Bill Geist's Zeitgeist

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.

 

We're Back

Yesterday, we announced, through our (almost) monthly Z-Newsletter (and, if you're not a subscriber...WTF?), that we are bringing DMOU back.

Destination Marketing Organization University was our answer to the reality that our peers were forgoing industry conferences in the wake of one of those now forgotten recessions. Over the next 5 years, we interviewed (via teleseminar, available as a live feed or on CD or cassette) over 150 of the best and the brightest in Destination Marketing, sharing innovative tactics and strategies.

Well, DMOU is now a podcast. And, the first 5 episodes of the resurrection are online for you to sample. We've lined up some pretty cool names to kick it off. Rick, Maura, Amir, Linda and Spero. If you're stumped, I guess you'll just hafta click on the link.

And, we're making more every month.

It's good to be back...and we're excited to share lots of cool stories with the best storytellers on the planet in the months and years to come.

Don't be bashful. Tell us what you think of the new format...and toss us suggestions of guests you'd like to hear or topics you'd like us to explore.

DMOU is back, babies.

How Do You Like Us Now?

Over the past decade, Iceland rapidly became one of those destinations that moved up on everybody's Bucket Lists. It got to the point over the past couple years that some on the island country were bemoaning the crush of visitors and encouraging the government to do something to stem visitation.

Then Wow Airlines collapsed...and inbound travel to the country for 2019 is projected to drop by 17%. Visitation was down 24% last month. Unemployment is up and the Airport is laying off 315 workers. Hotels are slashing prices. The country's total economy is now projected to drop by roughly 2% after a decade of growth.

So, to all those who clamored for the "tourist problem to go away?" How do you like us now?

It's simplistic and unsophisticated to say that tourists are the problem (we are more often the solution). The sophisticated response is to better manage the visitor economy, n'est pas?

The Motivation to Do the Right Thing

As I move from town to town in this sensational gig that permits me a view into so many corners of the Americas, it happens only once in a while.

I stop, sensing something's off. And then, I realize that the sidewalks and gutters are meticulously clean (which is a sad state of affairs when the way it should be is the exception).

I was in a community a couple weeks ago and it happened again. And, as I made my way to my early morning appointment downtown, I spied an individual with a leaf blower on the next block.

Aha, I thought to myself; that's why it's so clean. But, I looked again...and he was blowing only leaves. No cigarette butts. No wrappers or shattered pieces of styrofoam cups. So, it must be the culture of the community to take pride in the downtown.

And...one must wonder if that culture hasn't been encouraged by the penalty for discarding butts around town (click image to enlarge).

If we desire a certain response, we must actively encourage that response. And, a $2,500 fine does just that.

Well played, Fredericksburg. Well played...

The Sustainability Mandate

Destination Marketing used to be easy; we simply played the hand we were dealt. We marketed our assets and went home at night.

Today, the "mandates" on successful DMOs continue to grow. Be involved in Destination Advocacy. Diversify our revenue streams. Evolve into a Shared Community Value. Be part of the solution for Homelessness and Hunger.

Our DMOs look almost nothing like they did in the last century. And, that's a good thing...because our communities need us to be more than we have been. And, it's time to add Sustainability to the list.

The Global Destination Sustainability Index, originally a Scandinavian initiative, has just released a powerful White Paper on the role of DMOs in this new mandate. It pulls no punches...and, for those that buy into the premise that "There is No Planet B," it's pretty clear: Take the Lead. Develop a Master Plan. Integrate the Plan into the Core Strategy. And Become a Master Collaborator.

These are all topics that we bridge with every one of our DMO clients...but, I've never seen them bundled in such a compelling manner.

The article in Meetings & Conventions is so worth your read...and I'll be surprised if you don't request the White Paper.

 

The Hubris of Going it Alone

The politicization of Destination Marketing continues to rise, with local governments increasingly thinking that they can achieve a higher ROI by taking their investment in their regional DMO and doing their own thing. And, while I can certainly understand the community pride that drives such conversations, the reality is that, unless a community is talking about the redirection of millions of dollars, this won't end well.

The City of Eureka has withdrawn from its regional DMO because community leaders there don't think that the organization's redwoods-centric marketing provides it with enough visibility. They've taken their $370,000 ball and gone home.

As the City searches for an ad agency to fulfill the role of DMO (which, in the immortal words of that esurance commercial, "that's not how any of this works"), the Times-Standard editorial board has weighed in with a brutal smack-down that underscores the folly at work.

Such a strategy, they opine, means that Eureka will have roughly $5,000 to spend per month per market...not counting agency commission, staff, website or design).

Exactly.

Somewhere, "That 70's Show's" patriarch is uttering his famous one-word line.

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.