Bill Geist's Zeitgeist

A Classy Send-Off

Yesterday, our friend Chris Jennings announced that he was stepping away from the top spot at the Spartanburg SC CVB to get closer to his family in the Northeast. And, he leaves quite a body of work over the past decade...which was chronicled by his DMO's ad agency (click image to view the very cool tribute).

Chris and I traded e-mails yesterday in which he said that he knows there'll be a lot of interest in his soon-to-be vacated spot, as Spartanburg is a destination on the move (and, when it's posted, you'll find that opportunity on the biggest DMO Job Board on the planet). And, whoever steps up t0 the plate, they'll have Chris to thank for teeing up a sensational opportunity (yeah, I know I'm mixing sports, here).

Congratulations on a stellar run, Chris. We can't wait to see what's next.

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.

Three Pounds?

British research suggests that every airline passenger leaves behind three pounds of waste on each flight they take. Multiply that by 4 billion global passengers each year...and that is a lot of landfill fodder.

Of course, part of that is the fault of the airlines. Unnecessary napkins, straws, swizzles and disposable earbuds are part of the problem. Part of it is the reading material passengers bring on board and leave behind (newspapers and magazines). And, to be sure, the American waste total is likely less because airlines no longer provide meals to those in steerage.

But, still...we need to do better.

This Does Not Bode Well

As Destination Marketing Organizations come under attack, we hear a lot of the same, tired, unsophisticated tripe. Loose ROI, visitors will come regardless, we need the money for police and fire...you know the drill.

The conversation coming from Dallas government officials is significantly more pointed. To the sophisticated, understanding that suburban attractions can make an urban destination more magnetic is a no brainer. That a DMO would include such cool new attractions as the Toyota Music Factory in Irving or the Dallas Cowboys' Training Camp in Frisco has made at least one City Council member apoplectic: “VisitDallas wasn’t put in place to promote a region,” he said. “It was put in place to promote the city of Dallas. It’s time you realized who your boss is. Your boss is the city of Dallas.”

Wow...just wow.

But, that is where the conversation is going in this country. It's the easy path for those that intend to curry favor with those that feel left behind. 

We need to respond with the reality of the importance of collaborative regional marketing.

Because, let's be clear...I have no interest in visiting Dallas. Been there, done that. But, I love the experiences I have at the Music Factory and Cowboys HQ. And, I might just stay in a Dallas hotel to experience it all. As will a lot of potential visitors.

Just sayin'

A Lack of Foresight

I'm no longer surprised at such stories...but, continually bemused when I watch a government axe its contract for Destination Marketing services, only to be shocked when, a couple months later, the website is out of date and its social media channels have gone dark.

It's happening again, this time in Solvang CA. This summer, the City Council there terminated its 33-year contract with its Destination Marketing Organization. A few months later, it has occurred to them that they didn't have a Plan B. The City's Public Information Officer said, “We’ve made a request to the CVB repeatedly as well as the city attorney and have not received (online) assets or, frankly, information about where these assets live currently. So we’re waiting on that, and while we wait for that, we’d like to correct information (online) that isn’t correct and also get information about businesses and what there is to do in Solvang on the internet,” said Fleckenstein.

Ya think?

The City has directed staff to find a "public relations contractor," and "marketing contractor" and a "sales consultant." One Council member rightly doubts if this approach will save the City money. But, one thing's for sure: if the DMO isn't handing over its online and Social assets, it likely won't share the meeting planner database it has cultivated for decades. And, that will take years to rebuild.

Governments are free to change direction whenever they want; I have no argument with that. But, would a government kill a contract for telecommunications, healthcare or social services without having a replacement teed up to replace it? So, why do an increasing number think they can get away with such a cavalier approach when it comes to Destination Marketing?

It's because Destination Marketing has yet to be viewed as a Community Shared Value...which will be one of several topics that will be explored at Destinations International's Advocacy Summit next month in Madison. If you are from the DMO-world, I hope to see you there. 

 

Workforce Development

For Destination Marketing Organizations that are evolving into community development agencies, the concept of workforce development is often a struggle. We know that our tourism partners are wrestling to secure workers (one of Madison's top restaurants just closed with the owner saying that the lack of workforce was a key driver in the decision). But, how do we respond?

Hyatt has created a program called RiseHY ("rise high") that seeks to bring out-of-school, out-of-work young people into the Hyatt workforce. And, today, nearly 1,300 “Opportunity Youth” have integrated into the Hyatt world. But, not without some interesting lessons learned along the way. Like showing up to work on time is often most difficult for these individuals, in part because people have complicated living arrangements and uneven access to transportation. 

Hyatt CEO Mark Hoplamazian said: “There are many things you can be proud of in life, but few things provide as much inspiration and hope for the future as watching one of these young people come into the workforce and achieve success.”

Motivational words for us all.

 

The Weaponization of Destination Marketing, Indeed

In one of the most high-stakes political gambits we've seen in years, Governor Gretchen Whitmer has zeroed out the Pure Michigan budget for the upcoming fiscal year. All $37.5 million that the Legislature had approved and sent to her desk has been frozen...along with over $900 million in funds earmarked for roads and bridges, education and healthcare.

It's a bold maneuver for a Governor that had sought to increase the Pure Michigan budget by $6 million. The Legislature only approved a $2.5 million increase and didn't, in the Governor's mind, authorize enough for prisons and cyber-security. So, she took programs that enjoyed broad support and axed them to force Republicans back to the budget table.

One of the most successful Destination Marketing programs in the nation...held hostage by party politics.

Why am I not surprised? 

What Have We Wrought?

Amtrak has announced that its classic dining car will soon be phased out, another vestige lost from a more refined era of transportation. Interestingly, according to Eater, they are publicly blaming Millennials.

Peter Wilander, Amtrak’s VP of product development and customer experience, told the Post, “Some people, especially our new millennial customers, don’t like (dining cars) so much. They want more privacy, they don’t want to feel uncomfortable sitting next to people.” They are the new generation of riders who just want to look at their phones in private all day.

What in the world have we done?

This is What Success Looks Like

This week, the Asheville City Council voted unanimously to impose a one-year moratorium on hotel development. That's what success looks like these days as citizens in popular destinations begin to push back, in their minds, to attempt to "reclaim" their communities.

This isn't, of course, a black and white issue. Those supporting the moratorium are not taking into consideration the long view of how this could stunt the growth of the local economy by limiting future investment in all industries, not just lodging. And, a one-year moratorium (while sounding "reasonable") will likely mean two to three years before new hotel product can come online because of the application, financing and construction windows that follow. And, how many remember when Asheville wasn't the hip darling of the travel consumer? Yeah...missing very few meals over the past decade causes a degree of social amnesia. 

That said, the optics of $25 million of Room Tax being invested each year to continue to increase the very visitation these people blame for ruining their lives has caused moratorium supporters to not consider such nuance...but just see red. Another reason that, for the long term benefit of our residents, we need better words and stories to convey the value of Destination Marketing.

Which is why DMO pros should strongly consider attending Destination International's Advocacy Summit in Madison, November 12-14. 

The Role of CEO

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.