Gathan D. Borden

THE DMO OF THE FUTURE: Should They Hire Event Planners?

Every now and then, I like to sit back and think about what the future holds for the travel & tourism industry – specifically for DMOs and CVBs. Although I’ve only been in this industry for a short period of time, one thing that I have noticed is that there seems to be a lack of vision within our industry. And when I say lack of vision, I’m talking about where is the DMO/CVB going to be 10 years from now? What will the role of the DMO/CVB be in 2025? And how do we start to lay the groundwork now for that transition?

Maybe we can shed some light on that topic through this series of posts, titled “The DMO of the Future”. I like sharing my thoughts and I like looking to the future, so why not write it down and share with you? With that said, here is my first installment, and it is posed as a question: Should DMOs/CVBs hire event planners?

Let’s look at the definition of an event planner: An event planner is someone who manages the process of a project such as a meeting, convention, trade show, ceremony, team building activity or party. They handle budgeting, timelines, selection of event sites, food planning, transportation, theme development and contingency plans.

HERE’S A SCENARIO. How resourceful would an event planner be to every meeting planner who is planning their meeting in your destination? Not only would the DMO/CVB Event Planner serve as an extension of the organization, but they would become a valuable resource to the meeting planner or organization that lacks resources for a successful meeting (i.e. Small Meetings). Most planners hire event companies through destinations anyway, so why not just bring that outsourced work under the umbrella of the DMO/CVB? If you couple this with your Destination Services team, you’ve got a strong package to deliver to the meeting planner and their organization.

HERE’S ANOTHER SCENARIO. When the DMO/CVB sales staff travels to other cities to recruit visitors via trade shows  festivals and/or fairs, how valuable does the DMO/CVB Event Planner become in arranging an event/activity on behalf of the destination? They find the venue, create the theme, arrange the food and transportation, and now all your sales staff has to do is what you hired them to do – sell.

HERE’S ONE MORE SCENARIO. Does your destination lack in having adequate festivals and events? The DMO/CVB Event Planner could be the lead project manager in developing a festival or event for your destination that brings in visitors from all over the world. Developing a festival with the organizational backing of the DMO/CVB is vital to its success.

Having someone on your staff, solely dedicated to planning events for sales activities and for booked business would be an interesting shift in how DMOs/CVBs recruit and retain visitors. Think of having a mobile wedding reception at your disposal anytime you wanted, but the person who plans it actually works with you. Do you think this would work?

5 Things Businesses Can Learn from John Calipari

It’s March Madness, the most exciting weekend of the year for sports. While I’m thrilled my Louisville Cardinals are in the Big Dance, I was disappointed that the Kentucky Wildcats were shipped off to the N.I.T. It was a frustrating year for the Big Blue Nation, and I saw some correlations between their turbulent basketball season and what businesses go through. So, I decided to write this out and give you five things that businesses can learn from John Calipari.

Recruit the best and only the best. I don’t think there is any argument that Coach Cal is the best recruiter in college basketball. He has the top recruiting class in each of his 5 years at UK, including the incoming 2013 class. But the thing I admire about Coach Cal is that he aims for the best, and gets them to agree to come play alongside other stars to reach a common goal. Who are you recruiting? Go after the best people you can find, and when you find them, sell them on your vision for the company. Go after them with passion. Shoot for the moon, but just know that if you miss, at least you’ll be among the stars.

Prove you can win and others will follow. One reason that Coach Cal can recruit the best players is that he has proven that he can win. Before you can get people to work for you, you have to be able to show that you’re successful. People are attracted to winners, and winners only associate with fellow winners. If you’re a winner and your employees are winners, where does that take your company? Always remember, nobody wants to work for a losing company.

Keep your turnover low. The University of Kentucky is becoming synonymous with the “one and done” rule - and that is no fault of their own. They are simply operating within the guidelines that the NCAA provides. But what I think everyone witnessed this year, is that excessive turnover of athletes creates an environment where you are re-teaching new people, new concepts and new ideas every year, as opposed to building and developing from previous years. This rapid turnover of athletes took its toll on the team this year, and the same applies to business. If you cannot keep employees for extended periods of time, your business will not be sustainable. Sure you can win, but it’s not sustainable. Longevity is key in business, so be sure that you hire people who will stick around and help you succeed, and not bolt. It costs you more money to hire new people versus keeping, building and developing your existing people.

You don’t have to be the best manager. While you can’t question the recruiting abilities of John Calipari, you can question his actual coaching abilities. Lets be honest here, he’s not the best X’s and O’s guy. To his credit, he doesn’t have to be the best coach, because he has assembled the best talent. Most times in life, talent wins out. As a manager, you don’t have to be the best manager. But surrounding yourself with the best talent, will make you the best manager. 

Look beyond the resume. The most frustrating part about the 2012-2013 UK basketball team, was their demeanor on the court. At times it looked like they didn’t want to be there. It looked like Coach Cal did everything in his power to motivate these kids and nothing was working. Matter of fact, I’ve never seen Cal coach so many games without a tie! What this shows us, is that accomplishments and accolades don’t always transition into success. Heart, effort, determination, strong-will, willing to take direction - these are attributes that are vital for successful employees, but are not listed as trophies. Do your homework, beyond the awards, before you decide to hire someone.

AREN’T YOU TIRED OF PEOPLE COMPARING YOU TO OTHERS?

It seems like in today’s world, whenever someone succeeds or fails, we are quick to compare them to others, whether they deserve to be in the same sentence or not. We are failing to acknowledge that every individual is different and that success and/or failure happens on a sliding scale. In light of all the Jordan versus LeBron comparisons over NBA All-Star Weekend, I thought back to three memorable sports comparisons in my lifetime that stuck out to me as situational comparisons that went wrong.

Reece Gaines VS. Dwayne Wade. Let me start by saying, in full disclosure, that I am a huge UL fan. I grew up on Cardinal Basketball, was friends with most of the players and their kids from the 80s because Wiley Brown was my neighbor, and I went to all their basketball camps. Back in the Conference USA days, Reece Gaines was “The Man” at UL, and in the same sentence was a guy at Marquette by the name of Dwayne Wade. Back then it was a two-man race for Conference USA Player of the Year. They compared the two as “choosing between a Ferrari and a Maserati”. Fast forward to 2013, as one of them is a millionaire-gold-medal-wearing-NBA Champion superstar, who is dating Gabrielle Union…and the other is an assistant basketball coach at Bellarmine University.

Randolph Morris VS. Dwight Howard. Does anyone remember that game back in 2004, between two Atlanta high school phenoms that would showcase the future of the NBA? After his great high school success, Dwight chose the NBA and Randolph Morris chose the University of Kentucky. Randolph chose to leave after his freshman, didn’t get drafted, returned to UK and then got signed by the NY Knicks. Fast forward to 2013, as one of them is arguably the best big man in the NBA living a millionaire lifestyle and the other didn’t make it in the NBA, and is now playing basketball in China

Harold Miner VS. Michael Jordan. Tell me you remember “Baby Jordan”?!?!? Now it’s incredibly asinine to compare anyone to Jordan, but we always do it. Harold played ball at USC and in the NBA for the Miami Heat. He won a couple of Slam Dunk contests in his career and made millions, but he ain’t Jordan. Fast forward to 2013, as one of them is still making $80M a year off endorsements and other investments while the other lives a quiet lifestyle, earned from the millions in the NBA, in Las Vegas with his family.

These comparisons aren’t meant to belittle anyone’s accomplishments, as all of these guys were stars at one point in time. But what it does show us is how wrong people can be when they compare you to others. Realize that you have unique characteristics that set you apart from everyone else. While you may have similarities to others, don’t allow them to put you in that same box when the size of the box will change. Everyone has a path, and it’s best to take the path that has no footprints. Besides, by looking at the mis-comparisons above, we can all bear witness that things never turn out the way they seem.

13 THINGS DESTINATIONS NEED TO BE READY FOR IN 2013

Right on time to kick-off 2013, I made a list of 13 things that I think destinations need to be prepared for. DISCLAIMER: These are not sure-fire predictions. Think of these more as tiny morsels of information to keep in your brain.

1.  The evolving role of communications/marketing staff. Press releases, story pitches and travel writers are no longer the main focus of marketing communications departments. Now we’ve got social media, website management, in-house graphic design and creative direction, just to name a few, that our communications departments are responsible for. In this ever-changing media world look for more staff members to become chameleons.

2. Consumer confidence increase. By all reports I’m reading, everyone is predicting that 2013 could be a record travel year. Consumers are feeling more confident now, and are willing to make that trip. Whether that trip is out of town or a staycation, the good thing here, is that they are spending money again – money that you want spent in your destination.

3. Government meetings decrease. Despite other market segments of travel seeing a rise, the government market segment is heavily scrutinized for its spending. Expect to see lesser government meetings in your neck of the woods. This now opens the door for you to pursue another market segment that you may have been neglecting.

4. Mobile takes over the travel experience. If you can remember one thing, it’s this, “Mobile is the needle. Social is the thread.” Our lives, in particular our travel experiences, are woven together by the use of social media, and mobile is the tool that starts and ends the process. Mobile usage is on the rise, and will continue to be so in 2013.

5. Your website is your life and blood. How many times are we going to experience the wrath of Edgerank on Facebook, privacy setting changes or the complete shutdown of a social network site to understand that we don’t own that land. Don’t allow outside networks to influence your marketing success - it’s only rented property. Build up the assets that you do own, and that is your website.

6. iPads are the new black. We live in a time-strapped society, where our sales people only have a small window to influence a planner or tour operator to book the destination. iPads have breathed new life into sales presentations, that don’t require Wi-Fi, plugs or a screen. Make sure you’ve got your sales materials loaded on the iPads in an easy-to-use interface for your staff so that they can effectively sell the destination.

7. Get personal with your visitors. In the marketing world, we are so inundated with mass communications, that no one takes the time to write us a personal note. Ditch the mass e-blasts and try one-on-one communications again – we’ve seen great success in it, with the ability to connect to our potential visitors in a more personal way.

8. RTOs are worth a shot. Regional Tourism Organizations are a great way to bring a collective group of people together to promote a niche market that everyone can benefit from. Look around and see what you share with other communities within your state/region and develop a plan to capitalize on that experience so that you can dominate that segment of the market.

9. DMOs need to be the expert. While we are the tourism expert for our respective destinations, DMOs need to go one step further, and become the expert in particular fields. Our hospitality partners need our support and providing them with expertise in terms of marketing, planning or some other business aspect will result a team-wide effort to win business for the destination.

10. Don’t create, curate. Social media has opened the door to allow anyone to become a content creator, so odds are, what destinations want to create someone else has already beaten you to it. Just because DMOs are the authority on the destination, doesn’t make them the authority on destination content. Some of the best stories are told by those who have no affiliation to the DMO, so reach out to those people and use what they have instead of reinventing the wheel.

11. Local bloggers are the new media. If your local bloggers are not on your media list, then you are missing the boat. Bloggers are just as credible, if not more credible, than your traditional journalists nowadays. And given the importance of reach and social media, bloggers have wide networks that allow for your message to be seen by more than just the local media.

12. Direct mail is not a bad thing. Snail mail is back on the rise I tell ya! Because of the increased number of digital communications options consumers have a hard time sifting through which emails to read and delete. Take the time and craft a direct mail campaign that allows the end user to touch and interact with your message for your destination. Go one step further and make it personal, and I guarantee you it’ll be a great sales lead.

13. Niche can make you rich. Every destination has a story, and every destination has something unique. A niche marketing strategy is specific to one product. As the DMO, your goal is to uncover that one thing and market the hell out of it. In turn, that niche market can lead you to rich content that makes you a “top places to visit”.

Are any of these things are your list to do for 2013?

HELP LOUISVILLE BECOME THE “TASTIEST TOWN IN THE SOUTH”

If you been remotely close to a TV screen or any social networking site, you’ve noticed that our city, Louisville, has been racking up the culinary accolades. Most media outlets are saying that the city is experiencing a culinary renaissance, so to speak. And they couldn’t be more right with the most recent accolade of being named one of the “Tastiest Towns in the South” in 2013 by Southern Living Magazine.  However, it’s not enough for us to be named one of the ten; we want to be the best. Now last year, we finished in second place, so this year, we want your help to make us number 1.

“But I’m just an individual, how can I help the city be named the #1 tastiest town in the south?” I’m so glad you asked, so here’s how.

VOTE DAILY. Each city is asking their fans to vote for them daily. Per contest rules, you can only vote once per day per email address. So if you do nothing at all, at least vote for us. Follow this link to vote: http://lou.ly/1km

SHARE YOUR CULINARY PHOTOS. If you are on Instagram, tag your culinary photos with #tastylou and be sure to follow us on Instagram under the name of GoToLouisville. Nothing says “we love our food” more than a great shot of Louisville cuisine.

SHARE THE VOTING LINK. Take the link, and copy it into your status updates on all of your social networks for us. And if you need help crafting a message, I’ve got it taken care of for you. Simply copy and paste this: “Vote for Louisville as the Tastiest Town in the South, http://lou.ly/1km”

Remember to vote and share, the city will thank you in the end.

10 THINGS MANAGERS CAN LEARN FROM PARENTS

Being a parent is one of the most humbling and rewarding experiences a person can ever feel. To think that you are solely responsible for the life and development of a human being is a monumental task – one that I do not take lightly. And being a parent is sometimes what managers have to do in their respective places of employment. Making sure projects are completed, balancing the personalities of multiple people at the same time and keeping everyone engaged are some of the tough responsibilities that managers are assigned. I looked back over my last five years as a parent of two children, and I’ve got 10 things managers can learn from parents to apply on the job.

#1 – Provide structure, but don’t micromanage. As a parent, one thing you are responsible for is providing structure for your kids. Get up at this time, eat lunch, take a nap, play outside, eat dinner, take a bath and go to bed. That’s an average schedule for kids, but that type of structure is what kids need, otherwise, they won’t be ready for the real world where everything is structured. Your employees require similar structure in the workplace. And by structure I mean parameters and guidelines to follow, not direct orders. The structure is simply having an organized system in the way of doing things. Don’t cripple your employees by micromanaging their every move as that eliminates the structure and thus everything around it falls apart.

#2 – Utilize every mistake as a training opportunity. This is simply a change in mindset. In some households, we punish the kids for making mistakes, which is counterproductive. That type of behavior puts fear in them of ever making another mistake and can lead to the child having anxieties. Mistakes happen every day, so it’s about learning from those mistakes so that you don’t repeat them again. Confronting those mishaps head on, and letting your employees know that you will train them to not make the same mistake again, will build up the confidence and morale of your workforce.

#3 – Give them balance. Kids need balance. You have to make sure they have ample time to work and play. You have to make sure they have the right amount of vegetables and fruits and the right amount of sleep. Employees need that same balance. Make the workplace one in which they don’t feel like it’s all about work. Take team lunches, where no one is allowed to reference the company name, or have team meetings outside of the office. A well-balance employee will help you as the manager to better navigate the workplace when stressful times arrive.

#4 – Know there is more than one way. The world is ever-changing, and just because you did it one way, doesn’t mean it always has to be done that same way. We’ve all heard our parents tell stories of how they used to do this and used to do that. But those were different times for different people. People who never change get left behind. Don’t get left behind as a manager, allow your employees to open the door to new possibilities for you. Allowing them to show you new ways, results in higher employee engagement.

#5 – Take away their toys. Kid love toys, I think we all know that. Toys provide amusement and an outlet to get away from the reality that they live in. They are vital to kids, so when you take them away, it’s used as reinforcement for disciplinary actions. As a manager, it’s okay to remove those “toys” your employees enjoy if they are not performing up to standards – just so long as you return them when things get good again.

#6 – Discipline to correct, not to hurt. You have to be real careful when it comes to discipline, as there is a fine line between spankings and child abuse. Discipline serves as a systematic instruction to correct bad behavior. You’ll notice your employees misbehaving from time to time, and you’ll need to step in to restore order in the workplace. Restoring order does not involve demeaning or dehumanizing your employees, as hurt employees will resent you as a manager, and will not perform.

#7 – Surprise them with treats. I’m like a kid myself when it comes to treats – I LOVE OREOS! Now that I have kids, nothing makes them smile more than when I offer them candy or some other treat. That behavior doesn’t go away as we grow older, in fact, as we get older and experience the ups and downs of life, treats are what motivate us to perform to our best. Make sure that your employees know that you value them, by rewarding them with “treats” for a job well done.

#8 – Rejoice in their happiness. My kids get excited over the smallest things, things that don’t necessarily excite me, because I’m an adult. But I find happiness in knowing that they are happy. As a manager, it’s your job to connect with all of your employees so that you can share in the successes of their lives too. Even if it’s a “been there, done that” situation, the fact that you are happy for someone else, means that they’ll return the favor to you. In the church, they say, “if God blesses my neighbor, then I’ll be happy for them, because that means he’s on my street” – same thing applies for the workplace.

#9 – Prepare them for the future. As a parent, I always think about the future of my kids. Will they be prepared for school, will they be taken care of if they get sick, and so on. The biggest gift a parent can give a child is preparation for the future, because you are not always going to be there. As a manager, people change jobs frequently, so it’s imperative that you are training your staff for the future in the case of an employee leaving or you yourself take another position. Helping your staff prepare for the future, shows them that you have a vested interest in them, and in return, they will perform to their best.

#10 – Let them go. Fortunately, I haven’t had to deal with this situation yet, but we’ve heard the story over and over. A child has a disagreement with the parent, and then that disagreement turns into an argument, and that argument escalates into someone leaving. Or maybe it’s that situation where you’ve done all you can to correct the bad behavior, but they just aren’t getting it. That’s when it’s time to cut ties and move on – separation is not always a bad thing. Matter of fact, sometimes letting your employees go is best for both the organization and the employee.

5 REASONS WHY YOUR DESTINATION ADVERTISING SUCKS

The best way to encourage and persuade travelers to come visit your destination is through advertising. Nothing tugs at the heartstrings more of potential buyers than to be able to see the product that they are about to purchase, and in this case, nothing is more important than for the traveler to be able to see themselves in your destination. We all can use a little guidance as we continually develop new advertising strategies, and for that reason, I have decided to share with you five reasons why your destination advertising sucks. (For the context of this post, we’ll refer to advertising as just TV, radio, print and digital – no social.)

Your skyline is your advertisement. How many destination/travel publications have you read, where the ad used by the destination is a beautiful shot of their skyline? Too many to name I’m sure. BREAKING NEWS – people can get a skyline shot anywhere! In this day of technology, skyline photographs are easy to come by, so odds are that if travelers see the same shot in your advertisement as they have seen on your digital properties, it won’t be enough to keep their attention. Use a hero image that is indicative of the traveler’s experience, as you cannot visit a skyline.

Your copy is not compelling. Surely there is a list somewhere of the “most overly used” words in destination ad copy. Words like ‘experience’, ‘unique’ and ‘ideal location’ are used all the time. Read your copy, and if you feel like you can insert Anytown, USA into the ad, you have a problem. Let your ad tell the story of your destination that leads the reader to research it a little further on your website where you can convert them into a visitor.

Your creative doesn’t match across platforms. There is nothing worse in the world of advertising than when your ads do not match across multiple forms of media. Between print, TV, radio and digital, there should be some cohesiveness to the look and feel of your ads. There may also be times where you have changed the creative design of your print advertisements, but haven’t changed the creative design of your website. No worries, as that happens…your simple solution here is to create landing pages within your website that reflect the current ads you are running, and integrate them seamlessly into the skin of your website.

You are in the wrong publications. As a destination, it is imperative to know your story and know who you are for in order to reach the right people – and I’m talking beyond the women 25-54 segment. Audience segmentation is key, so make sure that your ads align with the right forms of media to get your message to the right audience at the right time in the right place.

Your agency does it all, and you just say ok. I’m all about teamwork, heck, “teamwork makes the dream work” (I just had to say it.) I truly believe that the best ideas are born out of collaboration, no isolation. Don’t allow your advertising agency to isolate you so far from the marketing process that the only input you give is a ‘yes’ or ‘no’. You should know more about your brand than they do, so it is critical for you to lead the strategy planning of how and where your messages go.

3 Mistakes Businesses Make On Social Media

One thing I love about my job, is that I get to do what I love everyday in an industry that is ever-changing. I love marketing, period. I also love to observe situations and provide tips on how to turn problems into solutions. All businesses have problems…especially when it comes to social media, and here are three mistakes that I see businesses making on social media:

1. Not knowing your story. Every business has a story, and every business has a customer. Know who you are and who you are for. Knowing your story goes hand-in-hand with your social strategy and your plan to get your name out to the world. Blanketing the masses is very expensive, so it’s vital that you know how to tell your story in such a way that people are compelled to listen, share and react.

2. Hogging the conversation. No one wants to be in a one-sided conversation. The best businesses are those that can get people talking about them, so they don’t have to do it themselves. The greatest compliment a business can get is to have someone refer another potential customer to them. Arm your social fans and followers with content that is share-able so you don’t have to do the heavy-lifting.

3. Not responding in a timely manner. I am blown away at the amount of comments and responses that businesses ignore on their social networks. All comments, both positive and negative, should be taken seriously – after all, they lead to further conversations. And conversations lead to relationships, and relationships lead to conversions…THE ULTIMATE GOAL!

The good thing about social media, is that no one is perfect at it - there are just others who are doing it better. Think about what you are doing wrong, and then come up with a plan to fix it. All of us who have done great things, have fixed a problem.

THE SOCIAL MEDIA PYRAMID: Three (tions) of social media

How are you gauging your brand presence on social media? I’m not talking about the likes, followers, fans, etc, but more about your actions on social media – actions that are broad enough for us to understand, but yet narrow enough for us to focus on.

Let’s look at a pyramid real quick. Pyramids are triangular in shape, with sides that converge to a single point at the top, with the majority of the weight at the base, which is the foundation. Strong foundations are the main reason why pyramids are still standing today, and have lasted since ancient civilization.

We can take this same pyramid, and use it as an analogy for social media. There are three action levels in the social media pyramid for brands, and quite frankly there are three social networks that align perfectly with each of these strategies. While some of us are at different levels, we should all strive to be doing all three – to get us to the top.

LEVEL 1 = INFORMATION.

This is your base, and probably the greatest strength of social media. Information is key, right? We already know what a simple internet search will provide us with, but social media is now giving us that same information without having to search for it. We can open up any number of social networks now and get breaking news, current affairs and other updates. Consumers are spending so much time on social networks that brands need to understand the importance of sharing information as opposed to waiting for a consumer to search for it. So at a minimum, you should be sharing information.

BEST TOOL: Facebook

LEVEL 2 = CONVERSATION.

What brands like the most about social media is using it as a way to converse with consumers – and by all means, they are correct. It’s one thing for you to share information, but it’s another thing for you to have conversation. At level two is where most brands fail, as they forget how to communicate with people. How many times do brands forget to respond to comments – both positive and negative? That is a killer. Conversations lead to prospects, prospects lead to purchases, and purchases make them customers. I always tell people to follow the 80:20 rule, 80 percent communication, 20 percent information. If you follow it, it forces you to have conversation.

BEST TOOL: Twitter

LEVEL 3 = INSPIRATION.

Now we are at the top, and this is the newest phase of social media – one that is taking off rather quickly. If you’ve figured out the art of sharing information, and mastered the craft of conversation, then inspiration is where you can get consumers to make that purchase. Social purchases are still not widely adopted, as consumers still make that final purchase in the store or at another time on an e-commerce website. But, I believe those times are changing with the rapid adoption of sites like Pinterest and Gentlemint that are built around inspiration – which in turn can easily link to a transaction page on your website. The group-buying sites Groupon and Living Social are good at this, and pretty soon brands will figure out a way to do it too.

BEST TOOL: Pinterest

Where are you at in the pyramid of social media?