Destination On The Left

With a talent for creating special events that blossomed while working for my dad’s car stereo shop, I got my start in marketing at Frontier Field in Rochester and I began serving as the executive director of the internationally known Lilac Festival. Later on, I headed the Canandaigua, New York Business Improvement District while also performing projects for the tourism promotion agency Visit Rochester. In 2009, I founded Break the Ice Media, with more than 20 years of experience in tourism marketing. I now host “Destination on the Left”, a highly successful tourism marketing podcast. As a business owner, I know what it takes to be successful. I founded BTI to help businesses tell their brand story through public relations, digital and traditional channels. I have the ability to uncover unique marketing opportunities and develop marketing and public relations initiatives that help clients build long-term success. In this solocast episode of Destination on the Left, I wanted to take the opportunity to share my gratitude with you. I discuss the insights I’ve gathered over the course of ten years in business and give you a look into a new project we are working on for Destination on the Left. What You Will Learn in This Episode: How to help us hit our goal of 100 reviews What I am grateful for right now The celebrations and events surrounding my company’s ten-year anniversary My experience receiving the Small Business Person of the Year Award from the Small Business Council in Rochester, NY. The insights I’ve gathered over the course of ten years in business A sneak peek at a new project we’re working on for Destination on the Left What it means to employ cathedral thinking Ten Years Worth of Gratitude As Thanksgiving and the rest of the holiday season approaches, I thought it would be appropriate to make ‘gratitude’ the theme of this week’s solocast. It is especially timely for me since my company, Break the Ice Media, celebrated its ten-year anniversary last month and I was honored with receiving the Small Business Person of the Year Award from the Small Business Council in Rochester, NY! With this episode, I want to share my gratitude with you. Celebrate Every Milestone I am grateful for you, our listeners, as we round off the podcast’s third year with overwhelming support. For our anniversary, we wanted to put together something that celebrates our team, clients, and everyone else who has been an important part of our journey. But with most of those people spread out across the continent, we had to plan something different for each group. I hope this will give you some new ideas and inspire you to do something special for your next big celebration! Our process started by selecting an anniversary planning committee. It should come as no surprise that most of the ideas for our team celebration revolved around food and wine. But we wanted to get everyone involved. Our internal survey revealed that all of our team members wanted to do something unique and special. After some research, we booked the chef’s table at Good Luck in the Village Gate Square neighborhood of Rochester! With that settled, we moved on to brainstorming a client celebration. A Toast to Our Clients It didn’t take long for the light bulb to go off and we decided to hold a virtual toast for our scattered clients on October 14th (our birthday). To incentivize them a little bit, we shipped out fifty-six bottles of sparkling wine with custom labels to make the virtual event more sentimental and immersive. I am grateful for everyone that was involved and our team members who made it possible. The Small Business Person of the Year Award was another momentous occasion. But when I was nominated for this award, I was hesitant to actually submit my application. The nomination came at a very busy time and our team was overextended. My leadership team pushed me to commit and I wouldn’t have done it without them. I made the top five of fifty finalists and it was a great honor to be recognized alongside nine other Rochester community business leaders. Cathedral Thinking As I prepared for the launch event, I drew inspiration from this podcast and reflected on all of the moments that molded me into a leader. The experience is best described by the concept of cathedral thinking, a mindset derived from manual laborers who began construction projects knowing they would not be completed in their lifetime. We are all cathedral thinkers, building our businesses for future generations, making impacts with our time to build better communities, supporting our families, and laying the foundation for our children and grandchildren for the next generation. I challenge all of us to keep having those big visions that will have far-reaching impact and to work towards that vision today, even if we do so. Resources: Email: nicole@breaktheicemedia.com Website: www.destinationontheleft.com Website: https://breaktheicemedia.com/ Twitter: @Break_TheIce Facebook: @BreakTheIceMedia Episode Transcript 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/

Brian Bossuyt has been marketing the Pocono Mountains for the past 20 years. He was the Sales and Marketing Director for Camelback Mountain Resort for 18 years, and now serves as the EVP, and CMO of the Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau. Developing marketing campaigns that target two of the country’s largest DMA’s, New York Metro and Philadelphia Metro, has kept Brian on top of his game by forcing him to learn and evolve. Both markets are on the cutting edge of technology and have a lot of competition for their attention. With limited budgets and marketing resources, he learned to adapt quickly. Brian’s use of analytical data has helped him thrive when planning strategies and developing partnerships. He incorporates fun, engaging creative and is not afraid to make a mistake. Those are the key factors that drive successful campaigns. Brian loves family, being a husband, a dad, and playing in the outdoors as much as possible. He likes to keep things simple and to the point because he gets more done that way! Brian is pretty laid back and tries to look at everything with as much optimism as possible! In this episode of Destination on the Left, I am joined by Brian Bossuyt, Executive Vice President and CMO of the Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau. We discuss the benefits of building an in-house marketing team, their new approach to creative, and how they are leveraging data to break into new markets. What You Will Learn in This Episode: Brian Bossuyt’s journey into the role of EVP and CMO of Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau How Bossuyt adapts his marketing strategy to unexpected change What Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau is doing to set themselves apart How Bossuyt is using data to increase the effectiveness of their marketing How he built out an in-house marketing team The launch of their own television program How Bossuyt overcame the challenges associated with litter in the Poconos How DMOs collaborate and work with the local communities Bossuyt’s future plans for the organization Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau Brian Bossuyt started skiing at three years old, developing a passion for the mountains at a very early age. But growing up in the Poconos provided Bossuyt with more inspiration than hobbies. For him, it was a home, not a destination. And when you combine that notion with his background in hospitality, it is no surprise that he now serves as Executive Vice President and CMO of the Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau. Bossuyt paid his dues. And in college, he broke into the world of marketing as an intern for Hunter Mountain’s marketing team. During his internship, Bossuyt was immersed in the ski culture and was given significant responsibilities that involved him most of the resort’s daily operations. It was an opportunity that combined his passion for the mountains and experience in hospitality, laying the framework for his post-graduate career at Camelback and beyond. Adaptive Marketing in Travel and Tourism Weather and seasonality control the travel and tourism industry, so as a marketer you have to be innovative. Bossuyt’s first year as the Director of Marketing for Camelback posed the warmest winter they’d seen in decades. It created a myriad of new challenges and their initial strategy was pushed back to January. But, nonetheless, Bossuyt was able to adapt and redesigned his marketing program in real-time. Growing into a leadership role in marketing is a difficult task. However, by developing your versatility and managerial skills, your marketing efforts will start to yield impressive results no matter what is thrown your way. New Creative, New Team, New Tools In the last few years, Bossuyt and his team have focused on delivering top-notch creative. And a lot of their work starts with broadcast and stems into different mediums from there. By focusing on longer-form content for broadcast, they have more content to pull from. That enables them to create more impactful social media content and add depth as they repurpose it for a variety of other platforms. Bossuyt is determined to maintain the same message, but deliver it in a more strategic way by bringing all of their marketing efforts in-house. Because they brought all facets of their marketing process in-house, the Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau is able to use data to increase the effectiveness of their marketing efforts. Bossuyt analyzes data to determine what markets are the strongest, where they can grow in new markets, and what’s the best way to retarget those markets. Since they manage all of their own digital assets, they have access to metrics and analytics that will help them determine next steps. The Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau is largely responsible for the growth of their resort in recent years. And with a team of nine full-time marketing and PR professionals, the brand will continue to transform. Brian Bossuyt has done outstanding work at the helm of the marketing team and he is constantly re-evaluating their strategy. Even with the competitive nature of the travel and tourism industry, Bossuyt continues to drive traffic and find different ways to set their brand apart. Resources: Twitter: @poconotourism Website: https://www.poconomountains.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bbossuyt/

Cyndi Bartley is the Operations and Marketing Director at Visit Lake Norman. Throughout her entire professional career, she has been devoted to the hospitality and tourism industry. She began her role there in 2007 as a marketing intern and continued elevating her position and responsibilities to her current role today. During her time with Visit Lake Norman, she continues to enhance their ambassador and internship programs. Bartley enjoys continued education and networking through conferences and learning sessions. Currently, she is in the process of undergoing Destinations International’s CDME program. On this episode of Destination on the Left, I am joined by Cyndi Bartley, Operations and Marketing Director at Visit Lake Norman. She delves into the marketing tactics and strategies that have been successful in drawing traffic to a small destination. What You Will Learn in This Episode: Cyndi Bartley’s journey to Operations and Marketing Director at Visit Lake Norman The multi-functional nature of Bartley’s position, and how she prepared for it How Bartley and her team maintain a competitive edge in the travel and tourism industry What enables Visit Lake Norman to continuously improve their marketing processes The challenges that Visit Lake Norman is currently facing, and how they plan to overcome them How Visit Lake Norman’s internship program is impacting their capacity Different roles that Bartley’s interns assume How interns are selected, and the responsibilities that they have Why Visit Lake Norman is collaborating with other organizations in the area What is in store for the future of Visit Lake Norman Visit Lake Norman After a lot of moving around, Cyndi Bartley’s family finally settled down in the Charlotte area of North Carolina. When Bartley transitioned into high school, she gained a better sense of direction for what she wanted to do in her career. Business seemed like a field that aligned with her aspirations, and Bartley was drawn to the specific niche of marketing. She received her bachelor’s from UNC, but her passion for marketing developed well before that point. Bartley is now the Operations and Marketing Director at Visit Lake Norman, and she has been with them for thirteen years. However, she started as just an intern. Bartley never could have predicted that she would end up in a leadership role, but hindsight is twenty-twenty. Looking back on her career, Bartley’s early professional development with Visit Lake Norman is one of the main reasons she is a successful marketing leader. She had the opportunity to dive deep into every facet of the organization, which prepared her to wear a number of different hats in the future. Maintaining a Competitive Edge Travel and Tourism is an extremely competitive industry, so to win foot traffic for Lake Norman, Cyndi Bartley and her team had to go above and beyond. Being with the organization for over a decade is a huge advantage for Bartley. She has seen everything that has worked and everything that hasn’t. She has also seen all of the tactics of surrounding tourism boards which builds a distinct profile of their competition. Visit Lake Norman works hard to constantly refine their efforts and create a polished appearance that portrays them as a larger destination than they actually are. With Cyndi Bartley at the helm, Visit Lake Norman has experienced a lot of success. But with new successes come new challenges. As their organization grows, they struggle to maintain enough manpower to meet demands. It is difficult to consistently produce high-quality content and marketing collateral when they don’t have enough resources to do so. That means new creative is the first to get cut. But Bartley is combatting that deficiency with a robust internship program, providing Visit Lake Norman with bodies in the form of marketing, product design, and sports marketing interns. Increased Manpower Through Internships Every year they bring more bright minds on board, creating meaningful content and increasing Visit Lake Norman’s capacity in the busiest season of the year. Bartley worked hard to augment the program, which now gets upwards of 30-40 resumes a year and continues to grow. The interns are able to provide dire resources to Visit Lake Norman because they follow a stringent plan from day one. But that is not to say they aren’t given some degree of free rein over their work. Each student is placed in a role where they can contribute to the big picture and exercise their strengths. So, Bartley’s team always wins together because they are always on the same page. What’s in Store? Visit Lake Norman has some big things on the horizon and their team is working diligently to promote their message in new ways. That means producing new video content, creating innovative marketing initiatives and campaigns, and exploring different platforms that they aren’t currently leveraging. Bartley is also making a greater effort to collaborate with other organizations in the area to reach a larger audience and they have already experienced great success with that. Visit Lake Norman is taking major strides in the travel and tourism industry, and they are a model organization for marketing small destinations. If you want to learn more about their internship program and their plans for the future, make sure to listen to our podcast episode, Visit Lake Norman, with Cyndi Bartley. Resources:  Twitter: @visitlakenorman Website: www.visitlakenorman.org Episode Transcript 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/

Episode 152: Brian Zerges is a Licensed Real Estate Broker and sole owner of Finger Lakes Premier Properties (FLPP) for the last 25 years. After earning a BA from The Rochester Institute of Technology, Brian spent over seven valuable years as a Licensed Real Estate Broker in California specializing in commercial sales, syndication and property management. These experiences positioned him well to return to upstate New York and become the owner-operator of the largest lakeside real estate firm in the Finger Lakes. Brian is certified by the National Association of Realtors as a Resort and Second Home Specialist and an active member of the Vacation Rental Managers Association. With over 60 full-time year-round employees, FLPP maintains offices in Canandaigua and Penn Yan and specializes in property management and real estate sales. FLPP currently manages over 300 privately-owned single-family lakeside vacation rentals along with over 50 single-family homes. Its portfolio of commercial accounts has grown to include Keuka College and Best Western’s Vineyard Inn & Suites, Penn Yan. Many investors rely on Brian and his team to locate, purchase and manage lakeside investment properties with maximum rental income. On this episode of Destination on the Left, I talk with Brian Zerges about his special niche of selling real estate in the lakeside hospitality industry and the challenges that go along with it. What You Will Learn in This Episode: The special aspects and systems of selling real estate in the hospitality industry Similarities between hotels and house rentals in terms of visitor experience Creative solutions and features FLPP uses to stand out in the industry Why Brian’s niche is so challenging and how he and his team rise to the challenge Data Brian’s team gathers from its properties and customers and how that data is used What FLPP does to remain flexible and accommodate clients What “co-opetition” does for Brian’s team Lakeside Real Estate Brian Zerges is the sole owner of Finger Lakes Premier Properties, the largest lakeside real estate firm in the Finger Lakes. Brian’s experience in California real estate has made him a perfect fit for the competitive industry of real estate hospitality. He and his team of 60 full-time employees have discovered the ins and outs of operating in this unique niche, the required systems, and how to deliver the best visitor experience. Finger Lakes Premier Properties runs over 300 properties along hundreds of miles of shoreline. Each building is different due to topography, distance, client profile, and so much more. As the largest growing section of the lodging industry, vacation rentals require marketers and owners to keep up by implementing systems that go above and beyond. FLPP has a large, commercial laundry service that is constantly ensuring its properties have clean linens and other laundry supplies. This is just one of the many moving parts of making sure that all of those properties have maintenance and housekeeping 24/7, just like a hotel would. Brian’s team goes the extra mile to make their customers confident in the visitor experience. Finger Lakes tourists can rest easy knowing that the FLPP staff will be there to meet their every need, no matter the time. FLPP accomplishes this by thoroughly vetting its high-performing staff, evaluating metrics, and constantly searching for feedback from guests. Data about timing, costs, efficiency, quality, and numerous other things are gathered from the renters and taken into account when FLPP develops its systems, trains its staff, and updates its fees and policies. Innovation and Flexibility In a niche as hot as lakeside rentals, FLPP has to constantly adapt to meet the shifting needs and demands of the competitive industry. As always, this requires creativity! Brian and FLPP have leaned heavily into the lakeside aspect of their real estate properties, highlighting and optimizing a lake experience for their guests. Brian grew up on the lake, so he knows all about what lakeside living really means. This is where the team’s creativity comes forward, whether it’s having houses along Lake Street or having the word lake in their phone number. Alongside creativity, flexibility is incredibly important. With lots of clients at lots of different properties, FLPP has to be able to change plans at the drop of a hat to accommodate customers. One way they do this is through scattered check-in and check-out dates. While some of the property owners were resistant, Brian and FLPP have successfully made it so guests can successfully check in and out based on their needs without having to commit to a full Saturday to Saturday stay. This makes it easier for guests with hectic schedules and prevents FLPP from having to clean and prepare 300 houses on a given Saturday. One of the biggest ways FLPP continues to learn and grow is through collaboration and even competition. FLPP is always in touch with property owners to make sure they’re delivering the best experiences for guests and has helped form the Finger Lakes Vacation Rental Managers Association, a lakeside association helping to handle issues around the lake ranging from problem guests to pollution. They also collaborate with the Vacation Rental Exchange, a coalition of 13 vacation rental companies in the Northeast that come together to exchange ideas and have great discussions. Brian Zerges and FLPP are another fine example of creativity, innovation, and “co-opetition”, and I’m so glad I get to share some of their knowledge with you. Resources: Phone: (315) 694-1297 Website: https://www.fingerlakespremierproperties.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/flpplake/?hl=en Episode Transcript 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/

As the U.S. managing director for China’s largest independent advertising agency, Humphrey Ho helps American brands reach their ever-growing base of Chinese consumers. Spearheading the opening of Hylink‘s American headquarters in Santa Monica, where he resides, Ho has scaled the operation up to 40 employees and secured the company’s key spots with industry leaders like Brand USA and Hawaiian Airlines. In September of 2018, Ho successfully launched Hylink’s subsidiary, Hylink Travel, a Shorty Awards-winning agency specializing in social and digital campaigns for travel brands. Mr. Ho has been featured in various publications, with recent examples like The Drum, Digiday, AdWeek, Buzzfeed, and Ad Age. Mr. Ho was named a finalist for Digiday’s 2019 Future Leader award and was also tapped by Forbes magazine as one of the top 8 Asian-Americans Shaping the Travel Industry. On this episode of Destination on the Left, I talk with Humphrey Ho about the needs, trends, and opportunities that have come up in travel between China and the U.S. in recent years. What You Will Learn in This Episode: Humphrey’s unique, scientific approach to advertising and destination marketing Trends Humphrey has spotted in Chinese travel and tourism Opportunities Humphrey sees in China and America during these uncertain times How Hylink spots patterns and creates campaigns from the data they gather Keeping up with the evolving needs of US and Chinese travelers The Scientific Approach to Tourism Marketing Like so many people in the tourism industry, Humphrey Ho meandered into his destination marketing role from an unconventional path. Humphrey studied neuroscience and integrative biology in college before getting an MBA in IT management. He founded and sold a social networking company in Canada before moving to China during the recession. He’s since managed interactions between media publishers and Google and now finds himself as the managing director at Hylink, China’s largest independent advertising agency. Humphrey has shed his former roles, but his scientific approach is the same. He is constantly searching for patterns and trends in the marketing data, looking for tried-and-true techniques to prove wrong using his “null hypothesis” strategy. Humphrey is an innovator dedicated to data-driven solutions that meet the changing needs of Chinese travelers. Observing those trends has been important in the wake of the economic tensions between China and the U.S. Humphrey and his team began to learn how drastically travel has shifted for Chinese citizens, who are now traveling to the United States and beyond. His team was able to spot how the expensive, luxury nature of travel affects the industry in times of economic tension. They also found that Chinese citizens are becoming much more savvy about their local surroundings due to the intense growth of technology in the country. By spotting these trends, Humphrey has discovered how to turn chaos and uncertainty into opportunity. In Danger Comes Opportunity As travel trends shift in places like California and Hawaii, it becomes clearer what’s working and what isn’t. Humphrey is an expert at finding untapped areas that could potentially be marketed, such as the unique use of RVs in the United States that nobody is talking about. He recognizes areas where destinations could go deeper in marketing, like marketing Southern California separately from California, and areas where brands could pull back (everybody knows about Santa Monica beach; let’s focus on something else!). Hylink’s success comes from an interconnected web of partnerships, data, and an understanding of their target markets. Their campaigns take advantage of nuances, like the differences between Northern and Southern California, to paint destinations as unique, exciting places to go. They bring in key influencers and develop content plans to drive traffic. They collaborate with hotels, attractions, transportation services, restaurants, and local DMOs to create three- or four-sided partnerships to make environments that benefit everyone, especially tourists. Every area of the world has a story to tell. The job of Humphrey and other tourism marketers is to discover that story, find the people who can help them tell it to the most people in the most effective way, and then share that story creatively with the world. Hylink’s unique use of data and demographic understanding puts them ahead of the game. If you simply look a little closer at the trends and patterns associated with your target markets, no matter the demographic, I’m sure you’ll find an exciting new way to draw people to your awesome destinations. Resources: Email: humphrey.ho@hylinkgroup.com Website: https://hylinkgroup.com/ Hylink’s San Francisco “Love” Campaign: https://hylinktravel.com/individual-work/san-francisco-travel-association-love-campaign Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hylinkdigital/?hl=en Episode Transcript 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/

Dan Janes is the CEO of Madden Media, a destination marketing agency focused on increasing tourism and workforce attraction for communities across the country. Like many in this industry, Dan comes from a unique background, having been a successful entrepreneur in a big data and analytics company and having served as an Army officer and West Point graduate. On this episode of Destination on the Left, I talk with Dan Janes of Madden Media about the evolving world of tourism marketing and his company’s activities related to inclusivity, marketing technology, and “schema disruption”. What You Will Learn in This Episode: Dan’s path from the Army to his position as CEO of destination marketing agency Madden Media What makes Madden Media stand out in the competitive tourism marketing industry How Madden Media creates curiosity in their consumers Madden Media’s view of “schemas” and how their marketing disrupts those schemas and exposes consumers to new things Madden Media’s destination marketing efforts in the inclusivity space How Dan and his company evolve with the consumers in the area of marketing technology and websites Madden Media’s approach to partnerships, planning, and cooperating on projects by adding more minds The Winding, Weaving Path Dan Janes’s goal as a young kid growing up in Nebraska was to get out of Nebraska and explore. He realized this goal when he bravely joined the United States Army. After graduating from West Point, Dan was exposed to outstanding leadership and teamwork while serving overseas in Iraq and Afghanistan. When he returned home, Dan used his experience working with data in the Army to start his own successful data analytics firm. He got his MBA and began teaching at the University of Arizona before meeting Kevin Madden, the founder of Madden Media. Kevin and Dan bonded over the future of marketing technology and the use of data in the field. Since then, Dan has taken on the role of CEO of Madden Media and has continuously strived to evolve the company with the changing face of the industry and the changing needs of its consumers. One of their biggest game-changing themes? The idea of schema disruption. Schema disruption stems from the psychology concept of schemas, which are mental models and images of things based on our assumptions and experiences with them. Madden Media’s goal is to disrupt people’s preconceived notions of destinations by showcasing the best-kept secrets and best possible sides of all different locations. Dan offers up the example of West Virginia. While many think of the state as only coal mines and dirty smokestacks, it’s actually a vibrant and growing state with lots of natural beauty and appealing attractions for a variety of ages. Disrupting those schemas and biases creates one of tourism marketing’s most useful tools: curiosity. Future Projects and Creating Curiosity Madden Media continues to move forward and adapt as society evolves and the desires of the consumer change. One exciting way they’ve done this is through their focus on inclusivity in travel and destinations. Through its internal platforms Vacationist USA and Visit Gay USA, Madden Media displays popular destinations for the LGBTQ community alongside lesser-known destinations with similar characteristics and attractions. They also put destinations like Wyoming on the map for inclusivity by highlighting its status as the birthplace of women’s suffrage. Madden Media creates curiosity and is always learning more about its clients through partnerships, data analysis, marketing technologies, and more. Possessing an agile management philosophy and flexibility in marketing approaches, Madden Media has delved into the deeper aspects of marketing technology, web development, search engine optimization, and so much more. Dan’s team and network of partnerships at Madden Media is a great example of creativity and co-opetition in action. The tourism market is only going to continue to evolve and change. It’s up to you to evolve with it! Resources: Email: djanes@maddenmedia.com Website: https://maddenmedia.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maddenmedia/

The 2019 NYS Tourism Excellence Award winners will be honored at the New York State Tourism Industry Association’s annual meeting on September 27. I had the privilege of talking to each of the winners about their award-winning programs, how those programs impacted tourism in their area and what they learned from being part of the program. The interviews had underlying themes of creativity, partnership, celebration and storytelling. This episode shares the wisdom and stories of those award winners, and I hope you come away as motivated and enlightened as I did. On this episode of Destination on the Left, I share my conversations with: Kelly Blazosky, President of Oneida County Tourism Maggie LaCasse, Director of Communications for Discover Long Island Cassandra Harrington, Executive Director for the Destination Marketing Corporation of Otsego County Lauren Humphrey, Tourism Program Liaison for the Genesee County Chamber of Commerce Ross Levi, Executive Director of I Love NY What You Will Learn in This Episode: How partnerships across regions boosted the PR and marketing efforts of Oneida County Tourism’s award-winning project Discover Long Island’s unconventional method for raising brand awareness through their new ambassador, Lili How the DMCOC of Otsego County used their most popular attraction, baseball, to open people’s minds to all of the other things to see Genesee County Chamber of Commerce’s efforts to expand offerings in their unique baseball niche What I Love NY did to help InterPride put on the largest LGBTQ event in history Oneida County Tourism Kelly Blazosky is the President of Oneida County Tourism and recipient of the Excellence in Tourism Marketing Projects for her company’s Beyond the Big Apple Brochure. Kelly credits the success of the brochure, which outlines suggested nine-day itineraries across three regions outside of NYC, to the multitude of partnerships made in and around the area. Working with organizations such as I Love NY and partners from the Hudson Valley region and beyond, Kelly’s team was able to construct a multi-region itinerary that gives suggestions for people seeing Niagara Falls, the Corning Museum of Glass, and more. Kelly was refreshed by how partnerships helped boost the project’s marketing and PR efforts and was excited to connect with a variety of brands, such as those in the culinary and craft brewing industries. Kelly is ecstatic to have the hard work that has gone into the project honored by an Excellence Award. Discover Long Island Maggie LaCasse is the Director of Communications for Discover Long Island, which is receiving an Excellence in Visitor Service Award for their mobile visitor center, Lili. Named Lili (Long Island, Long Island) by public opinion, Discover Long Island’s mobile visitor center is an ice cream truck repurposed with Long Island imagery, speakers blasting Billy Joel music, and a visitor services team ready to answer questions and dish out merchandise. What an inventive and exciting idea! Lili has been a hero for Long Island as a brand advocate, visitor resource, and a very visible icon of the awesome tourist destination that she’s named after. Discover Long Island’s “small but mighty” team has used Lili to form meaningful local partnerships with vineyards, surf camps, and much more. Maggie is proud to represent Discover Long Island the receiving this Excellence Award is very meaningful to her and her team. Destination Marketing Corporation of Otsego County Cassandra Harrington is the Executive Director for the Destination Marketing Corporation of Otsego County, which is receiving the Excellence in Overall Tourism Marketing Award. The challenge Cassandra and her team faced was marketing Otsego County and Cooperstown as more than just a great baseball scene. Through their “Catch Me in Cooperstown” initiative, they were able to use the baseball familiarity to help promote Otsego County’s rural charm, museums, and family-friendly locales. The results speak for themselves: their efforts led to 5,500 additional Facebook followers, a newsletter open rate of 25% (up from the industry-standard 15%), and a 12.1% increase in occupancy tax in their slow season from March to May. Cassandra values the partnerships and support she received along the way, including those from her family and friends, her coworkers, and their advertising agency, BBG&G. She has loved working with organizations like I Love NY and Niagara Falls USA that teach her something new every day. Cassandra is overwhelmed with gratitude and happiness from receiving this Excellence Award, and it’s clearly well deserved. Genesee County Chamber of Commerce Lauren Humphrey is the Tourism Liaison for the Genesee County Chamber of Commerce, which is receiving the Excellence in Niche Marketing Award. Joined by program partner Casey Brown, Lauren discusses how her team discovered a need for additional offerings to one of their niche target markets: golfers. The 27-hole championship course at Terry Hills was enough to attract crowds of golfers every year, but many of them stayed for more than just that and wanted more course offerings. With experts like Casey Brown, who has a degree in professional golf management, Lauren’s team packaged together lodging and golf courses into payout agreements and advertised for them using brochures and online with the help of my team, Break the Ice Media. Their plan was a success, generating over $300,000 in economic impact last year alone. To Lauren and the Genesee County Chamber of Commerce, building an incredible golfing experience is one of the most enjoyable parts of their area. They hope to make every golfer happy enough to keep coming back, and they are honored to receive this Excellence Award. I Love NY Russ Levi is the Executive Director of I Love NY, which is receiving an Excellence in Niche Marketing Award. Together with Sarah Emmer, Director of Tourism Policy Initiatives, Russ and I delve into New York City’s recent celebration of World Pride, an international pride event put on every few years by InterPride, a worldwide coalition of pride event organizers. The World Pride event coincided with the Stonewall Uprising, a historic New York City event credited with starting the modern LGBTQ rights movement. The I Love NY team executed a massive effort across the world to promote this event using paid media, speaking events, lunches, and the I Love NY pod as it traveled from place to place, appearing at pride events around the globe. Events also occurred around New York state, with the I Love NY pod and a pop-up welcome center appearing at events in Long Island, Cooperstown, and a number of other locations. The governor even hosted a World Pride Ambassador competition where people submitted videos and were selected to be pride ambassadors. These 11 people joined the World Pride March in New York. The results speak loudly for themselves: this was the largest LGBTQ event in history, with over 5 million people attending over the course of the weekend. The Pride March itself was also the longest in history, attracting numerous attendees from around the world. Russ and Sarah learned the value of niche partnerships from around the world and how to leverage those. They also appreciated the opportunity to use a historical event to effectively market and celebrate their cause. The outcomes were spectacular. They are both honored to have their efforts toward a cause they believe invalidated by recognition through this Excellence Award. Overview The Excellence Award winners I have for you this week all aimed high, achieved incredible goals, and celebrated those goals with their partners and incredible teams. Oneida County Tourism leveraged partnerships to broaden tourist horizons beyond New York City. Discover Long Island had fun with their tourism efforts by naming an ice cream truck van Lili and having her drive all over to share the beauty of its home. The DMCOC of Otsego County was able to use baseball to revamp its brand and make their slow season a success. The Genesee County Chamber of Commerce listened to their golf audience and delivered them exactly what they wanted. I Love NY went global to help InterPride create the largest LGBTQ event in history. These are all stories of big dreams, bold ideas, and unreal results, and I love every minute of sharing them with you. Resources: Oneida County Tourism: https://www.oneidacountytourism.com/ Discover Long Island: https://www.discoverlongisland.com/ Destination Marketing Corporation of Otsego County: https://www.otsegocounty.com/departments/tourism/index.php Genesee County Chamber of Commerce: https://geneseeny.com/ I Love NY: https://www.iloveny.com/ Episode Transcript 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/

The 2019 NYS Tourism Excellence Award winners will be honored at the New York State Tourism Industry Association’s annual meeting on September 27. I had the privilege of talking to each of the winners about their award-winning programs, how those programs impacted tourism in their area and what they learned from being part of the program. The interviews had underlying themes of creativity, partnership, celebration and storytelling. This episode shares the wisdom and stories of those award winners, and I hope you come away as motivated and enlightened as I did. On this episode of Destination on the Left, I share my conversations with: David Lee, Marketing Operations Manager at the Finger Lakes Visitors Connection Rob Casetti, Senior Director at Corning Museum of Glass Jennifer Sammartino, Deputy Chief of Staff for Visit Staten Island Scott Keller, Executive Director of Hudson Valley River National Heritage Area Jennifer Ackerson, owner of ALON Marketing Group What You Will Learn in This Episode: David Lee’s best advice to tourism marketing professionals from his experiences at the Finger Lakes Visitors Connection and other places The 150-year history of glass in Corning and what Corning Museum of Glass did to make their monumental Glass Barge project a resounding success How Jennifer Sammartino and Visit Staten Island took their destination from “the fifth borough” to a vibrant, bustling destination with a great waterfront corridor The ingenuity of Scott Keller’s Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area team, as they devised an app to tell the story of all the national heritage sites along the Hudson River Rail line. What Jennifer Ackerson and her company, ALON Marketing Group, do to give back to New York’s destinations and teach the state’s businesses how to grow and be successful tourism spots Finger Lakes Visitors Connection David Lee is the Marketing Operations Manager for the Finger Lakes Visitors Connection, a position he has held for almost four years. Prior to that, David got his start busing tables, bartending, and eventually managing the IT at Lakes Nama and Canandaigua. David’s technological experience helped him land a job in tourism, where he has stayed for the past ten years. In the tourism industry, David has come to love helping people spend their free time enjoying themselves in the places that he’s grown up. He likes shaping experiences and seeing the things he’s worked so hard on benefit people directly, even if it’s just a map helping them to find their way. David encourages all tourism professionals to embrace their own leadership if they want to find themselves in management positions. He stressed creativity, knowing your strengths, and knowing your weaknesses when making decisions and taking on projects. Finally, David reminds all of us of how crucial it is that we take risks, be vulnerable, and make mistakes to learn and grow as tourism professionals. Following this advice is how David won the Excellence in Young Professional Leadership Award. Corning Museum of Glass Rob Casetti is the Senior Director at the Corning Museum of Glass and the recipient of the Excellence in Overall Tourism Marketing Award. Starting out as a designer and project planner, early tourism struggles led Rob to trust in data and customer behavior to drive creativity and innovation. Since then, he and his team have engaged in numerous complex projects, including the now award-winning Glass Barge. The barge explores 150 years of glass history in New York, with 30 stops spread across five months stretching from Brooklyn to Buffalo to the Finger Lakes. This barge celebrates the voyage of glass from Corning to Brooklyn that occurred right after the Civil War. It features live glassblowing demonstrations, historic sites, authentic maritime travel, and many other attractions along the way. Rob credits the success of such a massive undertaking to partnerships with numerous outlets, including CVBs, museums, markets, and other locales. Understanding the complexity of the project and leveraging these partnerships helped bring the Glass Barge to 55,000 people, an amazing number. Rob is humbled to receive the award and knows how incredible it is to be recognized in a tourist state as great as New York. Visit Staten Island Jennifer Sammartino is the Deputy Chief of Staff for Visit Staten Island and the recipient of the Excellence in Tourism Marketing Projects Award. In 2017, Jennifer was made Director of Tourism for New York’s fifth borough, which suffered from a reputation problem for a long time. While it doesn’t have Times Square or the Statue of Liberty, Staten Island is home to a pleasant mix of urban and rural areas, plenty of fun activities, historic Richmondtown, and the state’s only Tibetan museum. The hard part was building the borough’s waterfront corridor, raising awareness, and attracting tourists by removing negative stereotypes. Through collaboration with Empire State Development, I Love New York, The Staten Island Chamber of Commerce, and others, Jennifer and her team were able to elevate Staten Island. Popular tourist destinations and transportation outlets were prime targets for marketing campaigns while talking to the locals about why they loved Staten Island gave Jennifer a special lens through which to view the borough. The combination of partnership and local stories informed her team and helped them to revitalize Staten Island’s image as a fun tourist attraction, not just New York’s fifth borough. Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area Scott Keller is the Executive Director of the Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area and recipient of the Excellence in Tourism Marketing Projects Award. Scott’s team developed a river and train tour app for riders of the Hudson Line between New York City and Albany. The app runs based on the theme of “What’s out the window?” When riders see something out of the train window or along the river, they can enter the app and explore six different themes, each one packed with historical information and stories about all of the sights to see. The trip was inspired by kayaking tours down the Hudson River and later evolved into a printed map of national heritage sites before finally becoming an app. While Scott acknowledges the difficulty of building, maintaining, and paying for an app, he credits his success to hard work and partnerships with places like Empire State Development and the app development company Oncell. Scott is honored to receive the award and blaze a new trail for Hudson River Valley tourism. Alon Marketing Group Jennifer Ackerson is the owner of ALON Marketing Group and a recipient of an Excellence in Leadership Award. She got her start in tourism at Discover Long Island 25 years ago. Jen has since built her consultancy and seen the tourism marketing industry grow and evolve, all while keeping her favorite things about it: creativity, partnerships, and helping destinations succeed. She loves teaching and giving back to the communities she helps and stays motivated by working with people and destinations she cares about. Her marketing consulting company, ALON Marketing Group, has partnered with New York City to roll out a training program delivering all of her knowledge from 20 years of tourism marketing experience. The program will train businesses in sales, marketing, operations, and how to attract more tourism. Jen recommends all tourism leaders ask questions, network, follow up, and represent themselves well to see results in the industry. She thinks the award is very cool, and is honored to receive it. Overview The common theme amongst all of these Excellence Award winners is the creativity, tenacity, and collaboration they have all brought to the table in different ways. Finger Lakes Visitors Connection’s David Lee is young but has the experience and spunk of an industry veteran. The Corning Museum of Glass achieved a colossal feat with its Glass Barge through partnerships and elbow grease. Visit Staten Island helped bring Staten Island from the back of people’s minds to the forefront of NYC tourism. Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area helped use modern technology to pique people’s curiosity about all of the exciting sights along the Hudson River. ALON Marketing Group brings Jennifer Ackerson’s 20+ years of experience to businesses and tourism professionals across New York in a friendly, teachable way. All of these award winners have helped foster innovation and drive New York’s tourism industry forward, and I am honored to speak with all of them about their accomplishments. Resources: Finger Lakes Visitors Connection: https://www.visitfingerlakes.com/ Corning Museum of Glass: https://www.cmog.org/ Visit Staten Island: http://visitstatenisland.com/ Hudson River Valley Heritage Area: https://www.hudsonrivervalley.com/ ALON Marketing Group: http://www.alonmarketing.com/ Episode Transcript 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/

Judi Hess is the Director of Visit Binghamton, a position she has held since June 2016. Prior to her promotion, Judi was the Manager of Tourism & Special Events for over 20 years. Visit Binghamton is a department of the Greater Binghamton Chamber of Commerce that is focused on increasing tourism in Broome County. Visit Binghamton is the official tourism promotion agency for Broome County. Judi has been with Visit Binghamton since 1995. Visit Binghamton focuses on tourism promotion, consumer marketing, cooperative advertising programs and making sales calls on professional planners (sporting groups, conventions, and tour groups). Tourism is an ever-changing industry with new initiatives and opportunities, and Judi welcomes the opportunity to never stop learning and taking on new challenges. Additionally, she serves on several local committees and works closely with our elected officials and hospitality industry partners. In 2017 the new Visit Binghamton brand was unveiled, giving the CVB a new look, new direction, and new energy. The rebrand is one of Judi’s proudest accomplishments. Judi enjoys travel and experiencing new things as well as exploring the community she lives in. From great dining and craft beverages to taking in a hockey game, life is good! A lifelong resident of Broome County, she sees her work as a way to let everyone know what a great place this is to visit, live and work. On this episode of Destination on the Left, I talk with Judi Hess about her rebrand of Visit Binghamton and the variety of partnerships and creative solutions she’s used to craft a spectacular destination. What You Will Learn in This Episode: How a rebrand revitalized Binghamton’s tourism industry and the creativity that Judi and her team put into that The challenges that have brought out Judi’s creativity and how she and her team stepped up and tackled the adversity Judi’s team’s usage of technology and video to promote Binghamton Unique strategies Judi has used to expand Binghamton’s reach over social media All of the collaborations that have helped Binghamton blossom as a tourist destination Creating strong partnerships and steps you can take to help parties relate to each other Engaging the local community to improve satisfaction for both visitors and people who live at your destinations A Creative Rebrand Binghamton is a vibrant and bustling part of New York that’s growing in popularity with each day. We can point to many factors for its success, and one of them is the fresh new take on its tourism department, Visit Binghamton. The department has its director, Judi Hess, to thank for its recent 2017 rebrand. Judi is very proud of this accomplishment, and I was happy to have her share it with me. Judi and her team saw the incredible things happening in their community and knew it was time for a change. With live music almost every night and art galleries opening up where there used to be cigar factories, Visit Binghamton brought restaurants, hotels, government officials, and university representatives to help answer one question: Who are we? This collaboration helped them realize the importance of the individual contributions of every person, whether local or visiting from across the country. Visit Binghamton came out with a fresh new tagline: “Be a Part of Our Story”. Bold colors and prints for the new brand perfectly compliment exciting new developments in Binghamton’s tourist industry. Imagine seeing Animal Adventure Park, an interactive animal exhibit with giraffes, zebras, monkeys, and more. The growing beer industry is promoted by inner tube rides down the Beer Tree River, while the hospitality section has had a drone fly through. It’s no wonder people from across the world tune in to Binghamton’s social media! Creating Strong Partnerships Judi’s team couldn’t have done it without the collaborations and partnerships they built along the way. One of the most important, the LUMA Projection Arts Festival, helped Binghamton break into event marketing in an awesome and special way. Connecting LUMA to I Love NY and other NY marketing brands grew the event into a huge and successful show. Using hospitality, restaurants, and travel writing partners has helped this event and partnership blossom in an incredible way. Transparency is one of the key features of partnerships with Judi’s team. By leveraging existing partnerships and introducing those people to new potential collaborators, channels of communication are opened and people begin to speak the same language. Judi’s team acts as a middle man to create strong bonds between organizations and weave a network of cooperation that has helped bring Binghamton to the forefront of New York tourism. On the individual level, Judi focuses heavily on making sure that Binghamton locals are happy and that they see their town as thriving and improving. Judi creates a positive atmosphere that leads the locals to tell their friends across the country how much they love living there. That positivity eventually spreads to Binghamton tourists and secures a future for Binghamton as a popular New York destination. Resources: Email: judi@visitbinghamton.org Website: https://visitbinghamton.org/ Episode Transcript 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/

Creating a great customer experiences with hospitality, food and beverage has been a passion of Suzanne’s since her very first job. Suzanne is always looking for ways to bring new and interesting experiences to guests, and that is what she brings to Red Shed Brewery. As head of innovation and marketing, Suzanne seeks to be the connection between Red Shed and the brewing industry, working with her father Jack and brewers on interesting flavors and trends that use locally sourced New York hops and grains, and working with her husband David and tap room managers to understand the guests and clientele served to ensure that Red Shed remains connected with the community. After graduating from the University in Arizona with a degree in Business Management, Suzanne worked at UCLA as Marketing, Media and Public Relations Manager. She moved to Pittsburgh, PA in 2002 and spent 14 years in the retail food industry working in food marketing, customer relationship marketing and finally found her calling being the head of customer experience for the chain of grocery, convenience and pharmacy locations. After getting married, having kids, and being convinced by her father Jack to bring her hospitality and food expertise to Cherry Valley, NY, Suzanne and the family took a leap of faith and joined the family business Red Shed Brewery in 2017. Suzanne splits her time developing patient experience initiatives at Bassett Healthcare, teaching yoga and the brewery. Living up to the tagline of Local, Handcrafted, Fresh is Suzanne’s mission, and she wants to create that experience for her guests with each beer, flavor, experience and visit to the brewery. On this episode of Destination on the Left, I talk with Suzanne Olson of Red Shed Brewery about the customer experience and how to operate a business with a person-first mindset. What You Will Learn in This Episode: What leaders in large companies can learn about running small businesses and what that transition taught Suzanne How a person-first approach benefited Suzanne’s brewery and what that philosophy looks like in practice Using feedback to ensure your company is always growing and improving Handling the “slow season” and getting creative with your destination The effects of co-opetition and collaboration on Suzanne’s brewery and how to forge meaningful partnerships What targeted marketing can do to help diversify your audiences or explore your niche Putting the Customer First Suzanne Olson is a strategic and innovative customer experience and marketing professional with 16 years of progressive experience and related education. She spent 14 years at Giant Eagle, a New England grocery chain, directing customer service and marketing strategies. She then transitioned from the large grocery chain to a small brewery, Red Shed, in upstate New York. I was so happy to talk to her and get a glimpse into this exciting industry! Suzanne’s background means she has a special perspective on serving customers and giving them experiences to remember. Her switch from a company with 37,000 employees to a small brewery of 14 people gave her insight on operations, service, and training. She discovered how relevant company culture is to a smaller organization and resolved to put customers and people first. Small businesses in the travel industry face unique challenges that large corporations don’t otherwise know about. It’s very easy to neglect things like training when running an in-season destination for seven days a week. Suzanne’s person-first approach is a great fix for this and other problems Red Shed has dealt with. Her company brews and works for the customer. As a result, the company has adapted to local tourism by implementing a beer garden, yard games, giant Jenga, tractor tires, and a family-friendly menu. The family focus carved out a niche for Red Shed that appeals to a broad range of customers who just want to relax. Craft Brew Collaboration Suzanne’s creative “customer-first” practices have put Red Shed ahead of the game. To help her along the way, Suzanne and her company have consistently asked for feedback to ensure they’re always improving and recreating their winning formula. This level of creativity and flexibility is extremely helpful for when Suzanne’s business faces its inevitable challenge: the slow season. To shake things up, Red Shed “invents events,” as Suzanne puts it. Events such as a prom party and other fun festivities keep people interested, while new beers keep them coming back for more. Other features, like an Oktoberfest party with a variety of attractions, continue to draw new and diverse audiences. Targeted marketing helps Suzanne build a vision for Red Shed and the events and ideas she wants to try out. In the large market that is the brewery business, Suzanne has discovered the magic of collaboration. Red Shed’s one-of-a-kind brews are a great way for the brewery to partner and promote local farms and spotlight their ingredients. Suzanne’s collaboration extends to the Destination Marketing Corporation of Otsego County, where she serves on the board. Suzanne regularly offers help to the DMCOC while informing them of Red Shed’s local events and plans. She reinforces transparency as a valuable trait for any destination or company to have. By staying transparent, partners like local restaurants trust Red Shed and work with them to the benefit of both companies. Resources: Website: www.redshedbrewing.com Instagram: @redshedbrewery Facebook: @redshedbrewery Episode Transcript 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/