Brand USA Talks Travel

To kick off our live coverage of ESTO 2024, Mark meets with the champion of this year's host city: Brian Ross, President and CEO of Experience Columbus. They discuss a public relations home run in Forbes, the process of becoming an ESTO host city, how recent high-profile sporting events have affected visitation, and the city's approach to MICE.

Want to find out why YOU should attend, or perhaps you’d like a few tips on how to convince your boss to send you? After you hear what John has to say, you’ll wanna go! We also catch up with John about a few recent key LGBTQ+ research findings. The IGLTA Global Convention is October 23-26 in Osaka, Japan. John Tanzella is CEO of IGLTA and the IGLTA Foundation.

Katie Streater is a Rockstar - and you can be one too, if you’re under 30! It’s not too early for next year’s contenders to start thinking about how to be named a “30 Under 30.” Get the inside scoop from Brand USA’s Katie Streater, one of this year's 30, and from D.I.’s Taylor Ruoff Snider. Katie Streater is Senior Coordinator for Global Trade Development at Brand USA. Taylor Ruoff Snider is Senior Manager of Professional Development at Destinations International. This wraps-up our D.I. 2024 series. Live from ESTO is coming soon!

If a synthetic modeling ecosystem for planning and decision-making sounds intriguing to you, don’t miss this episode! We begin with Canada's Melissa Radu and Alexis Kereluk on defining regenerative tourism, the importance of integrating plans across business units, and reducing the carbon footprint of the visitor economy. Melissa Radu is Executive Director of Destination Stewardship at Explore Edmonton Corporation. Alexis Kereluk is Co-Founder and Partner at ConnectSeven Group.

Ottawa Tourism’s Michael Crockatt, Kelly Haussler, and Mary Sayewich educate us on the Canadian capital's approach to destination stewardship, working with indigenous people, and building a future of frictionless travel between the two countries. Michael Crockatt is President and CEO, Kelly Haussler is Director of Destination Development, and Mary Sayewich is Director of Strategy and Project Management, all at Ottawa Tourism.

For the 200th episode of Brand USA Talks Travel, Mark meets with two experts in tourism research, Anna Blount & Dr. Whitney Knollenberg. They discuss gathering and using data in ways that are community-focused, working with local universities for research, emphasizing teamwork between data vendors, and the importance of the future-ready destination data toolbox. Anna Blount is Vice President of Research at Longwoods International. Dr. Whitney Knollenberg is Associate Professor of the Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Management at North Carolina State University.

Find out if PATH could help solve workforce shortages in your community. Meredith Darden and Warren Wilkinson present the backstory on the creation and execution of the Professions Across Tourism & Hospitality (PATH) program. Visit Corpus Christi was the first to create PATH, and then Visit Overland Park adopted the approach. You’ll learn how to build relationships in the education community and how to develop your own PATH program and curriculum. Meredith Darden is COO at Visit Corpus Christi. Warren Wilkinson is President and CEO at Visit Overland Park.

How should DMOs evaluate artificial intelligence tools? Hear a take from Jason Swick, Vice President of Strategy and Insights at Simpleview. You’ll also get suggestions about using specific prompts for better results, and suggestions about leaders to follow in the AI field so you can continually hear about new developments.

Keeping employees happy and motivated is complex. Elliott Ferguson and Cambria Jones chat with Mark about attracting and motivating talent, mentorship programs, and setting expectations for advancement. If you’re considering looking for a new job, you’ll also get advice for your next interview interaction. Elliott Ferguson is CEO of Destination DC. Cambria Jones is Vice President of Marketing at SearchWide Global (and we have breaking news about Cambria, too!)

If the thought of speaking in front of people fills your stomach with butterflies, you're not alone - take it from Josiah Brown, known as "The New York Sherpa." Josiah shares secrets on becoming a powerful public speaker, and also offers an approach for local advocacy at smaller destinations.