Why I Only Work With Destination Marketers
I spent 15 years watching brilliant destination marketers get crushed by impossible expectations.
Most destination marketing consultants have never actually run destination marketing.
They've built campaigns.
Managed budgets.
Presented strategies.
I have. For over a decade.
The Beginning
In 2012, I stumbled into the tourism industry when the Cedar City–Brian Head Tourism Bureau needed marketing help. What started as a simple client relationship became an obsession.
The Commitment
By 2016, I'd purchased the agency and made tourism our exclusive focus.
The Quest
In 2019, I launched the Destination Marketing Podcast — not for business development, but because I couldn't stop asking why some destinations thrive while others stall.
Interviews Later
A clear pattern emerged:
Brilliant creative
Decent budgets
Smart people
The problem wasn't the tactics. It was what came before the tactics.
The Real Problems
Broken positioning
Destinations unable to clearly answer, "Why us?"
Misaligned teams
Leadership and marketing pulling in opposite directions.
Fantasy budgeting
Resources allocated based on politics, not performance.
Execution bottlenecks
Organizations relying on vendors without owning their strategy.
The Realization
I realized no amount of creative brilliance can overcome strategic misalignment.
And most consulting was treating symptoms — not causes.
That's why I expanded my role beyond agency leadership to focus on helping destinations build the strategic foundations that make everything else work better.
Not Just Tactics. Systems.
When we work together, you don't get templated solutions or "industry best practices."
You get strategies custom-built for your team, your stakeholders, and your market reality.
Strategies that work — whether I'm in the room or not.
Ready to build systems that actually work?
Let's discuss how to transform your destination's strategic foundation and create sustainable growth that doesn't depend on me being in the room.
Free 30-minute assessment • No sales pitch • Just strategic clarity