If I had a Franklin for every pundit who has suggested that strategic plans are now worthless, I could buy a boat. Indeed, I was beginning to get sucked into the vortex, pondering what I should do for my clients who had completed their Strategic Plans with us over the past year. In preparation for just such a phone call a few weeks ago, I pulled out one of the Plans we had facilitated earlier this year. Interestingly, most of the goals and objectives still rang true. Indeed, some more loudly demanded action than in the pre-COVID world. I started pulling other clients’ Plans and found the same thing. Most of the goals were as relevant now as when the Board approved them. Maybe not the "Destination Development" Goal... but the rest cried out for action.

For years, DMOs have been viewed as acquisition bait for opportunistic Chambers of Commerce and Economic Development agencies searching for new revenue streams. Under the guise of streamlining like-community development functions and eliminating duplicative administrative waste, it always sounds reasonable on the surface…but, in practice, the advantage is rarely realized in the end.

Those that have seen my presentations on Political Advocacy know that I typically invoke the classic Bill Murray film, “Groundhog Day.” For the handful who may have never had the experience, the movie revolves around Murray’s character being forced to relive Groundhog Day over and over in a never-ending loop. I use the concept behind the picture to drive home the point that Advocacy is never a one-and-done thing. One needs to believe they are in Punxsutawney and realize that what they said yesterday is lost to the wind. The message needs to be repeated over and over…like Groundhog Day.

Skift’s Rafat Ali said, “(March 14th will always be remembered as) The Day the World Stopped Traveling.” I think we’ll just move that marker a day later and call it the Ides of March (and then, have a '70s song stuck in our heads). We saw the signs two weeks earlier. We were in a community, interviewing resort managers when the cascading cancellations of conventions began. Slowly at first…then progressing much more rapidly. The NCAA. The NBA. The MLB. The momentum was absolutely frightening.

 But, when we come out of this nightmare (and we will), we will have the attention of policymakers across this nation. For the first time, America will understand the value of Tourism to its economy. It’s something that virtually every other country on this planet appreciates. Now, America will finally understand.

The more things change, the more they stay the same. One of our first newsletters included a column called “Boards From Hell” in which we would (anonymously, of course) chronicle the pitfalls befalling DMOs that had Board Members that didn’t understand their role or had a significant conflict of interest (and sometimes both). Thankfully, over two and a half decades, we’ve been able to help lots of Boards be bigger and better than they ever envisioned through our Board Workshops, Strategic Planning sessions and the book Destination Leadership. But, as far as we’ve all come, it’s maddening to see some of the same challenges continue to bedevil DMOs, as effective Board Governance faces diabolical new challenges (and a few of the old ghosts) at what seems like every turn.