Board Governance & Excellence
This is a particularly strong area of expertise for our firm. Having written the initial book on DMO Boards back in 2003, Bill Geist comes from a position of unparalleled years of conversations with community stakeholders and Board Members from every walk of life. Mayors, City Council, Neighborhood Associations, Hoteliers, Attractions, Chefs, Artists and so many others important residents and organizations that give our Destinations their unique personalities.
ONBOARDING
Orienting new Board members is so much more than a casual discussion over lunch about what the DMO is and does. And, yet…we see this scenario more often than we’d like to admit. That’s why we have developed an intensive workshop for DMO Boards that provides a deep dive into the who, what, why and how of what we do to drive our communities forward. Based upon our book, Destination Leadership along with the documentation you provide during our Needs Assessment phase, we’ll customize a session that speaks directly to the specific needs of your destination and the ways that the DMO can be a leader in moving the community forward. And, your new recruits (as well as the veterans that we will encourage to attend) will be able to hit the ground running and not take a year to come up to speed to be the organizational and destinational advocates we need them to be.
BOARD WORKSHOPS
Based on the book, Destination Leadership, Bill Geist leads Boards through rapid-fire, workshops to help redefine tomorrow's governance models for DMOs. From a fresh perspective on Board design and the nomination process to developing an understanding of the difference between the roles of Boards and Staff, Bill mixes compelling concepts from old-school governance experts like John Carver and Doug Eadie with NextGen thought leaders like Harrison Coeuver and Mary Byers with the political realities of today's Destination Marketing Organizations.
As no two DMOs are the same, there is no "one way" to approach DMO governance and other the countless issues we all face today. Thus, we'll weigh the possibilities, opportunities and current political realities to develop guidelines and suggestions for Board consideration and approval in order to lead your Destination and Organization into the years ahead.
Position Paper on Board Diversity
Just because we have put aside 2020 doesn’t mean that today’s DMOs should be any less focused on supporting efforts to ensure our communities hold the concepts of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the highest possible regard. And, it starts from the top. Bill Geist, along with SearchWide Global’s Mike Gamble penned this treatise, sponsored by Destinations International, to help guide Boards as they take intentional steps to diversify their own table. Aside from our paper, you can find more resources from Destinations International HERE.
OTHER WRITINGS
In addition to being the author of Destination Leadership, Bill Geist often opines on Board Governance and DMO excellence in our monthly Z-News commentary. Click HERE to see Commentaries from the past few years and, specifically, this exhortation from early in the pandemic.