In this engaging discussion, Stuart Butler, CMO of Visit Myrtle Beach and co-host of Destination Discourse, shares insights on the evolving world of destination marketing. He emphasizes the transformative power of branded entertainment and effective storytelling for Destination Management Organizations. With examples from Myrtle Beach, he highlights innovative campaigns like 'Traveling the Spectrum' that promote inclusivity for families with autistic members. The conversation also dives into the balance between immediate marketing gains and long-term brand sustainability.

On today's episode of The Destination Marketing Podcast, Adam sits down with Scott Oklin, the new CMO of Visit Anaheim. Scott talks about how he found his way into this role after working at Travelzoo and how he's looking to use that prior experience in his new role. He also touches on his goal to make Visit Anaheim into a lifestyle brand and capitalize on the destination's incredible events and attractions, such as the upcoming Olympics, World Cup, and Disneyland. Later in the episode, Scott discusses some of the big tourism initiatives already in motion at Visit Anaheim, such as their partnership with the Anaheim Ducks and economic development investments like OCVIBE. "So we're really looking at it, I think, from this 360-degree holistic standpoint...it's nice and sexy to have your patch on a jersey, that's great. But how do you really have the impact of that in a tangible way?" - Scott OklinVisit AnaheimIf you’re enjoying the show, please leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts!Subscribe to our newsletter!The Destination Marketing Podcast is a part of the Destination Marketing Podcast Network. It is hosted by Adam Stoker and produced by Relic. If you are interested in any of Relic’s services, please email adam@relicagency.com or visit www.relicagency.com.To learn more about the Destination Marketing Podcast network and to listen to our other shows, please visit www.thedmpn.com. If you are interested in joining the network, please email adam@relicagency.com.

Today’s episode of The Destination Marketing Podcast is a collaboration with Destination Discourse, a podcast recently launched by Adam along with Stuart Butler, the CMO of Visit Myrtle Beach. Starting today and over the next few weeks, we’ll be releasing the first three episodes of Destination Discourse as bonus episodes of The Destination Marketing Podcast.In the first episode of Destination Discourse, Adam and Stuart discuss AI’s role in destination marketing and what that could mean for travelers and DMOs. They also explore the evolving expectations of travelers, the importance of viewing destination marketing as more than just transactional, and how to ensure visitors get the most value from their trips.Watch Destination Discourse on YouTubeIf you’re enjoying the show, please leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts!Subscribe to our newsletter!The Destination Marketing Podcast is a part of the Destination Marketing Podcast Network. It is hosted by Adam Stoker and produced by Relic. If you are interested in any of Relic’s services, please email adam@relicagency.com or visit www.relicagency.com.To learn more about the Destination Marketing Podcast network and to listen to our other shows, please visit www.thedmpn.com. If you are interested in joining the network, please email adam@relicagency.com.

Neil MacKenzie, the CEO of Yarmouth and Acadian Shores Tourism in Nova Scotia, joins Adam on today's episode to discuss the tactics and strategies that have helped his small destination stand out in larger markets like the Northeastern U.S. He also goes into his background and how the time that he and his wife spent in Japan teaching English became a part of how he got into travel. Later in the episode, Neil goes more in-depth on the unique tactics he's used to market his destination, such as providing photo content for Google Maps and leveraging the beautiful scenery his destination offers."I've had those questions where they say, are you from Canada? Are you from Yarmouth and Acadian Shores, if we're in New York or something, and I'm like, yep, I live there. And then then they're like, here's my email address, I want more information. That's a great opportunity because they're literally standing in front of you telling you they want to come, right? So let's then take that next step and put some great content in front of them." - Neil MacKenzieYarmouth and Acadian ShoresIf you’re enjoying the show, please leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts!Subscribe to our newsletter!The Destination Marketing Podcast is a part of the Destination Marketing Podcast Network. It is hosted by Adam Stoker and produced by Relic. If you are interested in any of Relic’s services, please email adam@relicagency.com or visit www.relicagency.com.To learn more about the Destination Marketing Podcast network and to listen to our other shows, please visit www.thedmpn.com. If you are interested in joining the network, please email adam@relicagency.com.

AJ Brau, co-founder and CEO of Wander, shares insights on revolutionizing travel planning with innovative technology. She emphasizes the importance of collaboration between destinations and vendors to drive industry innovation. AJ discusses Wander's upgrades, the incorporation of social media into travel itineraries, and how qualitative research from visitors shapes better solutions. She envisions Wander as the go-to platform for travelers, highlighting the significance of utilizing geospatial data to enhance visitor experiences.

Brandon Schexnayder, the founder of Southern Gothic Media, joins Adam on today's episode to talk about his podcast, which tells the ghost stories of various communities in the Southern United States. He details his background in the music industry, how he found his way into the podcasting space and what the initial stages were like in creating his podcast. He also discusses some of the most interesting stories he's told on his show and his work with DMOs to tell the ghost stories of their respective communities. Lastly, Brandon gives some insight into how he's been able to grow his podcast and the importance of collaboration in the podcasting space."At the end of the day though, I have to say the biggest thing that you can do is be involved in the other community of podcasts, period. If you want to grow your show, if you want to grow your content, being involved with other content creators and building that community is going to grow more than anything." - Brandon SchexnayderSouthern Gothic MediaIf you’re enjoying the show, please leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts!Subscribe to our newsletter!The Destination Marketing Podcast is a part of the Destination Marketing Podcast Network. It is hosted by Adam Stoker and produced by Relic. If you are interested in any of Relic’s services, please email adam@relicagency.com or visit www.relicagency.com.To learn more about the Destination Marketing Podcast network and to listen to our other shows, please visit www.thedmpn.com. If you are interested in joining the network, please email adam@relicagency.com.

On today's episode of The Destination Marketing Podcast, Adam sits down with Thomas Salley, the director of Great State of Wilkes, Tourism in North Carolina. Thomas joins the podcast in the wake of the impact of Hurricane Helene and he discusses his experiences with the storm and what role DMOs play when this kind of natural disaster takes place. He also provides important takeaways for other DMOs to use as a future reference when dealing with a natural disaster, such as the importance of reliable communication methods, establishing yourself as the travel spokesperson for your destination and building strong relationships with local government and emergency services."I woke up Sunday morning after the storm had kind of come through, and I saw all these images and heard people saying, you know, we need all of these things, and just seeing the destruction, I knew I had to do something. So, I felt like in my role, what I could do was to go and be of service to my neighbors." - Thomas SalleyResources Mentioned in the Episode:Great State of Wilkes, Tourism: https://www.wilkescountytourism.com/Hospitality Relief Workers Fund: https://www.ncrla.org/foundation/nc-hospitality-workers-relief-fund/Visit North Carolina | State Tourism Director Wit Tuttell: wit.tuttell@visitnc.comState Government Emergency Fund: https://pay.payitgov.com/ncdonations and https://www.nc.gov/disaster-relief-fund-faqsState Hurricane Resource Page: https://www.ncdps.gov/our-organization/emergency-management/hurricane-helenehttps://www.visitnc.com/advisory/cAdA/hurricane-helene-travel-advisoryIf you’re enjoying the show, please leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts!Subscribe to our newsletter!The Destination Marketing Podcast is a part of the Destination Marketing Podcast Network. It is hosted by Adam Stoker and produced by Relic. If you are interested in any of Relic’s services, please email adam@relicagency.com or visit www.relicagency.com.To learn more about the Destination Marketing Podcast network and to listen to our other shows, please visit www.thedmpn.com. If you are interested in joining the network, please email adam@relicagency.com.

Tony Carne, a thought leader in AI and the creator of the Everything AI in Travel newsletter, joins Adam on today's episode of The Destination Marketing Podcast to discuss his background in the travel industry and how he fell in love with AI. Tony also touches on some AI-related things he's seeing in the international travel space, such as AI education opportunities and a company that creates personalized travel guides. He underscores how much AI can increase efficiency and shares his thoughts on how it can impact travel in the future."The future of destination marketing, as I see it, can change significantly should the leaders in destination marketing choose to make that change. It's no longer, we can't do it because we don't have the resources or it's technically impossible, those pieces have gone away now. It's actually just, 'Do you want to or not?'" - Tony CarneEverything AI in TravelIf you’re enjoying the show, please leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts!Subscribe to our newsletter!The Destination Marketing Podcast is a part of the Destination Marketing Podcast Network. It is hosted by Adam Stoker and produced by Relic. If you are interested in any of Relic’s services, please email adam@relicagency.com or visit www.relicagency.com.To learn more about the Destination Marketing Podcast network and to listen to our other shows, please visit www.thedmpn.com. If you are interested in joining the network, please email adam@relicagency.com.

Cody Chomiak from Travel Manitoba and Tom Loftus from Visit Richmond, Virginia join Adam on today's episode of The Destination Marketing Podcast to discuss various tourism topics. They give their perspectives on issues facing the destination marketing industry, such as navigating small budgets and discerning important metrics. The conversation then moves into a discussion about AI and how each person has embraced it in their professional lives. Stay tuned until later in the episode for an AI-driven musical treat."If we're really wanting to be honest and we're really wanting to use data to inform decisions, we have to be skeptical of that data and also ask deeper questions so that we're not going in a direction that's going to lead us into disaster." - Cody ChomiakTravel ManitobaVisit Richmond, VirginiaIf you’re enjoying the show, please leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts!Subscribe to our newsletter!The Destination Marketing Podcast is a part of the Destination Marketing Podcast Network. It is hosted by Adam Stoker and produced by Relic. If you are interested in any of Relic’s services, please email adam@relicagency.com or visit www.relicagency.com.To learn more about the Destination Marketing Podcast network and to listen to our other shows, please visit www.thedmpn.com. If you are interested in joining the network, please email adam@relicagency.com.

On this special episode of The Destination Marketing Podcast, Adam joins Dane Carlson as a guest on The Econ Dev Show to discuss the symbiotic relationship between destination marketing and economic development. They discuss how DMOs and economic developers can collaborate and improve on things like site visits to create positive memorable experiences. Adam and Dane also underscore the benefits of owned media and podcasting to their respective industries and the importance of creating valuable content for their respective audiences.The Econ Dev ShowListen to our previous episode with Dane Carlson!If you’re enjoying the show, please leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts!Subscribe to our newsletter!The Destination Marketing Podcast is a part of the Destination Marketing Podcast Network. It is hosted by Adam Stoker and produced by Relic. If you are interested in any of Relic’s services, please email adam@relicagency.com or visit www.relicagency.com.To learn more about the Destination Marketing Podcast network and to listen to our other shows, please visit www.thedmpn.com. If you are interested in joining the network, please email adam@relicagency.com.