To be the ultimate local tourism authority today, DMOs should become destination curators, providing highly accurate, current and customized information required for travelers to experience their markets - to increase visitor experience, expenditures and ultimately satisfaction. This session provides an in-depth look at some of the strategic thinking behind “gold standard” principles. Topics will include how destination audits and internet-based research can inform, destination intelligence, DMO effectiveness and ultimately accountability; as well as how website development, social media and email communications can raise the bar for destination stewardship to a new level of utility and effectiveness. No entity is better positioned than a DMO to provide visitors with everything they need to decide how to spend their time and money. Attendees will walk away with several ideas to upgrade their leisure travel programs in this thought-provoking, outside-the-box presentation.

1. Why & How to Build A New Breed
of Consumer-Oriented DMOs
July 17, 2012 | 8:00 am – 9:15 am
Doug Traub
Elaine Hendricks
Marla Johnson Norris

2. 2

3. DougTraub, APR, CDME
President & CEO, Lake Havasu City CVB

4. The New Foundation for DMOs

5. The Gold Standard
An official DMO must be an accurate,
up-to-the-minute, one-stop shop for all
information required to experience the
destination, making it fast, easy and
simple for an average adult to discover
and learn about activities, attractions,
guest amenities and services.

6. DMO Transformation

7. Step 1 - Destination Audit

8. Step 2 - Visitor Survey

9. Step 3 - Destination Photography

10. Step 4 - Destination Website

11. Step 5 - Information Specialists

12. Step 6 - Visitors Guide

13. Step 7 - Social Media

14. Step 8 - Visitor Center

15. Step 9 - Targeted Email Program

16. Step 10 – A Destination Brand

17. The Gold Standard
1. Destination Audit 6. Visitors Guide
2. Visitor Study 7. Social Media
3. Photography 8. Visitor Center
4. Website 9. Email Program
5. Info Specialist(s) 10. Brand Image
17

18. It All Works Together

19. DESTINATION AUDIT
19

20. Destination Audit
PHASE ONE PHASE THREE
Activities Activities
Airborne Adventures Airborne Adventures
Biplane rides Biplane rides
Helicopter rides Helicopter rides
Hot Air Balloon rides Hot Air Balloon rides
Parasailing Parasailing
Seaplane rides Seaplane rides
Ultralight rides
Land-Based Adventures & Activities
Biking (Mountain Biking; Off Road Biking/Motorcycle) Land-Based Adventures & Activities
Bird Watching Archery
Bowling (Havasu Lanes) Auto Racing (Bandoleros, Factory Stocks, Legends, Late Models,
Camping (tent) Midgets, Powder Puffs, Speed Trucks, Street Stocks)
Fishing (Bass, Striper) Beach Volleyball
Gambling Bicyling (road, mountain biking)
Go-Karting Bowling (Havasu Lanes)
Golf Camping (tent)
Hiking Dancing
Hunting Disc Golf
Meteor Hunting (in Franconia near Yucca) Fishing (Bass, Striper)
Movies (Movie Havasu, Ultrastar Cinemas) Gambling
Off-Roading (ATVs, Dune Buggies, Four Wheeling, Motorcycle, Jeeps, Geocaching
Quads) Gold Prospecting
Performing Arts (Concert in the Park (Rotary Park); Grace Arts Live Go-Karting
(Downtown); Performing Arts Center at Lake Havasu High School) Golf
Reading (Mohave County Lake Havasu Branch Library Hiking

21. Top 25 Attractions and Activities
Overnight Past Overnight 2-3 Yrs Past Visitors 3+ Day Visitors All Visitors
12 Months Ago Years
Lake Havasu 55.7% 55.7% 47.3% 39.2% 48.2%
Swimming 53.3% 56.4% 40.8% 25.8% 42.9%
Lake Havasu State 44.8% 44.3% 24.5% 19.8% 33.8%
Park/Windsor Beach
Sunbathing 40.6% 37.6% 26.1% 21.3% 30.7%
Historic Route 66 37.1% 34.4% 34.2% 38.2% 34.6%
London Bridge Beach 36.6% 37.4% 42.4% 31.8% 36.3%
Walking 33.3% 38.5% 34.5% 40.6% 34.3%
Gambling 33.3% 33.3% 32.4% 36.8% 32.5%
Fishing 30.3% 31.6% 19.7% 12.9% 24.1%
London Bridge 29.9% 28.2% 44.0% 43.3% 35.2%
Hiking 28.5% 22.2% 25.4% 16.1% 23.8%
Jet Skis/personal 27.9% 22.2% 21.8% 8.4% 20.5%
watercraft
Shops at Havasu Mall 27.8% 29.8% 16.8% 16.1% 22.1%
Main Street / 25.3% 19.8% 12.5% 15.7% 18.4%
McCullough Blvd. /
uptown shops
Havasu Landing 23.7% 14.5% 8.2% 6.9% 13.9%
Resort & Casino
Laughlin area casinos 22.7% 19.1% 29.9% 30.4% 24.5%
Havasu National 22.2% 13.7% 4.3% 5.5% 12.2%
Wildlife Refuge
Island Fashion Mall 21.1% 11.5% 3.3% 5.1% 10.9%
Biking 20.6% 19.7% 15.5% 8.4% 16.3%
Route 66 Museum 20.1% 9.2% 9.8% 8.8% 12.0%
Golf 20.0% 11.1% 12.0% 3.9% 13.7%
Camping 19.4% 17.1% 25.4% 7.7% 19.4%
Jet boats 18.8% 13.7% 12.0% 7.7% 15.7%
Copper Canyon 18.0% 16.8% 12.0% 9.2% 13.8%
21

22. Elaine Hendricks
Partner and Director of Research, The Prism Partnership

23. VISITOR STUDY
23

24. Why Conduct A Visitor Study?

25. The Gold Standard Visitor Study

26. What Makes It Gold Standard?
• The Optimal Methodology
• Projectability
• Samples All Travelers, not just recent visitors

27. Methodology

28. Predictors For Success
• Are you talking to the right people?
• Are you asking the right questions?
• Are you using the right survey tool?

29. Traditional Methods

30. Predictors For Success
• Are you talking to the right people?
• Are you asking the right questions?
• Are you using the right survey tool?

31. A Representative Sample

32. Predictors For Success
• Are you talking to the right people?
• Are you asking the right questions?
• Are you using the right survey tool?

33. The Right Questions?

34. Predictors For Success
• Are you talking to the right people?
• Are you asking the right questions?
• Are you using the right survey tool?

35. The Online Survey

36. Importance of Projectable Results

37. 360° Understanding of ALL Travelers

38. What Makes It Gold Standard?
• The Optimal Methodology
• Projectability
• Samples All Travelers, not just recent visitors

39. A Taste Of What You Can Expect

40. The Gold Standard Visitor Study

41. Marla Johnson Norris
Interactive Gold
ARISTOTLE, CEO & Founder
@marlajono
/marlajohnsonnorris
Aristotle CEO & Founder
/marlajono @marlajono
41

42. DMO Online Goals
1. Create Assets
2. Delight Millions
3. Engage Them
4. Inspire a Visit (Close)

43. PHOTOGRAPHY

44. Photography & Video Audit
1. Represent all asset types
2. People doing things
3. Diversity – show your audience
4. Unique sense of place
5. Partners and members
6. Emphasize your authentic brand
7. Plan for updating

45. DESTINATION WEBSITE
45

46. Content
46

47. Owner of the Content
1. Slice it up: Stories, Pix, Vid,
Maps, Weather, Data on YOUR
product inc. events
2. Put it back together for the
visitor. Package it. Map it.
3. Get action.
4. Close

48. 48

49. 49

50. 50

51. 51

52. 52

53. 53

54. 54

55. 55

56. 56

57. 57

58. 58

59. 59

60. 60

61. 61

62. 62

63. 63

64. 64

68. 68

69. 69

70. 70

72. 72

73. 73

74. 74

75. 75

76. 76

77. Right now 25% of U.S.
mobile users access the
web via MOBILE
ONLY.
Source: Global Mobile Statistics 2012

78. MOBILE PHONES will overtake
PCs as the most common Web access
devices WORLDWIDE
by 2014.
Source: Global Mobile Statistics 2012

81. 81

82. 82

83. iPhone App
83

85. 85

86. MONTHLY View Your Inbound Machine!
Pay-Per-
Click
Mobile Social
Pages Promo
Web SEO & Blogger
Measure it!
Content Outreach
Review
Banner Ads Websites
Social
Updates

87. BOOKED ROOMS
SALES LEADS
Subscribers
TRAFFIC
Fans & Followers
87

88. 88

89. SOCIAL
89

94. 2 Months
11.6 Million Reached
40,000 Check-ins 94

95. EMAIL PROGRAM
95

96. .

97. Legitimate email
usage
is far larger than
social media,
total searches,
and even total
internet page views
combined.

98. In the Internet Age,
email has become the
most common unique
identifier an
individual possesses,
more valuable than
traditional means of
identity.

99. Your DMO Enewsletter Plan
1. More subscribers
2. More deliveries
3. Higher open rates
4. Higher click throughs
5. More conversions

100. 100

101. Thanks!