DiscoverDMOU: Destination Marketing Organization University
DMOU: Destination Marketing Organization University
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DMOU: Destination Marketing Organization University

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DMOU features the brightest voices in the Destination Marketing field, sharing innovative case studies and evolving philosophies.
174 Episodes
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Pure Michigan is one of (if not) the most iconic tourism marketing brands in history, completely transcending logo or tagline. Kelly Wolgamott joins us for a fascinating conversation covering the origins of the campaign, its future vision…and its entrance into the fragrance space to allow destination fans and the curious to experience the scents of Pure Michigan. And, insights into how the voice of the brand is being expanded for future generations. Join us.
What started out as an invitation to Discovery Albany CEO Jill Delaney to discuss her recent CDME paper evolved into a wide ranging discussion that included how she and her organization have had a meaningful impact on hospitality workforce development in her community. How she has, over the past 7 years, reframed the organization’s importance in the eyes of local investors. And yes…the research she did regarding the long standing debate between DMO Membership vs. Partnership (spoiler alert: there is no one-size-fits-all answer). Join us for this fascinating conversation.
Over the past 40 years, Sports Tourism has grown into a juggernaut for many destinations across North America. Most of the economic impact statistics have focused on participatory Sports Tournament events. But there is another facet of Sports Tourism that has previously gone undocumented… and that is Spectator Sports events. On this edition of DMOU, we welcome John David, the CEO of Sports ETA to share findings of this landmark study as well as his take on how virtually every community can benefit from the Sports Tourism economy. Join us.
Every few years, Destinations International commissions a study to help Destination Leadership understand, interpret and marshal the future. Called the Futures Study and conducted by MMGY NextFactor, this year’s edition stakes out new ground and strongly suggests tactics for future success. On this episode of DMOU, we welcome Cassandra McAuley to discuss the methodology, findings and recommendations of this breakthrough edition of the Futures Study. Join us…and secure your copy, pronto.
On this edition of DMOU, we welcome Destination Door County CEO Julie Gilbert to discuss how under-managed tourism had begun to challenge the summer retreat of my youth. A half a century ago, Door County was a quaint, easy to maneuver vacation destination for those of us who had discovered these unique villages. As she arrived in 2021, it was clear that action was needed to preserve paradise. In this episode, we’ll discuss Sustainability, Community Relations and developing a substantial Grant Program that endears the DMO to its residents. Join us.
As is our custom on DMOU, we annually feature the incoming Chair of Destinations International to outline their agenda for the coming year. And Leslie Bruce does just that in this episode…but we go much deeper to explore her work in working with her community through Radical Collaboration on an initiative called Lead Tourism for Good. And, we discuss her work with the 7 indigenous nations in Banff and Lake Louise to empower indigenous entrepreneurs to launch new businesses in the community. Join us.
Sacramento is a city that had traditionally looked to meetings and conventions as its target market; after all, it is the State Capital. But Visit Sacramento CEO Mike Testa saw that as a one-trick pony approach. In this conversation on DMOU, you’ll hear Mike’s take on building a leisure brand based on culinary excellence and major magnet events that have transformed Sacramento’s image as a government town. It’s a very cool conversation. Join us.
Stuart Butler likes to stir the pot as host of the Destination Discourse podcast. And, since joining Visit Myrtle Beach as Chief Marketing Officer four years ago, he’s been shaking up the way that destination’s marketing lives and breathes to considerable success. Join us for a lively conversation spanning the future of search, consumer choice and destination websites, travel accessibility, launching a TV show on Peacock, publishing a children’s book and developing a line of merchandise to extend the Myrtle Beach lifestyle brand even further.
Oklahoma City has been one of the most exciting success stories in American urban redevelopment for over 30 years. And, on this episode of DMOU, we welcome Visit OKC’s Zac Craig to share how residents have repeatedly voted to tax themselves to enhance quality of life, how those same residents recently voted to substantially increase the Room Tax (for all the right reasons)…and how OKC landed two competitions in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games, 1300 miles away. It’s an inspiring conversation. Join Us.
On this edition of DMOU, we welcome the inimitable Brad Dean back to the microphone to talk about how a CFO morphed into one of the most highly regarded Destination Leaders in the Americas. We discuss his time in Myrtle Beach and then heading up the insanely successful start-up of Discover Puerto Rico. And, we delve into his recent decision to transition to lead Explore St. Louis, where we have no doubt he’ll work his magic for a third time. Oh yeah, and a Bonus round in which he shares his experiences with Drake, Dale and Uma. Join us.
We’ve shared the DMOU mic with some pretty big DMOs (Boston, Detroit, New York City, Puerto Rico, etc.). But sometimes, it’s the smallest DMOs that share truths from which we can all learn. Jim Zaleski has worked in major markets and with major brands in his career…and today, he heads the DMO in Labette County KS, based in a town of 10,000 people. And, yet…in this fascinating episode, Jim shares how he runs his small town DMO like a million dollar operation. Cool concepts for big and small destinations…and everyone in between. Join us.
One of the biggest challenges facing the Destination Marketing sector over the past 25 years has been how to explain what we do and why to an often skeptic public. We've often used language and metrics that don’t resonate outside our industry as proof of our value when we’re the only ones that speak that language. That is about to change however, as Destination Canada has recently unveiled its Wealth & Wellbeing Index. On this break-through episode of DMOU, you’ll hear from Director of Strategic Planning Lisa Barrett about how the Index goes well beyond wealth generation to focus on six interconnected outcomes (the 6 Es)…and their hope that the Index goes global. Join us.
Telling the DMO story has never been more important than it is right now…and Visit the Palm Beaches’ Senior Director of Community Engagement and Advocacy Sergio Piedra joins us on this episode of DMOU to lay out their blueprint for community engagement. It’s a 3-step plan that combines intentional storytelling, community engagement and destination visioning…and it is a model for DMOs everywhere. Plus, in the Bonus Round, you’ll get not just one ghost story…but two. Join us.
On this episode of DMOU we are joined by Visit Lake Charles President & CEO Kyle Edmiston who counts the organizational culture be has nurtured within his DMO as one of his proudest accomplishments in a career in which he’s won about as many awards as one can. Kyle shares how tools like remote work and flex time have resulted in a rock solid team that stuck together through COVID and hurricanes…and how he measures progress in building that culture. Join us.
One of the best parts of the annual Board Leadership for Destinations Symposium is the Roundtable sessions where Board members discuss issues with their peers from around North America, individuals with whom they rarely, if ever, have a chance to interface. Last year, Visit Colorado Springs CEO Doug Price and his Board Chair took that concept to the next level, visiting neighboring DMOs to continue the CEO/Chair conversations on a wide range of governance and funding topics. On this episode of DMOU, Doug shares that experience along with how his DMO spearheaded over $2 billion in new asset development…and how they are aggressively addressing mobility issues in their destination. Join us.
Kicking off the New Year on DMOU, we have for you a fascinating conversation with Visit Charlottesville Albermarle CVB CEO Courtney Cacatian. Her recent book “The Future of Destination Organizations: A Guide to a Community-Based Welcome,” chronicles her path in helping the community acknowledge its past and begin building for the future. From spearheading the award-winning Black C’ville to becoming the initial model for Tourism for All, Courtney recounts the journey her DMO has taken in building a more welcoming environment for residents and visitors alike.
On this final episode of DMOU for 2024, we welcome our friend Beth Erickson to the microphone. The CEO of Visit Loudoun (DC’s Wine Country), Beth shares how her organization has met existential challenges (such as bugs that like grapes) while making the visitor economy visible in a region that previously didn’t see itself as a destination. Plus, in the Bonus Round, she shares how she became one of the most feared poker players in the DMO space. Join us.
While DMOs are increasingly engaged in (and in Destination Cleveland’s case, leading) workforce development and talent acquisition initiatives, Visit Dublin OH is playing the long game by working to show High School students the breadth and excitement of hospitality as a career choice. Scott Dring joins the program to outline how the newly launched Travel & Tourism Academy in the Dublin School System came to fruition. The program merges traditional learning curriculum (designed by the region’s top academic institutions) with real life onsite exposure, becoming one of the most talked about Academies on campus. Scott also shares how the Dublin Link has both created a new local destination but enhanced its historic downtown. And, a Bonus Round question that involves 4 guys in a van in an attempt to visit every major league baseball park in America...without GPS or mobile phones. Join us.
We still believe in Visitor Centers, even though Visit Fort Colins CEO Cynthia Eichler recently wrote a CDME paper entitled, Visitor Centers are Dead. Why then did she just open a Visitors Center in Downtown Fort Collins? Because it’s not simply a Visitor Center. Join us for a fascinating conversation on the creation of a Community Hub, the partnerships that came together to make it happen and how the Center is blowing away initial estimates and expectations. And, we spend one of our questions on the innovative online retail hub they created during the Plague that helped save several Fort Collins businesses.
On this edition of DMOU, we sit down with Experience Grand Rapids CEO Doug Small and talk about how his community continues to evolve, how his DMO has doubled down on their brand pillars…and how he takes his Board of Directors to travel trade shows so they can experience, first hand, what we do to bring business to our communities. And, a Bonus Round where we geek out on cooking and herbs. Join us.
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