The Travel Vertical

Weekly stories curated exclusively for digital tourism marketers

People Updates, Jobs, and RFPs

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Zeek Coleman has announced in a “bittersweet update” that he will be joining Adam Sacks and the team at Tourism Economics as Vice President, Americas. “Translating complex analytics into meaningful insights is my passion. In this role, I’ll do just that, while spearheading the delivery of economics-based solutions to DMO, association, and corporate clients.”

A widely admired professional on the eTourism Summit stage (and other industry conferences) over the years, Zeek departs Adara, Inc. as Head of Marketing-Tourism & Hospitality. Prior to joining Adara in 2021, Zeek served as Director of Data Intelligence at Visit Savannah, where he worked for over a decade.

President — Discover Stillwater, MN (new)

President & CEO — Springfield Convention & Visitors Bureau, MO

President & CEO — Visit Bath, VA

President & CEO — Visit Greenville, SC

Chief Executive Officer — Discover Santa Clara, CA

Executive Director — Visit Gilroy, CA

Executive Director — Wayne County Convention and Visitors Bureau, OH

Executive Director — Explore Sisters, OR

Executive Director — Explore Butte County, CA

Executive Director — Downtown Vacaville, CA

Executive Director — Visit Walla Walla, WA

Executive Director — Pacific County Tourism Bureau, WA

Executive Director — Great Lakes Sports Commission, MI

Assistant Commissioner of Marketing — Tennessee Department of Tourist Development (new)

Managing Director — Kansas City Area Development Council / Team KC (new)

Senior Vice President of Community Engagement & Public Affairs — Visit Seattle

Senior Vice President of Integrated Marketing — Brand USA

Vice President of Business Development — Explore Asheville

Vice President of Brand and Integrated Marketing — Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority

Vice President of Marketing and Communications AND Director of Downtown Initiatives — Experience Fayetteville

Vice President of Sales — Visit Wichita

Vice President of Sales — Bermuda Tourism Authority, NYC

Chief Marketing Officer — Visit Williamsburg

Senior Director of Human Resources & Culture — Destinations International

Director of Communications — Santa Monica Travel & Tourism (new)

Director of Communications — Visit Corpus Christi

Director of Research — Arizona Office of Tourism

Director of Market Research — Meet Minneapolis

Director of Marketing AND Director of Advocacy & Stewardship — Discover Long Island, NY (new)

Director of Marketing — Frankenmuth Chamber of Commerce and Convention & Visitors Bureau, MI

Deputy Director of Marketing — Destin-Fort Walton Beach

Director of Community Engagement & Destination Stewardship — Glacier Country Regional Tourism Commission, MT

Director of the Film & Creative Industries Office — Visit Dallas

Senior National Accounts Director AND Digital Design Specialist AND Website Manager — Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau

Senior Manager Public Relations & Communications AND Public Relations Manager AND Digital Marketing Manager — Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau

Social Media Manager AND National Sales Manager — Experience Scottsdale (new)

Manager of International Marketing — Visit California

Strategic Marketing Manager — Visit Mesa

Manager of Multicultural Marketing AND Senior Manager Convention Sales-Southwest & West— Destination Cleveland

Marketing Manager — Destination Bryan, TX

Digital Marketing & Content Manager — Crystal Coast Tourism Development Authority, NC

Communications Manager — Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority, NC 

Advertising & Marketing Manager — Visit Winston-Salem, NC (new)

Destination Development Specialist — Virginia Tourism Corporation (new)

Advertising Specialist — City of Ocean City, MD (new)

Media Relations Manager — Choose Chicago (new)

Media Relations Coordinator — Visit San Antonio

Marketing, Film & Music Administrator — City of San Antonio (new)

Director of Tourism, Sports, and Entertainment — City of Boston

Director of Destination Services — Little Rock Convention & Visitors Bureau

Visitor Services Manager — Visit Billings, MT

Tourism Marketing Manager — Laurens County Chamber of Commerce, SC

Senior Sales & Event Supervisor — Visit Central Florida / Polk County Tourism and Sports Marketing

Sales and Service Manager — Visit Oakland (new)

Sports Service Specialist — Fargo-Moorhead Convention & Visitors Bureau, ND

Sports Sales Manager — Oklahoma Convention & Visitors Bureau

Coordinator Sales and International Tourism —  Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau (new)

Business Analyst AND Data Scientist AND Data Analyst — Visit Grand Junction, CO

Partnerships Manager — Destination DC

Public Relations Manager — Wyoming Office of Tourism

Public Relations Manager — Visit Panama City Beach, FL

Member Engagement Specialist — Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce, MA

Executive Assistant to the CEO — Greater Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau, MA

Marketing Coordinator AND Public Relations / Communications Coordinator AND Corporate Citywide Sales Manager AND Mid-Market Sales Manager AND Tourism Coordinator — Visit Denver

Public Relations Specialist — Experience Columbus, OH (new)

Public Relations & Communications Coordinator — Visit Denver (new)

Tourism Coordinator — The Chickasaw Nation, OK

Tourism Development Coordinator — Highlands County Board of County Commissioners, FL

Manager, Meetings & Events — Singapore Tourism Board-Americas, San Francisco

Senior Business Development Manager-Media Sales — Expedia Group Media Solutions

Product Marketing Manager — Sojern

Paid Media Analyst AND Graphic Designer AND DMO Success Manager AND Content Manager — Miles Partnership, Remote 

Account Supervisor — BVK (new)

Group Director AND Project Manager AND Senior Media Planner-Digital AND Media Planner — Paradise Advertising & Marketing (new)

CEO — Society for Incentive Travel Excellence (SITE)

General Manager — Baltimore Convention Center (new)

General Manager — Charlotte Convention Center

General Manager — Los Angeles Convention Center

Digital Engagement & Community Manager — California Academy of the Sciences, San Francisco (new)

Vice President of Marketing and Communications — California Science Center, Los Angeles

Manager-Loyalty Partnerships — Amtrak, Washington DC

Social Media and Digital Content Manager — LEGOLAND Florida

R F P s

Park City Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Bureau is seeking a full-service agency to provide strategic guidance and creative and media services to develop the Park City Chamber of Commerce and Visit Park City brand and promote tourism, driving overnight visitation while reinforcing Park City’s sustainable tourism initiatives. 

The agency is required to be  a full-service agency with strong research and strategic planning, creative development, CRM, website design and  development, media and measurement, analytics and content production, with tourism experience. 

The initial scope of work will be from award date, anticipated as January 2023, through June 2025, with the option of three one-year extensions to be explored at that time. Proposals are due no later than 5 p.m. MDT on Sept. 29, 2022. Contact: gingerwicks@icloud.com

Hawaii’s Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism (DBEDT) is issuing this Request for Proposals (“RFP”) for Syndicated Tourism Survey Services for Fiscal Years 2023- 2025. The contractor shall provide access to a business intelligence system which includes aggregated data, collected, and compiled by the contractor. Offer due date is 09/30/2022 at 4:00 p.m. local time. More details are found here.

Franklin County, Florida, in the Sunshine State’s panhandle along the Gulf of Mexico, has issued a series of Request for Qualifications for firms that can perform marketing duties for the Franklin County Tourist Development Council.

New York State’s Rockland County plans to hire a firm to promote tourism to the “Gateway to the Hudson Valley” region.

Pine County, Minnesota, home to the Grand Casino Hinckley, is seeking proposals from firms that can devise a new brand, slogan and logo that attracts visitors to the county as well as future businesses and residents.

eTourism Summit Announces Winners in Fifth Annual eTSY Awards for Digital Excellence

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LIVE FROM ORLANDO! — June 7, 2022 — Connect Travel, owner and producer of eTourism Summit, is pleased to announce the winners of the 5th Annual Excellence “eTSY” Awards in partnership with Expedia Group Media Solutions and Zartico.

The recognition goes to destination marketing organizations and their media partners to applaud the best of 2021-2022 campaigns and programs with awards in categories that include innovation in brand refresh, viral campaign, influencer marketing, podcast, social media, video, and website. The audience used a QR code to pull up a new category on the spot, entering their votes for “Best of the Best.”

The awards were presented live on June 7 during the 23rd Annual eTourism Summit in Orlando, co-located with IPW and Connect THRIVE Summit.

“Once again, the quality of digital marketing in the travel and tourism industry was so impressive,” said J. William Seccombe, president of Connect Travel. “We applaud everyone for submitting such outstanding entries and congratulate all the winners.”

Monya Mandich
Zeek Coleman
Josh Collins

Big appreciation (!) goes to our panel of three expert judges: Monya Mandich, Global Vice President, Marketing at Expedia Group Media Solutions; Zeek Coleman, Head of Marketing – Tourism & Hospitality at ADARA, Inc.; and Josh Collins, Chief Product Officer at Zartico. The judges considered budget as well as three key criteria: strategy and objective, creativity, and impact/measurability.

Double thanks to Derek Price, Director of Business Development-North America, Expedia Group Media Solutions and to Josh Collins for sponsoring and hosting the fun awards presentation.

​​2022 eTSY Award Winners

Winners in order per list below, left to right, top to bottom. Discover Puerto Rico CMO Leah Chandler (below) accepts
“Best of the Best”
based on the audience vote.

Innovation in Brand Refresh

Winner: Visit Corpus Christi for “Positioning Corpus Christi as the Gulf Coast Capital”

Innovation in a Campaign That Went Viral

Winner: Discover Puerto Rico for “Live From Puerto Rico! Dick Clark’s First-Ever Spanish Language Countdown”

Innovation in Influencer Marketing

Winner: Visit Laredo for “Welcome Back to Laredo”

Innovation in a Podcast

Winner: Discover Long Island for “Long Island Tea”

Innovation in Social Media

Winner: Alabama Tourism Department for “The Most Relaxing Trip Ever”

Innovation in Video

Winner: South Carolina Division of Tourism for “Go For It – Season 2”

Innovation in a Website

Winner: Visit St. Pete Clearwater for Visit St. Pete Clearwater Website Relaunch

“Best of the Best” — Audience Vote

Winner: Discover Puerto Rico

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ABOUT eTOURISM SUMMIT: Founded in 2000, eTourism Summit is the signature event for destination marketing professionals focused on digital media. Attendees at the annual eTourism Summit get up-to-the-minute, real life examples of the latest applications in video, content marketing, email marketing, search, social media, AI and VR, mobile and web design. They share case studies that demonstrate how fellow tourism marketers, vendors and other partners innovate to build incremental traffic at every stage of the funnel. For more information, visit www.eTourismSummit.com.                    

ABOUT CONNECT TRAVEL: Connect Travel creates efficient and effective environments to expedite the sales process by connecting tourism professionals with the products, services, people and ideas that allow them to thrive in a rapidly evolving and highly competitive global marketplace. For more information, visit connecttravel.com. 

People: Two Big Moves to ADARA and More Updates

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As much as we wanted to break this ADARA people news here in The Travel Vertical, well…LinkedIn got there first. We understand there could be another announcement expected shortly, so watch this space.

Who do you know that should be pictured here? Please send us your people news for sharing with the eTourism Community.

Leroy Bridges, formerly Vice President Digital & Communications at Visit St. Pete Clearwater has announced a move to ADARA after 9.5 years. His new position is Account Executive – Customer Success, Tourism.

A longtime friend and presenter at eTourism Summit over several years, Leroy has generously shared many insights with the community.

Jeremy Harvey, formerly Vice President of Communications & Marketing at Visit Savannah since 2013, has joined ADARA as Senior Industry Specialist – Tourism.

Jeremy’s previous executive roles in DMO marketing were in Virginia at Visit Loudon and the Alexandria Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Zeek Coleman, a former team member at Visit Savannah, joined ADARA as Senior Director – Product Marketing in April 2021, as reported here.

Julie Schmitz Jensen, President & CEO, Rapid City Convention & Visitors Bureau, has announced her retirement. She joined the bureau as executive director in 1983 following four years as assistant director at the Sioux City CVB.

Amy Olmsted is the new Associate Director of Development at Visit Napa Valley. A sales and marketing media executive with board member experience including Cal Travel, she joins from Wine Business Monthly.

Kelly Saling has been promoted to Senior Vice President/Chief Sales Officer at Visit Seattle. She joined the organization in 2009.

Sue Barton, Tony Lyle, Stuart Maas, Juraj Sojka, Trent Unruh

Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority announced three promotions and two new hires in a restructuring for future growth. Sue Barton is the Chief Operating Officer; Tony Lyle is Chief Marketing Officer; Stuart Maas is Director of Marketing and Conference Sales; Juraj Sojka has been hired as the Director of Leisure Sales; and Trent Unruh has been hired as a Marketing Communications Coordinator.

Pasadena Convention & Visitors Bureau makes two new hires, welcoming Karalee Adams as California State Association Sales Manager and Jacky Jabourian as Destination Services Manager. 

Adams (left) most recently served as Sales Account Manager overseeing the Northern California and Pacific Northwest Region for San Mateo/Silicon Valley CVB. Prior to joining Visit Pasadena, Jabourian (right) served as Director of Destination Sales and Director of Client Services for Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board. 

Visit Omaha has added three senior executives to the convention sales team.

(Left to right): Mark Rath, CSEE, who joined the DMO in 1997, will serve as the Director of Sports. Mattie Scheeter, joining from Sioux Falls Convention & Visitors Bureau is named as Director of Sales. Matt Heck, a six-year veteran of the DMO, is promoted to Senior Sales Manager.

Jake Wynn, Marketing and Communications Manager, and Tessa Joseph, Sales and Marketing Coordinator, are the newest team members at Visit Frederick in Maryland.

Wynn joins from the National Museum of Civil War Medicine, where he worked for eight years as Director of Interpretation. Joseph had previously served as executive director of Explore Naples, a DMO in upstate New York.

In Honolulu, Catherine Orlans fills a new role as Destination Manager – O’ahu at the Hawaii Convention & Visitors Bureau. She holds a degree in travel industry management from the University of Hawaii at Manoa and has work experience in hospitality, sales and marketing, and sustainability. 

In Virginia, Halifax County Department of Tourism announced Ben Owen, a lifelong resident, as Marketing Assistant. After earning honors in recreation, parks, and tourism at Radford University, he worked for the Virginia Service and Conservation Corps at Staunton River State Park.

Rachel Tomlin is now an Executive Recruiter at Searchwide Global, assisting with director and C-level searches. Based in Charlotte, NC, she had previously been with the company in 2018 as a researcher and recruiter.

Bob Sacco is the Interim CMO at Arrivalist. He joined the visitation intelligence company earlier this year from Phocuswright Inc. where he was a research analyst.

People & Jobs: Our Dynamic eTourism Community

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PEOPLE

Cleo Battle, currently chief operating officer for Louisville Tourism, is about to take on the role of president and CEO as of July 1 (The Travel Vertical, 2/21/2021). 

“It’s a long time coming,” Battle said with a smile. “I’ve spent many years in the hotel business, and this is my 25th year on the DMO side.”

Meetings Today notes that Battle joins a number of Black DMO leaders in the role of president & CEO: Elliott L. Ferguson III, Destination DC; Al Hutchinson, Visit Baltimore; Julie Coker, San Diego Tourism Authority: Melvin Tennant, Meet Minneapolis; Timothy Bush, One Spartanburg; Bennish Brown, Augusta CVB; and Rickey L. Thigpen, Visit Jackson. (updated)

Marc Anderson has been named as the new president & CEO of Visit San Antonio from June 1, succeeding Casandra Matej, who joined Visit Orlando in January. For the past six years, Anderson has served as COO at Choose Chicago. He is currently on the board of directors for U.S. Travel Association and co-chair of its CEO Roundtable, an executive committee member of the Meetings Mean Business Coalition, and a member on Destinations International’s Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee.

Sonya Bradley has a new job, announcing: “I’d like to share that today I take on the role of Chief of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for Visit Sacramento. I’m excited and nervous to take on this newly created role. I look forward to working with my fellow tourism pros who are doing this work and help make a difference in this area.” Bradley transitions into the new role from chief of marketing at Visit Sacramento for 15 years.

Zeek Coleman, Director of Data Intelligence at Visit Savannah (and valued member of the eTourism Summit Advisory Board) is moving on to a new chapter. In his own words, “After 10+ years at Visit Savannah, I’m leaving our organization near the end of this month. On April 30th, I’ll be in a new role with the awesome team at ADARA (very excited about what’s to come).”

And in turn, Lauren Cleland has taken on an expanded role at Visit Savannah, promoted to Director of Data Intelligence & Digital Marketing. She had been Director of Digital Marketing at the DMO where she has served in several positions since 2015. Lauren has also been a popular speaker at recent eTourism Summit conferences.

Choose Chicago and its CEO, David Whitaker, have agreed not to renew five-year deal as the agency struggles with cuts forced by the pandemic. Whitaker’s five-year agreement expires July 6. The organization indicated the decision to not renew the contract was mutual. Before Choose Chicago, Whitaker was CMO at Brand USA. Previously, he served for served for eight years as president & CEO at Destination Toronto. For nearly 17 years, he was also EVP of Greater Miami CVB.

In Wisconsin, Tim Malenock is the new executive director at Walworth County Visitors Bureau in Delavan on Lake Geneva. His previous tourism roles include Milwaukee Public Museum, Milwaukee Art Museum and Shedd Aquarium.

In North Carolina, Dianna Pierce has retired following more than 21 years at the Explore Asheville Convention & Visitors Bureau. She contributed a couple of decades’ service as vice president of sales and, prior to that, as director of tourism.

Ann Pilcher has departed Pocono Mountains Convention & Visitors Bureau following 23 years of service, joining Lamont Associates, a site selection and meeting resource firm, as senior director of global accounts.

Emily Lessard, Chief Strategy Officer at Bellweather Agency, has announced a refresh for Visit Napa Valley as a team effort involving audits, research, strategy, design, content, and more. She writes, “This project was a collaboration of three agencies working together: Mering led the rebrand and Simpleview led the website development.” Early results:

  • +9% new users vs 2019
  • +195% new users vs 2020
  • +27% organic traffic vs 2019

Todd O’Leary, VP Marketing & Communications at Sonoma County Tourism in Northern California’s wine country has worked with Miles Partnership to transform what was an official visitors guide in print into an immersive, interactive digital product to inspire travel. Take a look.

David West, Executive Director Destination Marketing at Herschend Family Entertainment (Dollywood, Stone Mountain, Calloway Resort & Gardens, Newport Aquarium, Kentucky Kingdom, and more), has announced the company’s first international partnership: Vancouver Aquarium.

Lady Liberty has the best headshot. New York State, including the global gateway New York City, has ended a mandatory quarantine and testing requirement for international travelers, but recommends they still do so. Note: The C.D.C. requires all international travelers arriving in the United States to show proof of a recent negative test result before boarding their flights. 

Matt Cutts, Administrator of the U.S. Digital Service since 2016, has announced his departure.

Author on a dozen patents for web search ranking and technology, the former Google Distinguished Engineer, an SEO expert who developed the search engine from 2000, writes, “As this new Administration takes off, we need the help of even more folks who are passionate about how technology can make government more equitable and accessible. If you’re an engineer, designer, product manager, acquisition strategist, or policy expert who cares about making government work better for real people, please consider applying to join us, or reach out.” Contact us at usds@omb.eop.gov or visit our Hiring FAQ.

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JOBS

President & CEO — Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau

President & CEO — Visit Phoenix

President & CEO — Visit Franklin, TN

President & CEO — Visit Greenville, SC

President & CEO — Explore Newnan-Coweta, Inc., GA

Chief Marketing Officer — Rhode Island Commerce Corp.

Sr. Vice President-Marketing — Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau

VP-Marketing and Communications — Experience Rochester | Mayo Convention Center, MN

VP-Information Technology — Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority

VP-Marketing — Reno-Sparks Convention and Visitors Authority

VP-Marketing AND VP-Sales — Visit Wichita

VP-Marketing — Visit Florida

Chief Marketing Officer — Nevada Division of Tourism

Director-Informational Technology — Visit Seattle

Director of Brand Marketing /Content Development — Sonoma County Tourism, CA

Director of Sales & Marketing — Dayton Convention Center, OH

Director Insights & Analytics AND Partner Services & Relationship Manager — Destination Cleveland

Senior Manager SEO Integration — NYC & Company, Remote

Marketing Director AND Director of Business Development — Visit Napa Valley, CA

Director of Marketing — Discover Long Island, NY

Executive Director — Explore Utah Valley, Provo

Executive Director — Corpus Christi Sports Commission, TX

Executive Director — Central Wisconsin Convention & Visitors Bureau, Wausau

Executive Director — eXplore Lawrence, KS

Executive Director — Douglas County Travel and Tourism, GA

Executive Director — Discover Dunwoody, GA

President & CEO — Seattle Southside Regional Tourism Authority, WA

President & CEO — Tucson Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, AZ

President & CEO — Greater Brighton Chamber of Commerce & Tourism Bureau, CO

President & CEO — Sumter County Chamber of Commerce, Americus, GA

President & CEO — Big Sky Chamber of Commerce & Visit Big Sky, MT

CEO — Experience Olympia & Beyond, WA

Director — Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism

Executive Director — Park County Travel Council, Cody, WY

Executive Director — Valdosta-Lowndes Co. Conference Center & Tourism Authority, GA

Executive Director — Southwest Virginia Cultural Heritage Foundation, Washington, VA

Executive Director — Willamette Falls and Landings Heritage Area Coalition, Marylhurst, OR

Executive Director — Tulsa Community Foundation, OK

Executive Director-Downtown Odessa, Inc.  — City of Odessa, TX

Executive Director — Madison Chamber of Commerce, CT

Executive Director — Sabine Parish Tourist Commission, LA

VP-Sales — Explore Asheville CVB, NC

National Acct. Executive — Visit Milwaukee (in Washington, DC)

Director of Finance & Administration — Visit Annapolis & Anne Arundel County, MD

FInance & HR Manager AND PR & Communications Manager — Visit SLO CAL, CA

Director Marketing-Canada — German National Tourist Office, Toronto

Director Tourism Investment (closing 4/14) AND Specialist-Media Relations & Consumer Marketing (closing 4/20) AND Specialist-Stakeholder Engagement (closing 4/16) — Travel Alberta

Public Relations Manager — Visit California

Director of Communications — Santa Monica Travel & Tourism

Director of Brand Marketing / Content Development — Sonoma County Tourism, CA

Director of Marketing and Public Relations — Visit Beloit, WI

Director, Content Strategy — Choose Chicago

Director of Market Experiences — Visit Halifax

Digital Marketing Storyteller — Visit Quad Cities, Moline, IA

Manager of Video & Digital Marketing — Think Iowa City, IA

Senior Director-Membership Engagement — Destinations International

Management and Program Analyst — U.S. Department of the Interior, Wash., D.C. (or remote)

Director of Marketing & Communications — North Louisiana Economic Partnership, Shreveport, LA

Director of Marketing & PR — Visit Beloit, WI

Director of Marketing & Communications — Golden Isles CVB, San Simons Island, GA

Marketing Project Manager — Travel Portland, OR

Marketing Manager — Visit Macon, GA

Marketing Manager — Visit Tri-Cities, Kennewick, WA

Marketing Manager — Visit Yuma, AZ

Deputy Director of Marketing — Destin-Fort Walton Beach, FL

Advertising Sales & Membership Development Manager — Greater Boston Convention and Visitors Bureau

Research Manager — Experience Kissimmee, FL

Business Analyst — Visit Grand Junction, CO

Research & Analytics Manager — Visit Corpus Christi, TX

Research & Analytics Manager — Visit Valley Forge, PA

Strategic Communications Writer — Dept. of Transportation | State of Georgia

Director of Digital Marketing AND Digital Content Producer AND Domestic Marketing Manager AND Research Specialist — Georgia Department of Economic Development–Tourism

Digital Content Manager — Maryland Department of Commerce-Division of Marketing, Tourism, and the Arts

Communications Manager — Downtown Long Beach Alliance, CA

Content Marketing Writer AND Creative Producer AND Multimedia Designer — Wisconsin Department of Tourism

Marketing/Sales Manger — Wisconsin Rapids Area Convention & Visitors Bureau

Director of Sales & Marketing — Official ASM Global (Convention Center), Dayton, OH

Senior Leisure Marketing Manager AND Senior CRM & Digital Marketing Manager — Experience Columbus, OH

Director of Sales & Marketing — Official ASM Global (Convention Center), Columbus, OH

Group Sales Manager-Eastern Region — Boise Convention & Visitors Bureau, ID

Social Media & Content Associate AND Digital & Creative Associate AND Partner Relations Manager — Visit Pensacola, FL

Sports & Events Sales Manager — Travel Salem, OR

Cultural Heritage and Tourism Manager — Visit Natchez, MS

Communications Coordinator — Downtown Raleigh Alliance, NC

Digital Content Marketing Coordinator — Wild Horse Pass Development Authority, Chandler, AZ

Economic Development Tourism Manager — City of Danville, VA

Sales Manager-SMERF — City of McKinney, TX

Marketing Manager — City of Pearland, TX

Historic Preservation Coordinator — Commonwealth of Kentucky

Executive Director — Pleasanton Downtown Association, CA

Destination Services Manager — Discover The Palm Beaches, FL

Event Services Manager — Fargo-Moorhead Convention and Visitors Bureau, ND

Grants Coordinator — Travel Oregon

Business Development Coordinator — Visit Visalia, CA

Tourism & Economic Initiatives Coordinator — City of Prescott, AZ

Tourism & Marketing Events Coordinator — City of Katy, TX

Executive Director — Discover Dunwoody, GA

Executive Director — Pleasanton Downtown Association, CA

Executive Director — Lake Eufaula Association, Eufaula, OK

President — Copperas Cove Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Bureau, TX

Economic Development Tourism Manager — City of Danville, VA

Social Media Strategist Fellow — Visit Sitka, AK

Marketing Manager — City of Pearland, TX

Marketing Assistant — Visit Buffalo-Niagara, N

Marketing Associate — Visit Modesto, CA

Creative Services Manager — Visit Bucks County, PA

Digital Marketing Associate — 1Berkshire, Pittsfield, MA

Marketing Coordinator — Destination British Columbia

Digital Content Marketing Coordinator — Wild Horse Pass Development Authority, Chandler, AZ

City Manager — City of Saint Louis Park , MN

Economist — Tourism Economics, Wayne, PA

Sr. Marketing Content Manager — Expedia Group Media Solutions, Seattle

Client Services Manager AND Client Success Manager AND Partnership Outreach Manager (remote) AND SDET/QA Automation Architect AND Product Owner (onsite) — Bandwango, Murray, UT

Email Marketing & Automation Campaign Manager — MMGY Global, Overland Park, KS

Account Executive — MMGY Global, Myrtle Beach, SC (Remote)

Chief Sales Officer — Arrivalist, NYC or Naples, FL

Digital Content Editor AND Content Coordinator AND Business Intelligence Manager AND Conversion Specialist AND Product Manager AND SEO Sitemap Analyst — Simpleview, Tucson (or remote)

Account Director AND Digital Account Manager — Miles Partnership, Remote

Sr. WordPress and Front End Developer — Madden Media, Tucson

Search Engine Optimization Manager — Tempest, Philadelphia

Sr. Account Executive (Sales) – Tourism — Journera, Chicago

SEO Specialist AND PR/Content Coordinator — Relic Advertising + EKR, Provo, UT

Director Branding & Promotions — Amtrak, Wash., D.C.

Specialist, Global Advertising — Hawaiian Airlines, Honolulu

Principal Marketing & Public Relations Representative (Limited) — Port of San Diego, CA

Media Buyer-Programmatic — Creative Digital Agency, Las Vegas

Digital Advertising Analyst — Search Influence, New Orleans

PPC Specialist — Mediagistic, Tampa

Hotels Market Manager-Tennessee AND San Francisco AND Mexico (Remote) — Hopper

Director of Public Relations — Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum, Nashville

Director of Public Relations — Peek, NYC

Marketing Manager — Sunriver Resort, OR

Chief Commercial Officer — Camelback Resort, PA

Area Director of Marketing AND Director of Hybrid Events (remote) — Pacific Hospitality Group, Napa, CA

Experience Director — Sorrel River Ranch Resort & Spa, Moab, UT

Brand Marketing Manager — River Park Square, Spokane, WA

Director of Digital Marketing — SpeedVegas, Las Vegas

Senior Destination Manager — GetYourGuide, NYC

Destination Management-Senior Project Manager — Silversea Cruises, Miami

Project Manager-Ticketing Operations (Theme Parks, Aquariums, Attractions) — Herschend Family Entertainment, Peachtree Corners, GA

Manager, Marketing Entertainment & Special Events at Grand Canal Shoppes — Brookfield Properties, Las Vegas

CRM Manager — Summit One Vanderbilt, NYC

Marketing & Sales Manager — Meow Wolf, Santa Fe

Director — Jack Daniel’s Homeplace, Lynchburg, TN

Event & Venue Coordinator — Genesee Country Village & Museum, Mumford, NY

Help! Research is a Monster and I’m Buried in Old Data

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Takeaways and tips from the first “See Tomorrow” conversation series…you won’t want to shove these to the back of the closet.

“Clutter is not just physical stuff. It’s also old ideas, toxic relationships, and bad habits. Clutter is anything that does not support your better self. ” — Eleanor Brownn

Supported by an expert panel of DMO tourism data geeks and marketers, Ted Sullivan and Esra Calvert from Entrada Insights fielded questions about decluttering the monster that is research and data. Responses are summarized; some are tagged. 

Q: How many do you have coming into your DMO? How many do you think you really need?

Two dozen, perhaps? It’s difficult to determine what’s truly important, but quite a lot should be thrown out: vanity metrics, pixel tracking, duplicate data sets, summaries that are dated before you get them. 

Importantly, make sure your data is answering your key questions, such as: Who are my top audiences? Where do they come from? What do they like to do? Did we reach them? How can we improve on their experience? 

Q: Like cleaning out your closet…Name two data streams you’d like to get rid of and two you’d like to add.

No data is singular. Correlation doesn’t equal causation, so we benefit from triangulation of data points. It’s not really about having the “right number.” It’s about establishing what you need to plan your marketing strategy and what you need to share with stakeholders. (Zeek)

Within a DMO, data suits different departments, so it’s useful to layer these needs. Talking among ourselves about STR data, for example, can lead to better insights. What has changed? rid of old Covid numbers and data. Let’s add tools that help with spending. The surprise may be that email open rates still provide useful information when we communicate with locals. (Mitch)

Bookings are now more pertinent than brand awareness and website analytics. Top priority is to definitely keep data that supports economic impact. (Janette)

And, resident sentiment  research is essential. Because people are evaluating destinations in different ways now, image research is very interesting. (Andria)

Q: What DMO’s data and marketing strategy do you admire most?

I like bouncing things off Lauren Phillips at Visit Fort Worth. But when I explore new ideas with vendors, I typically find out that Leroy Bridges at Clearwater St Pete CVB had already had that conversation, so he’s “a mystery to me.” (Zeek)

Destination Canada is a thought leader. (Mitch)

Visit Florida and other west coast Florida DMOs. (Janette) 

At Longwoods International, we work with 150 DMOs, so it’s a broad viewpoint. Generally, having long-term and short-term goals in mind at the same time, all the time is a critical skill. We must not just see the year-end summary report like it’s a Christmas present. (Andria)

Q: With so much data available daily, how much time is too long to even be relevant to your destination? With so much, how do you balance timelines and relevance? Is there a mix that makes sense?

Time is precious and our resources are fewer than ever. Cleaning the data, inputting, referencing, juggling spreadsheets, managing the shelf-life is a time sink but it’s a “whole job”— a critical task.   

Q: If marketing is now focusing on behaviors more than demographics, which data is now just clutter or irrelevant to your efforts?

Our post-Covid understandings now go beyond “the road trip.” Drive market is on the chopping block. We need to focus on the ‘why.’ What do they like; why are they coming here? (Mitch)

Data should serve goals, not the other way around. Bring your summary data to your meetings so it can inform strategy. (Mitch)

We look at separating short-term metrics from that which has legs. (Janette) 

Q: Travel decisions are now emotional to our visitors. Is data that looks at the past still relevant or has it become clutter for your organization?

Metaphorically speaking, how do we get people to buy this box of cereal, not that one? (Andria)

Business, meetings, and events will come back; set long-term goals with that in mind. Look at PR (Cision Insights) and social media as a resource that’s timely and can fill in gaps on smaller trends between larger scale reporting. (Mitch)

Q: What is your data addiction? What can you not get rid of?

Anonymized location-based data is “creepy but sensational.” (Zeek)

In-market spending and out-of-state credit card spending. 

Interactive crosstab tool in Longwoods International products. 

Addicted to PR stats to help build and tell our stories, allow people to see themselves fitting into those stories that resonate with the community and with visitors.

Data that informs likelihood to travel at the top of the funnel. 

Keep the statistics that support your KPIs to help prove your existence. (Janette)

Data should serve goals, not the other way around. Bring your summary data to your meetings so it can inform strategy. (Mitch)

Q: What do you recommend to DMO hoarding addicts?

Set a goal and let the data support the goal, not vice versa. 

Build an internal team to clean, categorize the data.

Evolve. Use tech. Let the old stuff go. 

Bring your stakeholders — including residents — into your communications.

Buy a whiteboard. Ideate. Erase. And ideate some more. 

SAVE THE DATE & REGISTER for the next “See Tomorrow” Conversation — Wednesday, Feb. 10 at 1 p.m. ET — “See the Forest AND the Trees: Top Learnings From 2020 as Guideposts for 2021.”

Staff

Laurie Jo Miller Farr, Editor
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