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Director Travis Napper from Arkansas Tourism joins the HootBoard Visitor Information and Destination Marketing Podcast. We discuss a very interesting historical event about The Sultana that happened on the Mississippi River. We covered the career journey that Travis has been through thus far. We also got into what his strategy of generating traffic and enhancing the image of Arkansas, which is done by doing the work of four areas within the Tourism Division: sales, research and development, communications and welcome centers.

Timestamps and Summaries

0:00 – Intro

3:30 – Sultana vs Titanic Historical Events. Did you know that Arkansas was the location for a Maritime disaster that was even more disastrous, in terms of lives lost, than the Titanic? Travis gives us the historical story on this events, talks about a new Museum that is coming in, and we get to know the area a little bit.

14:40 – We ask the question “If we were going to travel and spend a few days in Arkansas, what would Travis recommend we do in order to get a great Arkansas experience.” We love asking these types of questions to Directors of Tourism. Their knowledge of the area is hard to compete with. Travis covers fun things to do in nature, float trips, digging for real diamonds (that you get to keep!), recreational experiences, and family-friendly fun.

24:40 – We ask Travis about his career, his journey as a destination marketing expert, and how he came to be the Director of Tourism at Arkansas Tourism.

31:30 – We ask Travis a hypothetical question about if we were at the city level of a DMO or tourism entity, and we wanted to get the most out of the state level DMO, what does that relationship look like, and how can we get the most out of our connections together?

43:00 – Travis explains more on what is meant by ‘DMO Sales’ and how it generates revenue for an area.

50:00 – Part of the strategy that Travis likes to employ includes ‘Research and Development.’ We ask him to elaborate what he means by that, what exactly are we researching, and how to put that information into practice.

54:20 – How are regional associations different from CVBs?

59:20 – Travis talks about the visitor center of the near future. What will the next 10-20 years bring in terms of creating a visitor center experience that keeps up with the trends as well as the needs of visitors.

01:06:00 – Travis tells us how to get into contact with their social media

01:06:40 – We say good-bye to another great interview.

Let us know how we’re doing @HootBoard (twitter), subscribe on YouTube, and recommend anyone you’d like to hear on the podcast by emailing us at podcast@hootboard.com

• Monica Armstrong from Visit Knoxville TN is Interviewed on the HootBoard Visitor Information & Destination Marketing Podcast.
• How to devise a content strategy & organize content for your visitor information touch screen kiosk.
• What to ask before you buy an Outdoor Kiosk.

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Satya and Bryan spend some time breaking down a blog post from their Destination Marketing portfolio and expand on its ideas. We talk about some of the ways DMOs can engage its audiences, and much more.

0:00 – Intro

03:11 – Bryan and Satya expand on what do visitors want to know when they are visiting an area, diving into what is important to them from an information stand point.

9:38 – The Importance of presenting the best businesses that represent your area, and taking a look at creating a curated list of businesses that will give a new visitor a memorable experience.

13:37 – Expanding on how to engage visitors taking a look at famous anchor spots as well as the hidden gems.

19:18 – Everyone loves saving money. We dive into how visitors can get the most for their money.

25:40 – We wrap up our thoughts after breaking down the questions in this blog, and say goodbye.

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Elaine Schroth, CEO & President at Visit Concord, sits down with the HootBoard Visitor Information and Destination Marketing Podcast to discuss about creating a campaign around the Taco Trail, and how it became a popular choice to promote the destination.

Elaine offers advice to the younger generation, or any individual who is looking to get into the destination marketing industry. She provided some great advice about what it takes, the kind of work that needs to be done, and other great information for anyone interested in pursuing this type of career. We also got into the philosophy, strategy, and process behind creating the “Taco Trail” in Concord California. 

Summaries and Timestamps

0:00 – Intro

1:25 – We get to know Elaine, her career journey, and how she came to be CEO and President of Visit Concord.

6:10 – Elaine talks about the modern visitor center, and the kind of improvements that have been made to it to accommodate an ever changing digital world. We cover updated features of their new visitor center, and how those features benefit travelers to their destination.

9:00 – Elaine talks about specific initiatives to engage visitors to a destination, and how she approaches partners in the area to provide a comprehensive experience to the travelers to their destination.

12:00 Elaine talks about Visit Concord’s famous “Taco Trail.” It’s a fun experience for those who enjoy great tacos, and want to get to know the restaurants in the area. Learning about how a specific area executes a visitor engagement strategy is a great way to learn about how one could apply a similar approach to their area.

17:30 – Elaine discusses the philosophy, strategy, and process behind choosing the Taco Trail as opposed to using grapes, wine, and other similar types of consumables northern California is known for.

21:45 – Elaine educates us on the communication strategy with the partners who participated in the Taco Trail. She discussed strategies in how to engage the partners, and the software used to keep track of everything.

25:40 – The pandemic has changed just about everything, and Elaine explains how the pandemic changed the way they do things, and the strategies involved to work through it.

32:20 – Elaine talks about marketing businesses in the area, and how they could help in those efforts to keep things moving along during the pandemic. We covered strategic initiatives and organizational efforts.

34:40 – Elaine talks about the origin of Comfort Food week.

35:45 – Elaine offers advice to the younger generation, or any individual who is looking to get into the destination marketing industry. She provided some great advice about what it takes, the kind of work that needs to be done, and other great information for anyone interested in pursuing this type of career.

40:20 – Elaine offers some predictions about what the future of destination marketing looks like. She shares her ideas of what travel will look like in the near future, and the years beyond.

45:30 – We say our goodbyes, and wrap up another great lesson about the destination marketing industry.

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Timestamps

0:00: A quick hello, how are you doing, and the energy is set to get the conversation going.

0:58: Mary tells us about her experience, her destination marketing journey, and a little bit of history about Discover Odessa.

2:50: Every destination has its own unique audience and a way of marketing itself. Odessa Texas has a really big traveling worker base, and Mary talks to us a little bit about what makes Odessa Texas unique.

6:09: To get an idea of what kind of numbers Odessa Texas has to work with, Mary gave us an estimate of the service area population and surrounding towns.

7:25: Mary speaks a bit more about the draw of Odessa Texas and what people wish to experience while visiting.

9:40: Pre-pandemic, Mary talked about communication strategies, and topics visitors would want to know about prior to everything changing. This gives us an insight into their strategies.

12:00: A really interesting experience for anyone visiting and enjoy getting photos of themselves in an area. Odessa’s Jack-Rabbits provide a fun task for anyone to enjoy.

14:27: Mary speaks to the traveling professional entertainment that passes through town, and what kind of entertainment consumption visitors can expect if they stop by.

17:45: It’s time to say good-bye and thank you for participating.

Let us know how we’re doing @HootBoard (twitter), subscribe on YouTube, and recommend anyone you’d like to hear on the podcast by emailing us at podcast@hootboard.com