DMOU: Destination Marketing Organization University

Over the past 40 years, Sports Tourism has grown into a juggernaut for many destinations across North America. Most of the economic impact statistics have focused on participatory Sports Tournament e…

Every few years, Destinations International commissions a study to help Destination Leadership understand, interpret and marshal the future. Called the Futures Study and conducted by MMGY NextFactor,…

On this edition of DMOU, we welcome Destination Door County CEO Julie Gilbert to discuss how under-managed tourism had begun to challenge the summer retreat of my youth. A half a century ago, Door Co…

As is our custom on DMOU, we annually feature the incoming Chair of Destinations International to outline their agenda for the coming year. And Leslie Bruce does just that in this episode…but we go m…

Sacramento is a city that had traditionally looked to meetings and conventions as its target market; after all, it is the State Capital. But Visit Sacramento CEO Mike Testa saw that as a one-trick po…

Stuart Butler likes to stir the pot as host of the Destination Discourse podcast. And, since joining Visit Myrtle Beach as Chief Marketing Officer four years ago, he’s been shaking up the way that de…

Oklahoma City has been one of the most exciting success stories in American urban redevelopment for over 30 years. And, on this episode of DMOU, we welcome Visit OKC’s Zac Craig to share how resident…

On this edition of DMOU, we welcome the inimitable Brad Dean back to the microphone to talk about how a CFO morphed into one of the most highly regarded Destination Leaders in the Americas. We discus…

We’ve shared the DMOU mic with some pretty big DMOs (Boston, Detroit, New York City, Puerto Rico, etc.). But sometimes, it’s the smallest DMOs that share truths from which we can all learn. Jim Zales…

One of the biggest challenges facing the Destination Marketing sector over the past 25 years has been how to explain what we do and why to an often skeptic public. We've often used language and metri…

Telling the DMO story has never been more important than it is right now…and Visit the Palm Beaches’ Senior Director of Community Engagement and Advocacy Sergio Piedra joins us on this episode of DMO…

On this episode of DMOU we are joined by Visit Lake Charles President & CEO Kyle Edmiston who counts the organizational culture be has nurtured within his DMO as one of his proudest accomplishments i…

One of the best parts of the annual Board Leadership for Destinations Symposium is the Roundtable sessions where Board members discuss issues with their peers from around North America, individuals w…

Kicking off the New Year on DMOU, we have for you a fascinating conversation with Visit Charlottesville Albermarle CVB CEO Courtney Cacatian. Her recent book “The Future of Destination Organizations:…

On this final episode of DMOU for 2024, we welcome our friend Beth Erickson to the microphone. The CEO of Visit Loudoun (DC’s Wine Country), Beth shares how her organization has met existential chall…

While DMOs are increasingly engaged in (and in Destination Cleveland’s case, leading) workforce development and talent acquisition initiatives, Visit Dublin OH is playing the long game by working to …

We still believe in Visitor Centers, even though Visit Fort Colins CEO Cynthia Eichler recently wrote a CDME paper entitled, Visitor Centers are Dead. Why then did she just open a Visitors Center in …

On this edition of DMOU, we sit down with Experience Grand Rapids CEO Doug Small and talk about how his community continues to evolve, how his DMO has doubled down on their brand pillars…and how he t…

On this special edition of DMOU, we catch up with Vic Isley, CEO of Explore Asheville. In the devastating aftermath of the one-two-punch of torrential rains and then Hurricane Helene, Vic shares how …

On this edition of DMOU, we settle in with John Sage of Sage Inclusion. We met John at the Destinations International Annual Convention and were fascinated by his take on what destinations and DMOs g…