Building a Better Mousetrap
How often have we all slammed our head against the same wall, thrown up our hands and said, “I’m not gonna do it anymore.” But, what did you expect was going to happen when you keep trying the same approach to the problem you were trying to solve?
In our ongoing work around the country, we often witness these types of exasperated exclamations of frustration…and ever so imperceptibly shake our head like the serial killer in that Geico commercial. Because the answer seems so crystal to us…but continues to elude them.
One of the universal irritants for DMO pros is the lack of participation by events managers and local clubs in uploading their dates in the DMO’s Calendar of Events portal. At an industry event last year, I overheard one staffer say that their DMO would not apply resources to the problem because “we’re all adults and I won’t babysit them.” Except, who does that hurt…I mean, besides everyone?
It’s hurts the community’s image when the Calendar looks like an empty pantry. It hurts the businesses that could have benefited from the extra event or concert traffic. It hurts the rights holders and nightspots that may not be savvy enough to know how important updating the Calendar could be for their bottom line.
And, it could hurt the DMO when critics bash the agency for not knowing the destination well enough to keep the Calendar current. Or, claim the organization favors certain institutions over others. We presided over such a meeting, where angry stakeholders accused the DMO of only promoting University events in their online Calendar. I ultimately calmed them down by suggesting that the University probably had a dedicated staff person whose job it was to ensure their events were well promoted.
The DMO pro is right…we shouldn’t have to babysit our partners. But, if we want our Calendars to make it rain, we must.
And then, there was the Focus Group of Downtown businesses we led last Fall in which a suggestion had surfaced that a peer-driven business group be established to collaborate on community enhancement initiatives. The Chamber Director dismissed the concept immediately, saying they had tried getting businesses together to ideate opportunities several times and only two or three people would show up. “It won’t work,” they proclaimed, crossing their arms.
That’s when I’m sure I looked like the Geico serial killer. It wasn’t my place to embarrass the Director in front of their community, but my brain was screaming, “that’s because they don’t believe you’re the right agency to host this effort…not because it’s a bad idea.”
Just because it has yet to be found doesn’t mean there isn’t a solution to every situation (even the Kobayashi Maru). It may cost too much or set off an unintended consequence you’re not willing to absorb. But, there is always a solution. We just have to be open to finding it.
And, here's to finding lots of solutions in 2023.