30 Years Ago Today
On this day, 30 years ago, I launched Zeitgeist Consulting (now known as DMOproz). I remember turning in my keys at what is now Destination Madison that morning and driving home both excited and terrified. After being a CEO in 2 DMOs and suffering through several painfully convoluted Strategic Planning workshops, I felt I had something to offer my peers…but would this new venture survive?
A friend from my MBA days, with whom I have sadly lost touch, hooked me up with a consultant who consulted consultants (now, there’s a niche). He told me I'd survive my first year because my friends (like client #1 Spero Batistatos) would throw me “some bones.” He then said that year two would suck and test me to my core. And, if I was still standing in year three, I’d be OK.
It was actually year 5 before I could breathe.
But, in time, the DMO sector embraced me, the first consultancy that had, as its principal, someone who had actually served time as a DMO CEO and intended to work exclusively with DMOs. It is an honor that I don't take lightly. Thank you all.
On this afternoon, 30 years ago, I sat on my back deck, alone…with a tumbler of bourbon, a cigar and Bad English blowing through the speakers (amazing how some memories stick with you). And here we are today. I think I’ll do the same.
As I prepare to savor the memories of these years, I reflect on how far we’ve come. When I stepped away from the GMCVB (now Destination Madison) in the Spring of 1995, the internet was just starting to blossom. Back then, we struggled to identify how this new thing called the “world wide web” would impact our marketing strategies. My last official act before embarking on this odyssey was green lighting our community’s first website.
We used to think that "heads in beds" was the prime directive. We now know that it's one of the many results of our work...but not "why" we do what we do. We used to be content to play the destination hand that we were dealt. Most of us today now understand the critical role that Destination Leadership Organizations play in inspiring a vision for future community asset development.
I am indebted to so many individuals who mentored me over the years and taught this brash young punk how to maneuver in this world. Two that stand out, as I reflect back over my involvement in the public referendum fight to build Madison’s Frank Lloyd Wright designed convention center, were George Nelson and Morrie Andrews. They helped me learn the art of positivity and politics that have served me so well throughout my career. And, they helped me understand how to convert my DMO Board from sitting on their hands, attempting to direct our organization’s sales and marketing, to a role as influencers, socializing the dream that would become Monona Terrace.
That was the spark. That was when I believed I could make a difference in the DMO sector… helping Boards embrace their true role. Not just sitting at a table and listening to reports, but to be Community Advocates and champions for the quality of place that will inspire the visit. And, that brings us up to where we are today… helping DMO Boards understand what their role truly is. And, along with our Consortium partners, the Board Leadership for Destinations Symposium is the event that will continue to make a difference in so many Destinations by making sure future Boards aren’t just, as Ben Franklin once opined, “Sundials in the Shade.”
So we’ll start here and hope you’ll join us over the next few weeks on our blog as we share some of our fondest recollections of our time in the DMO world. It is sure to be a wild trip down memory lane.
Now where is that Bad English CD?
Til next time,
Bill