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. The Kids Zone Dilemma

    1D AGO

    The Kids Zone Dilemma

    Send us Fan Mail What if the thing you think makes your event “family-friendly" is actually holding it back? In this episode of Destination Roadmapping, we’re challenging one of the most automatic decisions in event planning: The Kids Zone. Most events have one.  Most planners feel like they should. But what if removing it actually improves the experience for families, vendors, and your overall event flow? This episode breaks down:  Why kids zones often create separation instead of connection  What parents are actually experiencing (and why it affects spending)  How one design decision shapes movement, engagement, and energy  A practical, step-by-step way to redesign your event without a kids zone You’ll walk away with a completely different lens: Not “What do we have for kids?”  But “How does a family experience this event as a family?” Because when you get that right, everything works better. Thanks for listening! Look for new episodes each Wednesday wherever you get your podcasts, and in the meantime... Connect with Vicky on LinkedIn

    12 min
  2. The "Locals Only' Vibe

    MAR 30

    The "Locals Only' Vibe

    Send us Fan Mail Some of the best experiences in your community might be the hardest for visitors to step into. Not because they’re bad.  Because they’re built on familiarity. In this episode, we’re unpacking the “locals only” vibe. The feeling visitors get when everything works, as long as they already know how it works. And here’s the twist:  That local feel? It’s not the problem. It’s actually what people want. The problem is when visitors can see it, but can’t step into it. We break down:  • What the “locals only” vibe really is (and why it’s not always a bad thing)  • How to recognize when visitors are hovering on the outside instead of engaging  • Why people don’t come back, even when they say they liked it  • Simple ways to make your experience easier to step into without losing what makes it feel local Because the goal isn’t to make your town less authentic. It’s to make it easier for someone new to feel like they belong in it. Thanks for listening! Look for new episodes each Wednesday wherever you get your podcasts, and in the meantime... Connect with Vicky on LinkedIn

    8 min
  3. The Meeting after the Meeting

    MAR 23

    The Meeting after the Meeting

    Send us Fan Mail We’ve all experienced it. The meeting ends. Everyone nods. “Great discussion.” Chairs slide back. And then the real conversation starts, in the hallway, in the parking lot. In this episode of Destination Roadmapping, we’re unpacking “the meeting after the meeting," why it happens, what it signals about your team dynamics, and how it quietly undermines your tourism plans and events. Because when people don’t feel comfortable speaking in the room, the meeting becomes a performance instead of a working session. And that’s where things start to break. You’ll learn:  Why polite agreement during meetings turns into messy execution later  The three biggest reasons real conversations get pushed outside the room  The difference between unanimous agreement and real agreement (and why it matters)  Simple ways to structure meetings so people actually say what they’re thinking We all like to debrief with afterwards. That part won’t change. But if the important conversations only happen after the meeting, your plans are built on half the information. And that’s when good ideas start to wobble. If you want stronger events, better collaboration, and decisions that actually stick, it starts with making space for honest conversation, before the chairs get stacked. Thanks for listening! Look for new episodes each Wednesday wherever you get your podcasts, and in the meantime... Connect with Vicky on LinkedIn

    11 min
  4. Your Tourism "What If" Plan

    MAR 15

    Your Tourism "What If" Plan

    Send us Fan Mail Tourism seasons rarely unfold exactly the way we expect. Gas prices shift, travel habits change, weather refuses to cooperate, and sometimes a random 12-second video sends visitors somewhere you never saw coming. In this episode of Destination Roadmapping, we revisit the idea from Episode 20, the “What If” plan for events and apply it to an entire tourism season. Because just like events, destinations need to be ready for the unexpected. We’ll explore several forces that could shape the 2026 tourism season, including travel price fatigue, shrinking travel radiuses, the “cute downtown” plateau, and the rapidly changing ways visitors discover places. But we’ll also play a little devil’s advocate. What if tourism planning can’t predict the biggest disruptions?  What if travelers simply take fewer trips?  What if the real answer isn’t more strategy, but better fundamentals? Instead of trying to control every possible variable, the communities that succeed are usually the ones that build destinations flexible enough to adapt when things change. Because tourism seasons, like the wind, don’t always blow the way we expect. The goal isn’t predicting the weather. It’s building a destination that sails well no matter which direction the wind comes from. If you care about creating experiences that make visitors stay longer, spend more, and come back again, this episode will give you a fresh way to think about uncertainty in tourism. Small towns don’t win by predicting everything. They win by being ready for anything. Thanks for listening! Look for new episodes each Wednesday wherever you get your podcasts, and in the meantime... Connect with Vicky on LinkedIn

    12 min
  5. Is Your Event Planned for Your Staff or Your Guests?

    MAR 8

    Is Your Event Planned for Your Staff or Your Guests?

    Send us Fan Mail Most small-town events are incredibly organized. But they’re organized for the committee, not the crowd. If your layout makes sense to the board but confuses first-timers  If vendors are placed based on history instead of flow  If guests need a volunteer just to figure out where to start You may have designed an insider event. In this episode, we break down: The difference between Planner Brain and Guest BrainHow proximity bias quietly sabotages experienceWhy “fairness” often kills flowThe hidden economic costA simple walk-through audit you can use immediatelyBecause guests don’t care how hard you worked. They care how it felt. If you want people to stay longer, spend more, and be happy to drive two hours to come back again, this episode is your reset. Thanks for listening! Look for new episodes each Wednesday wherever you get your podcasts, and in the meantime... Connect with Vicky on LinkedIn

    12 min
  6. The 24-hour Visitor Test

    MAR 1

    The 24-hour Visitor Test

    Send us Fan Mail If someone pulled into your town at 3:00 p.m. on a Friday, no wedding, no meeting, no relatives to visit, would they stay 24 hours? Or would they quietly keep driving? In this episode, we’re walking through a simple but revealing diagnostic: the 24-Hour Visitor Test. Because there’s a difference between attracting visitors and structuring your community to hold them overnight and that difference is where the real economic impact lives. We’ll unpack: • The arrival friction that silently shortens stays  • Why “having one thing” isn’t enough  • The Saturday afternoon stall most towns miss  • How Sunday morning either extends the visit or ends it  • Why this is a sequencing issue, not a marketing issue This isn’t necessarily about adding more attractions. It’s about tightening continuity from Friday afternoon through Sunday morning so visitors naturally linger longer, spend more, and build connection. If you’ve ever wondered why your town gets traffic but not overnight momentum, this episode will give you perspective and a practical way to test it yourself. Run the test. Map the gaps. Build the sequence. Because the goal isn’t more visitors. It’s visitors who don’t want to leave. Thanks for listening! Look for new episodes each Wednesday wherever you get your podcasts, and in the meantime... Connect with Vicky on LinkedIn

    12 min
  7. Do Your Meetings Go in Circles? Let's fix that!

    FEB 22

    Do Your Meetings Go in Circles? Let's fix that!

    Send us Fan Mail Ever leave a meeting uncertain if anything actually got decided? You’re not alone. In small towns, meetings are where vision, risk, nostalgia, and practicality all collide, and without clear purpose and defined roles, they spin. Same conversation. Different month. In this episode, we break down:  • Why looping meetings are actually unclear expectations  • How role confusion quietly fuels conflict  • The one shared agreement that can shift everything  • A simple 3-step reset you can use at your very next meeting If your board meetings feel repetitive, your committees feel stuck, or your staff feels drained, this episode will help you move from circular conversations to clear decisions. Because meetings shouldn’t just take time, they should create traction. Thanks for listening! Look for new episodes each Wednesday wherever you get your podcasts, and in the meantime... Connect with Vicky on LinkedIn

    10 min
  8. When Your Event is Fading Away

    FEB 16

    When Your Event is Fading Away

    Send us Fan Mail Not every struggling event crashes. Some just quietly fade away. Attendance dips slightly.  Sponsors still sign, but ask more questions.  Volunteers respond a little slower.  Energy feels softer. Nothing breaks badly enough to force a decision.  So it stays on the calendar. In this episode, we unpack the difference between a failing event and a fading one, and why fading is actually more dangerous. You’ll learn: The subtle warning signs your event is losing relevanceHow to tell if it needs refinement, reinvention, or retirementThe questions that reveal whether your event still has a clear jobWhy “tradition” is not the same thing as alignmentIf your event feels heavier than it used to, but you can’t quite identify why, this episode will help you diagnose what’s really happening. Because events don’t stay neutral.  They either build energy or they slowly deflate. Thanks for listening! Look for new episodes each Wednesday wherever you get your podcasts, and in the meantime... Connect with Vicky on LinkedIn

    11 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
    38
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Destination Roadmapping
  • Show Website
    Destination Roadmapping