On this episode of Destination on the Left, Mike Testa, President & CEO of Visit Sacramento, describes how his destination has diversified their focus to include festivals and events, sports, leisure markets, and culinary. He explains how positioning themselves as America’s Farm to Fork Capital has paid dividends, including booking a 10-year contract to host the Terra Madre Americas convention. Mike also discusses why tourism is not for tourists and how that plays into action through Visit Sacramento’s work and community partnerships.
What You Will Learn in This Episode:
- Why Mike’s long tenure at a single DMO has given him unique insights and influence in the community
- How Sacramento’s diversification from meetings and conventions to include festivals, sports, leisure, and culinary events has dramatically grown annual room nights and economic impact
- What motivated Visit Sacramento to claim the title of America’s Farm to Fork Capital
- How Visit Sacramento secured high-profile events like the Tower Bridge Dinner and attracted the Michelin Guide to the city, to cement its reputation as a food destination
- Visit Sacramento’s focus on quality of life for residents, and drives deeper community partnerships
- Strategies Mike and his team have used to build relationships with local leaders and partners
- How successful event hosting, like the Aftershock Music Festival, has opened doors for additional festivals and conventions
Building a New Identity: Sacramento’s Creative Leap
When people think of top destinations in California, their minds often go straight to San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, or Napa. Sacramento—the state’s capital—rarely makes the “must-visit” short list. But as Mike Testa, President and CEO of Visit Sacramento, explains, that’s exactly why his team has spent the last several years shaking up expectations and positioning Sacramento as a destination worthy of national and international attention.
Mike’s approach to make noise, drive results, and never be satisfied with the status quo. When the pandemic hit, instead of waiting it out, Visit Sacramento doubled down on innovation by diversifying its room night sources and investing heavily in outdoor events, festivals, sports, and especially its burgeoning culinary scene. The payoff has been nothing short of remarkable.
America’s Farm-to-Fork Capital
Sacramento sits in the heart of fertile farmland, growing everything from sushi rice to 80% of the nation’s caviar. But it wasn’t until a local chef pointed out the city’s unique agricultural advantage that Mike and his team realized: Sacramento had a rock-solid, authentic claim to the title America’s Farm-to-Fork Capital.
Visit Sacramento set out to build signature experiences, like the renowned 800-person Tower Bridge Dinner (a highlight that sells out in seconds), a Michelin Guide presence (Sacramento became only the fifth U.S. city to earn this distinction), and a thriving roster of food and wine festivals. Topping it all off, the city soon hosts the inaugural Terra Madre Americas, a massive international celebration of slow food previously held only in Italy, for which Sacramento was selected as the North American host in a 10-year deal.
Putting Community First
At the heart of Visit Sacramento’s strategy is a simple, resonant principle: “Tourism is not about the tourists. It’s about improving the quality of life for the people who live here,” Mike emphasizes.
This community-first approach runs deep. It means demonstrating the value of tourism to local officials and residents not just through economic statistics, but by contributing to civic life and showing up for critical community projects, events, and diverse groups.
Resources:
- Website: https://www.visitsacramento.com/
- LinkedIn Personal: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-testa-1082673/
- LinkedIn Business: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sacramento-convention-&-visitors-bureau/
- Attracting International Brands to Your Destination, with Mike Testa
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On this episode of Destination on the Left, I talk with Christopher Hill, Founder of Hands Up Holidays. Christopher takes us inside his journey from a career in finance to launching a travel company focused on eco-luxury family volunteer vacations. In our conversation, Christopher shares the story behind Hands Up Holidays, and we discuss the company’s focus on family and ethical travel with a holistic approach that ensures each journey leaves a positive impact on local communities and their visitors.
What You Will Learn in This Episode:
- How Christopher built Hands Up Holidays by combining luxury travel with meaningful volunteer experiences
- Why personal interaction with local communities and hands-on volunteering create transformative travel experiences for both guests and host communities
- How Christopher creates consistency across marketing and delivery
- How Christopher’s business model evolved to focus on families and why inspiring the next generation of world changers has become a core part of his mission
- Why building strong, direct relationships with local communities and ground partners was essential before launching the business
- How Hands Up Holidays curates unique, customizable trips that blend giving back with sightseeing and adventure
- Hands Up Holidays’ collaborations with nonprofits, DMCs, travel agents, and brands like TOMS, and why shared values are key to their effective partnerships
The Foundation of Responsible Tourism
Launching Hands Up Holidays wasn’t a matter of spinning up a website and sending travelers abroad. Christopher spent two years building relationships with communities worldwide. He sought firsthand knowledge—not just through professional networks, but by traveling, listening, and consulting directly with prospective partners. His approach was, and still is, to ask communities what they need, ensuring that volunteer efforts are genuinely beneficial and welcomed.
Luxury, Family Focus, and Holistic Sustainability
Christopher identifies three powerful differentiators that have contributed to Hands Up Holidays’ success:
- Luxury with a Purpose: Targeting high-end travelers with a philanthropy-based model, the company opens doors for those seeking to give back without sacrificing comfort. Hands Up Holidays redefines the luxury experience to include ethical action.
- Family-Focused Experiences: Although originally aimed at professionals, Hands Up Holidays soon shifted focus to catering to families, especially those eager to foster gratitude and a sense of global citizenship in their children.
- Holistic Sustainability: Their approach isn’t just about volunteering; it encompasses eco-friendly lodging, organic and local food, energy-efficient travel, and exclusively local guides. This creates a well-rounded, responsible travel experience.
Collaboration and Alignment
Collaboration—with communities, nonprofits, destination management companies (DMCs), and even other travel agencies—is central to Hands Up Holidays’ success. Christopher shares examples from major partnerships, like working with TOMS Shoes and a skateboard company to create impactful experiences in South Africa. The key ingredient for successful collaborations is shared values, and Christopher highlights that the most fruitful partnerships arise from aligned missions.
Resources:
- Website: https://handsupholidays.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/handsupholidays/
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On this episode of Destination on the Left, I talk with Camille Zess, Vice President of Growth at TAP, who brings 14 years of wide-ranging expertise in digital strategy, website development, email marketing, and the ever-evolving world of AI. We discuss the “Owned” media segment of Gini Dietrich's PESO Model—your website, blog, email marketing, and other assets you have complete control over. Camille shares practical tips on evaluating and optimizing these owned channels, from knowing when it’s time for a website refresh to the power of blog audits and list segmentation. Our discussion also explores emerging trends, such as adapting your content strategy for AI-driven search and leveraging print collateral in creative ways.
What You Will Learn in This Episode:
- Why owned media (websites, email marketing, blogs) serves as the foundation for effective marketing plans
- Steps Camille recommends for evaluating and enhancing your owned assets
- How segmentation and personalization in email marketing can help target different audience groups more effectively
- Why regular content audits ensure your owned channels remain timely, relevant, and aligned with your strategic goals
- What role emerging trends like AI and generative engine optimization (GEO) play in shaping how destinations should develop and share owned content
- How to measure the success of owned media tactics using key performance indicators in Google Analytics
Owned Media as the Cornerstone of the PESO Model
The PESO Model, originally developed by Ginny Dietrich, stands for Paid, Earned, Shared, and Owned media. While all four elements are essential for a comprehensive integrated marketing strategy, owned media is often the foundation upon which the other components are built.
Unlike paid placements or earned coverage, owned media provides total control over your messaging, branding, and audience engagement. For travel and tourism organizations, this means shaping the narrative around your destination, attraction, or service without being subject to algorithms, editors, or third-party platforms.
Websites, Emails, and Blogs
The best place to start is with the basics: website, email, and blog. Each serves a dual role as both a direct communication channel and a central hub for integrating with your other PESO tactics.
Website: Your digital home base. Every few years, assess its usability, content, and technology to ensure it supports both visitors and your staff. If you avoid using your own website in campaigns, that’s a red flag that shows it’s time for a revamp.
Email Marketing: A direct pipeline to your audience. Focus on growing your list, increasing engagement, and experimenting with segmentation for better targeting, such as creating a local list for residents interested in exclusive offers.
Blog: An SEO powerhouse and evergreen content resource. Use it to highlight key assets, answer frequently asked questions, share itineraries, and drive authority on topics that matter to your audience.
Integrating Owned with the Wider Plan
Though the acronym reads PESO, starting with “paid” isn’t always the most effective. As Camille points out, TAP often leads with owned or earned tactics because they form the content backbone for everything else; paid campaigns merely amplify what’s already working.
When planning, review your owned assets alongside your brand positioning and audience goals. Consider where gaps exist, such as organizations not yet doing email marketing (and wanting to drive repeat visitation) or those needing advanced tactics like personalized content and tailored landing pages for lead generation or ticket sales.
Resources:
- https://spinsucks.com/communication/peso-model-comprehensive-guide/
- Website: https://travelalliancepartnership.com/
- LinkedIn Personal: https://www.linkedin.com/in/camillezess/
- LinkedIn Business: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tapintotravel/
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!
On this episode of Destination on the Left, I talk with Adrienne Currie, Community & Marketing Manager at TAP, and Brittany Lynn, Senior Account Manager at TAP for the third installment of a special four-part series exploring the PESO Model—a framework designed by Gini Dietrich for creating integrated marketing plans that drive results in the travel, tourism, and hospitality industry.
Our conversation shines a spotlight on the “S”—shared media, and Adrienne and Brittany dive into the strategies behind creating impactful social media campaigns, from identifying your target audience to understanding the value of different platforms and building trust through authentic connections.
What You Will Learn in This Episode:
- How Brittany and Adrienne use the PESO Model to build integrated marketing plans for travel, tourism, and hospitality clients
- Why knowing your target audience and campaign goals is crucial before choosing the right shared media tactics
- What goes into developing an effective social media strategy, including content planning, engagement, and the use of hashtags and tagging partners
- How to select and evaluate the best shared media platforms based on audience demographics, campaign objectives, and available resources
- Why content pillars matter for organizing and delivering valuable, engaging, and brand-aligned social content
- What emerging tactics Adrienne and Brittany are watching, such as leveraging organic posts as paid media and the value of platforms like Pinterest, YouTube, and other social channels
- How measurement and analytics inform ongoing social strategy and why continual reassessment and adjustment lead to stronger results
Integrating Shared Media into the PESO Model for Travel Marketing
The PESO Model, Paid, Earned, Shared, and Owned media, is an integrated framework for crafting holistic marketing strategies. Shared media focuses on channels where content is disseminated and interacted with through social platforms and other collaborative online spaces.
Brittany Lynn describes the shared portion as “the how”, where strategy and messaging meet real-world execution. It’s all about knowing your audience, setting campaign goals, and determining communication tactics such as content cadence, use of hashtags, partner tagging, and the kind of engagement you want to inspire. The foundation, according to Brittany, is investing the time upfront to truly define who you’re speaking to and what you want to achieve long before you begin posting.
Adrienne Currie adds that, especially within smaller or mid-sized organizations with limited bandwidth, it’s crucial to focus on one platform and really master it before expanding. Knowing which platform best reaches your audience and aligns with your objectives (think Pinterest and YouTube for evergreen content, or Instagram for visual storytelling) is key.
Building a Strategic Shared Media Plan
Rather than chasing every trending platform, Brittany and Adrienne advise starting by auditing current channels. Understand which platforms your target audience uses, what types of content perform best, and how those channels are furthering your goals. If you inherit a client’s existing channels, Brittany recommends a critical evaluation: Are you amplifying the right messages, at the right frequency, and in the right tone? Is your existing presence consistent with your brand strategy?
Adrienne details TAP’s use of content pillars—groupings like education, industry news, community updates, and promotion—to ensure content isn’t just promotional but genuinely provides value. She cautions against making every post a sales pitch: “You want to be offering some value and building that relationship with your followers.” This approach keeps your audience engaged and fosters trust, especially important in the travel and tourism business.
How to Know If Your Shared Media Works
Brittany loves digging into analytics, suggesting a focus on metrics like engagement, clicks, views, comments, and shares. She sees data points not just as numbers, but as storytelling devices, as each metric helps paint the picture of how your audiences are responding to your content. Regularly revisit your foundational goals, if engagement lags, experiment with content format, tone, or posting frequency.
Social strategies should be living documents, adaptable as feedback and metrics roll in. Adjust as needed. Don’t be afraid to tweak or pivot entirely if something isn’t working.
Resources:
- https://spinsucks.com/communication/peso-model-comprehensive-guide/
- https://travelalliancepartnership.com/
- https://www.linkedin.com/in/adrienne-currie-23117b33/
- https://www.linkedin.com/in/brittanyklynn/
- https://www.linkedin.com/company/tapintotravel/
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!