The Announcement
When we announced the celebration of our 30th anniversary of Zeitgeist / DMOproz, we were surprised at those who responded by wishing us well in our retirement. And I suppose it would be easy to connect the dots between 30 years of doing anything and retiring. But, that word just doesn't resonate with me, as I am never one to withdraw.
The symmetry of 30 years of consulting the Destination Leadership sector wasn’t lost on us. It would be a good time to make some changes. You know…close a door and open a window.
So, here’s the deal: with this edition of the Z-News we are announcing that we will be sunsetting the corporation known as Zeitgeist Consulting, Inc. (dba DMOproz) at the end of the year. But, that doesn’t mean I’m going anywhere.
This year, we made a significant shift in our business model, no longer offering services in the strategic planning arena. We'll leave that to the other consultants that offer that service. Instead, based on our experience with the Board Leadership for Destinations Symposium, we know that there is a lot of work that needs to be done educating, elevating and empowering Board leadership in the DMO sector. And that is where we are focusing our attention going forward. We will continue to work with our Consortium partners to ensure Boards can reach their full potential (and apply "Maximum Effort").
The DMOU podcast, where I interview the best and the brightest, will continue. There very well may be another book in the works and I will continue to write and comment on the sector I love. And, I will still relish the opportunities to speak at local DMO and industry events (indeed, we already have five presentations scheduled this autumn).
My new website launches today. It will serve as a repository for ongoing content (and that which we have generated over the years). Our position papers, videos, blog, access to the podcast, the book and past editions of the Z-News commentary will all be there. We hope that you'll find it a resource (funny how things I said and did years ago are still relevant today) as well as a source of inspiration during this final chapter of my career.
So, we will be saying farewell to the company known as Zeitgeist / DMOproz by year’s end…but saying hello to a new beginning, and we hope you’ll continue to follow on social media, our podcast, our blog and the Z-News.
A heartfelt “Thank You” to all who have befriended and supported us over the past 30 years of Zeitgeist. I started out as a headstrong young punk who believed that Destination Marketing Organizations needed, as I said in my inaugural brochure, a collaborative hand of someone who had actually done time in the DMO trenches (which simply didn't exist 30 years ago). Today, I'm one of the oldest guys still standing and the field of consultants out there is growing exponentially... and that's OK. It has been an insanely gratifying run, working with amazing friends, collaborators, co-conspirators and whip-smart professionals in an industry that is so misunderstood by so many…yet so vital to the success of our communities.
I am far from finished. And I hope we can continue working together to protect and build this amazing sector of community development.
Looking forward to seeing many of you in Chicago!
Bill