Are DMOs Evolving into Placemakers?

Since the beginning of 2019, I have been exploring the changing role of destination marketing organizations (DMOs) through conversation with guests on my podcast Destination on the Left. My question revolves around DMOs taking a more holistic approach to managing the destination’s brand and story by engaging with locals in addition to focusing on attracting…

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7 steps in creating a marketing plan

Creating a strong marketing plan is an important part of planning for your destination’s year-to-year growth. Writing such a plan should be a collaborative team effort, pooling your team’s knowledge and resources to make sure everyone is on the same page and everyone’s ideas are heard. Breaking down the plan into actionable steps can help…

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How Association Management Companies help multi-stakeholder tourism marketing programs

Multi-stakeholder entities and collaborative partnerships are pervasive in the world of tourism. When DMOs, TPAs, counties and other representatives of regions come together, their marketing and economic impact exponentially increases. A new approach to serving the travel and tourism industry goes beyond the typical agency/client relationship. They are called association management companies. According to AMC…

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Museum Marketing – Beyond Cultural and Heritage Tourism

Museums and cultural institutions are proactively changing to expand their reach and appeal to new audiences, strengthening their role beyond cultural and heritage tourism.  I recently attended the 2018 Museum Association of New York annual conference to learn what is happening in the industry. The theme of the conference was “Visioning Change,” and I was…

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The Growing Importance of SEO In Tourism Marketing

SEO is a term we hear often in our marketing and PR circles, but what does it really mean for tourism marketing? What strategies should tourism businesses and destination marketing organizations be focusing on to achieve SEO success? Before I answer these questions, let’s first define SEO. I like the definition provided by MOZ: Search…

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collaboration in marketing DESTINATION MARKETING IDEAL BENCHMARK

Collaboration in marketing makes good business sense and is a core value at Break The Ice Media. Working together, partners with similar goals, values and visions can leverage combined resources to create marketing programs bigger than they can do on their own. We have several clients who understand the many benefits of collaborative marketing. They…

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5 Key Ingredients for Marketing Campaign Success

When I started Break The Ice Media in 2009, I saw how new digital tools were causing PR and marketing to collide and decided to start an agency that would assist small businesses in bringing both disciplines together. For 9 years, my team and I have been constantly learning and adapting our skills to integrate…

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How to market a destination

Last month, I attended the “Win More Business” workshop for Agency Owners given by Agency Management Institute and The Mercer Island Group. Many of the principles from the workshop apply to how to market a destination. Especially for tourism marketers and CVB sales teams who are looking to attract group, meeting and convention business. Understanding…

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Travel technology has been on my mind a lot lately. 2017 was the year that I became Board President of Digital Rochester, a technology organization for professionals working in established and emerging technologies in the Greater Rochester area. I have been involved with the organization since 2009. It is always an interesting conversation when other members…

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Marketing Strategies in Tourism – Beyond Gateway Destinations

Beyond the gateway is becoming a travel industry buzz word these days. The world is starting to discover what all of us who live outside Tier 1 cities already know – there is so much more to experience! Having grown up in Rochester, NY, about 6 hours west of NYC, it’s hard not to fall for the…

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