Bill Geist's Zeitgeist

Essential

Yesterday, we shared the unfortunately short-sighted story of a community that cut its destination marketing contract with a DMO, calling the agency's work a threat to public health on top of being non-essential.

That's certainly not the view of the English government, which Tuesday established a £1.3 million fund to provide immediate financial support to Destination Marketing Organizations which are at severe risk of closure due to the pandemic.

In making the announcement, Tourism Minister Nigel Huddleston said: "At the moment it is of utmost importance that everyone plays their part and stays at home to protect the NHS and save lives. However, we also need to act now to help the tourism sector be as strong as possible when we get through this pandemic. Destination Management Organisations will play a vital role in this recovery and this fund will support their essential work."

Like he said.

Non-Essential?

Destination Marketing Organizations were, in most communities, the first agencies that jumped in to assist their communities' small businesses in the days after the Ides of March (the day travel stopped in America). And, there is little doubt that DMOs will be the agencies that lead their economies back from the brink...if they are still standing when it is time for them to perform their magic, jump-starting travel through stellar marketing.

One that will be hobbled in that effort will be British Columbia's Lake Country Chamber of Commerce, as the District that has contracted with them for destination marketing services canceled that contract last week...not just temporarily, but for the rest of the year. In a story in the Lake Country Calendar, the District's Communication Manager said it was an easy cut to make: "Funding a service that may put people at risk during this COVID‐19 pandemic may present a risk to the district both legally and financially, on top of the greater community health risk." Not that anyone at the Chamber was actively inviting visitors to their community at this moment in time. This was just convenient.

This type of logic defies reality. This is like furloughing a fire department because there haven't been any fires to fight for the past month...yet knowing that fire season is coming. DMOs will be the firefighters their communities turn to when we can again travel.

Sadly, this won't be the last time we see a story like this. DMOs need to ensure that the lifesaving work they are performing for their business community is recognized and respected. Like no other, this is our hour.

 

Innovation in the Face of Crisis

Imagine you are the General Manager of a beachfront resort. You have no guests and the beach is closed. You have beach chairs with no one to enjoy them...or, do you?

Our friend Roger Amidon is the GM of the Palm Beach Marriot Singer Island Resort and Spa. He and his Team figured out a way that everyone can enjoy his beach chairs by arranging and re-arranging them to spell out rotating messages and then streaming them live from his rooftop cam.

So cool.

Handling Force Majeure

If Force Majeure was a person, besides having a pretty cool name, they'd likely have a pretty big chip on their shoulder for being ignored by virtually anybody but lawyers.

Force Majeure is a clause in many contracts that essentially allows one out of said contract in cases of natural or unavoidable catastrophes. Like a pandemic (you can hear more on the subject in our conversation with Bryan Grimaldi on the DMOU Podcast).

Leave it to Kevin Shanley and the Team at Kalahari Resorts to use Force Majeuer as a reason to book an event at one of their resorts.

Brilliant.

We Stand with Service

Sometimes we get too close to the fire to realize the friends we have and how much we mean to them. I'm sure that's how so many of our peers in the hospitality field feel this week after losing not just hours or jobs...but their connection to their work family.

Sometimes, it's the littlest things that remind us that others care.

Like this video from the South Shore Conventions & Visitors Authority.

Thank you.

Fear and Hope

The COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked previously unimaginable damage to, not only our economy but, our collective psyche. Intent to travel continues to dwindle and fear of travel increases.

Our friends at Destination Analysts released their snapshot of consumer opinion on Monday. In the "word and response" game psychiatrists often play, when presented with the word "travel," respondents overwhelmingly answered with "scared." At the same time, two-thirds said they couldn't wait to get back out there...but a third responded that they were going to re-think their destination choices. While not a Destination Analyst view, we're hearing (anecdotally) that there may be some domestic xenophobia seeping into the public consciousness; that some consumers will only travel within their own State for fear of traveling to "hotspot" locales that could again flare-up. Depending upon your destination, this is either good news or bad.

Meanwhile, our friends at Longwoods International (in conjunction with Miles Partnership) just released their latest study of American intent to travel...and there is hope. When queried about plans to travel in the next 6 months, 72% said "yes." While that is down from 87% two weeks ago...we're "glass half full" people. That is still roughly three-quarters of Americans.

I'll take that.

More Lemonade

What does one do when the biggest event of the year is canceled because of a pandemic?

Macon GA is home to the annual International Cherry Blossom Festival, the community's largest annual festival, drawing tens of thousands of visitors, including many from around the world. As our friend and DMO COO Aaron Buzza told us, "we field calls in our office about the 350,000 Yoshino Cherry Trees and their bloom dates starting the day after Christmas, and even after the cancellation of this year’s festival, people are still calling to find out how to see the trees."

In partnership with the Festival and the Downtown development agency, Visit Macon put together a Virtual Cherry Blossom Experience with nightly concerts, a Bloom Cam showing the trees, downloadable maps so people can drive the Cherry Blossom Trail plus information on shopping, activities for the kids, recipes and additional information about the trees and festival.

All to tempt you for next year.

Well played, my friends.

How Do You Like Me Now?

They say that crisis brings out the best in so many of us. And, the stories emerging from communities across the country about how Destination Marketing Organizations pivoted on a dime when they realized what was about to descend upon the hospitality community are as heartwarming as they are expected.

Most Americans are just now beginning to understand the importance and fragility of a sector of the economy they always took for granted.  To be sure, airlines and hotels were impacted briefly after 9/11. But, most other facets of the hospitality industry felt no more than a speed bump...because residents were there to continue eating out in restaurants, meeting co-workers after work at the local watering hole and seeing music, theatre and comedy with friends. Indeed, after the initial shock of 9/11 that had us all glued to our televisions, we needed to go out and be with others.

And, in this crisis, we can't.

Never one to say "I told you so," there is the slightest satisfaction that the recent flirtation some communities have had with shopping their DMO contract out to ad agencies should likely now come to an end.  In a recent interview, the Chairman of the Board of Visit Stillwater OK (which last year went through just such an RFP process) was asked what the DMO was doing during the pandemic:  

"We have transitioned our focus from marketing to visitors to communicating to residents to better support our local business partners. Our staff has called almost 200 local businesses to promote their hours of operation, delivery, pick-up or curb-side services, online shopping options and the availability of gift cards. They continue to update the information on our website and social media throughout each day since things are continually changing. Staff has also recently added a coloring contest for kids and adults online, as well as incorporated virtual tours featuring many of our local museums, attractions and restaurants. These 360-degree images will give our residents something to look forward to and visitors' incentive to visit when traveling again."

I'm pretty sure no ad agency could ever do that.

Well done, Visit Stillwater...and all the other DMOs that know that we are the only agency in our communities prepared for days like these for our destination partners.

Inspiring Future Visits

Destination Marketing in the era of COVID-19 is considered by many to be tone-deaf...and we've all seen a few headscratchers over the past couple weeks. Sheesh....

That doesn't mean that Destination Marketing stops...it's just different. It's focused more locally.

But then, there's Discover Puerto Rico which, this week, invited visitors to the island...but virtually.

This weekend, you can learn to Salsa Friday evening on Zoom, take a Cocktail Mixology Class on Saturday and a Cooking Class on Sunday, both on Instagram Live (click the image for times).

I know where I'll be Friday night (Terri's wanted me to learn to Salsa with her for years).

Once again, Discover Puerto Rico...inspired.

Fever

Well, I suppose there's no reason we don't make today five COVID-19 posts in a row, eh? After all, the media sure seems like they have nothing else to talk about and the stock market tanked again yesterday. But, interestingly, we didn't see one person wearing a mask on our completely full flights back home last night. So much for Widespread Panic.

So, let's lighten the mood on this Music Friday with a threesome of "Fever" from Elvis, Alexander Ryback and the always cool Buddy Guy.

You'll never know how much I Love You...never know how much I care.

Truer words...