Destination On The Left

In this episode, you will learn about how to get 50% of all your customers from referrals. Driven by a conviction that the business of selling creates freedom, David brings an exceptional 40-year career as a salesperson, speaker, coach, and author of “Are you for real?!” (Aviva, 2015), an inspiring sales-career survival guide. He empowers all types of individuals to new heights thanks to his time-tested methodologies, an ability to motivate others beyond their expectations, and his genuine joy in seeing others succeed. David’s entrepreneurial spirit was ignited early in life from parents who owned an Oriental rug company. At 15, he launched a business brokering the sale of used appliances, earning the princely sum of $200 per month in the 1970s. Upon graduating high school, he secured an entry-level job at a bank and quickly rose to managerial roles, becoming vice president six years later. David’s warmth, sincerity, and passion for person-to-person business would become an asset throughout his sales career, spanning many industries. The roots of his coaching career go back 30 years when he overcame his wall in sales through an intensive personal growth process that led to exponential increases in his revenues. Today, David shares his secrets with others, using a coaching methodology based on the value of work and self. He imparts in his clients the belief that a willingness to change and become a better person will drive sales and business success. According to David, success comes down to awareness, self-acceptance, self-development, communication, change, belief in yourself and the service you provide, and, most importantly, being honest and caring. He resides in his hometown of Brooklyn, New York with his wife. What you’ll learn about in this episode: Understanding the tourist’s desires by thinking like them Success in business through building and maintaining relationships with the people that will bring customers in your door (tour operators, travel agents, hotel concierges, taxi drivers, etc.) How to get 50% of all customers from referrals (a number David saw during his time as Director of Tourism Marketing at B&H Photo Video) by delivering QSSP: Quality of Service, Selection, and Price Making sure that you have team members that speak tourist’s language to make tourists feel comfortable Training salespeople on products they sell so they help customers with their specific needs Teaming up with non-competing businesses to provide customers with fantastic deals How to get a tour operator in a foreign country to put your voucher in their itinerary packets Building out a strategy for strategic follow up Solving the time management problem David’s book: “Are You For Real?!: Going From Excuses to Authentic Selling and Living Your Dreams” about authenticity as the key to personal growth Focusing on the experience, not the sale The importance of proactivity in the travel and tourism industry The danger of making promises you can’t deliver on Collaborating by referring customers to who can help them (if that person is not you) and how that will come back tenfold Ways to contact David: Website: coachstern.com Resources: Book: “Are You For Real?!: Going From Excuses to Authentic Selling and Living Your Dreams” (If you purchase, David will send you an autographed copy plus provide you a free 45-minute consultation) Blog post: How time management can help boost your commissions by David Stern

In this episode, you will learn about how the Museum Association of New York (MANY) is consistently growing their tourism efforts from Erika Sanger. Erika Sanger joined MANY (Museum Assoc. Of New York) after serving twelve years as the Director of Education at the Albany Institute of History and Art. There she provided vision for the development of programs for adults, children, schools, and families, focusing on object-based learning and digital initiatives. She had led the institute’s digital renaissance, most notably with the launch of a new website and creation of interpretative strategies around hand-held digital devices and interactive media. Erika has gained her extensive arts experience through positions held at renowned institutions including the International Center of Photography, the Jewish Museum, the New York Historical Society, the Brooklyn Museum of Art, and the Asheville Art Museum in Asheville, NC. She served as Director of Development at Penland School of Crafts in Western North Carolina, where she was actively engaged in the region’s artists community, and participated in the design and implementation of campaigns for capital and endowment funds. She has also developed program assessments with Harvard University’s Project Zero, the NC Center for the Advancement of Teaching, and with the education department at the University at Albany. Programs produced under her direction have received funding from major organizations, including the Institute for Museum and Library Services and the National Endowments for the Arts and Humanities. Erika holds a B.F.A. from Clark University, in Worcester, MA, and an M.A. from New York University’s Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development. The Annual Conference of the Museum Association of New York will be in April 2018 in Rochester, NY, details to follow. What you’ll learn about in this episode: How the Museum Association of New York encourages its members to stand out and appeal to visitors around the globe Collaborating with the strong cultural institutions throughout the state to attract visitors not just into New York City, but to all of New York state How legislators and local governments make a HUGE difference in our cultural institutions, and how to get them on your side Current challenges facing museums and cultural institutions today and how they are affecting visitors How the Museum Association is changing up their programs this fall to push tourism to new heights The interplay between different cultural institutions on a local level and what that means for a community Museum’s crucial role in New York tourism and economic development Leveraging partnerships to attract international travelers The importance of attracting visitors to other areas of the state and the usefulness of the I LOVE NEW YORK app Ways to contact Erika: Website: www.manyonline.org Phone: (518) 273-3400

In this episode, you will learn about why collaboration at the regional level makes a huge difference from Valerie Knoblauch. Valerie is President and CEO of the Finger Lakes Visitors Connection where she has worked since 1984 when she was hired as the organization’s first employee. In her role, she is responsible for guiding a team of tourism marketing professionals who are charged with promoting all of the fun experiences offered in Ontario County and the Finger Lakes region. Valerie thrives on the challenge of figuring out people’s motivations to travel and translating that into marketing programs that inspire travel to the destination where she lives, works and plays. Prior to beginning with the Finger Lakes Visitors connection, Valerie worked as a Tour Guide and Public Relations Manager for Gold Seal Vineyards in Hammondsport, NY after a career as a High School English teacher at Red Jacket Central High School. Valerie loves to travel – imagine that. She also enjoys bicycling, wine, gardening, photography, and cooking. She loves the theatre, especially live theatre and musicals, and likes history – especially as it is interpreted to put into place “where we are today …” Valerie is blessed with a very large family, many of whom have settled in the area. She has been married to her husband Kurt since 1982. They have three sons and three wonderfully diverse daughters-in-law and three grandsons. Valerie has friends across the world, because of her career in travel and tourism and because of her multicultural family. She loves learning every day from all of the characters in her life. What you’ll learn about in this episode: The importance of analyzing your strengths and weaknesses, and surrounding yourself with people who complement your skill set. How the regional Hike & Bike collateral piece and her ‘Slice, Dice & Spice’ event were ahead of the curve in showcasing local assets. Using creative ways to meet the challenges of stretched resources. The importance of communicating ROI to stakeholders and knowing which metrics to report. The importance of agreeing, up front, what the desired outcome is when collaborating The indirect impact of a thriving tourism industry. Using research and a strategic marketing plan to identify opportunities for extended stay and return visitation. Reaching visitors while they are in the destination to encourage extended stay and return visitation. How Ontario County engaged their Board of Supervisors with National Tourism Week. Ways to contact Valerie: Website: www.Visitfingerlakes.com Twitter: @VisitFingerLake

In this episode, you will learn about how leveraging your social media in the tourism industry can help you to bring in more visitors from Brittany Gibson. In her capacity at the Watkins Glen Area Chamber of Commerce, Brittany is responsible for promoting Schuyler County’s tourism industry by creating and implementing tourism marketing and public relations programs. She is also responsible for developing and implementing programs to increase the visibility and credibility of the Chamber. Brittany serves on the Finger Lakes Regional Tourism Council Board of Directors, the Finger Lakes Tourism Alliance Marketing Committee, the Schuyler County Planning Board, and the Community Development Corporation Board of Directors. She volunteers her time serving as the coordinator of her family’s charity organization, Team Charlie. Brittany’s areas of expertise include marketing, advertising, public relations, social media, and event planning. She is passionate about the Finger Lakes and is eager to see Schuyler County continue to grow – both in business and tourism. What you’ll learn about in this episode: What sets the tourism industry in New York state apart from everywhere else How Brittany seeks out creativity through collaborating with surrounding counties Using social media & consumer email marketing to express creativity Why you need to assess which social media channels will work best for you & your business How Watkins Glen Chamber’s Instagram following recently exploded from around 400 to over a thousand in a matter of 1.5 months Why getting engagement from the locals is important when it comes to tourism Why Brittany loves helping small businesses leverage their partnership with the Watkins Glen Area Chamber of Commerce Why you need to go out of your way to build relationships with people TALES – Tourism & Leadership Exchange Summit: the first ever tourism conference being hosted in Schuyler County Why it’s important that frontline staff & the community view tourism as a leadership role Three big events/things that the Watkins Glen Area Chamber of Commerce are excited about this year Why Brittany loves to host travel bloggers/writers in Schuyler County (which she did with almost 50 bloggers/writers between May 1st – September 15th last year!) Ways to contact Brittany: Website: www.watkinsglenchamber.com

In this episode, you will learn from Ramjee Chandran about the evolution of tourism publishing, and why creative content is as important now as it was in 1989. Ramjee Chandran is an entrepreneur, writer, publisher, and musician with 27 years of publishing experience. As a journalist, his articles have been published in India and other countries. Most of Chandran’s publishing career involved magazines related to the tourism industry including city guides and business travel magazines – both print and online. The first city guide he launched was on March 31, 1989, for his hometown of Bangalore, India. In the years following, he launched the “Explocity Guide” series of city guide magazines in several destinations including New York City, Dubai and several major metros in India. Other magazines included Executive Traveller and other city-based lifestyle magazines. Ramjee Chandran received investment from a US-based venture capital fund in 2000, and a few years later, a meeting with publishing mogul Rupert Murdoch led to Murdoch picking up a 25% stake in Chandran’s publishing enterprise, Explocity. Chandran was awarded the prestigious “Chanakya Award” for Innovative Leadership by the Indian Council for Public Relations and was named one of 10 best entrepreneurs from the state of Karnataka, India by online giant, Rediff.com (REDF – NASDAQ). Recently, Ramjee launched a website for New York State: www.DestinationsOfNewYorkState.com and runs this in an exclusive strategic alliance with the experienced tourism company, Destinations Of NYS, based in Saugerties, NY. Chandran is also a jazz guitarist and has performed on stage with internationally acclaimed jazz musicians and at international jazz festivals. He believes that the one thing he does with more mediocrity than playing jazz is his other distraction, playing chess. What you’ll learn about in this episode: The story behind Ramjee’s first destination magazine, and his shoestring budget How Ramjee learned to scale his enterprise up from 1 magazine out to 3 countries How Ramjee sought creativity from his content Why you need to listen to what people want and find a creative way to present it to them Ramjee’s biggest challenge, scaling, and how he made it work How Ramjee evolved his business from a single print publication to what it is today Why digital scaling is much easier than print scaling The story behind Ramjee’s new website DestinationsOfNewYorkState.com Why collaborations between publishers is rare- but how Ramjee makes it work What makes tourism communication so exciting How Dubai has developed a phenomenal tourism enterprise in such a short time Ways to contact Ramjee: Website: www.DestinationsOfNewYorkState.com Website: www.SolMooney.com Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramjee_Chandran

In this episode, you will learn about the importance of creating opportunities for both guests and other small businesses from Debbie Meritsky. Debbie is a graduate of New England Culinary Institute and has worked in the food industry for over 30 years with an emphasis on local, organic, and seasonal ingredients. Debbie is co-owner of the Black Sheep Inn & Spa located in Hammondsport in the Finger Lakes region of NYS. As the Inn chef, she is an avid proponent of sourcing local organic foods and the clean food movement in the Finger Lakes region. Debbie prepares delicious farm-to-table breakfasts for her guests, sourced from within 50 miles of the Black Sheep Inn & Spa. She also enjoys sharing with her guests those techniques on how to create this lifestyle at home, wherever they may live. Debbie’s other passion is art, and, specifically, creating art from recycled and repurposed “ingredients”. Debbie and her husband Marc created the Arts in Bloom Art Trail to showcase the fantastic art being created in their area. In its 5th year Arts in Bloom is a family-friendly, free community event that features live demonstrations at artist studios and galleries on the trail. What you’ll learn about in this episode: Debbie’s background Why Debbie loves doing farm-to-table & how that helped form her business How Debbie likes to give her guests experiential opportunities when staying with them at the Inn Debbie’s philosophy of, if you’re not having fun doing something then your guests aren’t going to have fun Why you should source what is available now to bring the best to your guests Why it’s not about money – it’s about opportunity Why forming partnerships with other small businesses is one of the biggest but most important challenges you will face The story behind the family-friendly, free community event, Arts in Bloom & the F.L.A.V.O.R. Studio at the Inn The many opportunities for partnerships with the over 100 distinct breweries, cider houses & distilleries in the Finger Lakes region How knowing how to cross-sell can help you create more opportunities The importance of finding local small businesses that understand and want to excel at forming partnerships Why, as tourism partners, you need to build your story to tell the outside world Ways to contact Debbie: Website: www.stayblacksheepinn.com

In this episode, you will learn about non-profits in the travel and tourism industry from Jacob Taddy. Jacob Taddy is the founder and Executive Director of Onwards, a non-profit organization connecting people through unique travel experiences that empower local entrepreneurs. After working on service projects in the Navajo Nation, Skid Row in Los Angeles, and construction sites throughout the US and the Caribbean, Onwards was born when founder Jacob Taddy recognized a need to shift how he, and others, were talking about and providing domestic and international aid. Onwards seeks to shift from short-term solutions and volunteer projects to long-term, sustainable economic development. By providing microloans and business training to local tourism based business owners, Onwards empowers local entrepreneurs to tap into the largest industry on the planet, tourism, to create jobs and direct tourism dollars into communities that need it. What you’ll learn about in this episode: What the next generation of travelers is looking for How the idea for Jacob’s non-profit organization, Onwards, was born and how it finds ways to direct travelers to communities that need it How Onwards creates authentic experiences Onwards level of integrity behind what they do How Onwards top priority is providing the biggest benefit to the community Jacob’s biggest challenge: convincing people to go places that they’ve never heard of, and how he overcomes it Why Onwards puts the faces of entrepreneurs at the forefront of their organization How Onwards is showcasing models of community development in Haiti & the DR The benefit of non-profits not treating each other as competitors The importance of focuses on strengths in a partnership Ways to contact Jacob: Twitter: @onwardstravel Website: www.onwardsinc.org Email: jacob@onwardsinc.org

You have heard our guests talk about co-opetition- that really cool thing that happens when competitors come together to collaborate on a project or program in order to create something bigger than they could have done on their own. This podcast recaps ten strategies for successful collaborative partnerships that we have learned from our guests. What you’ll learn about in this episode: Strategy #1: Communication — why clear communication requires talking on the phone or in person — not just through email (David Holder) Strategy #2: Bring the right resources to bear — why you must know when to bring in outside help when you don’t have the necessary expertise needed for a project (Ralph Thompson) Strategy #3: Set realistic expectations — why it’s so crucial to make sure that all project collaborators understand what realistic project success looks like — especially in the short term (Meg Vanek) Strategy #4: Form relationships that lead to partnerships — why networking is the way that successful collaborative partnerships get off the ground (Kelly Rapone) Strategy #5: Have a shared vision — why it’s so important that all collaborators envision the same outcome for a project (Jennifer Ackerson) Strategy #6: Find commonality — why successful partnerships have to come from a place where partners share something in common (Leah Mueller) Strategy #7: Set deadlines — why you need doers (not talkers) in your partnerships (Leah Mueller) Strategy #8: Ask for solutions — why you shouldn’t present solutions to your partners or stakeholders and should instead bring them into the discussion (Dan Fenton) Strategy #9: Have a can-do attitude — why you need to approach every project with the attitude that it will succeed (Kelly Blazosky) Strategy #10: Be Genuine — why you should underpromise and overdeliver in your partnerships (Kristy Kennedy)

In this episode, you will learn about how New York is consistently growing their tourism efforts from Gavin Landry, the former Executive Director of Tourism at Empire State Development. Gavin Landry joined Empire State Development (ESD) as the Executive Director of Tourism in March of 2013. Mr. Landry’s appointment came at a time of continued tourism growth across New York State and amidst the launch of a series of new tourism initiatives by Governor Andrew M. Cuomo. Thanks to the support of Governor Cuomo, tourism has become the fourth largest employer in the State. As former Executive Director, Mr. Landry lead the iconic I LOVE NEW YORK marketing campaign where he developed and implemented new initiatives to further the State’s positive tourism growth. Mr. Landry also worked closely with the New York State Tourism Advisory Council, which provides input and advice regarding the state’s tourism efforts. Before joining Empire State Development, Mr. Landry ran Landry Hospitality Consulting Services, where he provided full-service hospitality consulting to hotel developers and owners. Mr. Landry ran commercial hotels for a professional management company in markets such as Detroit, MI; Columbus, OH; Charlotte, NC, and Somerset, NJ. He has also served as president of the Saratoga Convention and Tourism Bureau, a post he held for 12 years. During that time, he served as the President of the NYS Association of CVB’s (2000-02). Gavin was the recipient of the 2016 Excellence in Leadership Award by the NYS Tourism Industry Association. A graduate of Cornell University, Mr. Landry served as an adjunct professor at New York University’s (NYU) Tisch Center for Hospitality, Tourism, and Sports Management for five years where he taught graduate courses in various disciplines of the tourism industry. In February of 2013, Mr. Landry was the recipient of an award for teaching excellence from NYU, one of 20 given across nine teaching disciplines. Mr. Landry is a member of the Cornell Hotel Society. What you’ll learn about in this episode: “It’s all here. It’s only here.”: How Empire State Development gets visitors that could travel anywhere to come to New York Using the “I LOVE NEW YORK” brand to attract visitors beyond New York City and into all of New York state The support the New York tourism industry has received from Governor Andrew Cuomo (including $55 million in 2017) ESD’s experiential marketing team’s I LOVE NEW YORK “traveling pod” that includes interactive digital experiences to help raise awareness for events and attractions all over New York State The impact of ESD’s digital initiatives like the I LOVE NEW YORK app that has been downloaded over 100,000 times since 2015 ESD’s social media efforts that have resulted in I LOVE NEW YORK being the #1 most followed state tourism office on Twitter and one of the top state tourism offices on Facebook ESD’s partnership with Beautiful Destinations on Instagram where they’ve created some amazing video content How ESD uses a matching funds program and tourism grants for funding local efforts in the different regions across New York The recent growth of the agritourism industry under New York Governor Andrew Cuomo Leveraging partnerships to attract International travelers The incredible return on investment New York State has seen in the tourism industry (an investment of $170 million became nearly $8 billion!) Ways to contact Gavin: Website: esd.ny.gov Facebook: www.facebook.com/EmpireStateDevelopment Twitter: @EmpireStateDev Website: www.iloveny.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/iloveny Twitter: @I_LOVE_NY Instagram: @iloveny I Love NY App: iTunes, Google Play

This episode is a little different from most. We will be hearing from a tireless advocate and NYS tourism industry promoter, Mike Linehan. This interview was recorded in October 2016. Mike was gracious in volunteering to be one of Destination on the Left’s first interviews. He was very patient with me and my audio team as we were learning the ropes of podcast production. Mike and I had a fantastic conversation and he shared many insights from his 30 years in the tourism industry. The audio from our interview however didn’t record properly and most of the interview was unusable. Mike was very kind when I explained what had happened and offered to reschedule so that we could get a good audio file. Unfortunately, our schedules did not align and Mike passed away unexpectedly on February 15, 2017. Mike’s vision, his tenacity, his insights, his humor are part of the foundation of tourism in New York State. So, I went back to that bad recording and found 20 minutes of our conversation that I want to share with our listeners. We can all continue to learn and benefit from Mike Linehan. Mike Linehan served as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Yates County Chamber of Commerce for 24 years. Born in Hammondsport, NY, Mike settled in Penn Yan, NY after spending several years in the state of Colorado. Mike’s formal training included courses of study at St. John Fisher College, Corning Community College, Finger Lakes Community College and the Institutes for Organization Management at the University of Oklahoma, where he was a graduating member of the Class of 1999. Mike was a member of: the Keuka College Community Associates Board serving as Chair since 2000; NYS Tourism Industry Association where he served as past president; Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks; Loyal Order of Moose; Finger Lakes Regional Tourism Council where he served as Chair; Finger Lakes Wine Country Tourism Marketing Association where he served as Chair and the Chamber Alliance of New York State. In his spare time, Mike enjoyed cooking, gardening, and boating on the Finger Lakes. He lived in Penn Yan with his wife, Molly, daughters Meaghan and Morgen, and dogs Moses and Maggie. What you’ll learn about in this episode: The challenge that arose after Penn Yan was flooded in May 2014 and how they overcame the public misperception that Penn Yan was closed after the media focused on the damage of the flood Penn Yan’s efforts to redevelop the waterfront that Mike was beginning to focus on in October when we conducted this interview Why dissenting opinions are so important in achieving the best final product Examples of working within regulations and working to get onerous regulations lifted The importance of visiting your elected officials when they’re home in your district Tourism websites: www.yatesny.com fingerlakestravelny.com www.fingerlakeswinecountry.com In Memorium: www.gofundme.com/mike-linehan-family-fund