DMOU: Destination Marketing Organization University

Just as Destination Marketing (and Leadership) Organizations are evolving, so too is the philosophy of Visitor Information Centers. On this episode of DMOU, we catch up with Chris Lewis, Director of …

How does a very Blue City land a very Red Convention? Visit Milwaukee’s Peggy Williams-Smith joins DMOU to share the story of how her Team and City landed the 2024 Republican National Convention. We’…

The vast majority of Destination Marketing Organizations in the United States are independent non-profit agencies...but that doesn't mean other structures can't work. In this edition of DMOU, we talk…

It's not a part of the primordial DNA of DMOs, but Community Engagement is an increasingly vital component of our work. Visit Anchorage's Jack Bonney joins the show and shares his philosophies on how…

A Destination Marketing consultant recently opined that diving into Sustainability and Stewardship carries with it some danger...and we don't disagree. But Durango's Rachel Brown counters with all th…

BVK's Victoria Simmons joins DMOU to share some of the insights from their recent 2023 Trends Report. You'll hear findings that appear to mirror Roy Williams' 40-year Pendulum Theory and how Gen Z wi…

In December of last year, vandals compromised the power grid in Moore County NC, placing hundreds of merchants at a disadvantage during their biggest sales window of the year. In this episode of DMOU…

Tracy Kimberlin is an innovator. His concept to increase funding for Missouri Tourism was as elegant as it was efficient. On this episode of DMOU, we riff with the recently retired CEO of the Springf…

As the Neil Diamond lyric goes, "it's a time to groove." But communities are just starting to get serious about supporting their night time economies. Bryan Tony is the Project Coordinator for 24-Hou…

To kick off the 2023 season of DMOU, we turn to Vail Ross, STR’s Senior VP of Sales & Marketing. And, in this episode she shares her insight into what matters most for hoteliers now as we emerge from…

In Maine, all hotel Room Tax revenue (the most common source of public funding for DMOs across the U.S.) is retained by the State. Visit Portland's Lynn Tillotson shares how her DMO has built its pro…

As is our practice at DMOU, we roam the halls at Destinations International events asking attendees a single question. At this year's Advocacy Summit, we asked DMO pros what their "go-to" response wa…

I heard a line at Destinations International’s Annual Convention this past summer that I think about almost everyday: “Nothing About Us, Without Us.” It refers to how many Indigenous people in Canada…

As Visit Baltimore's Al Hutchinson enters his Q2 at Chair of Destinations International, he returns to the DMOU mic to discuss two of the four pillars of his agenda for the organization (workforce an…

This year's Annual Convention of Destinations International included a "challenge" from the Foundation: How would members of the 2022 Class of 30 Under 30 and veteran Destination Leaders interact to …

Later this year, Appleton WI will play host to the World Axe and Knife Throwing Championships. The Fox Cities CVB's Pam Seidl joins DMOU to share how this community of 70,000 beat out major metros fo…

It's been a phenomenon that has been fun to watch. Over the past 20 years, Des Moines has gone from being known as just another Midwest town to being on virtually every cool Top Ten list there is. On…

Sonya Bradley was the CMO for Visit Sacramento...about as high on the Org Chart as one can get in a DMO without being CEO. But then, she was offered the opportunity to transition to lead the organiza…

At this year's Annual Convention of Destinations International in Toronto, Terri and I roamed the hall asking attendees to share the new titles or positions they had added at their DMOs (or were plan…

Even before COVID, Anthony Everett sensed that a change in how DMOs operated was necessary. But, the pandemic gave him and his organization the opportunity to flesh out the need to transition his DMO…