Break The Ice Media

When it comes to driving engagement, gamification is one of the top strategies to make it happen. We love working on projects or with clients that include an element of gamification - from creating a trail to promoting a contest or a virtual interactive experience. There are many creative outlets that will give your audience something fun to do while engaging with your brand and/or taking a desired action. Check out our blog on the subject, then tell us - when you think about gamification, is there a certain tactic that comes to mind for you?

Destination on the Left is joined by Michelle Carlen, the Founder & President of Alignment Advising. Michelle is dedicated to helping businesses with long term strategy, revenue growth, process improvements, and organizational infrastructure. On our podcast, Michelle talks about leadership development, transition management, and the importance of stepping back to gain a better understanding of the big picture. She also shares insights about adopting a growth mindset and leadership strategies that will help us excel, using specific examples of collaboration through her experience as the leader of a CVB.

As we pass the 12-month mark of stay at home orders and a world on pause, we can reflect back on some lessons learned during a year like no other. From shifting our mindset to taking on new tech - check out our latest blog for "5 Lessons Learned During the Travel Pause."

Destination on the Left is joined by Heather Bagshaw, the Tourism Director of the Great Northern Catskills of Greene County in New York State. On our podcast, Heather talks about how tourism can attract new residents and businesses to a community. Her conversations explore how Greene County positions itself within the Catskills region by highlighting its unique lodging properties and all-inclusive resorts, and talks about the silver linings in travel and tourism that came out of the global pandemic.

Destination on the Left is joined by Lisa Doerner, Executive Director for Travel Alliance Partners (TAP). TAP is a North American corporation owned by tour operators from the U.S. and Canada, each with their own unique geographical expertise. On our podcast, Lisa joins us to talk about how TAP has been supporting its tour operators and PPTPs throughout the pandemic. She also discusses the creativity and collaboration behind the live event her team is producing in 2021, as well as how it will ignite travel this year and beyond.

Destination on the Left is joined by Jennifer Lazarz, the Tourism and Marketing Manager for Gallup Real True - the City of Gallup, New Mexico. On our podcast, Jennifer talks about how her background as an opera singer helps her bring a unique lens to the travel and tourism industry. She also discusses the importance of building relationships within the industry to promote a destination, the value of ‘people’ in tourism marketing, and the upcoming centennial anniversary of Route 66.

In Destination on the Left’s 200th episode, we explore the theme of equity, diversity, and inclusion at BTI and within the Travel & Tourism industry. Nicole talks about the different ways our team is working together to live out the ‘equitable’ core value within the company and how others can explore, understand, and act on the topic of diversity in travel and tourism.

Can you spare 15-minutes to help the travel & tourism industry? With resources stretched thin, we know that collaboration is going to play a pivotal role in our recovery. That's why we're conducting a collaboration impact study for the travel & tourism industry that will reveal insights to help shape your approach, so you can achieve the best that collaboration can offer - and avoid the worst. Please take the survey, here: https://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/5883278/c70d299ee86e. (Results will be made public.)

Destination on the Left is joined by Rick Antonson, former president and CEO of Tourism Vancouver, past chair of the board for Destinations International, and the former deputy chair for the Pacific Asia Tourism Association. He initially joined us on Episode #44, where we talked about using cathedral thinking to create a brighter future. During our conversation in this episode, we talk about the importance of scenario planning and managing a crisis and discuss the different ways the pandemic has shown tourism affects everyone. We also revisit the power of cathedral thinking in rebuilding the future.

Your roadmap to recovery begins with getting clarity on the path ahead, even when the path seems uncertain. Sign up today for our FREE webinar on Wednesday, Oct. 7 and we'll walk you through the steps you need to build a plan that will create demand, inspire visitation and drive conversions for your destination or tourism attraction.

Every customer goes on a journey when making a purchasing decision whether buying a car, selecting a cleaning service or choosing a family vacation spot. Learn how to market to your audience and reach consumers at each phase of their decision-making process in our latest blog.

According to Mercer Island Group, a top agency search firm that works with some of the world’s largest brands, a strategic insight is a penetrating truth that elevates strategy, enabling highly differentiated tactics. Learn how we use strategic insights to guide our work, drive our campaigns forward and help our clients succeed in our latest blog.

Thomas Mueller is the founder and CEO of Rainmaker Digital, a social enterprise with a clear target to keep more tourism spend in destinations through the democratization of technology. This technology enables destinations and their hospitality and tourism businesses to take back control of their visibility, digital presence, reputation, communication, and distribution. On our podcast, Thomas joins us to talk about how his company is helping clients and shares his take on why Coronavirus is the biggest opportunity of our lifetime. He also talks about sustainable tourism from an economic perspective.

Destination on the Left is joined by James Sauter, partner and co-founder of Rove Marketing. Rove is a leading tourism data, analytics, and consulting firm focused on helping tourism organizations become more data-driven, so they are better positioned to navigate change, maximize travel visitation, and ultimately drive revenue growth. On our podcast, James talks about how destinations are using mobile location data to inform their early recovery plans, how residents sentiment data can help with recovery and rebuilding and how collaboration will fuel the future of tourism.

On our Destination on the Left solocast episode, Nicole shares the process that our team recently developed to reset our forward-thinking mindset. We found that when you challenge yourself and your team to move past the perceived limitation of uncertainty and stay focused on the future, many opportunities will appear. This solocast shares our company’s experience and the tools we used to get back on track during the challenging times of the pandemic.

Destination on the Left is joined again by Erika Sanger, Executive Director of the Museum Association of New York State. She made her first appearance on Episode #25, where she talked about the role of museums in NY's tourism and economic development. But a lot has changed since then. On our podcast, Erika discusses the different ways museums continue to innovate and change to meet visitor needs during the pandemic. From online and virtual programming to redefining the physical spaces, this part of our industry is doing everything possible to adapt.

Studies show that most people are comfortable traveling right now, but are staying closer to home. Places where families and groups of friends can drive to are at the top of the bucket list. And, destinations are tasked with balancing health, safety and community with welcoming visitors and economic recovery. See what your DMO should know and how other major destinations are handling reopening in our latest blog.

Coming together over food, whether shopping or dining, looks vastly different for farmers’ markets and restaurants that have re-opened since mid-March. Those establishments rising to the challenge and continuing to innovate are the ones that are able to succeed. Check out our latest blog for a round-up of trends we’re finding from across the food service industry.

Destination on the Left is joined by Kate Scopetti, President and owner of MARS & Companies (Mid Atlantic Receptive Services). On our podcast, Kate joins us to talk about the group travel industry, the work her organization is doing to prepare for recovery, and why collaborations are more important than ever. She explains her philosophy of opening our minds to where the opportunities lie, and talks about how that philosophy is applied in her own businesses.