Destination On The Left

We recently attended the 2019 NYS Tourism Conference in Buffalo, New York and interviewed presenters, conference attendees, and Tourism Excellence Award winners. My interviews focused on the conference themes of inclusion, fostering community engagement, and "tourism is everybody's business", as well as key takeaways from the conference. I hope you find these conversations informative and inspirin...

We recently attended the 2019 Museum Association of New York annual conference and spoke with attendees from all over New York State representing all types of museums and cultural institutions. I talked with folks from 21 different museums and cultural institutions about how they are creating inclusive environments, attracting new audiences and fitting within the tourism fabric of their community....

Episode 132: We recently attended the 2019 NYSTC in Buffalo, New York and interviewed presenters, conference attendees, and Tourism Excellence Award winners. My interviews focused on the conference themes of inclusion, fostering community engagement, and "tourism is everybody's business", as well as key takeaways from the conference. I hope you find these conversations informative and inspiring. I...

We recently attended the 2019 Museum Association of New York annual conference and spoke with attendees from all over New York State representing all types of museums and cultural institutions. I talked with folks from 21 different museums and cultural institutions about how they are creating inclusive environments, attracting new audiences and fitting within the tourism fabric of their community....

Karyn Gruenberg is senior vice president of partner marketing and strategic alliances at  Brand USA,  the public/private partnership whose mission is to increase international visitation spend and market share in order to fuel the nation's economy and enhance the image of the USA worldwide. In this position, Karen is responsible for leading partner marketing efforts as well as building global stra...

We recently attended the 2019 Museum Association of New York annual conference and spoke with attendees from all over New York State representing all types of museums and cultural institutions. I talked with folks from 21 different museums and cultural institutions about how they are creating inclusive environments, attracting new audiences and fitting within the tourism fabric of their community....

David Gilbert serves as president and CEO of  Greater Cleveland Sports Commission , an organization dedicated to making Greater Cleveland a premier destination for amateur sporting events, and Destination Cleveland, the region's convention and visitors bureau. The Greater Cleveland Sports Commission is responsible for attracting, promoting, and managing major amateur athletic events, and for creat...

We recently attended the 2019 Museum Association of New York annual conference and spoke with attendees from all over New York State representing all types of museums and cultural institutions. I talked with folks from 21 different museums and cultural institutions about how they are creating inclusive environments, attracting new audiences and fitting within the tourism fabric of their community....

For more than 25 years, Robert Rose has helped clients tell their story more effectively through digital media. As the founder of the  Content Advisory , the education and consulting group for the  Content Marketing Institute,  Robert has worked with more than 500 companies, including 15 of the Fortune 100. He has provided strategic marketing advice and counsel for global brands such as Capital On...

We recently attended the 2019 Museum Association of New York annual conference and spoke with attendees from all over New York State representing all types of museums and cultural institutions. I talked with folks from 21 different museums and cultural institutions about how they are creating inclusive environments, attracting new audiences and fitting within the tourism fabric of their community....

Andrea McHugh is the senior communications manager for  Discover Newport  in Rhode Island. Andrea has been in the media and communication space for more than 20 years. Her experience as a magazine editor, copywriter and regular contributor to regional national, an international newspapers, magazines, and websites give her a unique and first-person perspective when serving her organization. In her...

As a native of Utah, Jason grew up visiting the National Parks, Monuments, and other regions throughout the Western United States. That is where he first fell in love with the history and geology of the area. As he grew up, he continued to enrich his education and knowledge at nature camps and class trips throughout the Southwest. One of his favorite trips was down to Havasupai Falls and the Color...

Paul Leone began his career as a multi-media producer for the  National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum  in Cooperstown, New York. He soon moved on to editing, shooting, and producing several series for cable television and later worked in the studio, agency, and advertising industry. As a TV producer, he wrote and developed several television pilots on American craft beer, the first few hosted b...

Bob Provost, president, and CEO of  New York Tourism and Industry Association  (NSYSTIA) has been pretty much everywhere in New York State, from Long Island to the Thousand Islands. He currently resides on a small farm in northern Rensselaer County. When Bob joined NYSTIA as a member in early 2017 he had no idea he would be joining the staff as president and CEO in September of 2018. He felt that...

Jennifer Barbee is a serial entrepreneur, professional speaker, and all-around boss. Jennifer and her partner Kristen created the agency  Destination Innovate  in 2017, in addition to running to successful digital branding agencies. She has been named  Stevie® Female Entrepreneur  of 2013, 2014 in Advertising/Media/PR (U.S. and Europe), ranked #17 in  StartUp Nation's ® Top 100 Moms in Business an...

Colleen Onuffer is a consultant at  Break the Ice Media  and vital part of the team. She uses her passion for writing and storytelling in her role here to make a big impact for her clients. Since her start in 2016, Colleen has helped her clients find their essential stories and develop targeted messages. Colleen enjoys making new travel media contacts by participating in travel shows, like Discove...

Sally Berry is a tourism industry expert who helps Destination Marketing Organizations prepare their destinations to be more competitive and attractions bring in more visitors. Sally has worked at a small family-owned attraction, a regional DMO and at the  Corning Museum of Glass , a world-class museum in New York. She has spent time as a tour operator and also an adjunct college professor at  Pau...

Connie Stopher serves as Executive Director of the  Southern Idaho Economic Development Organization . In this role, she oversees the business and talent recruitment for a seven-county region. Since taking on the role of executive director in 2017, the southern Idaho region has experienced nearly $500 million in business expansions and nearly thousands of new jobs created. Previously, Connie serve...

Robin Boehler is a co-founder of international management consulting firm,  Mercer Island Group . Mercer Island group is a prominent global marketing management consulting firm helping clients and agencies solve a broad range of business problems from building business and tough competitive markets, to creating strategic roadmaps, and matching the right clients and agencies for productive relation...

Bill Geist is the Chief Instigator at  DMOproZ , a firm specializing in strategic planning, governance, marketing, and legislative issues for convention and visitor bureaus, tourism-focused chambers of commerce, economic development organizations, and communities. Prior to forming DMOproZ, Bill served as the President/CEO of the  Greater Madison (WI) Convention & Visitors Bureau . Bill is the auth...

Cassandra Harrington has served as the director of Destination Marketing Corporation for  Otsego County  for over a year. Prior to that, she was the director of the  Cayuga Lake Wine Trail  and she started her marketing career as the membership development manager at the Seneca County Chamber of Commerce. In her own words she is "learning the inner workings of the group travel industry as well as...

Richard Arnold is the Director of Fun at  Atlantic Travel and Tours . He is a graduate of Acadia University and has been with Atlantic since 1987.  He is also a member of the board of  Travel Alliance Partners , where he serves as treasurer. After working as an employee for many years, Richard took the plunge and purchased  Atlantic Travel and Tours.  He is a busy man- but he'll be the first to te...

Dr. Kirsten Ellenbogen brings more than 25 years of experience to her role as the third president of  Great Lakes Science Center  in Cleveland, Ohio. Kirsten's energetic leadership during the last two decades has advanced informal STEM education. Her leadership activities at Great Lakes Science Center have included the launch of a new strategic initiative, Cleveland Creates, developed in collabora...

Tiffany Gallagher is eastern USA branch manager for  Civitas , where she helps clients form and manage Tourism Improvement Districts. Throughout her career, she has shown a strong commitment to the tourism and business communities. Most recently she served as the President of the  Greater Syracuse Hospitality and Tourism Association  and currently serves on the  New York State Hospitality and Tour...

Fred Bonn of  New York State Park, Finger Lakes Region , and his management team, oversee 29 facilities across 10 counties. In 2018, Finger Lakes Parks has welcomed over 3. 8 million patrons who enjoyed hiking, swimming, boating, golf, and camping. Prior to joining New York State Parks, Fred served as the director of the  Ithaca-Tompkins County Convention and Visitors Bureau . Currently, he serves...