Aqua Talks

Aqua Talks stays at Blu Halo for a second helping, trading the dining room for the kitchen with executive chef David Smith — the guy making the magic happen. A Maryland native who came up through Hyatt and Two Roads Hospitality banquet kitchens (grinding from commis to banquet chef, cooking for parties of 50 to 5,000), Dave brings a Mediterranean-leaning, seafood-loving sensibility and a fresh-eve...

Aqua Talks heads on-location to Blu Halo, where managing partner Andy Donato walks host Larry Aldrich through the restaurant's second location — nestled between St. Pete and Tampa, right off Ulmerton near the Howard Frankland Bridge. Ten years after the original opened in Tallahassee, this spot just passed its one-year anniversary, and Andy makes the case for a place that lives in the niche betwee...

Returning guest Oliver Kugler of Visit St. Pete Clearwater delivers an energetic rundown of a destination firing on all cylinders. Record bed tax collections are rolling in — January and February 2026 are in the books and March looks like the best ever — powered by short-term rentals and hotels coming back online after the fall 2024 storms (though he notes some south-county properties are still re...

Returning guest Sean Doherty, executive director of the Punta Gorda/Englewood Beach Visitor & Convention Bureau, marks 21 years with the organization and reports the destination has finally turned the corner on recovery from the late-2024 hurricanes. The conversation centers on two timely themes. First, how AI is reshaping DMO web strategy: as AI overviews increasingly answer travelers' questi...

Recorded live at VETS 26 in New Orleans, this episode features Tiphanie Forst, Founder & CEO of Frigata Health Strategies and a Principal at Deep Water Point. With 24 years across clinical, pharmaceutical, and healthcare IT — the past 20 focused on Military Health System modernization for the DoD and VA — Tiphanie has built a career on growth strategy, business development, and capture, helpin...

Kylie Diaz, VP of Community Engagement at Visit St. Pete Clearwater, brings a refreshingly mission-driven perspective to this Destination Florida conversation. She oversees the DMO's capital funding program, its chambers, and a partner base of roughly 4,000 — and she makes a compelling case for how tourism quietly powers a community. Pinellas County collects north of $90 million in bed tax annuall...

Sandra Rios, PR and marketing manager for the Naples, Marco Island & Everglades CVB — a.k.a. Florida's Paradise Coast — brings 25 years of hospitality experience (casinos, the Opal Collection, opening the Hard Rock guitar hotel) to a wide-ranging tour of Collier County's three very different personalities. Naples is "unapologetically luxury": quiet wealth, owner-owned boutiques on Fifth Avenue...

Crystal River bills itself as the copyright Manatee Capital of the World, and marketing & content manager Nick Popham makes a strong case for why. A former TV reporter turned DMO storyteller, Nick walks host Larry Aldrich through what makes this stretch of Florida's Nature Coast a genuine hidden gem: 72-degree spring water year-round, thousands of manatees huddling into Kings Bay every winter,...

Recorded live at VETS 26 in New Orleans, this episode features Cordell Rolle, founder of Rolle IT, a cybersecurity firm about seven years in that works primarily with the federal government and VA, plus B2B clients navigating the new CMMC regulations. Cordell's origin story is the heart of the conversation: a Navy firefighter (damage controlman) who taught himself to install a shipboard software s...

Larry talks with Daniel Cohanpour, CEO of Trove Tourism Development Advisors, a New York agency that works exclusively with tourism boards and DMOs across marketing, research, and destination development. Daniel's core message: the industry has changed more in the last six months than ever, and the destinations winning right now are the ones treating traveler research as a living feed rather than...

Larry sits down with Brittany Kenner, marketing director for Murray, Kentucky — the self-proclaimed friendliest small town in America, home to Murray State University and a tourism office of exactly two people running the whole show. Brittany's through-line is that a small budget and a small team aren't a handicap so much as a forcing function: when you can't buy your way into attention, you get v...

Recorded live from the Etourism Conference in Louisville, this one's a fun reminder that the biggest travel trend of 2026 might be walking around on four legs. Coryn Briggs, Senior Director of Marketing at Traverse City Tourism, breaks down TripAdvisor's "VIP Travel" trend — which turns out to mean Very Important Pets , not very important people — and explains why dog and cat owners are increasing...

Episode Summary: Cristal Rodriguez, Tempe Tourism Larry catches up with Cristal Rodriguez, Director of Marketing at Tempe Tourism and a recent Marketer of the Year, for a conversation that covers solo travel, a rooftop renaissance, a 13-years-in-the-making rebrand, and the slightly terrifying reality of competing with ChatGPT for "best pizza in Tempe" searches. Cristal makes a strong case that Tem...

Larry sits down with Daniel Horsch, Senior Sales Director at Azira, for a wide-ranging conversation about what data can actually do for destination marketers when you stop chasing impressions and start asking better questions. Daniel describes Azira as "the Swiss" of the data world — neutral, flexible, and plugged in across channel partners, agencies, and direct clients — with geolocation data tha...

Episode Summary: Ladona Weathers, Visit Table Rock Lake Larry catches up with Ladona Weathers from Visit Table Rock Lake — a marketing department of one running point for an 800-mile shoreline tucked into southwest Missouri (yes, more shoreline than California, and no, you can't drive around it). Ladona makes the case that small DMOs don't have to play small: her org consistently posts top-in-the-...

In this episode of Aqua Talks , Larry Aldrich and Mady Dudley explore the role of marketing in veteran outreach and why connecting veterans to resources is both a responsibility and a strategic challenge. Drawing from Larry’s firsthand experience, the conversation highlights the gaps many veterans face when transitioning to civilian life—particularly around awareness of healthcare, education, and...

In this episode of Aqua Talks , Larry Aldrich and Mady Dudley break down how modern destination marketing is evolving—especially through influencer strategy and targeted audience growth. They highlight how travelers now rely heavily on social platforms for inspiration, making influencers a key driver of awareness and visitation rather than just a branding tactic. Using Punta Gorda/Englewood Beach...

In this episode, Larry and Mady sit down with Dr. Mimi Perreault, Assistant Professor of Public Relations and Mass Communications at the University of South Florida, for a wide-ranging conversation about crisis communication — and what we keep getting wrong. Mimi draws on her background as a former journalist and PR pro to make the case for getting back to basics: face-to-face connection, authenti...

This podcast episode speaks to the intricate dynamics of marketing strategies, particularly as they pertain to the Veterans Experience Office (VEO) and its outreach initiatives. Co-hosts Mady Dudley and Larry Aldrich delve into the significance of effective communication in bridging the gap between veterans and the myriad services offered by the VA. We explore the evolution of our collaborative ef...

This episode of Aqua Talks centers around the imperative of adapting marketing strategies to meet the evolving needs of federal and local agencies. Our esteemed guest, Brandon Nickerson, Director of Federal Business Development at Sinclair Inc., engages in a comprehensive discussion about the recent trends in government budget priorities and the significant role of emerging technologies such as ar...

Today's discussion revolves around the critical importance of consumer trust in the rapidly advancing realm of technology, particularly with the integration of artificial intelligence in marketing strategies. We are joined by Howard Koval, Executive Vice President of Strategy and Business Development with TravelSpike, as we delve into the intricate relationship between technological adoption and t...

The central theme of this podcast episode revolves around the About Face program, a vital initiative aimed at assisting veterans grappling with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). As we engage in a comprehensive dialogue, hosts Larry Aldrich and Mady Dudley delve into the intricacies of this program, highlighting its significance in providing veterans with a platform to share their experiences...

The principal focus of this podcast episode is the in-depth exploration of the public relations strategies employed for Daytona Beach International Airport (DAB). Hosts Mady Dudley and Larry Aldrich delve into the intricacies of their collaboration with DAB, highlighting the significance of authentic messaging and the necessity of cultivating robust relationships with stakeholders. Throughout the...

This podcast episode features an insightful discourse on the evolving landscape of digital marketing, particularly emphasizing the transition from a focus on mere access to a more nuanced approach that values quality engagements. We, the hosts, Larry Aldrich and Mady Dudley, are joined by esteemed guest Brendan Kennedy, who brings over 15 years of experience in the digital marketing realm. Our con...

This podcast revolves around the innovative capabilities of Coastal Creative, a multifaceted production studio that exemplifies the intersection of marketing and creative media. We, your hosts, Larry Aldrich and Maddie Dudley, engage with Zach Moore, the president of Coastal Creative, to delve into the intricacies of their diverse offerings, which include state-of-the-art filming technologies and...