Bill Geist's Zeitgeist

What Took Us All So Long?

Sometimes, we are so consumed with the job at hand that we can't see the opportunity before us. Sometimes we get comfortable with the "norm" of how business has always been done. And, that's when innovation is an orphan.

My alma mater DMO, Destination Madison is starting to pick up some serious industry buzz for its recent roll-out of a concept that is deceptively simple. One that sort of paraphrases Simon Sinek's "Start with Why" to "Start with the Customer."

The Destination Madison Team took the time to break down the challenges faced by today's meeting and event professional. And, juggling contract upon contract from each of the hotels they planned to use certainly floated to the top as one of a planner's biggest pain points.

How to solve the dilemma? Design one contract for all the hotels in the city the planner intends to use.

They call it "One City. One Contract."

It's One brilliant idea. 

Kudos to Deb, John and the Team that makes those of us that call Madison home so proud...

One Last Salute to National Tourism Week 2019

Another National Travel & Tourism Week is in the books...a week where we salute and honor the impact that the Visitor Economy (and all those that make it happen) has on our way of life.

Interestingly, last week was also International Economic Development Week. Which got me to thinking. As "Tourism is the First Date for Economic Development," shouldn't International Economic Development Week be this week? Just sayin...

A significant number of DMO pros wrote op-ed pieces for media releases and blogs that ran all last week. All pinpointed why Tourism and Destination Marketing are critical to a thriving community. One of our favorites came from John Groh (Rockford Area IL CVB). In "The Top 5 Reasons Travel Matters to Illinois...and to the Rockford Region," he clicks through many of the same points so many made last week.

What I admire most about John's missive was how he personalized the message beyond the stereotypical numbers we so often use. My two favorite lines: "Locally, more than 3,000 of our neighbors go to work every day at jobs generated by visitor spending." 

And then, this: "Travel helps families connect, creating everlasting memories and develops a lifelong bond. When surveyed, most children (61%) say the best way to spend quality time with parents is on vacation. At their core, adults know this: 62 percent of adults say that their earliest, most vivid memories are of family vacations taken between the ages of five and 10."

Drop the mic, my friend. That's how it's done. Touch their emotions...not their logic.

Bang on.

Breakthrough Thinking

McDonald's is launching an initiative to attract older workers. Long the land of first-jobs and young workers, it has become increasingly clear to the fast-food mothership that Boomer workers are an answer to its workforce challenge.

Younger workers either don't want to work service jobs (what a shame) or can't because of school commitments. Empty nest Boomers can and, in many cases, want to.

Best line of the article from CNBC: " They bring a unique skill set that we're very excited about." Calm under pressure, experience in problem-solving and dealing with difficult customers are cited as reasons that older workers are often more desired than their younger cohort. They also can mentor those younger workers who choose a hospitality path.

Something to consider, as our industry partners struggle with finding a quality workforce. How do we reach out to retired Boomers to provide the quality experiences we strive to offer? 

 

Best Analysis Yet of the Challenges Ahead for Destination Markets

And, not just because I'm quoted.

Skift's Hannah Sampson does a masterful job of comparing and contrasting all sides of the argument...as there appears to be a ray of hope for the continuation of Visit Florida.

Read and weep? Nah, read and take action.

The Proving Just Got Tougher

Those who have seen me present in Boardrooms and on stages know I'm pretty dismissive of counting Room Nights as a primary measure of the efficacy of Destination Marketing. Don't jump to conclusions here. Achieving Room Nights is important. Using them as your proof has been a slippery slope for over a decade.

And, it just got slipperier.

A new study from Hilton, NYC & Company and the PCMA Foundation has found that the practice of convention attendees booking outside the contracted hotel block has gotten much worse over the past 5 years. Like, twice as bad as the last study I saw.

Over the past three years, roughly half of all delegates attending large-scale, urban conventions are booking accommodation outside the block. 25% of attendees actually booked the HQ hotel...but didn't identify themselves as attendees qualifying for the block. Thus, they haven't been counted. Thus, our "proof" just got shakier. 

As the report states, all participants in this dance will need to re-evaluate the practice of establishing Room Blocks from the consumers' point of view.

And, DMOs need to find other ways to communicate our value.

Shop Drunk Much?

Over 2000 alcohol-consuming American adults polled suggest a $45 Billion industry in drunk shopping. That's billion, with a drunk-ass B.

At least that's the primary data points of a study performed by The Hustle. Among the key findings, 4 in 5 of those who consume alcohol have bought something when they were drunk. It's primarily clothes and shoes (not another drink) and Amazon is the platform of choice.

Millennials buy more while drunk than Boomers. The wealthier one is, the more they buy drunk. Beer makes you buy drunk more than wine...but hard alcohol trumps beer. The biggest drunk shopping States are Kentucky and Connecticut; Montana the least.

I have no idea why this intrigues me or what it means for Destination Marketers. But, I'm quite sure one of you will figure it out.

Let me know when you do.

 

The Invisible Burden

In our work with up-and-coming destinations, we often attempt to encourage an awareness of the potential of "over-tourism." Being on the DMO Board for an ascendant destination, most in the room scoff at the notion. There's lots of time to think about that, they say.

Not really. Success in destination market carries with it the seeds of its own destruction. There is an "invisible burden," according to a new report commissioned by The Travel Foundation. And, we're seeing it take root even in communities that aren't bursting at the seams with hoards of tourists.

Consider the growing number of communities in which the City is now refusing to pay for festival and event security. Or, the impact that Airbnb rentals are having in urban neighborhoods that don't have enough parking spaces for residents, let alone overnight guests.

The Visitor economy is vital to quality of life, economic development and long-term sustainability. But...we cannot ignore the "invisible burden."

The study is worth your read.

Florida's Silly Season Returns

They hafta be joking, I thought when the news began to trickle out of the Sunshine State that its House of Representative was once again targeting Visit Florida for elimination. I mean, Lord Voldemort and many of his White Walkers (I know I’m mixing my blockbusters...but hang with me, here) are no longer members of the Florida House. So, WTF? Their young Republican spawn are taking up the mantle? 

The strange aspect is that members of this year's movement aren't pointing to secret endorsement contracts or DMOs that refuse to turn over staff salary information. They're just done with the agency, apparently. No reason is given for wanting to eliminate their State Tourism Office on October 1. They just want to. Because they think they can.

And, members of the Senate (which have served as the only adults in the room over the past few years) are starting to wiggle. Their counter proposal is to retain Visit Florida, but with a budget cut of about a third. Oh...and then there is the requirement that Visit Florida be barred from promoting any destination that has banned some types of sunscreen. Like the Keys.

No...I'm not kidding. One of the Senators behind the measure actually said, "I don’t want that brand to be changed from the Sunshine State to the melanoma capital of the world. If we’re going to give skin cancer to people they’re not going to come down."

It really is time for people that benefit from visitor spending (and, that would be...ummm, everybody) to start paying attention to who they vote for.

Really.

Smart Companies Do What's Right

I remember it like it was yesterday. I was at the helm of the Greater Madison CVB (today known as Destination Madison) in the early ‘90s. My community was vigorously debating whether to increase the minimum wage. Proponents pointed to hospitality workers as those most vulnerable and most needing the City Council to take immediate and decisive action.

Back then, the Minimum Wage was $5.15/hour. A cadre of Council members wanted to bump it to $7.75/hour. During the public comment portion, the GM of the largest downtown hotel got up to speak. Council Progressives licked their lips in anticipation.

I don’t think he actually used the phrase “bless your hearts,” but, in effect, that’s what he was saying as he explained that housekeepers in his hotel were already making close to $10/hour; that he couldn’t find housekeepers in Madison that would work for Minimum Wage.

I thought of that evening today as I read the piece in Skift Table that reported that McDonald’s has announced it will stop lobbying against Minimum Wage hikes for pretty much the same reason. Most of their stores are starting rookies at $10 or more…because they must to keep their doors open.

While I don’t dispute that there are some players in hospitality that should be paying their people more (a lot more in some instances), smart businesses don’t need Minimum Wage laws to do the right thing. And, those are the businesses that will survive and thrive without the heavy hand of government.

Just sayin.’

If This is Too Hard...Maybe You Should Just Stop

Over the weekend I received a customer satisfaction survey from a company with whom I do a lot of business.

Because I like this company, I agreed to participate. I filled out an unusually long registration form to participate, clicked "go"...and was greeted with a message that, to complete registration to fill out their survey, I'd have to click on a link in an e-mail I would be receiving.

Sometime within the next 6 Hours.

Let's unpack this: Company desires my time. I agree to provide that time. Company tells me to come back later, assuming my interest won't waver (bad assumption).

This is not a small company for which technology should not be an issue. If they haven't (in 2019) been able to master to simplest of opt-in strategies that take a minute (if not seconds)...maybe they should just accept that this whole internet thing is too complicated and just go home.

Really.