Bill Geist's Zeitgeist

Thankfulness

Yesterday was "that" day; a day in which thankfulness was manifest. 

Rolling out of bed just before 10 with nothing more to do than trim the tree and house for the holidays, make our traditional Thanksgiving gumbo and share hugs and kisses throughout the day. It doesn't get much better than that. Sitting in front of the fire as I prep our Music Friday offering, it's a pretty sensational life.

A life that we thank all our clients for providing. Your faith in our ability to assist your DMO and community to reach new heights is a blessing that we don't take lightly. It's our life and passion to assist DMOs across the Americas realize their greatness...and we thank you all for your friendship over the years.

To our friends that aren't from our industry, thank you for understanding that we are so often on the road and so sadly miss opportunities to hang. But, when we do get that opportunity, it rocks. We love the times we get to connect and thank you for your generosity of spirit and love.

And, to this Music Friday. I'd like to say "thank you" to Terri...by channeling the late, great Chris Cornell with his cover of "Thank You."

Thank you, babe. For everything.

 

 

Morris Andrews

On the road pretty non-stop over the past few weeks, I returned home over the weekend and began catching up on local news through my community's two weekly newspapers. Alas, I learned that a former collaborator and conspirator had departed terra firma during my absence. 

Morris Andrews was, truly, the most amazing political mind with whom I've ever had the opportunity to work. This obit in the Capital Times outlines his amazing accomplishments...and the ability to artfully and deftly work both sides of the aisle (a skill that few today possess).

My eulogy for Morrie will take a much more targeted tack. It was his involvement in the referendum fight for Madison's Monona Terrace the caused our two paths to collide. I was the new kid in town. He was the veteran. His lower lip would often protrude when I'd suggest a tactic for the campaign...and I never knew if it meant he was considering the concept or if he was trying to figure out how to tell me I was an idiot.

It was Morrie that suggested, early in the 2-year campaign, that we field phone banks. I (the padawan) questioned him (Yoda) as to the efficacy of such a move. Why would we attempt to sway public opinion more than a year out from the vote?

With a wry smile, he suggested that this phone bank wasn't to inspire...but to gauge public opinion. He needed to know why residents opposed the project in order to mount an effective response to ultimately win the public vote.

As I look back upon the keys to the win, it was that moment that rises to the top. Within days of the weeks-long phone banks, we knew that there were only two issues that concerned voters. The opposition was flailing away with 13 reasons why the project was a bad idea. It was Morrie that guided us to focus on what mattered to the electorate and to ignore the superfluous.

My other favorite memory of those heady times was that I was, admittedly, a bull in a china shop when it came to engaging the opposition. I desperately wanted to respond to every lie and misdirection they threw out into the public discourse. It was Morrie that subtly shook his head and held me back, knowing that it was not yet time.

I'll never forget the moment, a week before the vote, that he smiled that wry smile, nodded and said "Go." And, minutes later, I faced off against an opposition spokesperson on the evening news and took him down hard.

Days later, we won with 50.8% of the vote (4 out of 5 people on the street today will say they voted for Monona Terrace, so successful it has been in the renaissance of the Mad City). Morrie's brilliant counsel accounts for at least 10% of that vote...maybe more.

Madison is blessed to have had Morris Andrews and George Nelson in position to help lead the community through the '90s. We are who we are because of these two great individuals.

Godspeed Morrie...you were an inspiration and a teacher to so many of us. And, I'm able to guide others toward success because of the truths you taught me.

How Will "Flight Shaming" Impact Your Community?

New research that indicates that the carbon footprint of flying is worse than previously thought is creating a new phenomenon called "Flight Shaming" (making those of us that fly a lot feel bad about our choices). Beyond how you choose (or not) to alter your mode of travel, how will this impact your destination?

If you are a destination that depends upon flight, this could, obviously, have some ramifications. Indeed, there are companies in Europe that are banning their employees from flying in-continent. If you are, however, a destination that derives the majority of its visitors from ground transportation, how will you respond...without being predatory?

With 1 in 5 consumers flying less because of their climate concerns, this is going to be a thing. How we respond will be interesting.

 

Thank You

When I think Labor Day, my first thought is to Unions. Maybe it's the annual LaborFest here in Madison that is put on by local unions. Maybe it's the image of people laboring hard to produce the products we need and love. And, part of it is the image of those workers who were taken advantage of over the years that collectively stood up and said, "no more."

That's what Labor Day is...and today is the 125th celebration of the American Worker, a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.

Maybe it's just me...but when I think Labor Day, I think brawn and sweat. But, on this Labor Day, I also think of the millions of people in the Hospitality Industry that are in service to millions of other people, often too self-absorbed to appreciate their dedication to their craft and the hours of dealing with thoughtless or condescending malakas. 

On this Labor Day, let's all say "thank you" to those in the Hospitality Industry who serve us and clean-up after us. We owe you a debt of gratitude that tips simply can't convey.

Here's to you all.

Best Out-of-Office Auto-Response Ever

The Out-of-Office e-mail Auto-Response is fairly ubiquitous...and generally ignored.

Get a load of the Auto-Response from Visit Pensacola CEO Steve Hayes:

I am taking the advice of the U.S. Travel Association and taking a vacation! Vacations help our economy and make us more productive. American workers lost 658 million vacation days last year! 222 million of them are lost forever. Those days cannot be rolled over, paid out or banked for any other benefit—they are purely lost. To learn more about Project Time Off go to: http://www.projecttimeoff.com/ 

Love it!

Johnny Clegg

Imagine, if you can, meeting a fellow musician, finding common ground and wanting to perform together...but because you were of different races, the government wouldn't allow it.

That was apartheid South Africa in the late '70s when Johnny Clegg met Sipho Mchunu and began performing together (and getting arrested for being a white man and a black man together after hours).

What ultimately evolved was the band Savuka that was pretty huge in Europe...but not so much in the States. Indeed, Michael Jackson actually canceled a concert in Lyon when he found out that Johnny and Savuka were to perform on the same night, believing he'd play to a meager crowd.

I was on the road last week when news of Johnny's passing may (or may not) have been reported in the American media. Likely they were too busy covering a President that suggested that people of color should go "home."

On this Music Friday, we pay tribute to Johnny Clegg with one of my favorites, "These Days."

 

Do The Wilbury Twist

Returning home from our international association's annual convention, we are awash with smiles. Getting to reconnect with so many of our friends and clients in one space over three or four days is what makes Destinations International such a valuable part of our lives. Toss in a simply great closing keynote from Jamie Clarke...and it was golden.

We got to reconnect with our friends Cole and Laura Carley, as he was being inducted into the association's Hall of Fame. And, he slipped me a link to a forgotten song that is too fun not to share.

As we make our way home on this Music Friday, this is the Travelling Wilburys...a '90s collaboration between Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Jeff Lynne and Tom Petty. The video features cameos from John Candy, Woody Harrelson, Whoopi Goldberg, Milli Vanilli, Cheech Marin, actors Fred, Ben and Kala Savage and Monty Python's Eric Idle.

This is the "Wilbury Twist."

Family Values

Often, in this rough and tumble world of full-contact Destination Marketing, it is easy to forget what really matters: Family.

I direct you to a story posted last evening on nwi.com, the online version of the Northwest Indiana Times. It chronicles the genesis and evolution of a program initiated by South Shore CVA CEO Spero Batistatos that firmly underscores that agency's dedication to its employees and their families.

For the past 22 years, professional members staff have been able to bring their newborns to work, rather than take time off or leave the company. The image upper left is of Carolyn and Reagan, the first two kids in the program.

For those that think this is but a thinly veiled way to squeeze more work out of parents, you've never spent time with the CVA staff. It is one of the most family-like cultures I've ever experienced in 24 years of working with Destination Marketing Organizations all over this country. This program is just one of several examples of how people come first for the South Shore's DMO.

To hear more on the story, swing by the resurrected DMOU (it's now a podcast) and listen in as Spero talks about his daycare initiative, as well as the "Grass is Greener" program the CVA helped launch last year.

Good stuff.

 

Purple Boss

To say that the death of Prince three years ago was an unexpected punch to our collective gut would be an understatement. And, the grief we experienced during those next few days produced a number of tributes. But, this is one I had missed until just the other night.

On this Music Friday, we offer you a performance by Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band, just days after learning of the death of a man that the Boss described as "never anyone better." As they closed their North American tour at the Barclays Center, they opened their shows, bathed in purple light, with "Purple Rain." While the performance is incredible, it is Bruce's somber stoicism, juxtaposed with the ethereal guitar solo by Nils Lofgren that captures my heart.

So, let's do a two-fer. Here's Bruce and the band in Brooklyn.

And, here's Prince at the Super Bowl.

RIP.

When Tourism and Residents Collide

It's like that Def Leppard song.

Both sides in their respective corners...one side acting like they want to work it out, the other saying there cannot be a solution as long as the other takes breath. So, maybe it's more like the theme song of Rocky IV.

My friend, brand-meister Duane Knapp, and I have been bouncing this conversation around for a few months: the term "Over-Tourism" needs to be stricken from our shared lexicon. It does nothing but inflame...and isn't even accurate. Communities do not suffer from too many tourists. If they suffer, it is from poor management of the visitors that, at one time, sounded like a pretty good idea.

After all, let's not forget, the residents causing the most ruckus surely benefit from non-resident taxes, lower unemployment and more cool stuff to do in their towns than if visitors didn't drop off boatloads of cash each year. And, yes...their counter-arguments are just as valid. Tourists can be self-absorbed pigs.

But, a recent story from Juneau AK exemplifies why we need to stop the name calling. Some local activists, calling themselves "Juneau Neighborhoods Affected by Tourism," called a meeting to discuss their grievances about the travel industry...without the travel industry in the room.

Organizers were beyond miffed when some industry representatives showed up to the meeting, one even asking them to vacate seats up front so that those that wanted to bitch could be seated. Astonished, representatives from cruise-lines and other hospitality businesses replied that they were only there to hear the concerns so they could attempt some form of mitigation.

But, no. Let's not enter into meaningful conversation to find a mutually beneficial solution. Let's just keep pointing fingers.

Destination Marketing Organizations have a role here...and we need to engage, pronto.

Image Credit: Der Spiegel