Episode 340:

This week I’m at Tap Dance, the annual travel conference hosted and produced by Travel Alliance Partners. Tap Dance is an intimate show that gives a select group of tour operator partners a chance to build genuine relationships with Preferred Professional Travel Providers.

I’m privileged to be able to talk to five experienced leaders in the travel and tourism sector and ask them about how shows like Tap Dance help empower them to do their job better. We also dive into what the word partnership means to them, and my guests offer an example of a partnership that works well for them. I can’t wait to share my guests’ words with you.

• Lori J. Solomon: Vice President of Travel and Trade with the Sullivan Catskill Visitors Association
• Libby Jones: Director of Education at Battleship New Jersey Museum and Memorial
• Jim Walter: Vice President of Visit Cheyenne
• Jill Shorkey: Director of Group Tours for Great Lakes Bay Regional Convention and Visitors Bureau
• Emily Hamill: Hospitality Coordinator at Old Sturbridge Village

Insights from the Tap Dance

I am excited to showcase the Tap Dance travel conference in this roadshow series because Travel Alliance Partners, one of my own businesses, is built to support collaboration and connection in the travel trade community.

Lori J. Solomon: Vice President of Travel and Trade with the Sullivan Catskill Visitors Association

Lori shares more about a collaborative program her organization is part of called Beyond the Big Apple, where they’re encouraging travelers to explore the area beyond New York City. She discusses the collaborative effort between the Catskills, central New York, and Hudson Valley and how putting together a two-week itinerary that showcases the best of the region helps domestic and international travelers explore the region.

Libby Jones: Director of Education at Battleship New Jersey Museum and Memorial

We dive into what partnership means to Libby and how she loves to work as a team to better achieve their goals. Her organization is a big fan of the phrase rising tide lifts all ships! She also shares more about how the Battleship New Jersey Museum and Memorial are building a locale with the Independent Seaport Museum to make it easier for groups who visit both destinations.

Jim Walter: Vice President of Visit Cheyenne

Jim tells us how shows like Tap Dance help him be a better travel and tourism professional. He describes how working together and listening to how other people sell their destinations helps you learn and grow professionally. Jim also shares more about the Visit Cheyenne open-air rodeos, their new partners, and how they’re attracting a fantastic international audience.

Jill Shorkey: Director of Group Tours for Great Lakes Bay Regional Convention and Visitors Bureau

I loved how Jill describes partnership as teamwork, listening, and an aligned vision for all of us to be together for the benefit of everyone. She also shares why her word of the show is ‘reverence’ and how as a first time Tap Dancer, she can feel the synergy with colleagues from all parts of the industry.

Emily Hamill: Hospitality Coordinator at Old Sturbridge Village

We talk about why networking is beneficial from a business and professional standpoint and why she’s enjoying making so many connections with her peers. We also dive into an example of a partnership that’s working for Old Sturbridge Village in their collaboration with the Table Three restaurant group that allows their guests to experience fine dining in a historical setting.

I hope you enjoyed this first episode of our special two-part series from Tap Dance. We delved into the world of this unique travel conference, where collaboration, partnership, and connection are at its core. From intimate conversations and learning from colleagues in the tourism industry to exploring new trends and expanding networks, Tap Dance provides invaluable experiences and professional growth opportunities. I loved that our guests shared their insights on the importance of working together, forming strong relationships, and leveraging partnerships to create successful events and promote destinations.

Stay tuned for the second part of our series, where we will continue to explore the magic of Tap Dance.

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!: https://breaktheicemedia.com/rating-review/

Episode 339:

Santiago C. Corrada is an accomplished, recognized leader with over twenty-five years of public service experience, with proven success in effectively and efficiently transforming the professional culture of many diverse institutions. His outstanding relationship-building skills result in the resolution of highly complex issues through consensus. Corrada has the demonstrated ability to soundly and fiscally manage a convention center resulting in record surplus revenues. He has consistently elevated organizations to higher levels of productivity by empowering team members and stakeholders. Corrada is an intelligent, articulate, dedicated, loyal individual driven to serve and deliver the highest quality services.

On this episode of Destination on the Left, I talk with Santiago Corrada about his leadership philosophy which includes fostering relationships, building a great team, and being a role model. We also discuss the importance of welcoming diverse audiences, and Santiago shares in detail how Visit Tampa Bay welcomes people of all abilities.

What You Will Learn in this Episode:

• Santiago’s atypical journey from high school principal to destination marketer
• Why Santiago firmly believes that leadership is something that should benefit a team rather than stifle them
• Why they decided to create a Tampa-based cookbook and how it supported an underappreciated sector of their community
• Santiago’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion and how they support individuals with impediments to travel at Visit Tampa Bay
• What they’re doing to tell their story in a thoughtful, deliberate way and how they’re ensuring that the local community members are great hosts to visitors
• What Santiago is looking for when he’s building his destination development plan and some of the important factors he likes to incorporate

Leadership at Visit Tampa

Santiago Carrera discusses leadership philosophy and why he enjoys being a mentor and leading by example at Visit Tampa Bay. He shares how his unusual journey into destination marketing has helped him understand the importance of engaging his own team and the wider community in their visitor attraction initiatives.

Santiago also shines a little light on the need for effective marketing and leadership in making a location stand out. Focusing on what they’re doing at Visit Tampa Bay, he mentions how his team’s efforts led to recognition from Time Magazine, money.com, and Forbes and how they helped put Tampa on the map as one of the best places in Florida to live and visit. Santiago believes that Visit Tampa Bay’s unique branding and collaborative approach differentiates their destination from other typical Florida destinations.

Shaping Your Own Narrative

In our talk on all things creativity and leadership in destination marketing, Santiago expanded on his viewpoint, explaining that the goal isn’t just about making Tampa or Tampa Bay stand out amongst competitors; it’s all about shaping the narrative your own way. He also gives a few examples of some of the innovative and creative approaches in marketing and sharing the uniqueness of their location with the world.

Committed to DEI

Santiago’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion is a cornerstone of his leadership strategy. As one of the few Latino leaders of a DMO in the country, he has always prioritized diversifying his team, board of directors, and the portrayal of diverse, multicultural groups in their marketing imagery. It was, therefore, important to Santiago and his team to include imagery in their campaigns representing individuals with travel impediments.

Visit Tampa incorporated ambassadors and influencers who have travel impediments into their video creation and campaigns. This inclusive initiative has added another layer to their commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, enriching their marketing strategy and further differentiating their destination.

Resources:

• Website: https://www.visittampabay.com/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VisitTampaBay
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/VisitTampaBay
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/VisitTampaBay

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!: https://breaktheicemedia.com/rating-review/

Episode 338:

Since 2001, Debra Ross has been publisher of KidsOutAndAbout.com, America’s online resource for families who want to know about all of the opportunities for kids in their local area, and (since 2016) of BeyondTheNest.com, for grownups who want to know about arts, culture, and recreation where they live. This web network has regional sites in 45 cities in the US and Canada, with (as of Feb 2023) 15 million visitors per year (85% parents, 15% grandparents, 82% women) and 750,000 recipients of a free weekly e-newsletter telling recipients what’s happening locally for kids, teens, and families.

Debra’s expertise is in community visibility and cheerleading, data analytics, and information resource management. She is Co-Chair of the American Astronomical Society’s Solar Eclipse Task Force for the 2023 annular and 2024 solar eclipses and Chair of the Rochester Eclipse Task Force 2024.

Named after the iconic Angela Davis, Angela Speck likes bright colors, is a nerd at heart, and has wanted to be an astronaut since she was five years old. Originally from Yorkshire (England), she went to college in London, where she was able to pursue her childhood dreams by majoring in astrophysics. After a brief stint as an r&d technician in a Lancashire company run by crazy new-age hippies, she returned to London and completed a Ph.D. in astronomy. After a postdoc at the University of Illinois and 17 years on the faculty at the University of Missouri, she is now the Chair of the Physics & Astronomy Department at UT San Antonio. She has also been the co-chair of a national task force on solar eclipses since 2014. Throughout her career, she has pursued research and teaching of astrophysics and continues to share her passion for all things extra-terrestrial.

On this episode of Destination on the Left, I talk with Angela Speck and Debra Ross about how they are preparing for the 2024 solar eclipse. We discuss how destination marketers can share information about eclipse events locally and nationally, and we cover lessons learned from the 2017 eclipse visitor data.

What You Will Learn in this Episode:

• How the upcoming eclipse can help create a sense of unity and connection within a community
• Key marketing lessons learned from the 2017 eclipse and what DMOs can do differently in 2024
• What communities can do to maximize the experience for locals and visitors
• The importance of targeted outreach and educating people about the significance of the eclipse path, which is much more populated in 2024 than it was in 2017
• How DMOs can leverage pre-existing stories and experiences to communicate the value of participating in the 2024 eclipse
•  

Sharing Your Community Values

During her interview on the Destination on the Left podcast, Debra Ross shared a powerful anecdote about the town of Kingswood and their approach to the solar eclipse. With a strong sense of community, the town sent teenagers on bicycles to distribute eclipse glasses to residents and visitors, ensuring everyone could safely experience the event. This initiative showcased their commitment to inclusivity and creating a shared experience.

This highlighted how communities can demonstrate their true essence and foster a stronger sense of unity through how they present themselves to visitors. Debra is looking to convey a similar sense of unity and connection within her own community and has since been involved in helping other communities make their messaging fun, clever, and authentic in preparation for the 2024 eclipse.

Telling the Eclipse Story in 2024

On the podcast, Angela emphasizes the importance of targeted outreach and educating people about the significance of the eclipse path. So many people missed out on being within the path of the 2017 eclipse, and the upcoming 2024 eclipse is already a hot topic of conversation amongst the general population, not just the scientific community.

To help engage as many people as possible, DMOs should build upon pre-existing stories and experiences. By reinforcing the message that they are not starting from scratch, marketers can more effectively communicate the importance of being within the eclipse path and ensure that people understand the value of participating in the 2024 eclipse.

Resources:

• Website: https://www.kidsoutandabout.com/
• Website: https://eclipse.aas.org/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/debra-ross-roc/
• Eclipse America 2024: https://eclipse.aas.org/eclipse-america-2024
• Science in the Shadows: NASA Selects 5 Experiments for 2024 Total Solar Eclipse
• Rochester Total Solar Eclipse 2024
• Eclipse Community Dashboard

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!: https://breaktheicemedia.com/rating-review/

Episode 337:

President and CEO Danny Liedka is in his sixth year at the helm of Visit Syracuse, Onondaga County’s official tourism promotion agency. Visit Syracuse plays a critical role in the county’s economic development strategy through its focus to grow the area’s business of leisure tourism, meetings & conventions, sporting & special events, and film/television production.

Through his work, Danny has strengthened the organization’s ties with elected officials and community leaders to ensure resource development, overall strategic direction, and quality programming to the region. While under his leadership, the organization has successfully restructured to handle the effects of COVID-19 on the hospitality and tourism industry, moved into a new downtown office space, and brought in and expanded the Visit Syracuse Film Office. Liedka also has seen convention sales increase by nearly 85% during his tenure.

During Danny’s tenure, the Visit Syracuse organization has seen several major conventions return to the area and has undergone several marketing initiatives to better promote the region and partners, including a completely redesigned website, an increase in video production promotion, and a newly designed Visitors Guide.

Danny has several years of experience in a variety of tourism and hospitality roles, including Senior Sales Executive at Marriott International and Sales Manager at the Double Tree Hotel Syracuse. He holds several awards recognizing him for sports, sales, and marketing efforts.

Before joining Visit Syracuse, Danny was a former Onondaga County Legislator District 7 (2012-2017), having served as Chairman of the Health Committee, Budget Task Force, and Vehicle Use Review Board. In addition, he was the former mayor of the Village of East Syracuse (2007 – 2013). Danny has written award-winning legislation that addressed the quality of life in his Village. Danny is on the East Syracuse-Minoa School District Wall of Distinction for his contribution and achievements in the community. The Visit Syracuse president was also an on-air television commentator at Time Warner Cable Sports Channel, Big East Network, YES Network, and ESPNU, as well as a game radio host for Syracuse University Basketball on Clear Channel Radio. Danny is a recipient of the ACE Award, which is the cable television equivalent of an Emmy for excellence in sports broadcasting. Danny is also an ABCA Certified Professional Baseball Coach, Coaches at Sports Zone Baseball Academy, and is the current president of ESM Little League. He and his wife, Kim, and three children, Luke, Jack, and Hannah, and k9 partner Milla reside in East Syracuse.

On this episode of Destination on the Left, I talk with Danny Liedka about the importance of showing the authentic experience of the destination through storytelling done by real people and how Visit Syracuse does that via their photo and video library. We also dive into how to forge tighter relationships with stakeholders and some transformational projects coming to Danny’s community right now.

What You Will Learn in this Episode:

• How Danny went from a successful career in Politics to becoming the CEO of a destination promotion agency
• The importance of building a mutually supportive relationship with stakeholders
• Why learning to communicate effectively using the right language can help your organization access more opportunities
• How Danny and his team put together proposals that helped Syracuse win recent transformational projects — the new aquarium, a road project that will change the walkability and accessibility of downtown, and a major employer choosing Syracuse as look the location for their new manufacturing facility
• Why having the right people on your team is critical to your success

Building a Great Team

Creating a solid team and fostering a positive work atmosphere has been a priority for Danny as a leader. While he recognizes that Visit Syracuse may not always be able to compete with private sector jobs in terms of financial compensation, he believes that by going the extra mile for his employees, they can minimize the importance of money in their overall job satisfaction.

One way Visit Syracuse achieves this is by offering special perks and benefits, such as the ability to work from home. Danny explains why even before the COVID-19 pandemic, they had already implemented a remote work policy, which proved valuable when the crisis happened and allowed them to hit the ground running.

Showcasing Authentic Experiences

People crave genuine experiences and prefer seeing real individuals rather than staged content. When Danny and his team realized this, they decided to invest in various initiatives, such as professional photography and partnering with an agency that could help them source a vast collection of authentic images. By showcasing real-life experiences in Syracuse, they aimed to establish an emotional connection between their audience and their brand.

Recognizing the power of video as a storytelling medium, Danny made it a priority to excel in this area. If you explore Visit Syracuse’s recently launched website, you’ll notice a strong emphasis on video content, immersive experiences, and captivating narratives. This approach has allowed them to build a dedicated following and stay ahead of the curve, ensuring they are proactive rather than playing catch up with industry trends.

Danny’s Best Practices for Collaboration

When seeking the right partners, making everything about them and creating a likable connection is important. Show them a problem they may be unaware of and position yourself as the solution. Understanding their communication styles and needs, and adapting your approach accordingly, is crucial.

Effective communication and listening skills play a significant role in establishing successful partnerships. By embracing these principles and focusing on the partner’s needs, you can build strong relationships and achieve mutual success.

Resources:

• Website: https://www.visitsyracuse.com/
• LinkedIn Personal: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danny-liedka-81311293/
• LinkedIn Business: https://www.linkedin.com/company/syracuse-convention-and-visitors-bureau/

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!: https://breaktheicemedia.com/rating-review/