Bill Geist's Zeitgeist

The End of Tourism as We Know It

Observers of the Destination Marketing sector watched in disbelief as forces within Sedona mounted a full-goose frontal assault on the local DMO in 2018. It's one thing to challenge community policies and strategies...but this got personally ugly.

Which is why, 18 months later, it is so cool to see an article in the Sedona Red Rock News showcasing how the DMO there has heard the complaints and moved rapidly to develop a long-term sustainability plan for the region.

This is what it means to be a Destination Marketing Organization in the third decade of this century. And, to hear the back story, check out the DMOU Podcast with Jennifer Wesselhoff. It's powerful stuff.

The End of Tourism as We Know It? Yeah...it will be Tourism as we redefine our approach to it. And, that will be different for each one of us.

Fire Fast

Terri shared this graphic with me the other day and it transported me back over two decades to a moment when I learned that truth.

I had an employee that appeared to be universally loved by our industry partners...but was an insidiously growing cancer inside our DMO. It took me weeks to pull the trigger, hoping against hope that I could cure the disease, believing that my partners would be furious if she left.

When I finally did what needed to be done, I watched my staff walk on air for a week and took calls from industry partners saying, "what took you so long?"

If for no other reason, fire fast to preserve the organizational culture you've nurtured.

And, for more on developing a kick-ass work culture, check out the latest episode of the DMOU podcast with Visit Anchorage's Julie Saupe.

A Virtual Destination Marketing Summit

Excited to be presenting at The Destination on the Left Virtual Summit, a new kind of conference for the travel industry - one without registration costs or travel time. My friend and podcaster Nicole Mahoney has gathered 17 industry experts (and past guests on her show) that are ready to share their knowledge with you December 9th through the 11th.

The best part? You don't have to hop on a plane or book a hotel because you'll absorb hours of content, all from the comfort of your office or home. The second best part is it's free. Check out the lineup of speakers at the link above and reserve your free ticket.

And, you can get a sneak peek at some of the topics I'll be covering by checking out Nicole's interview with me earlier this year.

Sonia Dada

While there is so much wrong about what Facebook has wrought, there is the connectivity we are granted with long lost friends from other parts of the world. One of those (for me) is my friend Roman Sawczak (of Dancing Noodles fame) who, last weekend, relayed the news that Sonia Dada bassist Erik Scott had lost his battle with cancer (which, of course, sucks).

But, what also sucks is the Sonia Dada never hit that mass audience that they so richly deserved. Not unlike Eva Cassidy, Ari Herstand and countless others, their art was/is such an amalgam of styles that radio never quite knew what to do with them. So they did nothing. And, much of the world misses out.

As we bid godspeed to Erik on this Music Friday, we also bid you listen to an American treasure with a two-fer.

This is probably their biggest, from the first album: "Lover, You Don't Treat Me Good No More."

And, if you want to luxuriate in the entire experience, here's a full concert from their hometown of Chicago at the magical Vic.

Sublime.

 

Broadening Our Sensitivity

Air Travel is a pain in the ass. One of the moments that lifts my spirits is the subterranean passage between concourses at DTW.  Especially when the light show is pumping Motown.

Recently, I noticed an option that has been added at the entrances to the passage (click image to enlarge). It had never dawned on me that the light show I so love could be so uncomfortable to those with sensory issues. The ability to shut down the cacophony for a few minutes is a wonderful add to making the DTW experience work for everyone.

And, for more on designing a sensory sensitive destination, check out our DMOU conversation with Julie Pingston from the Greater Lansing CVB.

 

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.

Truth in Advertising

Far too many Destination Marketing Organizations claim to have something for everyone...so, it's refreshing when one says "It's Not for Everyone."

My travel bucket list is pretty diverse. Oddly enough, Guam has been on mine for decades (which Katie Cook and I chuckled about on her recent DMOU podcast episode). The tiny island of Tuvalu is, too.

On their page on the South Pacific Tourism website, the DMO lists 13 things to know before visiting:

2. There are no ATMs and credit cards aren’t accepted anywhere, so it’s cash-only even at hotels and guesthouses.

8. If you hear an air-raid siren, don’t panic! It means one of the twice-weekly Fiji Airways flights is about to land; it’s a way of clearing the unfenced airstrip of pedestrians, motorbikes and cars.

9. You can buy a pre-paid internet card at some guesthouses, but there’s no guarantee you’ll be able to use it. WiFi is notoriously slow even in Funafuti, when it is working. For peace of mind, why not put on your out-of-office reply before you leave home, and enjoy a holiday from connectivity?

13. Tuvaluan food is predominantly simple, local and tasty. When eating with Tuvaluan people, be prepared to sit on the floor and eat with your hands.

Not for everybody, indeed...but that's what makes Tuvalu the real deal. And, isn't that what so many of us are searching for today?

Are Visitor Centers Still Relevant?

We hear that question a lot. Since we all carry more computing power and information on our mobile devices that the astronauts did 50 years ago on the trip to the Moon, who needs physical Visitor Centers anymore?

The answer turns out to be smart Destination Marketing Organizations. Check out the recent article written by our friend Virginia Haley of Visit Sarasota County. She reports that between January through March of 2019 (the high season in Sarasota), her Visitor Center staff saw a 46 percent increase in traffic as compared to the same months in 2018.

So, don't shutter your Visitor Center just yet...rethink it. Which is what Visit Eau Claire's Linda John did as she opened her new "Experience Center" earlier this year. You can hear Linda's story on the new DMOU podcast series, launched earlier this month.

Still relevant? And then some.

It All Starts with a Visit

It was ten years ago this month that Irving's Maura Gast unleashed the phrase "It All Starts with a Visit" during her closing address as Chair of Destinations International. If she had a Franklin for every time that phrase has been uttered over the past decade...well, let's just agree she wouldn't need to purchase a lottery ticket ever again.

It surfaced in the media again last week as Southern Delaware Tourism announced a collaborative Visitors Guide with Sussex County Economic Development. As CEO Scott Thomas said, “All the time, we see first visits turning into summer vacations that become beloved traditions families share for generations. For entrepreneurs and business executives, first visits often lead to serious, detailed inquiries about our local business climate and, from there, to new local businesses. It just makes sense to offer information of interest to both visitors and entrepreneurs in the same resource guide because the two groups often overlap."

As Tourism is the first date for Economic Development, this is an interesting partnership...and I can't wait to see how this plays out.

And, for more thought leadership from Maura, don't miss the chance to listen to her recent interview on the recently resurrected DMOU.

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.