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Tourism Best Practices

  • 1 min read

Some tourism professionals at Convention and Visitors Bureaus – CVBs (or Destination Marketing Organizations – DMOs) are doing some innovative programs to increase visitation in their destinations. We call them Tourism Best Practices. Minden, LA, tourism is booming and it started with destination development A film tour, a self-guided tour featuring signage that points out homes and locations used in the production of major motion pictures filmed in the area, leads the new tourism product offered to visitors to Minden, LA. Casper, WY, CVB uses research to launch a niche campaign The effective use of research can help a destination realize… 

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It’s Legislative Season – How to Play a Role

  • 4 min read

Like Memorial Day marks the unofficial start of Summer, last night’s State of the Union Address by our President marks the unofficial start of Legislative sessions, not just in Washington D.C., but in capitals in every state. How are you engaging in the process? You cannot leave it to your state association to advocate for you. You have a responsibility as a business owner, industry leader, voter, to engage with your Legislator. I dusted off a piece How to Play a Key Role In Our Representative Form of Government. I did not pen it. I would freely give credit to… 

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Tourism Industry Undervalued – Needs Repect

  • 3 min read

At a recent town hall meeting, Oklahoma Lt. Governor Todd Lamb made a pretty good case that the tourism industry is one of, if not the most undervalued industry. “Few grasp the tourism industry’s impact on Oklahoma. They don’t realize U.S. travelers spend $7.2 billion in Oklahoma in 2012 or tourism generated $385.3 million in state taxes – the third largest revenue stream in state government – and $188.5 million in local taxes that year.” Beyond the numbers are all of the issues destination marketing professionals have to deal with. I recently spoke to a Chamber Leadership Class about issues related to tourism. After I shared… 

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Koranda Named A Constant Contact Solution Provider

  • 3 min read

Stephen Koranda, Back To You Marketing, Named a Constant Contact Certified Solution Provider Norman, Oklahoma, marketing expert to help small businesses and nonprofits achieve meaningful marketing results  NORMAN, OK — October 1, 2014 – Stephen Koranda, Founder and President of Back to You Marketing, has been named a Certified Solution Provider by Constant Contact®, Inc., the trusted marketing advisor to more than 600,000 small organizations worldwide. As a Certified Solution Provider, Koranda has completed the Constant Contact Certification Program which provides training on the Constant Contact Toolkit™, marketing best practices, and business development. This training imparts industry-leading knowhow on marketing… 

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The Fifth P of Destination Marketing

  • 3 min read

A colleague at a recent tourism function was sharing how her DMO was getting in a “turf war” between the City and the Chamber – both trying to take over the management of the organization. She concluded by sharing ‘I’m staying out of it. I’m not in politics.’ A few of the glancing looks from others at the table communicated that we were thinking the same thing, “Oh yes you are like it or not!”  (And you’d better engage now or you may find yourself in a place you aren’t going to like!) I thought going from a DMO to an attraction I would find… 

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