It's not to be the CEO of one's tenure at the helm.
That's what former Pepsi CEO Indra Nooyi said at a recent international summit: “All CEOs should run the company for the duration of the company, not the duration of the CEO,” she said. “My success should be judged on how well my successor does, not just how well I did.”
Which is exactly what our friend Rick Antonson said a couple months ago on DMOU.
A powerful thought as we embark upon the day.
Don't get me wrong...I completely understand that some travelers need Emotional Support Animals (ESAs) in order to fly without distress.
But, let's be real clear here. The rules governing ESAs are being abused and taken advantage of by the self-absorbed among us. As Jeffrey Younggren, a clinical professor in the University of New Mexico's department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences said recently, "ESAs (are) a well-intended, valuable concept that has now developed into something that is frequently nonsensical."
Like being able to bring a miniature horse on a plane?
It's allowed...and it happened just the other day.
Between dimwitted bureaucrats and people who think the rules don't apply to them (like paying an online firm $49 to get a letter from a "licensed thearapist" to circumvent the rules), it's always the malakas that screw it up for those who truly need it.
Sigh.
I love Chicago. Maybe it's because I grew up in its shadow and I feel "at home" there...but, it's just such a perfect destination for the arts, culture, entertainment, sports and culinary.
Except when you live in pockets of the city that have been ignored for decades; where crime and decay rule. That's the part of any city that breaks our heart.
Chicago has a new Mayor. And, she has a mountain to climb to fix what's wrong with her city while supporting all that is right.
A recent critique in Patch laid bare the challenges ahead. But, it also included a quote from Mayor Lori Lightfoot regarding the path forward that was as refreshing as an autumn morning:
"And if it means that I sacrifice myself politically, so be it in pursuit of the right thing."
I so want to believe.
I remember debating a community development consultant on the Sharing Economy about five years ago. I argued for the need for regulation to level the playing field; that people who played by the rules (taxi drivers) faced losing their jobs (or worse) in the face of a free-for-all of "cabbies" that simply had to sign up on an online platform to compete. She chided me for being "old-school" and not realizing where the economy was headed.
That's the point. I did.
Fast forward to the present and home-sharing plays like Airbnb. Today, it's not so much that we can all be innkeepers without health inspections and, in some cases, not paying the appropriate taxes. The lodging community seems to have absorbed most of the hit in most communities. But, the unintended consequence is far more insidious.
Here in Madison, there was an initial move to limit the number of Airbnbs in a block as on-street parking downtown is already notoriously difficult for residents. Multiply three couples (with three cars) renting a house on a game-day weekend by 5 houses on a block and you've got a problem. Once again, those who play by the rules (hotels) must provide parking. Those who don't, don't. Of course, the State of Wisconsin swooped in and made that conscious consideration mute with a "hey, whatever" law that would supersede ours.
Which is kinda what has happened in Arizona, where a State law now prevents communities from effectively regulating home-sharing. And, particularly hard hit has been Sedona, as 20% of the housing stock there has been taken over by short-term rentals. That means residential housing is becoming scarce...and scarcity drives price.
Many people who work in the area can no longer afford to live in the area.
Sold to the public as a way for homeowners to make extra money, one legislator now says "We never anticipated that somebody would go into a neighborhood, purchase a home and turn it into a mini-hotel." And, that's because no one ever anticipates unintended consequences...until it's too late.
Which is why (as much as it is a creative buzz kill) we should all seriously consider the "what could go wrong" factor for every new initiative that sounds so right.
A few weeks ago, the City of Solvang abruptly severed its contract with its Destination Marketing Organization without an apparent Plan B. Realizing its error (shutting down its Visitor Center and festival and event support in the middle of high season), the City then hurriedly extended enough funding for a skeleton crew for the next couple months.
Then, this past Monday, the Council reversed itself completely, restored the contract and pledged to continue discussions and negotiations with the Chamber and its DMO. The City is still not happy with the situation and, at least from afar, it appears that the influence that Chamber membership has on its DMO's marketing is at least partially to blame.
It's why so many DMOs have ditched the "membership model" that restricts visibility to only those businesses that pay a fee. As Chambers have fewer available revenue streams, it's harder for them to operate inclusively. Thus, they are often criticized for favoring only members if the DMO resides within the Chamber.
Clearly, members of the business community had a lot to do with opening the Council's eyes to their mistake. As one Lyft driver said, “Please, let’s be adults about this. Let’s not get personal. Without marketing we will be Ghost Town USA. We will not be Tourist Central."
True 'dat. Here's hoping cooler heads prevail in the weeks ahead.
Those of us in Destination Marketing often chuckle with each other that our families simply have no idea of what we do. Destinations International's Jack Johnson is on a mission to ensure that what we do is a shared community value (see yesterday's Z-News).
In the meantime, we refer anyone that doesn't understand what DMOs do to a recent article in the Grand Rapids Business Journal where the writer really went deep. And, let's be clear...that's a rarity these days.
For those of us in the Destination Marketing world, it's nothing we don't understand. For my friends from the outside, this article is a pretty sensational view of the work that DMOs do on your behalf.
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!
As the legislative machinations continue in the drive to federally reauthorize Brand USA (this country's Destination Marketing Organization) a travel industry association is lobbying to effectively kill the bill.
It's no surprise that Congress is thinking nothing of increasing the inbound fee layered onto international arrivals. It's easier than the mental exercise required to do the math that international visitor spending is one of this country's greatest exports. But, we're talking $7 here.
And, that is apparently enough to cause the Airlines For America (A4A), an industry trade group whose members includes American Airlines, United, Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines to oppose the reauthorization of Brand USA. Their CEO actually said, that "air travelers are already overtaxed, and we oppose taxing them for anything other than services provided by the government.”
Ummm...isn't inspiring people to fly here an important service of the government? And, hasn't Brand USA facilitated $5.2 billion in revenue for American airlines since 2013?
I'm sorry. I simply don't understand the logic here.
Do you?
We've really gotten to a point in our society that we elect people that clearly don't understand how all this works.
Take Solvang CA. Some City Council members there decided that they should put the contract for Destination Marketing up to bid (is there a city council chat room where this idiocy is getting lift...cause it's happening across the county with increasing frequency).
Ultimately, the Council in Solvang severed the contract with its CVB and its CEO, Digital Media Director and Accountant were let go last week. Then, the City clearly realized its folly and extended limited funding through this month.
When asked WTF, the Mayor said, "August is a busy month for tourism in Solvang, and keeping the Visitors Center open during that time was a priority for us all."
Ya think?
“This is also a crucial planning time for fall events,” he said. “By extending funding, we are able to support the Visitor Center ambassadors as well as two full-time staff dedicated to event planning, social media (and) website maintenance including an events calendar, film and sales.”
Yeah...ooops?
The Mayor went on to say, “Tourism is very important to the City Council. It is essential to provide helpful information to tourists and give them a reason to return to Solvang with its cherished annual events.”
As that takes funding a talented staff of Destination Marketing professionals, apparently not.
Sigh.
A great article in Skift yesterday (and, who knew their mission was to keep the travel industry accountable?) on how IHG is pledging to not only do away with plastic straws but eliminate those mini-bottles of shampoo, conditioner and lotion in favor of bulk-size, refillable dispensers.
Best part of the story: IHG CEO Keith Barr says it's not pressure from governments that encouraged the move...the real pressure coming from guests.
“Governments collectively haven’t taken significant action in this space,” Barr told Skift. “The reality is our colleagues and our customers expect us to take a leadership position on things like waste.”
And, ain't that the way it should be. Hell yeah.
Recent Comments