Blog
If you missed our session at VA-1
Last week I had the pleasure of attending the VA-1 Virginia Tourism Conference in Richmond. The two-day agenda was packed with general sessions, breakout sessions, visiting with exhibitors and a few impromptu meetings in the corner of the hotel lobby. It was hectic,...
Three ways to guarantee that your new tourism destination brand fails
So you're thinking about working with a professional firm on a branding strategy for your community or perhaps re-branding because your current approach is old and stale. Congratulations. You may have just taken an important first step at this very moment while...
It’s too easy to criticize
I always thought it would be fun to have the job of food critic. I could visit as many restaurants as I wanted on someone else’s expense account and then write about what I like and, more importantly, what I thought should be better. Now I’m not so certain that I’d...
Who should do a brand overhaul?
Every once in a while I will see a headline in one of the advertising industry trade publications about a major business undergoing a brand overhaul. KFC, Spirit Airlines, JC Penney and others have attempted it in recent years. When I speak with groups about...
Top 50 Tourist Attractions
I saw this list of the top 50 tourist attractions yesterday on Facebook. Everything about this fascinated me. There are places on this list that I've never heard of. The truth is, I'm not nearly as well-traveled as I'd like to think I am. I've only...
Five Ideas to Commemorate July 4th
Read the Declaration of Independence It’s a powerful document that is still relevant 239 years later. Everyone knows the line about all men being endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness....
Why we do what we do.
Last week I had the pleasure of speaking to some outstanding tourism professionals at the Spring Meeting of the Virginia Association of Convention & Visitors Bureaus. The topic was building a strong tourism brand. Before diving into the meat of the presentation –...
Albert Einstein – Could Have Been an Advertising Giant
I think Albert Einstein could have had a great career in advertising. It may not have brought him the notoriety that his career in science did. From what I have learned about the mind of the great physicist, I think he would have thrived in the world of advertising....
Best of the Blue Ridge
If you haven't yet picked up your free copy of the January Blue Ridge Outdoors, go get one right now. Seriously, right now. Not only does the magazine feature a special advertising section of Virginia destinations, it is also the annual Best of the Blue Ridge...
Strong Partnerships Help Abingdon Earn Tourism Office of the Year Honor
By David Mikula and Kevin Costello Abingdon, Virginia has always been a popular place for meetings and for weary travelers to find rest. Daniel Boone actually gave the town its original name of Wolf Hills more than 200 years ago. Years later, thousands of settlers...
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