What Membership / Partnership Really Is
Those who have heard me on stage or worked with me at DMOs across this country know that I have been passionate about deploying professional staff in ways that were unheard of just 5 years ago.
I believe that the primary success of a DMO going forward will not be measured in Room Nights but in community engagement. And, that engagement only comes from boots on the ground, building mutually beneficial relationships while gathering and uploading fresh content from industry partners.
So, it was with a “hell yeah” that I read a post from Simpleview’s Vicki Doyle (formerly with Visit Tucson) called, “What I Wish I Knew: Insights from a 20-Year Membership Professional.”
Now, let’s be clear. Whether your DMO is Membership, Partnership or neither…you desperately need a high level of connectivity with the businesses and attractions you promote. No luxuriating in your Ivory Tower and promoting attractions based on a cursory review of their marketing materials for you, my friend. No, you need to know them and feel them to represent them. Thus, Vicki’s words inspire and apply regardless of your organizational structure.
I encourage you to read her full treatise…but, here is my take:
She holds that “the relationships built within the community through tourism stakeholders opens the door to creating programs that rally DMO staff and contribute to the internal team culture and tourism in general. In fact, that DMO staff culture is what members see; it’s what they want to be a part of and is what spills out to other relationships in the community (like the Chamber or City Council). This culture helps to enhance your community’s overall appreciation for tourism.”
OK…you had me at hello. This is the most eloquent explanation of what and why we must engage that I’ve heard.
She continues: “What I see is the incredible power that the membership function (read: deep partner interaction) has in shaping both internal DMO culture and your external member/partner relationships.”
That’s because, from every angle, this rich level of relevant intelligence provides value to the business or attraction, the consumer and the DMO (and its investors). Let’s break it down:
Knowing (really knowing) your industry partners provides an almost limitless set of possibilities:
At its most basic, an engaged relationship provides value to the business. The more a DMO knows about an attraction, the more effectively it can represent and promote them to the consumer market they most crave (leisure, group, sports, etc.).
The tighter the relationship, the more compelling the intel will be to develop compelling and inspirational content, making both the DMO and the destination more relevant.
Communicating this level of intel back to Sales Department will enable them to be more creative in their bids and pitches to bring meaningful conferences and events to the community.
Knowing your partners’ unique strengths inside out makes it easier to pitch story ideas to media outlets.
And, of course, when this heightened state of relational partnership becomes embedded in a DMO’s culture, private sector revenues will begin to appear to further power destination marketing. Not that revenue should be the driver behind this philosophy and strategy…but diversifying and expanding a DMO’s set of resources should always be a consideration in anything we do.
But, at its core…this is what our communities need from their DMO. It’s what DMOs need to more effectively do their jobs. And, it’s what will draw the consumer, future resident and potential investor to our door.
We’ve been disintermediated by online plays that seek to take our place. None of them can tell a destination story like a DMO. Time to shift our resources to enable that inherent strength to blossom.