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Assessing
the Broader Responsibility of DMOs
The
13 July 2006 edition of the Zeitgeist Z-News
OK...one
last post on redefining the way that Destination Marketing Organizations
are measured before many of us head to Austin
for DMAI.
As we’ve opined in the last couple messages, DMOs have traditionally
been expected to perform to the measures and standards of the hotel
industry (Leads, Bookings, Room Nights). Maybe it’s because our
budgets are often powered by Room Tax (which comes from hotels). Or,
maybe it’s because we often have members of our hotel industry
on our Boards and that’s how they (naturally) see the world.
Or maybe it’s because the DMO industry is still evolving (in many
destinations) from the primordial ooze of economic development...and
we haven’t yet come together as an industry to say, “hey...THIS
is how we measure this stuff!”
Again, this is NOT a shot at DMAI
Performance Measures. Far from it. I recommend them to
my clients on an almost weekly basis. But now that the “heavy
lifting” has been done to get us all on the same page with the
same definitions, I think it’s time to go further. To say, “yes,
we agree to be judged by these traditional industry measures...and by
these new measures, as well.”
In a conversation with retiring Orlando
CVB CEO Bill
Peeper a couple years ago, he tossed off a one-liner that
has stuck with me...and, in part, is the inspiration for these posts.
He said, “the successful CVB of the future will be the one that
figures out it’s NOT in the Tourism business.”
As Linc
Hayes used to say: “Heavy.”
Bill went on to say that CVBs needed to be the brand managers for the
entire community...not just in the quest for visitors but for everyone.
And, as
Jack
Bauer says, "Copy that."
So, in addition to the leads, bookings and room nights we track, it’s
also time for DMOs to start taking credit (and responsibility) for the
image of the Destination. I know that this is one of those “soft”
measures that are so difficult to assess. But, in the end, isn’t
this what we do? Strip away the expectations of our hotel community
for a moment. Our job is to position the region as a desirable destination.
To make the choice and consumption of our product easy. Shouldn’t
we develop measures that speak to this most important of all roles?
I’m not exactly sure how this gets measured (that’s where
you come in)...but consumer awareness studies would be a start. Have
we moved the needle from year to year? Have we helped create a buzz
about (or within) our community? Are we converting visits to our website
to visits to our destination?
Other measures that should be established would include recognizing
DMOs for things that DMOs can influence...such as creating community
partnerships, destination development and an increased level of community
support.
I’ll be all ears in Austin...and am ready to open up our DMOU
phone lines for a series of conversations for those that want to explore
this further in the months ahead. Be looking for future call-in dates
in the column on the right in upcoming posts.
I hope to see many of you at DMAI...and to continue this conversation.
Bill
Comment?
E me!
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