Bill Geist's Zeitgeist

A Cautionary Tale

This isn't the story of a clueless Destination Marketing Organization. Indeed, two of their six Directors within the past decade have gone on to work at the State Tourism level, one as Director of the State's Tourism Association. So, it's not that they haven't been blessed with experienced talent.

Rather, this is the story of a careless DMO Board that, according to a just settled lawsuit, passed over an experienced Number 2 to install an individual with no apparent experience in the hospitality and travel industry as its new CEO. The lawsuit claimed the reason for the hire was that he was Black and she was White. In the filing, the Board was accused of saying that, since the town is predominantly Black, the DMO should be headed by someone who is Black.

The story gets more convoluted...and you can follow the rabbit hole if you choose. But suffice to say the Board ultimately hired the Number 2 as interim when the original hire split after less than half a year...while the lawsuit was in play.

But, here's the true cautionary tale: The company that issued the Directors & Officers insurance has alerted the local agent that they are dropping the DMO...and the local agent told the Board that he's having a hard time finding another company that will touch them, if they don't stop making "stupid decisions." When the Board President shot back that "it hasn't been proven nowhere," the agent said, "All right, that's what I needed to hear. Y'all need to get (your insurance) from somewhere else." And he walked out of the meeting.

Losing D&O Insurance is significantly more troubling than settling a discrimination lawsuit which, of course, is troubling enough. Because now, with no insurance, who is gonna wanna serve on that Board?

There are consequences to everything...and some really hurt.

 

 

Hawaii

Those that have been following (and shaking their head in disbelief) the political machinations over the Aloha State's contract for Tourism Marketing will not be surprised when they hear that bills in both the House and Senate intend to dismantle the Hawaii Tourism Association.

For politicians, it's often more advantageous to their individual brand to replace than reimagine...and we now have pending legislation that would do just that.

The House bill would create a "destination management" agency and it would be headed by a three-member commission appointed by the governor.

And that would be a better solution? A three-member commission appointed by a Governor?

And just how would that produce any measure of diverse thought, deliberation and action?

Anyone?

That's a Wrap

For those that have been missing their daily dose of Zeitgeist, j'excuse. We've been burning on finalizing preparations for and launching the inaugural Board Leadership for Destinations Symposium with our friends from SearchWide Global, Civitas Advisors, CFObyDesign, Fired Up! Culture and representatives from Destinations International. Hosted by one of our dearest friends in the industry, Maura Gast and the exceptional team at the Irving Convention Center, the event exceeded even our expectations when we hatched this egg of an idea in Toronto last summer.

Thanks to the DMOs that joined us on this journey for your faith in our ability to deliver compelling content to your Board members and provide them the opportunity to interface with their peers from across the country, from Mat-Su to Savannah and Newport to Anaheim. And thank you for the closing session encouragement that this was, indeed, an empowering experience for CEO and Board members alike. That was our intent all along.

And, for those that couldn't join us because of scheduling conflicts, know that we'll be announcing future dates in the coming weeks.

Because, this was just too cool of an experience for all of us to not do it again.

For all that joined us in Irving...Thank You.

New on DMOU: Embracing the Night Time Economy

A lot of attention is paid to the 6a to 6p economy...but that has been a disservice to its 6p to 6a sister of the night. 24 Hour Dallas intends to change that...and we talk with the organization's Coordinator, Bryan Tony, on the most recently released episode of the DMOU Podcast.

Chick here to listen...or find us on your favorite podcast platform.

Nothing About Us Without Us

I've been pondering this quote almost every day since I heard it this summer at the Annual Convention of Destinations International. And, we included it in our DMOU podcast episode in which we asked DMO pros about new positions and titles they were considering that they never would have in 2017.

Well, we decided to go deeper. And, on the just dropped 100th episode of DMOU, we talk with Ottawa Tourism's Catherine Callary about how Canada's indigenous story is being told through an increasingly authentic lens...and learn about the Ottawa Indigenous Tourism Entrepreneur Training program.

Good Stuff.

New on DMOU

For as long as I can remember, those who serve as Chair of Destinations International do so with an agenda that layers on top of the organization's Vision and Mission. It was the Environment for Rick Antonson and Transparency for the late Spurgeon Richardson...just to name a few.

For Visit Baltimore's Al Hutchinson, his role as Chair will be marked by "four pillars." And, he and I go deep on two of them (Workforce and DEI) on the latest episode of the DMOU Podcast that just dropped this morning. Plus, we'll discuss the HBCU Scholarship Program that is surpassing all initial expectations.

And...in the Bonus Round, the man who, at the age of 8, saw James Brown perform in concert reveals his favorite all time band.

Check it out.

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.

DEI is also Lingual

As Visit Baltimore's Al Hutchinson said on stage at this year's Annual Convention of Destinations International in Toronto, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion "is never about pushing anyone from the table...but bringing more people to the table and expanding opportunities for all.”

While the majority of DEI work has been focused on race and gender...one cannot forget the inclusion of language as a means to accessibility. Visit Sacramento has just launched a Spanish-language section, saying they "understand and acknowledge the many contributions of Latinos in Sacramento and beyond, who trace their cultural heritage to Mexico, Central and South America and have shaped the “Farm to Fork” capital with rich culture and tradition.” 

As over a quarter of Californians speak Spanish in their homes, this kind of outreach positions Sacramento as a welcoming destination to a significant portion of its target market.

Well played...

And, to hear more about Visit Sacramento's DEI initiatives, check out the DMOU Podcast with VP of EDI Sonya Bradley.

It's the Scenery

I'm hazy as to the chronology...but it wasn't all that long ago that Destination Marketing pundits told us we needed to lead with the faces of visitors enjoying our communities. "Let the consumer place themselves in that picture, imagining the experience they'd be having," they'd say. But, what if those faces didn't look like the person viewing the image, I often mused?

Then, at least 5 years ago (and I'm guessing more), I remember a post in a DMO-centric group from one of the marketers at West Virginia Tourism saying that they were getting far better engagement on Social Media with pictures of their magnificent scenery...pictures that had no faces whatsoever.

Fast forward to last week when our friends at Destination Analysts shared this sensational infographic of the answer to the question: Which of these images would you generally find more appealing in a travel advertisement?

Uh-huh...it's Beautiful Scenery / Landscapes for the win.

Tourism Diversity Matters Today

Earlier this month, we were honored to speak with Tourism Diversity Matters CEO Greg DeShields on the DMOU podcast...and that episode dropped earlier this week. Greg shares the organization's genesis story, the past year's successes (including his stellar work with the Greater Lansing MI CVB and Julie Pingston, a past DMOU guest) and where TDM is headed this year.

Check it out...and then, if it's right for your destination, give 'em a call.