DMOU: Destination Marketing Organization University dmou

Imagine your town square. Now imagine it as a one-million square foot game board. That’s what Macomb CVB CEO Jock Hedblade and his community have done in transforming Downtown into the world’s largest Monopoly Board. On this episode of DMOU, Jock joins us with the backstory of how a succession of destination wins produced a sensational visitor magnet and has set the community up for future successes. And, the Bonus Round features a story of a home town kid…who came home. Join us.

One doesn't necessarily need millions of dollars to develop significant relevance and impact in a small market destination. Explore Altoona's Mark Ickes shares how his team connects with his community at every level, building support and appreciation for the work they do. And, while far from being ready to hang up his skates, Mark shares his dream job for his retirement years in the Bonus Round. Join us.

This year’s NFL Draft was a stone cold win. The biggest first day crowd in history. The biggest global television audience ever. And, it placed Detroit on the world stage for three sensational days. Ummm, Detroit? On this episode of DMOU, we meet Claude Molinari, who describes the philosophy behind recasting the Motor City’s narrative and the tactics Visit Detroit is employing to set Detroit up as the new American renaissance city. And, in the Bonus Round, one of the more interesting side hustles we’ve heard. Join us.

Destinations International has long held that boycotting States over legislation that runs counter to an Association’s values has the unintended consequence of hurting the very people we purport to support. And, Tampa Bay’s selection as this year’s Annual Conference site certainly raised some eyebrows in some quarters. DI has countered by saying this year’s event will serve as a Case Study in showing how destinations can support communities that would otherwise be negatively impacted by a boycott. On this episode of DMOU, Visit Tampa Bay’s Santiago Corrada joins us to share how his DMO has been connecting convention attendees with unconventional experiences, the kind attendees will be glad they didn’t boycott. Join us.

One would be hard pressed to identify a destination with more assets in the pipeline than the Greater Raleigh Region. $400 million Convention Center expansion, $75 million HQ Hotel, $300 million in Arena Upgrades, $75 million Sports Complex…and more. Visit Raleigh’s Denny Edwards joins us to tell the stories behind how so many projects came to fruition. From Conventions to Sports to Major Events…you’ll hear it all.

For some destinations Esports is a mystical new market that they’re just not sure how to address. For others, they may believe the early adopters have already sown up the opportunities. On this episode of DMOU, Esports expert Ed Tomasi de-mystifies this exciting new market and shares how virtually every community can assess where in the sport’s ecosystem they reside and whether they can thrive. Ed offers the stages that every community must traverse to effectively compete…and a great Bonus Round story about his days as a College Cheerleader. Join us.