Destination Marketing Podcast

Destination Marketing Podcast

The Destination Marketing Podcast is built for tourism marketers across the country who are overworked and understaffed. Our goal is to help these people prioritize the activities that are proven to be most effective in marketing a destination and stay up to date on the latest technologies and trends in the industry. This isn’t a feel-good, motivational podcast. We’re diving deep into what to do and how to do it. Subscribe today if you’re a tourism marketer and want to perfect your craft.

Episodes

412: Why Agencies Must Evolve... or Get Left Behind with Ryan Jones

December 2, 2025 • 51 mins
In this episode, Adam Stoker sits down with Ryan Jones, Head of Client Impact at Brand Revolt, to unpack how both marketers and agencies need to evolve for the future. Ryan shares his journey from SEO writer to executive leader, talks about how saying “yes” to new challenges and speaking up (even when it’s uncomfortable) accelerated his career, and explains why tomorrow’s marketers must be strategic, tech-enabled generalists—not si...
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411: Building California’s Newest Tourism Network with Karen Strgacich, Suzy Kay & Veronica Rivera

November 25, 2025 • 42 mins
In this episode, Adam sits down with Karen Strgacich, Veronica Rivera, and Suzy Kay to share the origin story of the California DMO Alliance—how a few pandemic-era check-ins grew into a powerful, grassroots coalition helping destinations across the state collaborate, share leads, and strengthen California’s position in the meetings market. Along the way, they swap memorable travel stories, open up about the challenges that shaped t...
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410: Telling the Destination’s Whole Story with Traveling with Denella

November 18, 2025 • 48 mins
In this episode, Adam Stoker welcomes world traveler and television host Denella Ri’chard, who shares her remarkable journey from growing up in Louisiana to studying abroad in Southern Africa during the Mandela era, working in global hospitality, and ultimately launching her travel show during the height of COVID. Danella explains her “living list” approach to travel, why Vietnam sits at the top of hers, and how deeply personal sto...
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409: Why Every Destination Needs a Podcast

November 11, 2025 • 20 mins
In this solo episode, Adam Stoker reflects on his visit to Visit Mesa and shares why their City Limitless podcast is a masterclass in stakeholder engagement. From seeing how host Ashley Stwertnik built powerful relationships with major partners like Cannon Beach and Revel Surf, Adam reveals the unseen value podcasts create—trust, goodwill, and access that money can’t buy. He also explains how his own show transformed his career, wh...
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408: Inside Visit Mesa’s City Limitless with Ashley Stwertnik

November 4, 2025 • 46 mins
Host Adam Stoker sits down at Visit Mesa with Ashley Stwertnik, the producer-turned-host of City Limitless, to show how a DMO can build real audience by making stories the star and the city the backdrop. Ashley shares the show’s evolution from audio-only to video-first with accessibility, booking high-reach guests (BigDawsTV, Jesse Cole), and the logistics of interviewing Oscar-winner Troy Kotsur with an interpreter. They cover dis...
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407: Building a Destination Through Collaboration with Megan Knott

October 28, 2025 • 37 mins
Tourism Kingston CEO Megan Knott joins Adam Stoker to share how a small Canadian city earned global attention, and a Cannes Film and Media Award, through creative storytelling and collaboration. Megan reveals how Kingston balances rich history with youthful energy, tackles tourism challenges like transportation and seasonality, and builds a sustainable, data-driven visitor economy. Subscribe to our ⁠⁠⁠⁠newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠! The ⁠⁠⁠⁠De...
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406: Marketing The Unexpected with Cathy Petersen and Eric Brockman

October 21, 2025 • 48 mins
In this episode of the Destination Marketing Podcast, Adam is joined by Cathy Petersen and  Eric Brockman from Destination Dayton to discuss how to turn low customer expectations into outstanding visitor experiences. They explore the core philosophy behind Dayton’s tagline, Discover the Unexpected, and why it perfectly captures what visitors can anticipate during their trip. Cathy and Eric share how they overcome the city’s reputa...
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405: Leveraging LinkedIn for Destination Marketers with Greg Star and Ed Harris

October 14, 2025 • 43 mins
In this episode of the Destination Marketing Podcast, Adam is joined by two returning guests, Greg Starr, founder of Driven, and Ed Harris, CEO of Visit Williamsburg. They discuss how tourism professionals can leverage LinkedIn effectively to showcase the value they generate in their communities to stakeholders every day. Maintaining consistent online visibility ensures that stakeholders see the DMO’s activities in real-time, which...
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404: Building a Live Research Platform with Danielle Hollander

October 7, 2025 • 44 mins
In this episode, Adam is joined by Danielle Hollander, the CMO of Visit Orlando, for a follow-up discussion about how her team leverages social media as a live research platform. Danielle shares how Visit Orlando built a massive, live research platform by creating a Facebook planning group that has grown to over 22,000 members in just four years. This group allows the team to get direct, real-time feedback and use it to inform thei...
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403: Building a Brand from the Ground Up with Catherine Jenkins

September 30, 2025 • 42 mins
In this episode, Adam talks with Catherine Jenkins, the Marketing and Communications Manager for Visit Central Delaware, about how to successfully rebrand a destination with a limited budget. Listen to learn the significance of targeted branding and community engagement for destination marketing professionals, especially during a time of change. Catherine also shares her unique strategy for connecting with military personnel and th...
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402: Modern Research with Camden Bernatz

September 23, 2025 • 48 mins
In this episode, Adam is joined by Brand Revolt’s creative director, Camden Bernatz, to discuss modern research—an approach that focuses on observing consumer behavior rather than relying on traditional surveys or focus groups. Because behavior is the most reliable indicator of a visitor's true intent, Adam argues that it has proven to be much more effective in predicting which content types will resonate with the target audience. ...
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401: Live at ESTO: Are DMO Websites Doomed? AI, Paid vs. Owned, and the Fight for Relevance

September 16, 2025 • 49 mins
In this episode, Stuart and Adam take the stage live at ESTO to tackle two provocative topics: whether DMO websites will be irrelevant in five years and if the ROI of paid media will continue to decline. With live audience polling, spirited debate, and plenty of humor, they explore how AI, better metrics, and smarter creative can keep destinations relevant. Plus, the crowd settles the great “Destie Nation” spelling debate. Subscr...
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400: A Live AMA Celebration of the Destination Marketing Podcast

September 9, 2025 • 101 mins
For our 400th episode, host Adam Stoker went live on LinkedIn for the first time to reflect on the evolution of destination marketing and answer listener questions in real time. From the shift back to branding, to the impact of AI on travel planning, to the importance of risk-taking, Adam shares key lessons learned from 400 episodes and offers a candid look at what’s next for the industry. Did we miss any questions? Comment below o...
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399: Where Marketing Meets Advocacy with Kristen Adamo

September 2, 2025 • 37 mins
In this episode, Adam gets a masterclass in tourism leadership from Kristen Adamo, President and CEO of Go Providence. Kristen shares how her unique background in journalism and politics gives her a competitive edge, teaching her the importance of effective communication and building relationships with everyone she interacts with. Discover how she cultivates a culture of community collaboration, demonstrating that a DMO can't succe...
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398: MatPra, CMO Jam, ESTO and Our 400th Episode

August 26, 2025 • 30 mins
In this solo episode, Adam recaps a whirlwind couple of weeks of events and shares valuable lessons for the destination marketing industry. From keynote speaking at MatPra to moderating the inaugural CMO Jam, Adam’s had a busy couple of weeks connecting and learning from others in the industry. Also, tune in for a sneak peek at the 400th episode of The Destination Marketing Podcast, a live Q&A session taking place in just a couple ...
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397: Expanding Destination Education with Stephen Ekstrom

August 19, 2025 • 48 mins
In this episode of The Destination Marketing Podcast, Adam is joined by Stephen Ekstrom, the co-founder and CEO of Learn Tourism. Stephen, a self-described "professional tourist" and digital nomad, shares his unique perspective on the travel industry and continuing education for DMO professionals. He talks about the origins of Learn Tourism, a nonprofit organization founded during the COVID-19 pandemic to fill gaps in professional ...
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396: Peeling Back the Layers of Visit Mesa's Viral Banana Week with Cameron Molloy and Alison Brooks

August 12, 2025 • 45 mins
In this episode, Adam talks with Allison Brooks and Cameron Molloy from Visit Mesa about a campaign that secured national media attention and numerous awards with a budget of only $20. The team discusses how they leveraged the arrival of the wildly popular Savannah Bananas baseball team to create Banana Week, a community-wide event that went far beyond the baseball game. Allison and Cameron share their philosophy on innovation, ris...
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395: How Strategic Planning Drives Success with Danielle Hollander

August 5, 2025 • 50 mins
In this episode, join host Adam Stoker and guest Danielle Hollander, Chief Marketing Officer at Visit Orlando, as they explore the importance of strategic planning for destinations of all sizes. Danielle shares how her agency background prepared her for her role as CMO and how Visit Orlando used the challenges of a leadership change during COVID-19 to reset and develop a new strategic plan. She explains why the strategic planning p...
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394: Building a Brand That Lasts with Deana Ivey

July 29, 2025 • 41 mins
In this episode, Adam chats with Deana Ivey, President of the Nashville Convention and Visitors Corporation. Deana shares pivotal moments in her career, including taking on roles outside her job description, and her philosophy on promoting growth and embracing creativity within her team. She also tells how Nashville balances its iconic "Music City" brand with constant innovation, emphasizing the importance of taking risks and being...
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393: Fixing the RFP Mess: A Special Episode Featuring Destination Discourse

July 22, 2025 • 57 mins
In this episode, Adam sits down with Stuart Butler, CMO at Visit Myrtle Beach, for a candid conversation about the broken state of RFPs in destination marketing. They unpack the structural flaws in the traditional procurement process, highlighting how outdated formats and misaligned incentives often lead to failed partnerships. Together, they explore innovative approaches to agency selection, the importance of relationship-first th...
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