What goes into a modern DMO website? Todd O'Leary and Achilles Stravoravdis of Sonoma County Tourism join Adam on this episode to discuss this. For longtime fans of The Travel Vertical Podcast, Todd provides an update on the "Sonoma Sound" project that he talked about with Adam and Laurie Jo Miller Farr in August of 2021. In this episode, you’ll also learn about building websites around user data and the importance of website content audits when going through a rebuild. "You need to make sure that the foundation, which is content, let's be honest, for DMOs it's content, right...is completely thorough and scrubbed prior to doing anything or you're just repeating, you're copying and pasting the mistakes that you made before. So that content audit is everything." - Achilles Stravoravdis Follow the Destination Marketing Podcast on social media: Instagram Twitter YouTube TikTok 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.

Meegan Winters, Co-Founder and CEO of AbleVu, joins us on the show today to talk all things accessibility. Learn more about the platform and how destinations are utilizing it with their stakeholders to promote accessibility and inclusion within their communities. Meegan and Adam discuss the history of the platform as well as what users can expect in the upcoming years. "One of the characteristics of someone on the spectrum is a need for routine and difficulty with transitions and trying new things for the first time. That’s why travel is becomes so difficult. This was something that was on my heart. Experiences are something that I thrive on. It feeds my soul to have experiences and I want that for everybody." -Meegan Winters Follow the Destination Marketing Podcast on social media: Instagram Twitter YouTube TikTok 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.

What is wellness travel? It's more than yoga retreats and meditative programs. Sahara Rose De Vore — founder of the Travel Coach Network and owner of the WTTM Consulting Group — advocates for the mental, emotional and spiritual health benefits of tourism, drawing from her own extensive travel experience and experiences of the countless vacationers she's spoken with. Having visited 84 countries in just 10 years, she shares how travel has improved her quality of life and claims, "travel is wellness and wellness is travel."The wellness tourism industry is on the rise and Adam and Sahara Rose discuss how marketers can capitalize on the health benefits of their destinations. "There's no such thing as selling travel; we're selling a feeling, transformation, or outcome that someone is looking for. So it's more speaking to that — how can your destination make that traveler feel before they get there, while they're there, and how can they feel when they return home . . . at a wellness standpoint." - Sahara Rose De Vore Follow the Destination Marketing Podcast on social media: Instagram Twitter YouTube TikTok 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.

Diane Charno's background in advertising gives her a unique perspective as vice president of brand and communications at Visit Myrtle Beach. Merging her experiences working with a diverse collection of organizations in the agency world, she now applies it to her destination. Owned media and branded entertainment is proving to be a vital part of their marketing plan, making Myrtle Beach more than a destination but also a lifestyle. Diane recommends investing in the future by building audiences through a “content first, destination second” approach. "Each show has its own kind of purpose, audience and story that they're trying to tell and it's not always about the beach. We felt we needed to do that to really build that audience; we wanted to make it more entertaining and give people a reason to tune in, more than just when they're planning a trip to the beach, but to really make it a part of their lives 24/7." - Diane Charno Follow the Destination Marketing Podcast on social media: Instagram Twitter YouTube TikTok 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.

Host of iHeart Radio's Speaking of Travel Marilyn Ball talks about tourism marketing today. Once a marketing executive herself, Marilyn shares insights she's gained on the power of positioning and partnering with the perfect agency. Creativity is key, she says, and remembering what potential visitors are looking for is at the center of it all. "I feel the best way is to be your honest, authentic self, and even though they're asking specific questions, just put down what you want to put down what you feel are your strengths. Sometimes you just have to [say], we've worked with a lot of destinations, here are things that we feel are really important to include in that RFP process that is not there, and here's how we would answer those questions.'" - Marilyn Ball on responding to a destination's RFP Follow the Destination Marketing Podcast on social media: Instagram Twitter YouTube TikTok 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. Email adam@relicagency.com with any inquiries regarding the network.

As we look ahead to 2023, it's good to remember what we learned in 2022. This episode is a compilation of our favorite moments last year including destination branding tips, calculating the exact color of a Puerto Rican sunset, and getting bitten by a peacock.  Follow the Destination Marketing Podcast on social media: Instagram Twitter YouTube TikTok 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. Email adam@relicagency.com with any inquiries regarding the network.

This week on the Destination Marketing Podcast, we are gearing up to attend Desticon, a conference for the "destruptors" in the tourism industry. Founder of the event and Co-founder of Destination Innovate, Jennifer Barbee joins us to talk about Desticon and how everyone can get involved. Listen to learn everything you need to know about this year's event, as well as some of Adam and Jenn's hot takes on Twitter. "The event came from a want that I had many years ago which is to bring national-level education in marketing to the community level. Desticon started in a community focus and what I love about it most is that you are going to see fresh new faces and some really brilliant minds in tourism that you wouldn't see at other conferences." -Jennifer Barbee Follow the Destination Marketing Podcast on social media: Instagram Twitter YouTube TikTok 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. Email adam@relicagency.com with any inquiries regarding the network.

As the economy begins to head towards a recession, many companies are cutting down on costs. In times like these, demonstrating your value both as a destination and as an individual becomes invaluable. In the New Year's episode, Adam discusses building a brand, harnessing owned media, and what we can all learn from Kim Kardashian.  "And I think it's more important than ever to take the steps now to play the long game instead of the transactional game of just let's run an ad and get a head in a bed. Let's build a loyal following, a loyal audience, that's gonna stick with us for years to come." - Adam Stoker Follow the Destination Marketing Podcast on social media: Instagram Twitter YouTube TikTok 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. Email adam@relicagency.com with any inquiries regarding the network.

How can destinations use podcasting to build and maximize their owned media? This is a topic that Adam delves into in a presentation at the eTourism Summit with Stuart Butler and Melea Hames, proud clients of the Destination Marketing Podcast Network. "Audio is such a powerful format because it provides the concept of passive consumption, and allows you to tell a much deeper story. [People can listen] while they're driving in the car, while they're doing laundry, going to the gym, and that's when the lightbulb turned on for me. That podcasting was really going to be a thing." - Adam Stoker Visit Myrtle Beach Unexpected Adventures in North Alabama Follow the Destination Marketing Podcast on social media: Instagram Twitter YouTube TikTok 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. Email adam@relicagency.com with any inquiries regarding the network.

Adam sits down with Nathanael Saldaña this week on the Destination Marketing Podcast to talk about the power of owned media and why it is so important for destinations to start building a loyal audience. Senior Manager of Brand and Content Studio at Experience Kissimmee, Nathanael talks about his career change and how his unique background prepared him to lead the largest owned media initiative in the history of his destination. Click play for what Experience Kissimmee is doing and how they hope to grow the program. "The things that touch people's hearts are the things that they remember. If your goal is strictly educational, it will educate people but it won't touch them emotionally, it wont create a bond or a connection that will make them remember their destination the next time they're talking to their family and planning a vacation." - Nathanael Saldaña Experience Kissimmee Follow the Destination Marketing Podcast on social media: Instagram Twitter YouTube TikTok 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. Email adam@relicagency.com with any inquiries regarding the network.