As a young boy growing up on the far southside of Chicago, I would spend hours (if not days) crafting my wish list for Santa.

For most DMOs, organizational governance is provided by a Board of Directors. Whether appointed or self-selecting (or, hopefully, a mix), these are the community leaders that are expected to guide the sustainable growth of our destinations and organizations.

Netflix was a category killer when it burst on the scene in 1998…back in the days when one had to visit a physical store to rent a movie which, trust me if you never had the experience, sucked.

It means “reason for being.” I’ve always preferred the French version because it’s a more elegant way of expressing this exceptionally powerful concept.

The drive for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion has been on my mind a lot lately. Here’s hoping it has been for you, too. For only if it is, will the change that most of us claimed we desired when signing pledges and registering for webinars in 2020 come to pass.

As some of you know, I was a player in the referendum battle to build the Frank Lloyd Wright designed Convention Center known as Monona Terrace in Madison WI. That win catalyzed the private sector in this city to flood into a downtown that was 50% vacant before the vote and transform the city’s core into a vibrant center of commerce and livability.

For most American DMOs, it was the imposition of hotel room taxes that powered our founding and programming in the ‘80s and ‘90s.

There likely isn’t a day that passes in this world that someone doesn’t quote the inimitable Maura Gast.

Destination Marketers hit the “Pause Button” in 2020 and our communities have been rocked by “The Great Resignation” in 2021. As we approach 2022, are DMOs on the verge of “The Great Reassessment?”

If Destination Marketing Organizations were advertising agencies, what the Mayor and City Council of Duluth MN recently did would have made perfect sense. Don’t like the creative?

For attendees, it was a week of pure joy. Reconnecting with old friends and discovering new compadres was exciting. Exploring Baltimore was magical. Al Hutchinson and the Visit Baltimore Team were magnificent hosts.

A couple months ago, I was hanging online with 25 DMO pros discussing the future, post-VID viability of Visitor Information Centers. One of the participants indicated that her Board was of the mind to sell theirs and use the money to jump start their recovery marketing.

Those that have seen us present on the critical value of Destination Marketing to a community’s vibrancy and success may remember that we take our audiences down a path. Tourism is Jobs. Tourism is the First Date for Economic Development.

I’m a Midwest boy. And, while we have to deal with tornados and floods, the vast majority of Midwesterners have never truly lived through either. I’ve never lived on a coastline decimated by a hurricane.

We need to reassess how we are communicating the value of DMOs...because it’s still not getting through. And, I’m becoming more convinced we need to take the concept of being a Community Shared Value....and go even further.

Traditionally, this is the time of the season when many of us would reflect fondly on the year just past as we look to the New Year. This year, many of us will look back in anger, sorrow and disgust.

Not unlike you, we’ve had lots of opportunities over the past 8 months to be part of Zoom calls that challenged us, informed us…and some that inspired us. And, those are the ones that prompt this edition of the Z-News.

Boxer Mike Tyson (am I really quoting Mike Tyson?) famously said “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.” The Destination Marketing sector has been punched in the mouth. And, we’ve taken a fair number of hits to the body. And, a few below the belt sucker punches.

In the classic 1996 movie Jerry Maguire, the lead character, played by Tom Cruise, experiences a moment of clarity in which he recognizes that the way he and his peers have been operating their business is fundamentally flawed.

The protests continue throughout our land. In my town, they turned violent and resulted in the wanton destruction and looting of storefronts up and down our iconic, visitor-magnet State Street.