We talk about the increasing pressure on destination marketing leaders to constantly prove value to boards, stakeholders, and residents, often at the expense of innovation and forward-looking strategy. Emily pulls back the curtain on how her time is split between reporting, advocacy, internal communication, and navigating a maze of expectations from hoteliers, elected officials, and the community.
Stuart and Adam dig into the broken model, the overwhelming demand for simplified reporting, and a provocative proposal: maybe CMOs aren’t marketing officers anymore—they’re Chief Value Officers. We also hear about Adam’s idea for a non-conference that gets real about the future of the industry and whether we’re ready for it.
Topics Covered:
• What is (and isn’t) the role of a CMO in a DMO?
• How advocacy work is quietly taking over marketing roles
• Why reporting fatigue is real—and often counterproductive
• The communication challenge: simplicity vs. transparency
• Stakeholder education, ownership, and managing expectations
• Using AI to translate complex reports into human language
• How to structure internal reporting and future-proof your team
• Could the next big industry conversation happen before Esto?
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