Brand USA Talks Travel

British television presenter and disability advocate Sophie Morgan shares her inspiring journey with disability, accessibility, and inclusion. This very personal address clearly expresses the physical and attitudinal paradigm shift necessary for travel equality. Sophie challenges us all to take the buzzwords and turn them into reality.

Brand USA’s new CEO Fred Dixon sets the tone for Travel Week 2024 from London. In this episode, he begins to outline his bold vision for the future of Brand USA, the landscape of inbound tourism, and how the U.S. can maintain its competitive edge. Fred touches on market analytics including inbound visitation projections, the current competitive climate and upcoming market opportunities for U.S. destinations.

John David joins Mark to discuss the upcoming "mega decade" of sports in the U.S., featuring events from the FIFA World Cup to the Olympics. Learn how communities large and small are tapping in, and discover the resources Sports ETA offers to help destinations score big in the competitive world of sports tourism. John David is the CEO of the Sports Events and Tourism Association.

Leonard describes how he’s built out Meetings, Incentives, Conference and Exhibitions for destinations. He also offers advice for those just entering the travel industry and talks about how to grow your career. Leonard Hoops is President and CEO of Visit Indy, so we just couldn’t resist chatting about the Indy 500, too.

Mark chats with Leona Reed about why Visit California is going all-in on Tourism Exchange USA to better deliver on California’s brand promise internationally. Leona also talks organizational lift and logistics of launching the exchange, and how this new partnership adds a critical missing element to their established travel trade strategy. Plus, Nate Huff provides updates on state participation, what to look for in year two and early success stories. Nate Huff is President of Tourism Exchange USA. Leona Reed is Associate Vice President of Global Marketing at Visit California.

Learn how players like Major League Baseball and Broadway are utilizing conversational A.I., and how DMOs can do the same to enhance visitor engagement. Dan Flores, Head of Tourism at Satisfi Labs takes us behind the scenes of effective A.I. implementation. Plus, you’ll get Dan’s tips on several new A.I. products.

Discover how Gen Z and Millennials are shaking up the industry, how technology is reshaping the competitive landscape and why authenticity is crucial for travel brands. Seth unpacks these key findings from the Skift State of the Industry 2024 report. Seth Borko is Head of Research at Skift. Download your copy here: https://skift.com/insight/state-of-travel/

Mark has questions and Kara has answers! Is there a point where DMOs can, and should, start using AI to generate public-facing content even while acknowledging that there are going to be errors? Is it ethical to use AI images which may be composites? We discuss these questions and more with Kara Franker, the new CEO of Visit Florida Keys. Kara is also an attorney - and a former NFL cheerleader.

Utah is celebrating a centennial of Film and TV creation in the state. You’ll hear about the long history of filming, how residents feel about productions, incentives for companies, screen tourism, and how Sundance has evolved. Virginia Pearce is Director of the Utah Film Commission.

Sally says: “The goal is not to be better than your competition. The goal is to be different.” This episode is packed with research-based insights that have highly practical applications. To understand Sally’s approach and obtain an understanding of your own personality strengths, our listeners can take a free version of the “Fascinate” test at HowToFascinate.com/BrandUSA. Sally Hogshead is a New York Times bestselling author, National Speakers Association Hall of Fame speaker, and CEO of How to Fascinate.