Destination Roadmapping

03/29/2026

Most communities don’t struggle because they lack ideas.
They struggle when real opinions never make it into the room.

You can sit through an hour-long meeting, check every agenda item, and still walk out without a single honest conversation.

Then it happens.
In the hallway.
In the parking lot.
On the “quick call later.”

That’s where the truth shows up.
And if that’s where your best thinking lives, your meetings aren’t doing their job.

Progress doesn’t come from more discussion. It comes from it being safe to say what everyone’s thinking while everyone is still in the room.

03/27/2026

03/26/2026

Ever have one of those moments when you walk into a place and instantly feel like you missed the memo?

No one says anything. No one is rude.
But you can tell, this wasn’t designed for you.

That’s what we’re talking about this Sunday.
The “Locals Only” vibe

How it shows up, why it quietly pushes visitors away, and what to do about it without losing your identity

Maybe your community doesn’t have a visitor problem. Maybe it’s a welcome mat issue.

New episode drops Sunday.

03/25/2026

After working with small towns for decades, I’ve noticed something about community meetings.

People are usually polite.
They listen carefully.
They nod in agreement.
They move the agenda forward.

But politeness sometimes hides important disagreements.
And those disagreements don’t disappear.
They simply move somewhere else, usually to the hallway after the meeting.

Communities that make the most progress are the ones where people feel comfortable saying:
“I’m not sure that’s the right approach.”
Honest conversation is rarely messy.
Avoiding it usually is.

03/23/2026

We’ve all experienced it.

The meeting ends. Everyone nods. “Great discussion.” Chairs slide back.

And then the real conversation starts, in the hallway, in the parking lot.

In this episode of Destination Roadmapping, we’re unpacking “the meeting after the meeting," why it happens, what it signals about your team dynamics, and how it quietly undermines your tourism plans and events.

Because if the important conversations only happen after the meeting, your plans are built on half the information.

If you want stronger events, better collaboration, and decisions that actually stick, it starts with making space for honest conversation, before the chairs get stacked.

We’ve all experienced it.The meeting ends. Everyone nods. “Great discussion.” Chairs slide back.And then the real conversation starts, in the hallway, in the parking lot.In this episode of Destination Roadmapping, we’re unpacking “the meeting afte...

03/22/2026

Everyone loves a best-case scenario.

Communities with full calendars, busy downtowns, perfect weather. Everything clicking.

But real places don’t operate in perfect conditions.

They operate in the world of “what if.”

What if the economy slows down?
What if your audience shrinks?
What if your biggest weekend gets rained out?

Communities that hold steady aren’t the ones that guessed right.

They’re the ones who plan for when things don’t go right.

Not panic plans.
Not binders that sit on a shelf
Just simple, honest thinking ahead.

Because strong tourism strategies don’t fall apart under pressure.

They adjust.

03/19/2026

Does this sound like your last meeting?
• Agenda checked off.
• Updates shared.
• Everyone nods.

And then… the meeting ends.
A few people linger, continuing the conversation.
Others walk out together.
Someone says, “I’ve got to run. Can I call you later?”

That’s when the real conversation starts.
• The concerns.
• The hesitation.
• The things no one said in the room.

Which raises a bigger question:
If the honest conversation happens after the meeting,
what actually happened in the meeting?

Sunday’s episode of Destination Roadmapping is:
The Meeting After the Meeting

It’s about why this happens and what it’s quietly costing your community.

03/18/2026

I've worked with small towns for decades, and one thing many have in common is a clear focus on branding, marketing campaigns, and visitor guides.

These are important, but resilience comes from the smaller fundamentals.

Is it easy to navigate the community?

Are businesses open when visitors expect them to be?

Where are the places to sit, rest, or linger?

When the fundamentals are in place, destinations are better able to handle surprises.

02/23/2026

Be honest.
Have you ever left a meeting and thought,
“We had this exact conversation last month.”
Same topic.
Same concerns.
Same polite nodding.
No decision.
That’s not a people problem.
That’s a clarity problem.
In Episode 32 of Destination Roadmapping: Do Your Meetings Go in Circles? I’m talking about:
• Why small-town meetings loop
• How role confusion quietly creates conflict
• The one agreement that can stop the spin
If your community feels stuck in discussion mode instead of decision mode, this one will feel very familiar.
Meetings shouldn’t just fill time.
They should move your town forward.

Ever leave a meeting uncertain if anything actually got decided?You’re not alone.In small towns, meetings are where vision, risk, nostalgia, and practicality all collide, and without clear purpose and defined roles, they spin. Same conversation. D...

01/05/2026

January tends to get written off in tourism.

Quiet month.
Slow month.
“Nothing we do now really matters” month.

That thinking feels harmless, but it quietly shapes perception, trust, and momentum for the rest of the year.

In Episode 25 of Destination Roadmapping, we unpack the most common January tourism myths and explain why they stick—and why they’re usually wrong.

This episode isn’t about doing more in January.
It’s about getting clearer.

🎧 January Tourism Myths
Available now wherever you listen to podcasts.

January has a reputation problem.Too many destinations treat January like a dead zone: quiet, unimportant, or something to simply get through until spring. But that thinking quietly undermines momentum for the rest of the year.In this episode of D...