Number One Road Law should be, if your move into another driver's lane causes that driver to touch their breaks, you shouldn't have made that move. Period.

Now, far be it for me to say I haven't, on occasion, been absent-mindedly guilty of this as well (it happens). And, because I feel so strongly about this "Road Law," I've wished I could say, "sorry, my bad." But, you just can't.

But, now you can. And, not through hand gestures.

A new KickStarter project called RoadWayve offers an LED message board to communicate with other drivers on the road. Sample messages include short phrases such as “I’m sorry,” “Thank you,” “Turn off high beams,” “Let me merge,” “Go around me” and more. There is also a custom message option that is safely activated via voice control in the mobile app.

They've already tripled their KickStarter goal...so the concept seems to be resonating. If you want to get in on the ground-floor, click HERE.

Disclaimer: I have no experience with the company or the product. I just think it's a way cool idea.

 

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.

The Impossible Slider

I outgrew my affection for White Castle sliders in my early 30s (somewhat simultaneous to my not still being on the streets at bar time, I believe). But, I must admit, when I'm in a destination that boasts the home of the slider (my home State of Wisconsin only features one, two hours away), I'll swing through the drive-thru for a trip down my culinary memory lane.

That White Castle was the first burger chain to embrace the Impossible Burger nationwide, it was just a matter of time before I'd have the chance to taste test the new with the classic, side by side. And, that opportunity finally presented itself.

The results? Pretty damn close to the original, if not slightly better. It's definitely thicker. They are cooked to order, so they are always hot off the grill and not reheated (just know that, if you're in a hurry, you should choose the original).

White Castle is a guilty pleasure no more. And, good on them for making the first move.

Changing the World with Ugly Food

Chalk it up to a great idea that I saw, photographed...but never connected the dots.

We were on a destination assessment assignment in Iowa a couple summers ago when I spotted a farmer selling carrots in a totally different way (click picture to enlarge). One sign read, "Carrots: $2/bunch." The other read, "Ugly Carrots: $1/bunch."

I chuckled and asked the farmer how his strategy was working. He grinned back and said, "I always sell out of the ugly ones first." When I asked what percentage of his crop was "ugly," he replied, "about a third...and I used to throw them away."

A thousand miles away, Abhi Ramesh was learning the same thing. According to the website for his Philadelphia based firm, "Misfits Market," over $1 trillion of food is wasted each year, either getting tossed at the farm, rotting in warehouses or going unsold in stores until it's inedible. Much of this is due to "modern-day beauty standards for food." Ugly fruits, misshapen vegetables, and delicious but imperfectly-sized produce are squandered at every level. Just a quarter of this wasted food could be used to feed the entire starving population of the world.

And that was the inspiration behind Misfits...and, like my Iowa farmer, they sell at up to half off. For $19, they'll ship 10-12 pounds of imperfect fruits and vegetables to your door, enough to feed a couple for a week. A larger box for bigger families is also available for $35. They're starting slowly, rolling out the organic service geographically in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware. Abhi hopes New York is next.

As their slogan goes, "Healthy. Affordable. Ugly."

And, brilliant.

Windows on a Plane

I've noted an interesting phenomenon on commercial airliners. As they have asked deplaning passengers to close window shades to keep the cabin cool for the next flight, an increasing number of next flight travelers opt not to open said windows.

For someone, like me, that enjoys watching take-off, the landscape and landing, this is a little unnerving. Yet, there I was a few weeks ago, in a section of the plane where not a single window shade was open.

Is it laziness...or do a majority of fliers actually not want to see outside the fusillade?

Enter Emirates Airlines, which has just announced plans to fly jets with no windows (more structurally sound and more cost efficient). Instead, they plan to install video panels, fed by cameras on the exterior of the plane, to show folks like me what's out there.

Interesting concept that still has a few questions, as outlined in this article from Fast Company.

Your thoughts? Boxers or Briefs? Panties or Thongs? Windows or Video Panels?

 

Ego-Tourism

Catching up over the weekend, I discovered this sensational article by Travel Weekly's Arnie Weissmann.

As cool as Eco-Tourism is, he says...it's Ego-Tourism upon which we should focus.

According to new research, over half of young professional travel is chosen as a way to make their friends envious. And, it's not just the young, as 15% of boomers take the possibility of envy-inducing posts into consideration when booking.

Narcissism aside...as Arnie says: "Being sensitive to the range of how an ego manifests itself can be crucial in qualifying clients and making sure their ego needs will be met during a trip. But understanding the role ego plays during the actual sales process can be equally important to your business."

The Alternate Reality

For Star Trek fans, The Mirror Universe is a universal favorite. In it, the Starship Enterprise comes face to face with an alternative universe in which their Kirk and Spock are evil, hell-bent on universal domination. White is black, up is down...the mirror universe is the polar opposite of the Federation we all know and love.

That episode came to mind when I read what could have been an April Fool's article, but isn't, from Humboldt County CA. In many destinations in which pot has been legalized, local officials and business leaders have encouraged their DMO to refrain from actively promoting the cannabis industry. Not Humboldt County.

After completing his annual marketing presentation to the County Board, DMO CEO Tony Smithers recently faced a series of questions and criticisms for not including the promotion of cannabis in this year's campaign. And for not having someone from the cannabis industry on his Board!

What a short strange trip it's been...

Brilliance for the Holidays

Ryan Hamilton is both an amazing artist and an astute marketer. 

Along with his band the Traitors, this international talent has done something that may not be new...but certainly captured my attention.

For $30US, he'll perform a personalized concert of 10 of his songs. And, yes...truly personalized with individualized comments between songs. And, one of his tracks is one of our faves.

Wow...what a concept for performers that have a loyal local following. But, also for DMOs, as an amazing holiday gift for clients.

Imagine sending a CD to a client that extols the virtues of your destination...but also offers a taste of the talent they'll experience when they bring their group to town.

Probably too late for this year...but, definitely a thought for next year.

Building a Better Industry Database

If I had a Franklin for every time a community leader, politician or DMO Board Member asked me how their Destination Marketing Organization compared to others, we'd be able to take a round-the-world vacation with cash to spare. Unfortunately, such data has historically been restricted to members of the DMO-sector Trade Association, Destinations International...and, then, only to those that paid for the data.

But, as they say, "It's a Brand New Day." And, the data collection for the report that contains all the comparative data about destinations, taxes, and DMO budgets, governance and operations is open this week to non-members. It's Destinations International's way of building a significantly more robust database of data, especially in the small-to-medium DMO budget size category.

The catch? There really isn't one. Any DMO (member or otherwise) that completes a majority of the questions in the online survey will receive the final report at no charge. And, we all benefit from a much more meaningful set of data points when those questions arise. And, like the Destination Marketing Accreditation Program (DMAP), it will make participating organizations better.

The Destinations International portal to the survey requires a member login and password. If you're not a member and want to take advantage of this sensational opportunity, e-mail Andreas Weissenborn HERE.

And, kudos to Destinations International for seeing the bigger picture in providing DMOs worldwide with the actionable data we need.