Bill Geist's Zeitgeist

The Future of Officing

In destinations as diverse as Kankakee County and Kansas City, Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs) have made the decision to ditch their physical offices after experiencing a degree of success working virtually during the pandemic. Other DMO CEOs have planted their feet firmly in the "back to the office" camp to preserve staff culture and creativity.

Visit Omaha has elected to do a hybrid approach, leaving its Downtown location in favor of virtual officing...but utilizing some of the $250,000 it would have sunk into lease payments into renting meeting space at destination hotels when it needs to meet face to face. Smartly, they'll keep their sensational Visitors Center open and use it as their administrative hub.

How is your DMO evolving when it comes to the future of its Office and Visitor Center?

The Nod From the NFL

Customer Service is nothing new...but when we experience stellar service, we notice. Right?

That's what I felt over the weekend when I thought about the NFL Draft. I mean, that's all I've been hearing about on Sports Radio for the past two months. When the hell is it, I asked myself. And then, I asked the internet and was taken to a page that said it starts Thursday. And, for more information, I was directed to visit the website of Destination Cleveland. And, that made me smile.

It shouldn't have. That link should be expected. DMOs in pro sports towns have been working with their franchises for years. But yet, it still did...and Destination Cleveland didn't disappoint, as they've transitioned their home page to NFL Draft HQ.

And again, I smiled. 

Visit, Vaccinate & Vacation

As destinations go, you can’t get much more diverse than Alaska and the Maldives. But, both are banking on the same strategy to stimulate visitation: COVID-19 Vaccines.

Beginning June 1, inbound passenger to commercial airports in Alaska will be able to receive the vaccine. And, in the Maldives, the nation’s Minister for Tourism has announced a 3V strategy: Visit, Vaccinate and Vacation.

The beauty of the strategy isn’t lost on me. One would need to stay three or four weeks to get the second shot (though Alaska is planning to arrange for visitors to get their second shot at home).

Can you say “High Value Customer?”

Minimum Wage

In the conversation over Minimum Wage, it comes down to the juxtaposition of paying employees a wage that enables them an acceptable standard of living and keeping one's doors open and profitable. Don't get me wrong: an arbitrary $15/hour isn't the answer, as every industry in every community is different. But, can we agree that squeezing work out of people for less than one can afford is morally and ethically wrong? Not to even consider the toll it takes on employee morale, dedication and customer satisfaction.

A DMO pro and I were shooting the shit earlier this week in preparation for our facilitation of their upcoming Strategic Planning Workshop. He shared with me that a local outlet of a national retailer Facebooked on Sunday that they were closing at 4pm because they only had one person show up for work. 

It doesn't take an MBA to figure out this scenario. Pay more than $10/hour and people will be more likely to show up for work. The Manager replied that the hourly wage was set by Corporate...and there was nothing she could do.

So again, the onus falls back to Corporate. And again, it falls to me to break it down. If you need 3 people to staff the store and you were to pay, say, $20/hour, that would be $30/hour more than you're paying now. Staying open from 4 to 7 would mean $90 more in payroll (and a workforce that would be much more likely to show up and treat the customer like gold).

If you're a national retailer and you can't sell more than $90 of crap in three hours to cover that cost, you got bigger problems with your product and marketing than a workforce that has better things to do than work for $10/hour.

Corporate? I'm here all week, if you'd like to talk.

36 Minutes of Inspiration We Need

For Destination Marketing pros, saying that this last year sucked is like saying that the February ice storm in Texas was a cold snap. But, imagine being in Puerto Rico. Double-slammed by two hurricanes, a President that shamefully refused to release disaster aid, then Zika, three weeks of earthquakes, political upheavals and a fiscal crisis. And then, one of the most aggressive responses to the plague in the nation. Yeah...you simply do not get to bitch about the virus.

You want 36 minutes of pure inspiration? The Simpleview Future of Tourism Podcast (hosted by our friend David Peacock) featuring Discover Puerto Rico CEO Brad Dean dropped yesterday...and I dare anyone to say these 36 minutes aren't the other shot you need in your arm.

Yeah, he kindly drops my name. But really...it's a sensational conversation with two of the brightest voices in our sphere. Treat yourself.

Teach 'em Some Respect

As we look hopefully to the return of travel around the world, it behooves us all to reconsider how that will look when cabin-fevered consumers collectively feel they've been given a green light. For those that have received their second shot...that time is sooner than later. For every such person we've talked to...indeed, it is now.

To avoid returning to "over-tourism" complaints by residents in some communities, many Destination Marketers are shifting where and how they plan to re-enter the marketplace to attract a more discerning consumer. In British Columbia, a number of DMOs are working with the Sea to Sky Corridor Destination Development Council to educate inbound visitors to "the concepts of respect, proper outdoor conduct, preparedness, environmental awareness and responsible social media use." In other words, encouraging visitors to stop acting like they were raised by feral pigs when they're in-market.

Pique published a great piece on the initiative that is worth your read. And, here's hoping it inspires others to take steps, while we still can, to mitigate the crowds we know will return.

Are We Ready for the Return?

Over the weekend, I found myself reflecting on one of the better webinars I've seen this year. Part of Connect Travel's "See Tomorrow" series, last week's episode focused on resident sentiment with Colorado's Cathy Ritter, Park City's Jennifer Wesselhoff, Hawaii's Kalani Ka‘anā‘anā and Longwoods International's Amir Eylon, moderated by TripAdvisor's Steve Paganelli. If you didn't catch it live...make time to catch up with the recording in the next week or so.

Why sooner than later? If the pace of vaccinations continues on its forward trajectory and the fourth spike sputters, Destination Marketing Organizations will be returning to the marketplace with invitations for consumers to visit. The "when you're ready" message will increasingly be replaced by "we're ready for you." But, is your community really ready?

As Amir reminded viewers, 4 out of 10 residents remain wary of their community unfurling the welcome mat...and that's too close to 50-50 for me.

Despite the pressure to get back into the game, the question must be asked, will residents be happy to see visitors again? And, have they come to enjoy the relative quiet of the past year in many of our communities?

A lot of residents of Big Sur are kinda diggin' that Highway One collapsed, cutting off outside access to the community. In a recent story, one resident said she is "celebrating the tranquility."

How many of your residents feel the same way?

 

Reimagine a Floor?

Many restaurants that have managed to remain open for the past year are hanging on by a thread, praying for the weather for outdoor dining to return, government restrictions to relax and consumer fear to subside. 

I'm not sure how I missed this piece by Laurie Jo Miller Farr that ran last month in The Travel Vertical, but the concept of restaurants and hotels partnering at a high level is brilliant. As she opined: "Urban hotels are removing beds, dressers, nightstands from hotel suites and re-furnishing them as private dining rooms. Limiting interaction with others, there’s a waiter to serve plated meals from a nearby restaurant and some of the guests are opting for an overnight stay. Aimed at a local targeted audience, why not?"

If you missed the story too, catch it here. This could be the bridge to Summer.

Image Credit: Le Crocodile in Brooklyn

Delta v. Problem Children

We love Delta.

Which is so weird...because when I started down this path of consulting Destination Marketing Organizations and hopping on planes almost every week, I loathed them. But something happened after they absorbed Northwest Airlines. The customer suddenly came first. Coincidence? I have no idea...but as a Northwest fan, I'd certainly like to think so.

Last month, Delta CEO Ed Bastian took a stand for civility:

“Please know that respect and civility to others on our planes, at our airports, in our workplaces and in our society — even when we have differences of opinion — have always been a requirement for our people and our customers. Those who refuse to display basic civility to our people or their fellow travelers are not welcome on Delta. Their actions will not be tolerated, and they will not have the privilege of flying our airline ever again.”

Oh, hell yeah.

Every other airline? I'm waiting.....

Delta for the Win

One of the most quoted TV lines of its time was made famous by Telly Savalas through his character Kojak..."Who loves 'ya, baby?"

Today, that would be Delta Airlines, which announced they would be extending their blocking of the middle seat on flights through April. And, that's why Delta is our preferred carrier. A survey this week of business travelers showed that 82% of us felt safer when the middle seat was blocked. Yeah...82%.

One has to wonder what the other carriers are thinking.