Destination On The Left

Nancy Marshall has been doing PR since the early 1980s. She founded her agency, Marshall Communications, in 1991 serving tourism and especially outdoor recreation clients. Since then, her agency has grown significantly and now her and her team handle the state of Maine Office of Tourism and state of Maine Department of Agriculture, as well as the Orvis Company. Nancy’s passion is around personal branding and she works with individuals to leverage their personal brand. Nancy recently launched her own podcast, the PR Maven – so check that out right after you listen to this one! On this episode of Destination on the Left, I talk with Nancy about all things PR. We discuss how Nancy gets into the trenches with her clients to find out what they are all about. We also talk about digging in on data and analytics-how to look at the right numbers to understand where your visitors are coming from and why. Hers is a breadth of knowledge that doesn’t come along every day, so this is a great conversation. WHAT YOU WILL LEARN: How personal brand can impact the present as well as your legacy Why building relationships online and offline is so important Becoming a trusted resource in good times and during crises The importance of data and analytics for the best PR bang for your buck How co-opetition can give you boots on the ground where your clients need them How to learn from your raving fans to help define the brand story TEND TO THOSE RELATIONSHIPS Being connected in real life with your media contacts is so important. Nancy says for her, “That has been where the magic happens – when I’ve been able to spend time with my media contacts in some shared activity. It builds trust and a genuine relationship.” Digital relationships are good, but there is something about meeting and connecting with people in real life that helps deepen those bonds, so you are friends – and also that your destination will be top of mind, because of that outdoor adventure you shared, or the great meal at a memorable restaurant. With a relationship built on trust, when a crisis occurs, people are more likely to trust what you are saying. DATA ANALYTICS Measurement is crucial. What do you measure and why does it matter? Nancy shared, “When we’re starting a new engagement with a client, we actually have a discovery meeting where we discuss what the goals are and what the metrics should be. We decide collaboratively what to measure.” With tools like Google Analytics and others at our fingertips, there’s no excuse for not knowing the data. RESOURCES: PR Maven Podcast: https://prmaven.com/podcasts/ Measure What Matters by John Doerr: https://www.whatmatters.com/ Traction  by Gino Wickman: https://traction.eosworldwide.com/traction-book

Caroline Boland and Gary Curran together run the Dingle Peninsula Tourism Alliance, located on the southern coast of Ireland. Gary serves as chairperson of the alliance, and Caroline is a marketing consultant for DPTA. Gary grew up on the peninsula and now runs Greenmount House, a 4-star rated bed and breakfast in Dingle. Caroline visited some years ago and knew this beautiful place was where she wanted to live. Together, Gary and Caroline have been traveling in Massachusetts and New York on behalf of the DPTA. Coincidentally, both Gary and Caroline graduated from the Shannon College of Hotel Management in Galway, Ireland. On this episode of Destination on the Left, I have a conversation that will make you want to pack your bags immediately and head for the southern coast of Ireland. I talk with Caroline and Gary about the challenges of marketing on a limited budget and the exciting opportunities for collaboration that come out of that kind of necessity.  What You Will Learn: Why the Dingle peninsula is renowned as one of the most beautiful places on earth Strategies for extending your season How to market your region on a small budget The difference between marketing yourself as a destination or as an attraction Benefits of getting your message out directly to the consumer How to develop meaningful sister city relationships Beautiful Landscape is Just the Beginning Whatever brings people to your destination is often just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. How do you help visitors explore all your destination has to offer? In Ireland’s Dingle peninsula, it starts with the incredible natural beauty. From there, the people, the food, the hectic festival schedule (they have a LOT of festivals) can all be a big draw. We talk about how there is a different target market for different seasons, and how to connect with people who will enjoy the winter or shoulder season, and those who want to be there in the summer. Sister Cities and Genuine Relationships As Caroline points out, “You don’t have to have money to make a new friend. You just have to be genuine and, and just welcoming and just want to spend time, share a bit, and build a relationship.” That’s how they approached their relationship with sister city, West Springfield in Massachusetts. How can you build a mutually beneficial relationship, so it’s not just a plaque on the side of the road, and now you’re a sister city? There is some great conversation around making that happen. Resources: Website: dingle-peninsula.ie/index.php

Cory Lee is a travel blogger and advocate accessibility to accommodate disabilities of all kinds. At a young age, Cory was diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy, but that certainly did not diminish his desire to travel. He has visited destinations on six of seven continents (Antarctica is still on the to-visit list!) Since starting his blog, curbfreewithcorylee.com in 2013, he has gained more than 50,000 followers across social media and his blog won the prestigious 2017 Lowell Thomas Award for Best Travel Blog. He has written for National Geographic, Lonely Planet, and is a frequent contributor to New Mobility magazine. Corey hopes to inspire others to break out of their comfort zones and start rolling around the world. On this episode of Destination on the Left, I talk with Cory about the challenges and opportunities with accessibility in the travel and tourism industry. Did you know that people with some form of disability spend $13 Billion a year on travel? If you’re not thinking about accessibility, you are leaving money on the table. What You Will Learn: Finding your audience as a travel writer to attract destinations to work with you Why destinations need to clearly advertise their accessibility to people with disabilities How to advocate for accessibility accommodations in real time Considering accessibility in your group tour programs The details to attend to in planning an accessible trip Creative ideas to make your destination even more accessible Full show notes available here: https://breaktheicemedia.com/podcasts/cory-lee/

Jay has been in the travel industry since 1974, beginning his career operating camping programs for students throughout North America. Jay moved to Massachusetts in 1987 with his family and shortly after started up Sports Travel and Tours. The business first began with group trips primarily for baseball and expanded quickly to include most other major sports. The business has a specific niche, tapping into the passion of the sports fan experiencing games and events live. Jay also serves on the executive committee of NTA, where he has served in a number of capacities, including board chair. On this episode of Destination on the Left, I talk with Jay Smith about the importance of seemingly random conversations and just being willing to talk to people. Opportunities abound when you are open to a conversation. You never know where those casual chats might lead. Jay has built a thriving travel business on this simple principle. What You Will Learn: The beauty of TTP and TTMP (Talk To People, then Talk To More People) How to exceed people’s expectations so they return to your service Diversifying to weather changes in the market Learning how to get to “yes” Using co-opetition to play to your strengths and let others play to theirs Full show notes available here: https://breaktheicemedia.com/podcasts/jay-smith/

David Huether currently serves as the Senior Vice President of Research at the U.S. Travel Association. In this role, David manages the association’s economic, tourism marketing and advocacy research programs. The U.S. Travel Association is a national non-profit travel advocacy organization working within all aspects of the travel and tourism industry, generating $2.4 trillion in economic output and supporting more than 15 million jobs in the United States. Before he joined U.S Travel in January of 2011, David was Chief Economist at the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), where he served as the organization’s economic forecaster and principal spokesman on economic matters important to America’s industrial base. Prior to joining NAM in 1997, David worked with the Bureau of Economic Analysis at the U.S Department of Commerce as an economist. David received his bachelor’s degree from Guilford College in North Carolina in 1990, and he obtained his graduate degree in economics from George Washington University in 1997. On this episode of Destination on the Left, I talk with David about the important information-gathering and analytic work his organization, the U.S. Travel Association, is doing. U.S. Travel and other advocacy groups collect, collate, and disseminate statistics about the travel industry, helping to secure funding and support from local, state and federal policy-makers. Listen to our conversation and discover what information is being gathered, and how that information is being used to reshape our industry. What You Will Learn: Learn what is officially considered “travel”, and what sort of immense impact on domestic business and leisure travel have to the U.S. economy. David explains the challenges the United States faces in capturing its share of international travel from other nations, and what steps are being taken to address the problem. David discusses why many outside factors impact the state of the travel industry. Indicators such as the strength of the US Dollar, the price of gasoline, and national employment growth all have their part to play. The U.S. Travel “Made In America” report is a powerful tool available to destination marketing professionals to showcase how the travel industry is an important economic contributor to local communities across the country. Learn what fascinating and illuminating information U.S. Travel discovered when analyzing the career paths of travel professionals compared to professionals from other industries, across a thirty year period. Why do the Numbers Matter? One of the great challenges we face is successfully educating policy-makers on how important the travel industry is on both the local and national level. There is an unfortunate perception that travel is just a “fun but low-wage” industry to work in, which we know isn’t the truth of the situation. Having access to the important metrics that organizations like the U.S. Travel Association track and gather can help dispel these misunderstandings. The travel and tourism industries have an incredible, far-reaching impact on communities across the country. Revenue is generated, jobs are created, and entire regions are boosted by our industry, so it’s critical that we get that message out. How the Information is Used Once groups like U.S. Travel have analyzed and processed the information they gather from their studies, those reports can be used to show a cause-and-effect relationship between government travel policies and funding, and how those initiatives impact communities. By shining a light on the clear relationship between policy and outcome, advocacy groups can illustrate how important our industry is to the health of our communities and can create a stronger point from which to argue on behalf of important policies and changes. This work is crucial to the travel industry, which is why it was my pleasure to speak with David on the subject. Resources: U.S. Travel Association’s “Made In America” report: https://www.ustravel.org/research/made-america-travels-essential-contribution-economic-development U.S. Travel Association Website: www.ustravel.org

Nicole Mahoney is the host for the Destination on the Left podcast. She is also the CEO of Break The Ice Media, the travel and tourism marketing agency she founded in 2009. Break The Ice Media specializes in working for clients in the travel and tourism industries, through the strategic use of public relations, social media, digital advertising, tourism marketing campaigns, influencer marketing, and video marketing. Nicole got her start in the business world while attending college when she worked for her father at her family’s car stereo shop. After college, Nicole began working in sports marketing at Frontier Field in Rochester, New York, as the Executive Director of the Lilac Festival. She went on to run promotions for the Canandaigua, New York Business Improvement District and worked on projects for the tourism promotion agency Visit Rochester. With over 20 years of experience in the tourism marketing field, Nicole has truly dedicated herself to the travel and tourism industries throughout her career journey. On this special 100th episode of Destination on the Left, Nicole discusses why she created the show, building upon the spark of an idea she had all the way back in 2013 while she served as the co-host of an internet radio show. She reflects on Destination on the Left’s past episodes, diverse topics, even more diverse guests, and how the show has evolved over time.  She also looks to the future, with exciting plans for the next 100 episodes! What You Will Learn: Learn the history of the Destination on the Left podcast, and why Nicole believes it is important to give leaders in the travel and tourism industry a platform to showcase their ideas and successes. Listen as Nicole reflects upon the journey she and Destination on the Left have taken from the show’s beginning, through one hundred episodes of informative conversation with guests from all over the world. Learn what it took to bring Destination on the Left to life, from finding the right podcasting partner firm to designing a logo and website, to eventually being hosted on 33 different platforms such as iTunes and Google Play and even Amazon Alexa. Nicole shares key milestones from the last two years and one hundred episodes, highlighting the wonderfully diverse and informative topics she has discussed with her guests. Nicole expresses her deep appreciation for the support of her listeners and shares the wonderful feedback and reviews she has received. What is Destination on the Left? Nicole Mahoney wanted to create a platform to give professionals in the travel and tourism industry a chance to talk about their most creative ideas and share their stories of success. Tourism isn’t recognized as an “official” industry by the federal government, and too often the business leaders and professionals in the field aren’t treated as the industry leaders they are. That’s why Nicole created Destination on the Left. Through showcasing successful business executives and bright ideas from the world of tourism, Nicole hopes to shine a light on how critical and impactful the travel and tourism industries can be, empowering and strengthening communities all over the world. 100 Episodes Later… Join Nicole as she reflects on one hundred episodes full of amazing guests from all over the country and the world. That’s not to mention the incredibly diverse topics they’ve discussed; topics including regional marketing, influencer marketing, travel PR, digital marketing, grassroots efforts, food tourism, and many others. And the future of Destination on the Left is equally as bright. This year saw the first podcast roadshow, as well as a five-part series on museums. And there’s so much more planned for the future. Listen and join in on the celebration!

The travel industry is changing all the time. But some things are timeless. The challenge is to meet the evolving needs of clients, but retain all of the standards of good customer experience that are indeed timeless. On this episode of Destination on the Left, we talk with a true practitioner of this art. Justin Osbon talks with us about his experience with a truly legendary European tour operator, how to thrive as a 3rd generation company, and how to look to the future. Justin Osbon started with Image Tours as an account executive where he was expected to deal directly with travel agents who were already working with Image Tours as well as prospects and create new relationships with additional travel agents. In 2007, he was promoted to senior account executive where he was in charge of the team of account executives, and in 2009 became sales director covering all aspects of sales for Image Tours, Inc. During his career, he has volunteered and participated at various associations including the National Tour Association, American Bus Association, as well as others. He was also given the opportunity to mentor some of the collegiate scholarship winners for Tourism Cares. He was voted one of the top travel supplier sales reps in 2010 by readers of Travel Agent magazine. In January of 2014, he was voted top 10 next gen by readers of Group Today magazine. He has also served as NTA’s chairman in 2016 and remains involved with NTA through leadership team committees. Full show notes available here: https://breaktheicemedia.com/podcasts/justin-osbon/  

In a region with a lot of tourism opportunity, sibling rivalry is just part of the dynamic of working together. Even more so with metropolitan areas in close proximity: like the two Kansas Cities, or Dallas/Fort Worth, or my guest’s hometown of St. Paul and Minneapolis. On this episode of Destination on the Left, Adam Johnson of Visit Saint Paul talks with us about the fun you can have with this sort of friendly rivalry. We talk about working together to bring people to the region. And humor – travel is fun, so having fun in your tourism messaging can really create positive vibes about your destination. Adam Johnson is vice president of marketing with Visit St. Paul where he is responsible for marketing St. Paul as a meetings and tourism destination, along with developing the company’s social media strategy, media relations plan, and special events planning. Some events Adam has worked closely on include the 2018 Super Bowl, 2008 Republican National Convention, 2011 and 2018 NCAA Frozen Four, 2011 Visa Championships, the Annual Red Bull Crashed Ice Village, an Annual LuckyPalooza on West 7th Street Party, and the 2016 Rider Cup. He was the brainchild behind “Hello Minneapolis, Love St. Paul”; the Adele Parody, “Free Beer for Furloughed Government Workers” which highlighted St. Paul’s hospitality community; and he led the team that helped St. Paul be named Most Romantic Getaway in North America and Best Local Food Scene by Ten Best in USA Today. Adam has a communication’s degree from Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota. He is also a 2006 graduate of the Leadership St. Paul Program through the St. Paul Chamber of Commerce. He has served on the board of the Capital River Council, Minnesota Mississippi River Parkway Commission, Skyway YMCA, St. Paul Festival and Heritage Association, Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association, National and Ordway Circle of the Stars. Adam lives in St. Paul with his wife Emily and infant sons Leo, Otis, and Oscar, and when not working he enjoys watching sports, golfing, and spending time with family. Full show notes available here: https://breaktheicemedia.com/podcasts/adam-johnson/

Getting influencers and travel writers to pay attention is a great way to showcase what you are offering to the travel and tourism public. Bringing them onsite and having them write about your organization can be a big public relations win. But how do you make the connection? Email and phone calls are hit-or-miss at best, if you haven’t got an established relationship already. That’s why a tactic called the “desk-side visit” can really break the ice and get you and that writer enthused about working together. On this episode of Destination on the Left, we do a deep dive into the desk-side visit. How do you make it happen? How does it really make a difference in your organization? Today we are talking to one of the Break The Ice Media team members in a team cast episode, Sarah Blackwell. Sarah is a consultant and brings knowledge of the public relations industry to her work at Break The Ice, including the ability to write, pitch and tell a great story. Her experience working with journalists and a passion for PR and social media has allowed her to help her clients get great exposure and effectively connect with their target audience. Sarah is a graduate of The College at Brockport Suny with a bachelor of Science and Journalism and Broadcasting, with a concentration in PR and a dual degree in English. She joined Break the Ice Media in 2013 and brought with her hospitality and marketing experience from internships at Disney, Southwest Airlines, American Cancer Society, and the Susan B Anthony House. Since joining Break The Ice, Sarah leads many of the travel PR clients that the agency serves, including the Haunted History Trail of New York State, Genesee County Office of Tourism, and the Canadian PR program co-op made up of 15 partners. She is very involved with the Public Relations Society of America, Rochester Chapter serving as a board member and co-chairing the PRISM Awards Committee. Full show notes available here: https://breaktheicemedia.com/podcasts/sarah-blackwell-desk-side-visit/

Why are people interested in traveling to your destination? Finding out the “why” makes marketing more precise and leads to more visitors and ergo, more revenue. Finding out the “why” gets beyond lumping people into demographic categories. It helps us understand what motivates them and what could potentially motivate them to choose us. Our guest this episode of Destination on the Left is Susan Baier. Susan is an Audience and Marketing Strategist. She helps organizations figure out what’s going on in the minds of their prospects and customers, and how to use that information to craft targeted efficient and effective marketing programs. Her company, Audience Audit, develops custom attitudinal segmentation research for smart marketing agencies and their clients in a wide range of industries. She has worked with over 50 agencies and their clients including Gap, Kona Grill, Infusionsoft, Jayco, Tufts University, AT&T, Pella and more. Susan has been a Marketing Strategist for 30 years working in Fortune 500 firms such as Dial and ConocoPhillips as well as in marketing agencies. She has an MBA in marketing and entrepreneurship and has mentored hundreds of small business owners in marketing and audience strategy. Susan regularly speaks at major marketing conferences including Inbound and Content Marketing World. She’s been featured on Jay Baer’s Social Pros Podcast, the Build a Better Agency podcast, and the Duct Tape Marketing podcast. Full show notes available here: https://breaktheicemedia.com/podcasts/susan-baier/