Destination Marketing Podcast

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.

Kristina Ainge, PR and Content Director at Relic, shares her wealth of knowledge on navigating the ever-changing social media landscape. She discusses the importance of adapting content strategies to engage audiences and build communities. Kristina emphasizes the shift from traditional influencers to value-driven content creators. She also highlights how lower production value videos can enhance engagement and reveals the impact of personalized campaigns, like 'Traveling the Spectrum,' on niche communities. Tune in for actionable insights on modern marketing!

In this episode, Adam is joined by Glorianna Yamin, Vice President of Marketing for Discover Puerto Rico. Glorianna shares her career journey, discusses her recognition as one of Destinations International's 30 Under 30, and highlights Discover Puerto Rico’s innovative marketing initiatives, including a collaboration with Pantone to create a color called “Puerto Rico Sunshine." Glorianna also discusses other creative campaigns like "Sounds Like Puerto Rico" and future projects celebrating Puerto Rican heritage.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.

In this episode, Adam is joined by Nathaniel Sweetman, Sports Marketing Coordinator for Visit Sarasota County. Nathaniel shares his journey into sports marketing, emphasizing the importance of storytelling and community engagement. He discusses Sarasota's unique facilities, strategies for attracting niche events, and the economic impact of sports tourism. The episode highlights the role of personalized PR strategies and the power of compelling narratives in enhancing event visibility and fostering local support.“Try and tell the stories. I think sometimes some of our sporting events have some really cool, unique ties to them. You can come in and bring in 150 events and again, if not many people are aware of it or your stakeholders aren't even aware of it, it's not going to mean much at the end of the day.” -Nathaniel SweetmanIf 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.

In this episode, Adam Stoker and guest Bill Geist discuss a critical issue facing destination marketing organizations: a growing disconnect between boards, CEOs, and political stakeholders. They discuss the misalignment between boards and destinations, the impact of COVID-19 on the industry, and the importance of effective board orientation. Bill emphasizes a need for better communication, storytelling, and proactive strategies to foster understanding and support within DMOs.“You cannot explain what it is we do to somebody over lunch, there's just not enough time and it isn't professional. Orientation should be an all-hands-on-deck, 2 to 3 hour immersion in what we do because what we do, almost nobody out there understands.” -Bill GeistIf 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.

Mark Marsiglio, President and CEO of Trail Pilot, shares his passion for enhancing mountain biking adventures. He discusses the creation of the app, which provides guided audio tours for bikers, connecting them intimately with their surroundings. The conversation shifts to the importance of targeting niche markets in tourism, revealing how mountain bikers can significantly influence destination strategies. Mark also highlights innovative technologies that personalize visitor experiences, emphasizing the potential for sustainable tourism in adventure sports.