Bill Geist's Zeitgeist

America's Top Cities

The latest edition of America's Top Cities is out today and DMOU had the opportunity to talk with Resonance's Chris Fair on how the rankings are determined and why they matter. It's no surprise that big cities dominate the top 50 because they have more assets than smaller cities. But, there are some surprising cities in the bottom 50 that point the way to how DMOs can elevate community brand and magnetism to increase awareness and interest. Chris breaks it all down in this exclusive interview on how the rankings have evolved post-COVID. Cool stuff.

Opening a $107 Million Convention Hotel without a DMO

I'm pretty sure that the disillusioned head shake by hotel developers in Conroe has been more pronounced than that of the serial killer in the Geico commercial. As the City of Conroe footed most of the bill for the exceptional new Hotel & Conference Center that opened last week, you'd think someone would have considered that having a DMO with no staff to assist with the opening would have been a red flag.

Hey, if forces within the City wanted to fire accomplished, award-winning DMO leadership...that's fine. Completely their prerogative. But doing it weeks before one of their biggest private economic development partners opens such an ambitious project that needs a professional DMO (and not City Hall receptionists)...that's just carelessly clueless.

But hey, there's a lot of that going on out there.

Sadly.

Can We Do Better?

A destination that has gone through its fair share of political turmoil just announced they are rebranding their DMO to include the county's name (rarely a good idea, as most consumers don't know county names). 

But hey, good for them. They're moving on...but, they're not.

Inspired by the article, I went to the DMO's website...and it's still showing the old brand (wouldn't you wait on the announcement of a new brand until the new look was up?). And, I'm confronted with this as the banner image (click above left to enlarge)?

I'm sorry. The county's median age is 36...and you're leading with a bunch of old farts drinking beer with some Zs? And, they're all white?

Oh yeah...and the DMO abandoned their old URL when they should have used it as a redirect so they don't lose their existing customer base?

Sigh...

The Challenge

This is the challenge, n'est-ce pas?

When the late former Illinois Tourism Director Donna Shaw announced that her office would be cutting back on promoting State Parks in favor of the rich experiences of Chicago, she defended the move as an attempt to attract the "high value consumer," referring to those that spend more than those that bring their own bed, beer and bait.

Cathy Ritter, another former Illinois Tourism Director, shared her definition of a high value consumer on the DMOU podcast as one that shared the values and honored the culture of a place.

Both are clearly in play in Hong Kong, according to this story in the New York Times.

But, what a conundrum, eh? How to be a welcoming destination (and DLO) when you really don't want "locusts" weaving through your community.

New on the DMOU Podcast: Kara Franker

For DMOs that produce destination events, it often consumes months of staff time. Yet, Visit Estes Park turned a festival that a neighboring community was preparing to sunset into an event that garnered national media attention in just 100 days. CEO Kara Franker guests to tell the unique story of the revitalized "Frozen Dead Guy Days," an event that not only bolstered a need time on the calendar but also raised money for workforce housing and daycare initiatives. It's a stirring story of community collaboration you're not going to want to miss. You can find the conversation HERE.

And, while you're at it...check out the sensational video behind the story Kara tells on the podcast about backing a Room Tax increase to support local workforce housing and childcare.

Simply brilliant.

The Definition of "All In"

Ocean City unleashed its new brand last week. And, when it comes to "all in," one can't do better than Ocean City CVB Director Tom Perlozzo, who launched the brand dressed in a suit covered in the new logo.

OC's longtime Mayor Rick Meehan was also on hand...and we smile every time we see him, because it brings back memories of the only tourism ad by a politician that ever worked.

Reality v. the Circus

For the past 5 years, Shannon Overby took the destination marketing of Conroe TX beyond what most would consider possible. She recently got caught up in political shitshow when forces within the City decided that the DMO should serve as the receptionist for City Hall and she pushed back.

Conroe let her go for her "insubordination." And, within days, she is snapped up by one of the top DMOs in the State of Texas.

Hey Conroe? Does that suggest to you that you have no friggin' idea what you're doing? Or the talent you just frittered away?

Yeah...probably not.

Don't Break Out the Champagne Yet

Last week, we shared the good news that Minnesota and Indiana finally joined the club and will be investing meaningful dollars into their Destination Marketing efforts. The proposal to knee cap Florida Tourism stalled and an attempt to eliminate the Hawaii Tourism Authority failed.

But, not so fast. While the HTA survived, the State Legislature ended their legislative session last week without budgeting a single dollar for Destination Marketing.

The HTA will have to "apply" for funding and the requests will be vetted by the Department of Budget and Finance. Lawmakers and the Governor's Office. According to a news release from the Governor's Office, this is the result of a "compromise solution" with HTA...one that HTA CEO John DeFries says he is "thankful for a funding approach that will allow HTA to continue its important work in destination management and visitor education to keep supporting our top economic driver.” 

Let's all hope so.

This is What We're Up Against

As we shared on our DMOU podcast conversation with Lynn Tillotson, Visit Portland ME does not receive room tax funding to power their impressive work on behalf of the community. They are currently pursuing a Tourism Improvement District to augment their private-sector budget.

In the article that shares this initiative with residents, this was one of the comments:

"Any money would go into a black hole of wages and benefits to whomever runs this program. Portland needs no advertising, there is no housing, there is no parking. All these companies built hotels (and) now they want their advertising paid for. If they can’t hang in, let them fail (and) then we will have apartments downtown. Which, by the way, everyone is screaming for."

If you're familiar with the movie "Slap Shot," it's time to put on the foil.

If you haven't seen the movie...treat yourself.

Image Credit: Jeff Bassett

 

Some Good News

We often, with disbelief, report on the unwarranted attacks upon Destination Marketing Organizations...but we gotta say, the past couple days have been pretty sweet.

A proposal to kneecap Florida Tourism marketing received a pretty stellar punch in the nose as the State Legislature not only appropriated revenues to Visit Florida but increased its budget by $30 million.

And, the attempt to disband the Hawaii Tourism Authority failed.

In both cases, it is clear that legislators ultimately set aside their personal interests for headlines and accepted that, while there may be issues to be resolved, the DMOs in question produce so much State revenue that it's best to keep them in play.

Can we hope that the future will bring more sophisticated decisions? Fingers crossed.

And then, there's this. Minnesota, which has traditionally trailed its Midwest neighbors (except Indiana) in its investment in Destination Marketing is now considering doubling its Destination marketing budget.

And Indiana? Long the "why do you even bother" budget? The Legislature is considering more than doubling its investment.

Pretty cool news for those of us that have, for so long, preached the value of Destination Marketing. And congratulations to all that have advocated for such investment in your States and communities.