Bill Geist's Zeitgeist's Profile

We talk of it often. How today's DMO Boards seem to struggle with their role. Some seem to believe it's benign oversight. Others think they should be directing Sales & Marketing. The best DMO Boards, as we contend in Destination... Continue reading

Posted yesterday at Bill Geist's Zeitgeist

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Roy Clark

For most, he was best known as the host of the cheesy, country variety show "Hee Haw." From 1969 to 1993, the show was a mainstay on American TV, at times attracting 30 million viewers, and made Roy Clark a... Continue reading

Posted 4 days ago at Bill Geist's Zeitgeist

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Sometimes, Loyalty is Over-Rated

I'm on a flight back to "the compound" after a great day ideating the future of Destination Marketing with members of the Texas Association of Convention & Visitors Bureaus (thanks for the invitation and kind welcome, y'all). One of the... Continue reading

Posted 5 days ago at Bill Geist's Zeitgeist

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Beautiful Dissonance

The GM of one of Philadelphia's most kick-ass steakhouses gathered us around the bar to show us a recent find on YouTube. Longwoods International's Amir Eylon winked at me and said, "there's your Music Friday post." And, it is. This... Continue reading

Posted Nov 9, 2018 at Bill Geist's Zeitgeist

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Back to the 60s

As a child, nothing heralded the approaching Holiday Season like mail-order catalogs. Sears, JC Penny's, Spiegel...they were the stuff of Santa dreams. We'd pore over them for hours, identifying the treasures we craved. And then, they vanished in the new... Continue reading

Posted Nov 8, 2018 at Bill Geist's Zeitgeist

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The California Crisis Matrix

It always seems worse when you think you're in the middle of a crisis and believe that everyone is watching and judging. Or, maybe you've been doing this so long that you just know that it'll blow-over soon and leave... Continue reading

Posted Nov 7, 2018 at Bill Geist's Zeitgeist

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A Guerrilla Play

A few months ago in our client newsletter, we wrote about the South Shore Convention & Visitors Authority's expansion into community development by leading an effort to persuade Chicago Metro residents to move to Northwest Indiana. It has been wildly... Continue reading

Posted Nov 5, 2018 at Bill Geist's Zeitgeist

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Darrell Scott

When he covers Sarah McLaghlan's "Angel," our friend Mike Massey often quips that it's the saddest song ever recorded. If that's true, this one is a close second. We fell in love with Darrell Scott when we saw him in... Continue reading

Posted Nov 2, 2018 at Bill Geist's Zeitgeist

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If it's Too Loud, You're Too Old

That was a line from my wild, misspent youth, when hard rock overtook the land. The science of the effects of audio on the dining experience followed and, last decade, some restaurants began to ramp up the beats per minute... Continue reading

Posted Nov 1, 2018 at Bill Geist's Zeitgeist

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What's For Dinner Tonight?

If it's not Burger King's "Nightmare King," you must not live near one. I mean, really: The meat pile layers a quarter-pound of beef under a crispy chicken fillet, bacon, cheese, mayo and onions. All of it is loaded onto... Continue reading

Posted Oct 31, 2018 at Bill Geist's Zeitgeist

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Tone-Deafness

On the road, in a town, subjected to local political ads for candidates I don't know. One was bragging that he made $6/hour in his first job...as if that showed that he started from nothing. My first job paid $1.75/hour.... Continue reading

Posted Oct 29, 2018 at Bill Geist's Zeitgeist

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Eminence Front

Their most impressive work was produced in the late '60s and 70s. But when The Who took the stage in Toronto in 1982...it was simply magical. I stumbled upon this live version of "Eminence Front" the other day and was... Continue reading

Posted Oct 26, 2018 at Bill Geist's Zeitgeist

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Not For Everyone

By now, you've likely seen that Nebraska Tourism has created amazing media buzz with its new campaign. Eschewing its "Nice" persona, they are unabashedly saying that the Nebraska experience isn't for everyone. Simply brilliant. If you haven't seen the coverage,... Continue reading

Posted Oct 24, 2018 at Bill Geist's Zeitgeist

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Marty Balin

Wow...that was a punch to the gut that I didn't see coming. Transitioning on to the next dimension a couple days before Otis Rush, I either wasn't paying attention or his passing wasn't more universally noted (I hope it was... Continue reading

Posted Oct 19, 2018 at Bill Geist's Zeitgeist

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Here We Go Again

Another City Council has set in motion a process to shop its contract for Destination Marketing to other agencies besides the incumbent DMO. Before June 30th, the City clearly expects to receive several bids to perform the services of a... Continue reading

Posted Oct 18, 2018 at Bill Geist's Zeitgeist

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There are No Words that Beat Video

For communicating the essence of a Destination...there are no words. Only video. And that video doesn't always have to come from the region's Destination Marketing Organization. Like this one, for my hometown, produced by the University of Wisconsin. Yeah...this is... Continue reading

Posted Oct 16, 2018 at Bill Geist's Zeitgeist

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The Power of Attitude

I grew up in a small town an hour south of Chicago. Not quite South Side then...but, increasingly so now. It was a sensational place to grow up. My memories of Kankakee are fond. When I elected to stay after... Continue reading

Posted Oct 15, 2018 at Bill Geist's Zeitgeist

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Otis Rush

He was considered one of the most influential blues musicians of his generation. Otis Rush burst onto the Windy City Blues scene in the late 1950s with a style that would soon be called West Side Chicago Blues. Musicians that... Continue reading

Posted Oct 12, 2018 at Bill Geist's Zeitgeist

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Every Destination Covets a Todd

While government can jump start a visitor economy through the development of a Convention Center, Tournament-grade Sports Complex or other compelling infrastructure asset, it is often the private sector entrepreneur that can have the most profound impact. Take Todd Nelson...a... Continue reading

Posted Oct 11, 2018 at Bill Geist's Zeitgeist

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The Unsophisticated Response

Don't get me wrong; I understand resident concern about over-tourism. I have no desire to live in a community where the quality of life is degraded by hoards of self-absorbed visitors. At the same time, I certainly appreciate saving hundreds... Continue reading

Posted Oct 8, 2018 at Bill Geist's Zeitgeist

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The Cordovas

When Rolling Stone named them one of the 10 Country Artists You Need To Know last summer, I cringed a bit. In this bifurcated world where music is unfairly categorized by broad genres, I thought calling the Cordovas "Country" was... Continue reading

Posted Oct 5, 2018 at Bill Geist's Zeitgeist

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The Need to be Up Front About Influencers

Destination Marketing Organizations pay employees to write up promotional copy on all the cool experiences that can be found in their communities. Some farm that responsibility out to third-party vendors. In both cases, there is compensation for those that create... Continue reading

Posted Oct 2, 2018 at Bill Geist's Zeitgeist

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Three Sides to Every Story

It's one of my favorite Don Henley lyrics: There's three sides to every story, babe. There's yours and there's mine and the cold hard truth. It's a pretty universal truth...and one that is playing out in Santa Clara CA, where... Continue reading

Posted Oct 1, 2018 at Bill Geist's Zeitgeist

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A Sweaty Night at the Sylvee

Actually, the A/C performed nicely. But the Sylvee, the Midwest's hottest new music venue, debuted just blocks from Madison's Capitol Square last night with Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats. First things first...if you've never experienced Madison, you simply must.... Continue reading

Posted Sep 28, 2018 at Bill Geist's Zeitgeist

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The Evolution of the DMO

On this World Tourism Day, we celebrate the positive impact, both fiscally and socially, that travel visits upon every one of us on this planet. At the same time, we must be increasingly mindful of the challenges that poorly planned... Continue reading

Posted Sep 27, 2018 at Bill Geist's Zeitgeist

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