Bill Geist's Zeitgeist

New on DMOU: NYC's Fred Dixon

After a brief travel-induced hiatus, the DMOU Podcast is back with a wide-ranging conversation with New York City Tourism + Conventions' Fred Dixon. As Chair of Destinations International, Fred has laid out an ambitious agenda for his year including DEI and Accessibility, Global growth, Member sustainability and a renewed emphasis on meetings and business events. We discuss these topics and more...including a fascinating (and fun) story of how his DMO partnered with Taylor Swift.

Join us...and it's good to be back.

New on the DMOU Podcast: The Illinois TID Win

It was 2011 when several DMO pros in Illinois began discussing the potential to introduce State legislation to add Tourism Improvement Districts into their funding mix. Earlier this year, that legislation finally passed and was signed into law. Rockford Area CVB CEO John Groh and Visit Quad Cities CEO Dave Herrell return to DMOU to share the up and down story of persistence, negotiation and being ready when the political winds were right. Even if your State already has TID legislation in place, this episode is a fascinating primer on moving an initiative through the political process.

It's just one of over 125 conversations waiting for you in the DMOU Vault.

The Other Side of Ai

Earlier this year, we dropped an episode of the DMOU Podcast featuring PCMA's Sherrif Karamat, encouraging DMO pros to engage with Ai, as a growing number of his members (our clients) were well ahead of us in utilizing this new technology.

Then, there is the other side. Richard Turen owns Churchill & Turen, a luxury vacation-planning firm based in Naples FL. He is a frequent contributor to Travel Weekly. And, he has recently been on a tear against the negative and harmful side of Ai in travel. First, he shared results from a New York Times investigation that the top travel guidebooks on Amazon are "written" by non-existent authors.

In today's opinion post, he goes even further, saying that, once again, travel agents will likely sit passively by as a dehumanizing technology takes another bite out of what makes travel advisors so vital to consumer satisfaction.

Both are fascinating takes.

New on DMOU: Rick Antonson

If there is a short list of thought leaders in the DMO world, Rick Antonson is always on that list. He was our first guest 20 years ago on the DMOU Teleseminar and our first guest on the the resurrected DMOU Podcast (and that says a lot). On this episode, he’s back to talk Destination Marketing…but also to share thoughts about his latest book, Train Beyond the Mountains: Journeys on the Rocky Mountaineer. Rick and I go deep into the meaning behind travel, the connections made and the life lessons learned. It’s a wide-ranging conversation that I believe you’ll love with one of the most eloquently expressive voices of our era.

On Board Leadership

As the host of the DMOU Podcast, it's a little surreal when I'm on the other end of the microphone. But, here's a shout out to The Tourism Teacher, which recently had me on as a guest to talk about DMO Boards.

Tourism Teacher is a podcast that aims to engage and inform those new to the Destination Marketing space and it was an absolute joy to talk with host Andi Jaspersen on this episode.

Thanks for the opportunity to share our thoughts...and we hope you enjoy the show.

New on the DMOU Podcast: Brook Kaufman

As Destination International’s Advocacy Summit is just around the corner, there’s no better time to talk with Visit Rapid City’s Brook Kaufman who, when she was with Visit Casper, ran and won a seat on her County Board. On this episode, you’ll hear why Brook thinks that more DMO pros should run for office…as well as her experiences during the last Total Eclipse of the Sun and how, as the first non-resident to helm Visit Rapid City in 40 years, she built a culture of trust with both stakeholders and staff. And, oh yeah…how she developed 40,000 Social Media followers during her quest for her first Marathon. 

It's just one of over 120 episodes with some of the best and brightest minds in Destination Marketing.

New on DMOU: PCMA's Sherrif Karamat on AI

PCMA CEO Sherrif Karamat is one of the deepest thinkers in the business events space on the planet. And, not unlike those old EF Hutton commercials, when Sherrif talks, I listen. So, when he said that DMOs were falling behind his members in the adoption of AI at Destinations International’s Annual Conference this summer, that was more than enough to earn an invitation to DMOU. Join us for a fascinating discussion of how he believes AI can reduce the mundane and better connect us to our clients…and where Sherrif believes the future of DMOs lies.

It's just one of over 120 powerful conversations you'll find in the DMOU Vault.

New on the DMOU Podcast > True Ambassadors

I was honored to moderate a panel at a PRSA event this summer in Madison...and it was a pleasure to reconnect with my friend Kelly Barbery, VP of Marketing and Communications at ExperienceColumbiaSC.

I was just the moderator...and was not responsible for the content. So, I was unprepared and mesmerized by the story Kelly and Director of Communications Charlene Slaughter shared regarding their "Ambassador Program."

Trust me...this is not your garden variety Ambassador Program.

A cool conversation that also touches on their Pimento Cheese Passport and their first steps into NIL.

Check it out...and over 120 other conversations in the DMOU Vault.

Why Milwaukee?

Tonight, the first debate of the 2024 Presidential frenzy will take place in Milwaukee.

That's right. A very red event in a very blue city.

How did this happen? Well, a lot of it was the work of Visit Milwaukee (and you can hear that story with Peggy Williams-Smith on the DMOU Podcast). And part of it was the fact that Wisconsin has become one of 6 or 7 battleground States that will likely determine the next President.

Fascinating back story on how we got here from WFAE.

And let the bold-face lies, personal attacks and and unprofessional groveling begin.

New on DMOU > Lviv's Olena Pavlyuk

When the moderator went to the audience this year at the Annual Convention of Destinations International asking, "what keeps you up at night," Lviv's Olena Pavlyuk held out her mobile device and replayed a recording of an air raid siren. In this fascinating episode of DMOU, Olena shares how war has changed her community into one of volunteers, how Lviv has become a hub for medical tourism through UNBROKEN...and how the DMO secured and serviced over 600 events last year, despite the constant threat of missiles and power black-outs. It's a spirited conversation of inspiration, selflessness and the power of the human spirit. Listen in...and catch up on 120 other compelling conversations in the DMOU Vault.