Competition Friend or Foe

Berkeley W. Young

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We get around

AlabamaArizona California Florida Georgia IowaIllinois KansasKentuckyLouisianaMassachusetts

Client DestinationsThe Young Strategies project team, both individually and collectively have conducted destinationresearch and planning in thirty-three states:

MichiganMinnesotaMississippiMissouriMontanaNebraska New JerseyNew MexicoNew YorkNorth CarolinaNorth Dakota

North Dakota OklahomaPennsylvaniaSouth Carolina South DakotaTennesseeTexasVirginiaWashingtonWest VirginiaWyoming

Competition is a GREAT Thing

Competition or Coopetition?

• Destinations

• Hotels

• Restaurants

• Attractions

• Retail

• Events

• Associations

• Conferences

• Content

Chain Clustering Mentality

Competition or Coopitition

We are exceedingly collegialand yet we COMPETE!

• Marketing & Purchased Media• Traditional & Digital & Social & Shows

• Sales• Shows & Missions

• Public Relations & Earned Media

• People - staff

Virtual Reality IS NOT Competition

Virtual reality and video content to INSPIRE the visit, not replace it

Within every dayWe change the way we competeWe adapt to the situationWe compete

W ee4t5y

• The first step to

Destinations in the competitive landscape

722 Counties in Seven States• Oklahoma – 77• Texas - 254• New Mexico – 33• Colorado – 64• Kansas – 105• Missouri – 114• Arkansas - 75

Most Counties in the United States Have Some Form of DMO

3,007 counties, 64 parishes, 18 organized boroughs, 11 census areas, 41 independent cities and D.C. = 3,142

• DMO = destination marketing AND management

• Destination = future focused!

• Focus on the updated experience• New experience development

• Branding gone wild• Local partnership

• Converting visitors to brand ambassadors• Engaging with disruptors, you can’t ignore them

AIRBnB, VRBO, UBER, LYFT

Destination Competition is Intense

Transformational Opportunities

#1: Broadcast to EngagementInteracting with & leveraging the new marketplace

#2: Brand BuildingBuilding & protecting the destination brand

#3: Collaboration & PartnershipsEvolving the DMO business model

We Spoke to YouDestination Organization of the Future

Rank Role

1 Brand marketing

2 Destination and product development

3 Meeting and convention sales

4 Broader economic development

5 Destination information resource

6 Industry advocate and association leader

7 Leisure sales (group tour and independent)

8 Visitor experience servicing

9 Major event partner/developer

10 Convention services

11 Venue management and operations

New Destination Organization Start-up

Selling begins when the customer says “No”.

Overcoming objection.

My snow is bigger than yours!Did you know that Syracuse is the snowiest big city in the entire United States?! According to Weather.com, Syracuse is #1 out of America’s 20 Snowiest Major Cities –accumulating 126.3 inches annually). Some people shy away from that but not us. We brag about it. Hard.We bragged so much that Winter decided to move here and made us the #OFFICIALHOMEOFWINTER. He needed a place where he could be himself – no matter what he threw at us. He’s got his own story, and he needed a place where he could be that guy.

Competition for the Household Leisure SpendEntertainment and Activities:• Attractions• College Sports• Professional Sports• Concerts and theater • Children’s activities• Gaming

Consumer Expenditure Survey (CE) data from 1934–1936 show that, even during the Great Depression, spending on entertainment accounted for 5.4 percent of the household budget. – US Department of Labor

Urban Competition for Rural Experiences

Competition is NOT a two way street

South Padre Island

South Padre Island

Weather & Disasters

Source: World Casino Directory

Lake Charles

ShreveportBossier City

Competition in the Workforce

Competition in the Media

Montgomery & Politics

Montgomery & Politics

2017 Strategy Shift – advertising budget not adequate to counter negative political image in the national press Go “all-in” with aggressive public relations strategy in key markets and publications where negative stories ran. GOAL: EARN national exposure for the positive stories about Montgomery. RESULT: 582M impressions in 10 months!

Montgomery – Changing the Conversation

Montgomery – Changing the Conversation

Reality TV Embarrasses Every Region Consistently…but there is good stuff out there!

Competition From Your Own Citizens

Competition for Your Funding

It’s not enough to show annual growthYou must show your leaders the competitive landscape so they see the need to compete

A common enemy unites a group

Competition for everyone’s time

Take- Aways

• Competition makes us work harder, makes us better!

• We can be in the TOP TEN tourism states if we focus strategically

• Regular competitive Assessments – internal & external (research)

• Be Nimble and adapt to situations

• Set aside money to be nimble

• You need a team to compete and their pay must be competitive

• YOUR competition…may not compete with you

• Local politics and advocacy come first or you won’t have anything to compete with

• A common enemy unites a group

• Your biggest competition may be YOU, if you are not willing to adapt and change

Contact Information

Berkeley Young, Young Strategies, Inc

byoung@youngstrategies.com704-677-4018

facebook/young strategiesLinkedIn/berkeleyyoung

YOUNG STRATEGIES, INC

•Destination research and strategic planning•Research for 150+ destinations in 30 states•Communities, regions and states•Travel industry focused•National research data and trends analysis•Writing and speaking•Board workshops & planning sessions• Listening to travelers