Destination Roadmapping

Vicky Soderberg
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  • PLACES & TRAVEL

A 10-minute spark of inspiration with a side of tough love—helping small towns create big impact through tourism, events, and unforgettable visitor experiences.

  1. 5D AGO

    Who's Allowed to Fix This?

    Send us a text When something goes sideways at an event (and it always will) why does everyone freeze? A line backs up. A performer is late. A guest asks a simple question. Staff look at volunteers. Volunteers look at staff. Someone says, “Let me check with…,” and five minutes later the problem is still standing there, arms crossed. In this episode, Vicky digs into the real reason staff and volunteers hesitate to solve problems in real time. It’s not apathy. It’s not lack of initiative. It’s a system that quietly trained them to wait. You’ll hear why hesitation is often a rational response to unclear authority, how micromanagement (even unintentional) conditions people to stop thinking, and why “just ask me” turns leaders into bottlenecks instead of builders. This conversation connects directly to Episode 15: The Micromanagement Mess and Episode 20: Your Event’s “What If?” Plan, showing how decision authority, when designed intentionally, keeps events moving without turning them into the Wild West. We’ll cover: The hidden fears that stop people from acting in the momentWhy praise for initiative often clashes with post-event criticismHow to define decision “boxes” so people know when to act and when to escalateWhy volunteers freeze faster—and how clarity fixes thatThe debrief question that builds confidence instead of hindsight fearWhen authority is clear, people step up. When it’s fuzzy, they freeze.  Confidence isn’t just a personality trait, it’s a design outcome. If you want events that feel calm instead of fragile, this episode is your blueprint. Thanks for listening! Look for new episodes each Sunday wherever you get your podcasts, and in the meantime... Connect with Vicky on LinkedIn

    11 min
  2. The Vendor Experience Impact

    JAN 26

    The Vendor Experience Impact

    Send us a text Vendors make a decision about your event long before the last attendee leaves and it quietly determines your event’s quality, revenue, and reputation. In this episode, we unpack the vendor experience nobody talks about: load-in chaos, unclear communication, uneven enforcement, poor sales flow, and the tiny frictions that add up to “never again.” Vendors rarely complain. They just stop coming back. When they do, your event feels it. Thinner lineups, lower-quality offerings, and less energy on the ground. This is an extremely practical episode about how vendors actually evaluate events, what makes them return year after year, and how small, intentional improvements can dramatically upgrade your event without increasing your budget. If you want better vendors, stronger sales, and an event that levels up instead of coasting, this conversation matters. Thanks for listening! Look for new episodes each Sunday wherever you get your podcasts, and in the meantime... Connect with Vicky on LinkedIn

    11 min
  3. The Budget Mirage

    JAN 19

    The Budget Mirage

    Send us a text “We don’t have the budget.” It’s one of the most common phrases in community planning. In this episode, I unpack The Budget Mirage: the idea that a lack of money is usually standing in for something else, unclear priorities, fuzzy outcomes, or discomfort making a visible choice. This conversation isn’t about finding more funding.  It’s about spending with intention. We’ll talk about why money feels scarce when priorities aren’t clear, how vague goals make every dollar feel risky, and why “playing it safe” often guarantees that nothing actually improves. Then we zoom out to what changes when city managers and councils enter the picture. Because the Budget Mirage doesn’t disappear in governance, it just moves upstream. When priorities, outcomes, and tradeoffs aren’t clear, leaders can’t defend decisions, and funding stalls. This episode will help you: Reframe budget conversations away from excuses and toward clarityUnderstand what makes a proposal fundable—not just appealingBring forward decisions that are easier to explain, evaluate, and stand behindIf budget conversations keep shutting things down in your community, this episode will help you see why—and what to do differently next time. Thanks for listening! Look for new episodes each Sunday wherever you get your podcasts, and in the meantime... Connect with Vicky on LinkedIn

    11 min
  4. The Post-Event Hangover - From Adrenaline to Debrief

    JAN 12

    The Post-Event Hangover - From Adrenaline to Debrief

    Send us a text Every event ends with a crash. Not the bad kind, the adrenaline kind. When the last guest leaves and the radios go quiet, there’s a letdown that most teams rush past or ignore. In this episode, Vicky breaks down the post-event hangover as a real, predictable phase, one that starts with adrenaline dropping and evolves into clarity, reflection, and smarter decisions. You’ll learn how to recognize the hangover for what it is, why timing matters when it comes to debriefs, and how to preserve what worked while fixing friction before memory smooths everything into “it was fine.” This isn’t about overanalyzing or assigning blame. It’s about using the brief window after an event to set the next version up for success, without starting from scratch or losing what made people care. If you want your next event to improve by design instead of by accident, this episode is your roadmap. Thanks for listening! Look for new episodes each Sunday wherever you get your podcasts, and in the meantime... Connect with Vicky on LinkedIn

    11 min
  5. January Tourism Myths

    JAN 5

    January Tourism Myths

    Send us a text January has a reputation problem. Too many destinations treat January like a dead zone: quiet, unimportant, or something to simply get through until spring. But that thinking quietly undermines momentum for the rest of the year. In this episode of Destination Roadmapping, we unpack the most common January tourism myths, from “no one travels in January” to “nothing we do now really matters”—and explain why they’re holding communities back. You’ll learn: Why January travelers are different (not absent)How perception, trust, and future demand are shaped during quieter monthsWhy going quiet in January often creates more work laterHow small, intentional improvements now can carry forward all yearThis episode isn’t about doing more in January.  It’s about getting clearer. January isn’t a throwaway month.  It’s a positioning month and when you get it right, everything that follows gets easier. Listen in if you work in tourism, Main Street, or place marketing and want a smarter, calmer start to the year. Thanks for listening! Look for new episodes each Sunday wherever you get your podcasts, and in the meantime... Connect with Vicky on LinkedIn

    12 min
  6. Clear the Clutter with a Clean Slate

    12/29/2025

    Clear the Clutter with a Clean Slate

    Send us a text A new year or a new season doesn’t magically reset anything. Most communities walk straight into January carrying the same meetings, the same tired events, and the same frustrations they were juggling the month before. And adding more goals on top of that rarely fixes the real problem. In this episode of Destination Roadmapping, we’re talking about what it actually means to create a clean slate, not by starting over, but by clearing what’s quietly getting in the way. You’ll learn: Why a clean slate is not the same as a blank slateHow overbuilt calendars, zombie traditions, and messy messaging drain momentumWhy “busy” often hides avoidanceThe three questions that help you reset with clarity instead of chaosThis episode is for small towns, Main Streets, and tourism teams ready to stop carrying what no longer serves them—and start building forward with intention. Clear the slate first. Then build what actually works. Thanks for listening! Look for new episodes each Sunday wherever you get your podcasts, and in the meantime... Connect with Vicky on LinkedIn

    12 min

  7. 12/22/2025

    The Small Moments That Make People Fall in Love With a Place

    Send us a text Most visitors don’t fall in love with a destination because of one big attraction. They fall in love because of how a place feels, because of how it makes them feel In this episode of Destination Roadmapping, we’re talking about the small, intentional moments that quietly shape a visitor’s experience, the moments that help people relax, linger, and leave feeling better than when they arrived. We’ll explore: Why arrival moments matter more than you thinkHow simple “linger invitations” encourage visitors to slow down and stay longerThe human interactions that spark loyalty and repeat visitsWhy small towns are uniquely positioned to create tourism experiences that restore, not overwhelmThis episode is especially for communities and destinations that want to attract visitors seeking a calmer, more meaningful getaway, the kind that regenerates energy, sparks quiet joy, and feels like a refuge instead of a checklist. If you’re ready to stop chasing hype and start designing experiences people genuinely connect with, this one’s for you. Thanks for listening! Look for new episodes each Sunday wherever you get your podcasts, and in the meantime... Connect with Vicky on LinkedIn

    10 min
  8. Your Website’s Real Job Is to Help People Decide Quickly

    12/15/2025

    Your Website’s Real Job Is to Help People Decide Quickly

    Send us a text Most tourism and event websites don’t fail because they’re ugly or outdated. They fail because they make people work too hard to decide. In this episode of Destination Roadmapping, we’re taking a tough-love look at what your website is actually doing when visitors land on it and why “looking good” isn’t the same as working. Visitors aren’t browsing your website. They’re deciding — fast. In Episode 22, you’ll learn: Why your website isn’t a brochure, filing cabinet, or history bookThe four decisions every visitor makes (often in under a minute)The Visitor Decision Framework: Belonging, Clarity, Ease, and DirectionWhere small-town and destination websites most often break the decision processA simple 3-minute test to see if your website is helping, or quietly losing, visitorsIf your website feels packed with information but visitation, attendance, or engagement isn’t growing, this episode will help you see why. Your website’s real job is simple: help people decide quickly. And if it doesn’t? They decide to go somewhere else. Thanks for listening! Look for new episodes each Sunday wherever you get your podcasts, and in the meantime... Connect with Vicky on LinkedIn

    12 min
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About

A 10-minute spark of inspiration with a side of tough love—helping small towns create big impact through tourism, events, and unforgettable visitor experiences.

Information

  • Creator
    Vicky Soderberg
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    29
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Destination Roadmapping
  • Show Website
    Destination Roadmapping