Bill Geist's Zeitgeist

The Ice Cream Bowl

It's been pretty common for the DMO CEOs of Super Bowl destinations to challenge each other to a bet with some of their iconic foods, drinks or swag on the line. But, a couple Big Ten DMOs have entered the fray in the "Ice Cream Bowl" challenge.

4th ranked Penn State travelled to Iowa City Saturday to take on 3rd ranked Iowa in a nationally televised Big 10 matchup. And the two DMOs agreed to a friendly bet.

If Penn State were to win the football game, Think Iowa City would send a gallon of Heyn's Ice Cream to Happy Valley. And if Iowa won, Think Iowa City would receive a gallon of ice cream from the Penn State Berkey Creamery.

“The sweet taste of victory will be even sweeter with some ice cream from Pennsylvania,” said Josh Schamberger, CEO of Think Iowa City.

A gallon of Penn State ice cream will be on its way...as Iowa came from behind to best Penn State 23-20.

And, the PR value for both destinations is priceless.

 

They're at it Again

As the pandemic began sweeping the world last year, Roger Amidon (GM of the Palm Beach Marriott) took two assets (and several staff members) to make some social lemonade of the giant lemon we were all handed.

Those two assets were his sensational view and a bunch of beach chairs. He had his crew set up the chairs to spell out messages of support and hope, changing the message up every day or two.

Well, they're back at it. This morning, Roger's team set up the chairs to read "Welcome Back" so they could take some pictures to use on Social Media next month to welcome back international travelers. And then, he asked the crew to re-arrange them again...but this time as a recruiting tool for employees (click image to enlarge).

I can't wait to see what he and the team will do next.

The Presidents' Dance

For the four Presidential "mascots" that are employed by Visit Rapid City to represent the destination at conventions, events and trade shows, the pandemic sidelined them, just as it did for so many in our industry. But like most, the DMO pivoted and used their characters to suggest ways to beat the boredom of the lockdown...and won this year's Upper Midwest CVB Conference's coveted Bruce Riley McDaniel Innovation Award.

Check out one of the initial videos in the series...and then, the Mount Rushmore Dance.

Congratulations to Julie Jensen and her intrepid crew for making us smile during a dark time.

Pretty Genius

It's clearly not the first time it's been done, but lining up a bunch of food trucks outside the hotel (instead of serving another chicken-based convention lunch) is a great way to spread the love (and money) in a community.

Hats off to US Travel for a fun (and tastier) lunch and an even better ESTO!

New on DMOU: Steve Moore

The latest episode of the DMOU Podcast just dropped...and we were honored to have former Visit Phoenix CEO Steve Moore grace the microphone for a free-flowing conversation focusing on his 46 years in the DMO sector and his view on the future of destination development. From politics to leadership (and a fun Bonus Round question), this is an episode you won't want to miss.

But Wait...There's More

Depending upon your age, you either know the name Ron Popeil...or your parents have at least one of his inventions in their house. Or maybe, you know the SNL parody with Dan Aykroyd (or the next one).

"The King of the Informercial," Ron dominated television in the 70s, 80s and 90s with a dizzying array of products that made life easier for an increasingly time-starved world. The Veg-O-Matic, the Pocket Fisherman, Mr. Microphone and the Smokeless Ashtray were just a fraction of the inventions he created and hawked on TV.

And, as the infomercial was coming to it's close and you were oh so close to picking up the phone, Ron would always intone, "But Wait...There's More" and toss in the closing offer. The "other" Bill Geist featured Ron Popeil on CBS Sunday Morning two decades ago.

Ron passed from this world last week at 86...and as I watched Bill's interview with him over the weekend, a stray thought came to mind.

Was Ron Popeil the inspiration for how Steve Jobs always closed out his product release events at Apple? And, if it worked for two of the greatest inventors of our time, what does that say to us?

Prime Visibility

On an episode of the DMOU podcast, Visit Nashville's Butch Spyridon quipped that he never thought he'd be a film producer. But, with last year's release of the sensational "It All Begins with a Song," he did.

I'm guessing Visit St. Pete/Clearwater's Steve Hayes could say the same thing after "Life's Rewards" premiered on Amazon Prime last week. A story of a guy who loses everything (except his billions of hotel points), the series is shot on location at the Don CeSar hotel on St. Pete Beach (TripAdvisor's 2001 Best American Beach).

The first DMO-produced TV series designed to stream on a major platform, "Life's Rewards" is a joint project by Visit St. Pete Clearwater, the St. Pete Clearwater Film Commission and Visit Florida and stars Sebastian Rocha. You can check out the trailer here.

Gotta love it!

We Are Back

The notion of gum commercials and exhilarating creativity rarely appear in the same sentence. With this new video from Extra...that ends right here, right now.

I know, I know...we are so not out of the woods yet. But, if this video doesn't move the unvaccinated to jump onboard, nothing will.

Enjoy...and thanks to TravelAbility's Jake Steinman for the catch.

The Chef as The Story

If you've yet to catch an episode of the new CNN travelogue series Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy, treat yourself. Beautifully shot, the series explores the variations in cuisine, traditions and preparations throughout the country.

Just as beautifully shot (and no less culinarily compelling), is a new online series we recently stumbled upon from our friends at VisitNorfolk.  City with Bite is a semi-weekly video series featuring local food and culture icon Nomarama as your host with a stated mission to try all 600 of Norfolk's independent restaurants. And, with 4 episodes already online and streaming, we're so planning our next visit to the city!

Click on the slightly irreverent trailer and I dare you not to watch all four episodes.

Congratulations to Kurt Krause and the crew at VisitNorfolk. Sensationally played!

10,000

When we relaunched DMOU (Destination Marketing Organization University) as a podcast in the Summer of 2019, I'm not sure we had a goal in mind...other than to share compelling stories from people in and around the Destination Marketing space. It's what we love to do; shining a light on people who are making a difference.

But, waking up this morning to the fact that, overnight, DMOU passed the 10,000 download mark? That's cause for humble celebration.

Thanks to the over 50 guests over the past year and a half that have taken time out of often brutal schedules to share their truths. You inspire us...and we're thrilled to give your voices wings. And, to those that have powered the downloads, thanks for valuing what we've created.

And, if you've yet to listen, the entire library of conversations is available here, as well as on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and other audio platforms...including our latest episode with Visit Alexandria's Patricia Washington.

Here's to 20,000!