DMOU: Destination Marketing Organization University

Destinations International has long held that boycotting States over legislation that runs counter to an Association’s values has the unintended consequence of hurting the very people we purport to support. And, Tampa Bay’s selection as this year’s Annual Conference site certainly raised some eyebrows in some quarters. DI has countered by saying this year’s event will serve as a Case Study in showing how destinations can support communities that would otherwise be negatively impacted by a boycott. On this episode of DMOU, Visit Tampa Bay’s Santiago Corrada joins us to share how his DMO has been connecting convention attendees with unconventional experiences, the kind attendees will be glad they didn’t boycott. Join us.

One would be hard pressed to identify a destination with more assets in the pipeline than the Greater Raleigh Region. $400 million Convention Center expansion, $75 million HQ Hotel, $300 million in Arena Upgrades, $75 million Sports Complex…and more. Visit Raleigh’s Denny Edwards joins us to tell the stories behind how so many projects came to fruition. From Conventions to Sports to Major Events…you’ll hear it all.

For some destinations Esports is a mystical new market that they’re just not sure how to address. For others, they may believe the early adopters have already sown up the opportunities. On this episode of DMOU, Esports expert Ed Tomasi de-mystifies this exciting new market and shares how virtually every community can assess where in the sport’s ecosystem they reside and whether they can thrive. Ed offers the stages that every community must traverse to effectively compete…and a great Bonus Round story about his days as a College Cheerleader. Join us.

The philosophies that underpinned the art and science of the Destination Marketing world changed 15 years ago this Summer. That’s when Maura Gast first uttered those now famous words, “If you Build a Place…” On this edition of DMOU, Maura shares the backstory of how her “Building Blocks” came to be and how the entire community development sector is coming around to recognize that “it all starts with the visit.” Plus, she shares her thoughts on additional ways to explain the value of DMOs and her take on highlights from the Board Leadership for Destinations Symposium.

One of the newest marketing opportunities out there is NIL (Name / Image / Likeness)…and we touched on it briefly in Episode 122 with Experience Columbia SC’s Kelly Barbrey. On this edition of DMOU, we sit down with Destination Ann Arbor CEO Sarah Miller to hear how they have entered this arena and what they believe the future holds for them and other DMOs in this space. We also discuss her experience as a relatively new CEO...and talk about our shared experiences at the A&W. Join us.

Sister Cities. Many communities maintain such relations but how many maximize the opportunity before them? On this episode of DMOU, Mary Kay Wydra (Explore Western Mass) and Carline Boland (Dingle Peninsula Tourism Alliance) share their sensational experience of developing a bi-continental relationship that drives culture, heritage and significant visitation between the two destinations.

On this very special edition of DMOU, Destinations International’s Chief Social Inclusion Officer Sophia Hyder Hock shares the evolutionary shift from EDI to a more inclusive platform in which DMOs can move beyond silos to develop truly welcoming initiatives. We talk about how this concept came to fruition and how DMOs can successfully utilize new resources through the Social Inclusion portal of the DI site. And, you’ll hear how Sophia’s parents elegantly reacted when, as a child, she asked for a baby elephant.

Community engagement has never been more important than it is today for Destination Marketing Organizations. And, after a public debate that called into question the importance of Explore Fairbanks to its community, the DMO has a stepped up its outreach. CEO Scott McCrea joins DMOU to discuss his DMO’s recent foray into local radio, their work in welcoming service men and women to town each week and flipping their membership program to partnership. Plus a Bonus Round Question that involves outhouses. Join us.

You’d have to have been living under a rock to not have seen the international media attention VisitLEX has received after sending an interstellar message of welcome to the TRAPPIST-1 solar system. On this episode of DMOU, we hang with VP of Marketing Leslie Miller to get the inside story on how the initiative came together and how it plays into the broader campaign to build brand awareness for Lexington.

There's a reason why Chamber-DMO combos aren't as prevalent as they were in the '80s and '90s...and that's because they generally don't work all that well. But, the ones that do, tend to rock their communities. Cheryl Kilday is the CEO of Destination North Myrtle Beach and, on this episode of DMOU, she shares how she has cherrypicked the best aspects of both models to create a community asset that drives the economy and the region's Quality of Life. And, how 55 community leaders landed 138 new members in a three hour span.