Episode 379: Connecting Communities through Collaboration, with Sonya Nash
Release Date: 05/22/2024
Episode 384: Why Knowing Your Audience Makes Your Marketing Simpler, with Mary Charleson
Destination On The Left
On this episode of Destination on the Left, I talk with Mary Charleson, President of Five Minute Marketing and founder of Carry On Queen, about her formula for creating marketing plans that align with your target audience. We discuss how giving without expectation applies to Marketing and how Mary views volunteering with purpose as part of this philosophy. Mary also shares the importance of growing your business through referral and repeat business and why the quality of an audience is more important than quantity. What You Will Learn in This Episode: Why understanding target audiences...
info_outline
Episode 383: Empowering Destination Marketing with Civitas Pro's Data Insights, with Tiffany Gallagher
Destination On The Left
On this episode of Destination on the Left, I talk with Tiffany Gallagher, Vice President of Operations at Civitas about what Tourism Improvement Districts (TIDs) mean for the communities where they are established. She shares more about creative funding opportunities designed as a benefit-based vehicle for the travel industry forward. Tiffany also discusses the Civitas Pro database and why they created a one-stop shop for all data related to funding for DMOs and other organizations that operate tourism programs. What You Will Learn in This Episode: How Tourism Improvement Districts (TIDs)...
info_outline
Episode 382: Building a Purpose-Driven Company Culture, with Nicole Mahoney and TJ Bennett
Destination On The Left
On this episode of Destination on the Left, I’m sharing my recent appearance on the Desuckify Work podcast with TJ Bennett. We discuss why people crave purpose-driven work, why it’s important to have a vision, and, more importantly, how to communicate that vision throughout the company. We also discuss building a strong team and how structure and operationalization of your vision and values lead to more flexibility and creativity. What You Will Learn in This Episode: How Travel Alliance Partnership (TAP) influences the economic vitality of local communities through the travel, tourism,...
info_outline
Episode 381: Business Growth and Thought Leadership, with Nicole Mahoney and Sharon Toerek
Destination On The Left
On this episode of Destination on the Left, you’ll hear my conversation with Sharon Toerek about the importance of finding your niche and how growth happens once you commit to it. We also discuss how becoming a thought leader in your niche leads to new relationships and opportunities. While this interview centers around building a marketing agency, I’m sure you’ll find value in the insights we share in our discussion. What You Will Learn in This Episode: Why having a clear vision is crucial for agency leaders and how it helps in making decisions and evaluating opportunities What the...
info_outline
Episode 380: The Intersection of Storytelling, Collaboration, and Attractions, with Geoff Thatcher
Destination On The Left
On this episode of Destination on the Left, I talk with Geoff Thatcher about telling great stories and why they impact how people experience your brand. Geoff shares examples of his revolutionary experiential framework in action and gives his insights into staying focused, finding the right partners, forgiving allowable weaknesses, and remembering to have fun. What You Will Learn in This Episode: Why experiencing new things is essential for inspiring creativity in the hospitality and experience industry How Geoff applies his experiential framework to create immersive and emotional...
info_outline
Episode 379: Connecting Communities through Collaboration, with Sonya Nash
Destination On The Left
On this episode of Destination on the Left, I talk with Sonya Nash, Executive Director of Visit Shipshewana. She shares how she honors the local community through the work her DMO does and describes her role as creating an experience that visitors love and positively impacts the local community. Sonya also talks about a countywide collaboration she is part of and the importance of building bridges between stakeholders for the greater good. What You Will Learn in This Episode: Why understanding the other party’s perspective is crucial for successful collaboration What role destination...
info_outline
Episode 378: Let Your Weird Flag Fly, with Emily P. Dailey
Destination On The Left
On this episode of Destination on the Left, I talk with Emily about how her creative skills and early experience in theater led her to the hospitality industry. She walks us through a process for evaluating your brand and thinking about it from a people-first perspective and shares her approach to addressing challenges that cover planning for short-term, mid-term, and long-term needs in that order. What You Will Learn in This Episode: The importance of building relationships before seeking mentorship and why creating a culture of collaboration establishes trust and open communication How...
info_outline
Episode 377: Fostering Community and Mindful Travel Experiences for Women, with Megan Grant
Destination On The Left
On this episode of Destination on the Left, Megan Grant and I talk about how her tours are designed to create a positive social impact. She highlights the trends that are helping her business grow and thrive, including mindful purchasing and lone female travelers. We also discussed the importance of community and how Megan’s tours build community. What You Will Learn in This Episode: What inspired Megan to start Cherish Tours during the pandemic and how she is creating a positive impact through small group tours How Cherish Tours supports women in business through travel opportunities and...
info_outline
Episode 376: Evolving Travel Trends and Adventure Tourism, with Sean Hebert
Destination On The Left
On this episode of Destination on the Left, Sean Hebert goes deep into the backstory of TourRadar, an organized adventure platform. He shares his perspective on the importance of trust, what adventure travelers are looking for in terms of new experiences, and how TourRadar facilitates amazing collaboration between travelers, tour operators, and travel advisors. What You Will Learn in This Episode: How TourRadar evolved from a consumer-only marketplace to serving travel agents as a time-saving search engine How TourRadar’s recent marketing campaign “The Ultimate Travel Hack” promotes...
info_outline
Episode 375: Cultivating a Transformative Mindset, with Meredith Calloway
Destination On The Left
On this episode of Destination on the Left, I talk with Meredith Calloway, Chief Visionary Officer and Co-Founder of Gifted Travel Network (GTN). She shares more about the inspiration behind her community of luxury travel advisors and her nuggets of wisdom about how to develop and cultivate a brand message that will help you stand out from the crowd by finding your brilliance. What You Will Learn in This Episode: How Meredith transitioned from working in finance to starting a travel business and founding Gifted Travel Network Why finding one’s “zone of genius” and pursuing a passion is...
info_outlineOn this episode of Destination on the Left, I talk with Sonya Nash, Executive Director of Visit Shipshewana. She shares how she honors the local community through the work her DMO does and describes her role as creating an experience that visitors love and positively impacts the local community. Sonya also talks about a countywide collaboration she is part of and the importance of building bridges between stakeholders for the greater good.
What You Will Learn in This Episode:
- Why understanding the other party’s perspective is crucial for successful collaboration
- What role destination marketing organizations play in community branding and development, and how collaboration between various agencies impacts tourism assets and the community as a whole
- Sonya’s creative solution to challenges faced in a conservative, tech-limited community to accommodate visitors’ needs
- Why understanding and promoting cultural values within a community is essential for effective destination management
- How Sonya is working to connect and collaborate with other communities within the county to promote off-the-beaten-path experiences and cultural exchange
Branding for Destination Marketing Organizations
Our conversation started with a deep dive into the role of destination marketing organizations (DMOs) in community branding and development. Sonya shares the importance of collaboration between various agencies and why tourism has such a profound impact on the local community as a whole. We also discuss the pivotal role that DMOs play in shaping visitor expectations and experiences and how that influences the narrative and perception of a destination.
Embracing Unique Experiences
Sonya’s passion for creating unique experiences shines through as she recounts her journey from aspiring to be a school teacher to discovering her calling in the tourism and hospitality industry. Her emphasis on understanding what makes a destination unique and tapping into the interests of travelers also underscores the value of authentic and immersive experiences that resonate with visitors and allows them to disconnect and embrace a slower, more relaxed lifestyle in Sonya’s location, Shipshewana.
Overcoming Challenges Through Innovation
Our discussion touches upon the challenges faced in conservative, tech-limited communities, such as some of the destinations in Amish country. Sonya’s creative solution of leveraging the Bandwango platform to create a trail and incorporate creative offline ways to help visitors get to know the rural area and accommodate both visitors’ needs and the local community’s needs.
Resources:
- Website: https://visitshipshewana.org/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VisitShipshewana/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/visitshipshewana/
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClANSNzu4yLmTjYWtMdoegQ
- Off the Beaten Path Group Experiences: https://www.offthebeatenpath.com/
We value your thoughts and feedback and would love to hear from you. Leave us a review on your favorite streaming platform to let us know what you want to hear more of. Here is a quick tutorial on how to leave us a rating and review on iTunes!