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Early
in my CVB career, when preparing to assume the helm of the Memphis
Bureau, I had a career-changing experience at a cocktail party
thrown to welcome my arrival to town.
The
soiree was attended by many of the city's top community, business
and government leadership. Niceties and "good lucks"
were offered throughout the evening. And then I found myself sitting
next to a pleasant and distinguished looking white-haired gentleman
that everyone seemed to know and admire. His name was John Burton
Tigrett.
I
later discovered that he had been the financial consultant for
world renowned business tycoon Armand Hammer, was noted in his
own right as one of America's most innovative entrepreneurs and
deal makers, an inventor, and unquestionably one of the most perceptive
and influential people I have ever met.
It
was Tigrett who had been asked to shepherd the economic development
funding partnership plan between local government and its corporate
leaders, including Federal Express, First Tennessee Bank and the
Holiday Corporation that had brought me to Memphis to develop
an expanded, revitalized convention and visitors bureau.
"So
tell me about your plans", John Tigrett asked with a smile.
I
was midway through my prepared list of what I was going to do--including
tripling the staff, launching a new ad campaign, setting up sales
offices in DC, Chicago and New York--when he politely stopped
me in mid-stream.
"Thanks
for that," he said graciously. Then he leaned forward in
a posture of confidentiality, placed his hand on my shoulder as
you would with a young son, and quietly said, "Now let me
tell you what's really going on here and what your role should
be in it."
"It
wasn't so long ago that Dr. Martin Luther King was assassinated
here," he explained, "and a lot of our town folk are
still reeling from that, feeling responsible and embarrassed and
so on…And there's also a general malaise throughout our hospitality
industry, with no clear direction."
"Let
me put it to you another way," Tigrett said slowly with emphasis.
"In
case you haven't noticed, there's a wild elephant running loose
in this town. And your job is to get on top of that animal,
grab it firmly by the ears, and turn it around."
Tigrett
spoke with conviction as he described the bureau's new role as
he saw and felt it. "And then with a growing parade of bureau
stakeholders, government and industry leaders and the public behind
you, and bands playing and flag's flying, you and your board need
to steer that elephant in the right path forward, with everyone
cheering and participating in this exciting new program for Memphis'
future."
As
Tigrett finished his drink, he looked me squarely in the eye,
smiled again warmly and said, "And that, young man, is your
number one assignment and challenge. So the best of luck to you,"
he offered, with a handshake - "and do count me as your friend
in this endeavor."
That
meeting and its message hit me square between the eyes. And it
forever changed my whole perspective about the task at hand and
my plans for the Memphis Bureau.
Rallying
the community
I
set aside my business-oriented new plan for awhile, and began
to concentrate on John Tigrett's directional charge: To chart
an exciting new program of community understanding involvement
and participation.
(Continued
click here.)
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Our
Board of Directors enthusiastically concurred. With our new program,
The Bureau would be the community leader for economic development
through tourism development. We would also rally community pride
in Memphis, serve as the community's chief tourism cheerleading
organization and lead the charge for infrastructural changes,
service excellence and long range visioning.
Some
of the numerous tactics included in this program were:
- A
public launch of "Start Something Great In Memphis",
the new public service campaign featuring ongoing public service
TV, radio and print coverage that garnered strong public support.
- "The
Memphis Tourism Summit" provided a roll-out of the bureau's
new marketing plan, with invited national business leaders who
touted the program that later garnered rave reviews from the
nation's leisure travel and meetings industry sectors.
-
Memphis front line travel employees signed up for the new city-wide
educational training program
- A
speaker's bureau of CVB volunteers took the "Tourism Works
for Memphis" story to numerous civic associations.
- Both
the City and County Mayors headed up the CVBs new Memphis Road
Show in New York, DC and Chicago to call on customers for the
first time.
- Local
media coverage consistently touted the success of the Memphis
bureau and its members, culminating with the exciting news that
visitor receipts in the community had topped $1 billion dollars
from just $600,000 annually in less than three years.
-
As a result, the Travel Industry Association of America recognized
Memphis with a top award for marketing excellence.
In
summary, we did the work, merchandized our efforts and involved
everyone throughout the program—from community volunteer
associations to colleges and universities, to the media. Hardly
anyone was left out.
The
Optimum Bureau
I've
often said that today's optimum bureau must concentrate on three
success factors:
First,
it delivers performance of economic development benefits in fulfilling
its core mission.
Second,
it provides marketing and management excellence through its research,
planning, execution and evaluative steps.
No
less important is the topic of this newsletter: The bureau should
be the recognized leader in the community for tourism development—well
regarded for its local visible leadership position with stakeholders,
while fulfilling a leadership role for infrastructure requirements,
visitor amenities and service issues.
Other
recommendations
I
have found that the key to developing and valuing this public
initiative is to:
First,
clearly annunciate and then list this program objective as one
that flows from the bureau's mission statement in its annual business
and marketing plans.
For
some bureaus and their CEOs, this program is an integral part
of their day to day mission.
Today,
Memphis Bureau President Kevin Kane handles this assignment as
if he'd been born to it. That's because he is truly involved throughout
the community, and lives his position through leadership that
doesn't end after the office closes. I don't know anyone who does
it better.
Delivering
this kind of bureau-focused community leadership requires a commitment
to participate and communicate with other community organizations
on an ongoing basis; to work with the Chamber of Commerce, downtown
development groups, arts councils, elected and appointed officials,
and so many other constituent groups.
The
most successful bureaus also encourage their staffs to join these
associations and share their interest and expertise as committee
members or officers.
Other
CVB leadership initiatives include long range visioning, strategic
planning and public advocacy.
In
closing, never underestimate the power of community constituents
in helping bring about a stronger and more cohesive bureau effort
for your destination.
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