Four former Destination Marketing Executives have been invited to share their take on 21 predictions for 2021 tomorrow at 1 ET / 10 PDT. David Downing, Matt Stiker, Josh Collins and I will be on a panel as part of the eTourism Summit.
To join us, register here: http://bit.ly/2UAk80d
Should be a wild ride.
As we shared last Thursday, the impact of the government's ham-handed response to the 'VID has hit restaurants and hospitality businesses especially hard. Here in Madison, a number of iconic restaurants have closed for the winter...and some have sadly closed forever.
An hour or so south of the Mad City, a number of Rockford restaurants have taken a different tack, creating what they call "Ghost Restaurants." These are eateries that exist virtually and often offer fare that isn't on the menu at the host kitchen but is still prepared there. Like a Mexican restaurant selling pizza and an Italian restaurant selling wings.
In an article in the Rockford Register-Star, restauranteur Paul Sletten said, “I had staff who needed hours. I had our hog farmer Joe at McKenna Farms who needed to sell pigs. It was less about making money and more about helping our staff...we have about 19 employees, and we have made work for all of them.”
And isn't that what people in the hospitality industry do? Look out for each other? So sad that some of the most noble business people around are being left adrift by our elected officials.
Last week, we shared that the government's chaotic response to the 'VID caused a restauranteur in Minocqua WI to shutdown for the season. Not that such a decision is an unusual situation in these unsettled times. But, the owner wrote an open letter to his fans, closing it by saying, "Please join me in voting against everyone who hurt us on November 3."
Here's hoping he ordered his pair of Regenerative Organic Stand Up Shorts from Patagonia...because a company spokesperson has confirmed they are sold out of run that had the words "Vote the Assholes Out" on the backside of the garment tag.
Too funny.
As it increasingly appears that the Halloween season for some destinations will be significantly different that those they have counted upon in years past, there are options that spark the imagination.
Indeed, for communities like Salem MA that reportedly make 30% of their annual tourism revenues in October, the next 30 days will undoubtedly be a stress-filed time for the hospitality industry there. So, how to position the community as safe while delivering a unique experience that residents and visitors alike will flock to (and, of course, share on Social Media platforms)?
You think like these enterprising actors and production company in Tokyo who earlier this year staged a Drive-Through Haunted House, replete with Zombies attacking their prey, fully sealed in their car, smearing the windows with stage blood.
You got this...and I'm sure much more. Free your mind to the possibilities!
Terri and I are 'Sconnies (people who live in Wisconsin). Our move two summers ago to the country places us just miles from the "Driftless Area" of the State, where some of the finest agricultural land in the nation can be found. A region where Federal policy changes promised by the President in his last campaign have yet to materialize. In fact, his trade wars have made it worse.
We are a farm family. While I'm pretty much a city-boy (but, evolving every week), some members of Terri's extended family work the land and milk the cows. And, I learn more everyday about their struggles, many of which are government induced. But, I gotta say, none of what I've learned in our time together prepared me for this story in The New Yorker.
If you live in the Midwest, you must read this piece. If you live anywhere else, you should.
Winter is coming.
As we said in our recently released position paper on the future of community marketing, going back to the way it was before this nightmare began is not an option...for any of us. And, if you are in DMO Membership or Partnership Development, this could break one of two ways...or both.
In one corner, we have businesses that now know, more clearly than ever, the power of a DMO to bring them business and keep them successful. So, on one hand, the acquisition of these businesses as new Partners should seem a no-brainer. That is, if they can scrape together enough cash to invest in the DMO going forward.
In the other corner are your existing Partners who have always loved and valued you but are struggling to keep their doors open. Yeah...going back to Partnership Development as it was just isn't in the cards.
Our friend Robert Skrob, Executive Director of Destinations Florida (among a number of other businesses he manages) wrote a book in 2018 called Retention Point that, from a pre-COVID perspective, rings particularly true in these times. Indeed, the first Chapter is entitled "Membership Growth Comes from Retention, Not from Recruiting New Members." Pretty heady stuff, eh?
But it so makes sense as we climb out of the wreckage.
We have several ways to stay connected with our friends and clients in the Destination Marketing space. Of course, there is this (almost daily) blog, coming up on its 14th anniversary.
We also publish a monthly newsletter in which we share sector news and a commentary from yours truly. I tweet sporadically. And we repurpose the important missives on our Facebook and LinkedIn pages. Oh yeah...and the podcast is here.
Why am I reminding you of this? You may be a regular on this blog...but not a subscriber of the Z-News. And, if that's the case, you missed yesterday's release of our new position paper on how community marketing must change if we are to maximize resources, talent and opportunity. And, we think it's unlike anything you've seen.
We're boldly going where only a handful of visionaries have gone before...and we'd love to hear your thoughts.
Now, back to our regularly scheduled blog.
Facing an exploding pandemic, increasing crime rates in our urban centers, schools that are struggling to re-imagine a virtual re-start, the need to effectively deal with racial inequity and millions upon millions of workers put on waivers...Congress goes home for summer break?
Legislation that would help restart the economy through our Destination Marketing Organizations sits on dusty desks, not approved and never signed into law. And, Congress heads home to enjoy the last few weeks of summer?
And, now comes word over the weekend that they may actually come back...but only to deal with the Post Office debacle because THAT concerns their hoped for re-elections. Apparently, the rest of the nation can go pound sand.
That's really all we need to know about how this Congress has utterly failed the American people.
As we vote this November, know this: A vote for an incumbent is a vote for this shitshow to continue. What has been said in the Black Lives Matter movement is just as true here: "If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem." Every incumbent is complicit for not standing up to party leadership and saying "no mas."
That's how bad this has gotten. They have all failed us...and it's time to choose an alternative. Or are you good with this childish bullshit that threatens us all?
Choose wisely, Grasshopper.
This missive might appear confusing on the surface...but, it really isn't. And, it reflects what I've been saying in one way, shape or form for over a decade, well before the 'VID changed our world.
Simon Sinek (Start with Why and Leaders Eat Last) was recently quoted in The Drum saying that we all need to think as start-ups:
“The companies that are struggling to pivot are trying to do what they’ve always done in this environment. The companies that are doing a good job of pivoting are saying: ‘OK, throw the old playbook out and let’s pretend we’re a startup. How would we start up our business today?’"
So, I've gone on record over the past few months encouraging DMOs to not toss their Strategic Plans and start-over in the face of staggering financial losses. I've also suggested that DMOs should start from scratch. So, which is it?
Both.
Let's start with doubling down on your Strategic Plan. As a Strategic Plan is the Board's action plan, most of the goals and objectives that are likely in that Plan are still relevant. Community Outreach, Diversifying Revenue Streams and Advocating for Sense of Place projects are quite possibly more important than ever for your Board of Directors.
On the other side of the coin, Professional Staff needs to take a serious look at starting over and act like a start-up. Asking why the DMO is structured like it is and, knowing what we know now, are certain markets or tactics still appropriate? I know that, if given the opportunity, I'd be asking "why" a lot. And, as Gabe Seder suggested at the Annual Convention of Destinations International, I'd be drilling down on "who benefits?"
I'm pretty sure my DMO would look like the start-up that Simon suggests...and, we'll have some suggestions on how that might happen in the coming days.
Stay Tuned.
That's how one Airbnb operator described their experience with the Sharing Economy to the Wall Street Journal...another unseen victim of the government's response to the 'VID.
What started as a way to make a little side cash by renting out spare rooms rapidly turned into a full-time profession for many real estate speculators who discovered they could make more money renting to visitors than leasing to residents. In many communities, the price of housing skyrocketed as available inventory was snapped up by investors to flip into Airbnb and VRBO rentals.
But, when travel stopped on the Ides of March, so did the revenue stream that many of these speculators depended upon to pay their mortgages. And thus, we'll be seeing a portion of this housing inventory come back on the market.
Good for hotels. Good for home buyers. Bad for entrepreneurs that got caught with all their eggs in one basket.
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