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Destination On The Left

Destination On The Left is a podcast focused on the travel and tourism industry that explores successful collaborations, creative marketing ideas and best practices. Interviews are a mix of Destination Marketers, Industry Leaders, Consultants and businesses in the industry. We explore consumer marketing programs and travel trade marketing programs. This podcast provides an opportunity for professionals in the travel & tourism industry to share what they have learned and successes that they have achieved.
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Now displaying: January, 2021
Jan 27, 2021

Tim Midgley has over 15 years of technology strategy consulting experience in both corporate and startup environments. He enjoys working in a variety of roles that require modern knowledge of solution creation, business analysis, and product design. Tim is a highly sought after resource for friends and family when they are seeking motivation, guidance, or feedback across a variety of work-related or wellness-focused initiatives.

Destination on the Left is joined by Tim Midgley, co-founder of Diemlife. Diemlife is a platform designed to build teams, create events, launch campaigns. They specialize in virtual and hybrid events that drive results and marketing goals. During our conversation, Tim explains how Diemlife helps communities and organizations mobilize their people. He also shares insights about his company’s new perspective on activation and engagement. And he discusses his philosophy on the 6 Pillars of Wellness.

What You Will Learn:

  • Tim’s journey into the travel and tourism industry
  • How the Diemlife platform helps communities and organizations mobilize their people
  • How a new perspective on activation can drive results and marketing goals
  • Tim’s philosophy on the 6 Pillars of Wellness
  • How Diemlife’s “quests” connect organizations with the resources they need to grow
  • How you can get involved in the World’s Biggest Race for Wellness hosted by Diemlife
  • How Diemlife has been able to accomplish incredible things with its partners in response to COVID

Diemlife

Destination on the Left is joined by Tim Midgley, co-founder of Diemlife. Diemlife is a platform designed to build teams, create events, launch campaigns. They specialize in virtual and hybrid events that drive results and marketing goals. During our conversation, Tim explains how Diemlife helps communities and organizations mobilize their people. He also shares insights about his company’s new perspective on activation and engagement. And he discusses his philosophy on the 6 Pillars of Wellness.

Embarking on a Quest

“Quests” are a core element of the Diemlife framework. They are a unique take on campaigns that connect organizations with the resources they need to accomplish their goals. Diemlife works with universities, cities, and other organizations to engage their customers in the unique quest platform that amplifies the brand journey. In the travel and tourism industry, however, the journey is literal, and it offers DMOs a bunch of tools to create stronger connections with the travelers who visit.

What is Really Happening in Your Community?

In addition to quests, Diemlife’s mission is largely driven by their 6 Pillars of Wellness: physical, mental, social, environmental, occupational, and financial. Not everyone thinks of these things when they think about their wellness journey, but they are important to consider as you pursue growth in your organization. When it comes to communities, tourism, and how these segments can get creative with the Diemlife platform, Tim and his team offer insights into the demographic composition of a community and the activities they are participating in. A quest can be anything, so it provides an organic look at what communities are up to. Destinations of all sizes need a partner that is creative and quick on their feet.

Jan 20, 2021

Eric Patrick is a lifelong marketing professional earning a degree in Advertising from Washington State University. He spent the first 10 years of his career working for small advertising agencies in Portland, OR and central Washington State. Through that experience, he started marketing fruits and vegetables extensively around 2000 and has been at it ever since. Working for one of the largest shippers of apples/pears/cherries in the U.S. and currently at a large distributor based in Oakland, CA. He has traveled extensively during his fresh produce career and also started marketing for other companies such as Tajin Seasonings and about 5 years ago he was asked to pitch a tourism account with a friend. The account was Union Gap, WA Tourism, a small DMO in central Washington State and a small town in Yakima County. Eric also teaches an Intro to Advertising Class at Yakima Valley College.

Destination on the Left is joined by Eric Patrick, the Marketing and Tourism Director for Union Gap, Washington. During our conversation, Eric discusses the different ways he is creatively generating awareness for Union Gap. He also explains how Asparafest—an asparagus-themed restaurant weekend—was dawned after one of Union Gap’s local restaurants was presented with the James Beard Award. Eric has been able to build a global network for his Twitter Chat called, #SmallTownTourismChat, and on our podcast, he shares insights about what small towns are doing to drive traffic as the travel industry returns.

What You Will Learn:

  • The different ways Eric is creatively promoting tourism in Union Gap, WA
  • How Eric has generated awareness for Union Gap during the pandemic
  • How Eric leveraged the James Beard Award won by a local restaurant to drive awareness
  • The roles of creativity and collaboration in driving tourism for Union Gap
  • Eric’s journey into the travel and tourism industry
  • What opportunities lie ahead for small-town destinations in 2021

Union Gap, WA

Destination on the Left is joined by Eric Patrick, the Marketing and Tourism Director for Union Gap, Washington. During our conversation, Eric discusses the different ways he is creatively generating awareness for Union Gap. He also explains how Asparafest—an asparagus-themed restaurant weekend—was dawned after one of Union Gap’s local restaurants was presented with the James Beard Award. Eric has been able to build a global network for his Twitter Chat called, #SmallTownTourismChat, and on our podcast, he shares insights about what small towns are doing to drive traffic as the travel industry returns.

Putting Union Gap on the Map

When most people think of Washington state, they think of destinations like Seattle and Spokane. Union Gap is not so familiar, but it has a flavor all its own. Located on the east side of the state, Union Gap is nestled in the agricultural belt of Washington which gets over 300 days of sun per year. It is only a half-hour from the mountains, with Mt. Rainier in plain view. Despite its small size, Union Gap offers an unparalleled charm that appeals to outdoor enthusiasts and wine/craft beer connoisseurs alike. Eric has been able to leverage all of these traits to put Union Gap on the map, and he is helping tons of other small-town destinations do the same.

Finding Opportunity in 2021

2020 has obviously been a challenging year for everyone in every destination, but looking forward, Eric plans to continue what he started. Union, Gap was on the precipice of widespread recognition before the pandemic. They have tons of unique events, from the world’s largest sprint car show to the annual Pioneer Power show hosted every summer. Eric’s focus as the Marketing and Tourism Director has been to bring these events to the forefront and use them to define Union Gap. He has continued to do that virtually during the pandemic, and as things reopen, the physical events will re-emerge as well. 2021 has so much opportunity, and Union Gap will be positioning themselves as an essential stop in the year of the road trip, with tons of outdoor activities to keep you busy. There is opportunity for every small town destination out there, so join the conversation in Eric’s #SmallTownTourismChat on Twitter.

We value your thoughts and feedback and would love to hear from you. Leave us a review on your favorite streaming platform to let us know what you want to hear more of. Here is a quick tutorial on how to leave us a rating and review on iTunes!: https://breaktheicemedia.com/rating-review/

Jan 13, 2021

A marketing strategist for over 30 years, Susan Baier founded Audience Audit in 2009 to help organizations understand their best audiences based on attitudes and needs rather than just demographics or purchase behavior. She develops custom segmentation research for marketers and agencies around the world, supporting their efforts to create marketing initiatives that are more relevant, more efficient, and more impactful.

Destination on the Left is joined again by Susan Baier to discuss the impact collaboration has on the travel and tourism industry. Susan is the founder of Audience Audit, a research firm that studies the attitudes behind consumer behaviors and beliefs. Susan teamed up with our host Nicole Mahoney to conduct a study about the far-reaching effects of coopetition, where perceived competitors accomplish something bigger than themselves by coming together.

What You Will Learn:

  • An overview of the findings from Susan and Nicole’s research study on collaboration
  • The impact collaboration has on the travel and tourism industry
  • How perceived competitors can use coopetition to accomplish something bigger than themselves by coming together
  • How attitudinal research works, and why it is more effective in our industry
  • The industry-wide sentiment toward collaboration in travel and tourism
  • The three different types of collaborators and how each one affects the group dynamic
  • Where tourism professionals are seeking resources on collaboration

Collaboration in the Pandemic

Susan Baier is back for another episode of Destination on the Left to discuss the impact collaboration has on the travel and tourism industry. She is the founder of Audience Audit, a research firm that studies the attitudes behind consumer behaviors and beliefs. Susan teamed up with host Nicole Mahoney to conduct a study about the far-reaching effects of coopetition, where perceived competitors accomplish something bigger than themselves by coming together. As we transition into a new year during these difficult times, it is important to understand how our organizations can use collaboration to navigate new challenges and measure our success.

Data That Aligns With Your Goals

There is an overwhelming amount of data available to destination marketers, but it is often the case that only a small portion of it aligns with our goals. So much data is virtually useless to us and as a result, we approach marketing strategy with expensive blind spots. While two individuals in a marketing segment may appear similar on the surface, they likely have two completely different sets of needs and problems that cannot be addressed with one blanket communication tactic. Attitudinal research offers a solution for destination marketers by providing them with targeted research based on needs and attitudes instead of demographics and purchase behaviors.

There is a Demand for Collaboration

The goal of Nicole and Susan’s study was to understand the industry-wide sentiment toward collaboration in travel and tourism. There were approximately 161 completed responses in the initial survey, providing enough data for the results to be statistically significant while offering a wide spectrum of attitudinal differences to compare with the results. The interesting thing about research is that it doesn’t always prove that you don’t know what you’re talking about—sometimes it has the opposite effect. This study reinforced the willingness to collaborate in all segments of the travel and tourism industry, with 76% of respondents having collaborated with direct competitors. What does this mean for you? It means there are an abundance of new opportunities to overcome challenges of the pandemic if you are willing to seek them out. This is huge for travel professionals from all walks of life.

We value your thoughts and feedback and would love to hear from you. Leave us a review on your favorite streaming platform to let us know what you want to hear more of. Here is a quick tutorial on how to leave us a rating and review on iTunes!: https://breaktheicemedia.com/rating-review/

 
Jan 6, 2021

Tammy Blount-Canavan has a passion for elevating leadership and team performance. She has had a standout career developing high-performance teams of staff, boards, and community organizations. Tammy provides relatable and innovative leadership to bring out the best in organizations and individuals.

Tammy’s career has spanned 30+ years and two countries, including executive leadership at Tourism Vancouver, CEO of the Tacoma Regional CVB, architect and inaugural Chair of the Washington Tourism Alliance, and President and CEO of the Monterey County CVB.

Tammy is a Past Chair of Destinations International and co-chaired the creation and launch of DestinationNEXT. Tammy has been recognized as CEO of the Year, one of the 25 Most Influential People in the Meetings Industry, twice as one of the top 25 Most Influential Women in the industry, Leadership Supplier of the Year in the Meetings Industry, Top 100 Most Inspirational Women in the Meetings Industry, Community Leader of the Year, Leading for Positive Impact Award and Destination Internationals Global Leadership Award.

Tammy holds Fellow Certified Destination Marketing Executive (FCDME) certification which she now helps instruct, and is passionate about mentoring the current and next generation of Destination Leaders.

Destination on the Left is joined by Tammy Blount-Canavan, Executive Vice President and Principal of Destination and Travel Practice at Fired Up! Culture. Kicking off the new year in 2021, Tammy’s message reminds us of what’s important as we move past the COVID-19 pandemic and rebuild the travel and tourism industry. On our podcast, Tammy talks about the importance of finding and following your North Star so you can be a more effective leader. She also discusses the fundamental leadership practices that will help you better yourself and your team as you continue to navigate the pandemic.

What You Will Learn:

  • The importance of finding and following your North Star
  • Why leading yourself first will make you a better leader for others
  • Tammy’s leadership journey in the travel and tourism industry
  • Five key practices to be an effective leader in these challenging times
  • Action steps, insights, and ideas to help you improve yourself and your team

Fired Up! Culture

Tammy Blount-Canavan is the Executive Vice President and Principal of Destination and Travel Practice at Fired Up! Culture. Her message reminds us of what’s important as we move past the COVID-19 pandemic and rebuild the travel and tourism industry. On our podcast, Tammy talks about the importance of finding and following your North Star so you can be a more effective leader. She also discusses the fundamental leadership practices that will help you better yourself and your team as you continue to navigate the pandemic.

Fundamentals of Great Culture and Leadership

The COVID-19 pandemic has challenged travel and tourism professionals in ways never thought possible. Many of you have found new means to thrive and persevere, despite having no end to the chaos in sight. What is the common theme among destination marketers that have experienced success in these trying times? Strong leadership! The leaders of these organizations rely on five key practices to maintain effectiveness during the pandemic including being vulnerable, listening, giving hope, talking about gratitude, and being enthusiastic about the future.

Find Your North Star

Destination marketing organizations can use leadership and culture to achieve growth and stand out from the crowd, just as they can use creativity and collaboration. It all starts with finding your North Star. What is your ‘reason for being’ as it relates to your organization? What values and beliefs do you hold dear, and how are they being lived by your team? Finding your North Star will give your organization the focus it needs to adapt, innovate, and create the next iteration of itself. Your North Star is aligned with your vision for the future, and it is the key to maintaining a powerful team chemistry no matter how the industry or circumstances change moving forward.

We value your thoughts and feedback and would love to hear from you. Leave us a review on your favorite streaming platform to let us know what you want to hear more of. Here is a quick tutorial on how to leave us a rating and review on iTunes!: https://breaktheicemedia.com/rating-review/

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