KEYNOTE TOPICS
reThinking Tourism
What are the new goals of tourism? Doug lays out new and more relevant ways to measure tourism success: a balance of optimizing visitors numbers, local life quality, increased spending that stays in the local economy, and reduced impact on the environment.
Global Best Practice in Tourism
What can we learn from other tourism innovators around the world? What are industry leaders discussing at tourism conferences globally? Doug brings the latest trends in destination marketing and management to your event.
Smart Visitor Management
Doug shows how to engineer good tourism behavior instead of just requesting it… and how to get locals to appreciate tourists more.
Above and Beyond
Doug has spoken for numerous major airports regarding strategy, development, future proofing and where the evolution of airports is heading … Jeddah International Airport, Auckland International, Denver International, Saudi Arabia’s Aviation Conference, Global Routes and more.
Room for Improvement
As they say in the accommodation industry: “The future is suite.” Doug has spoken for Marriott Hotels, various National Hotel Associations, and short-term rental industry events about best-practice service, trends, and how smart hoteliers need to be thinking about how they fit into the greater destination and how that landscape is changing.
Additional Services
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Moderator / Emcee / Planner
Emcee: Doug has hosted numerous events and put his journalist skills to use interviewing industry leaders on stage,
Planner: Doug has seen nearly all the speakers in the business and seen best-practice formats — and can bring that expertise to you for fresh ideas for you next event.
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Destination Development Lab
A hands-on, fun, interactive session
Destination development is one of the most important aspects of creating a unique selling proposition and staying relevant. This workshop will break down the process and show how to create new brand-aligned attractions, how to use these new products to increase visitor spending, and how to make any new products relevant (and profitable) for ALL the stakeholders in the area.
50 - 60 min (40 - 80 people per session)
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Creative Problem Solving Breakout
When it comes to tough tourism issues, there's no need to reinvent the wheel. Hotels, restaurants, attractions, tours... entire destinations are typically experiencing many of the very same problems around the world. So, in addition to Doug's expertise, he'll help tap your best resource: YOU and your fellow stakeholders. Everyone will get a chance to share issues and offer solutions…from dealing with guest complaints before they end up on TripAdvisor to new and creative customer service communication tricks.
45-60 min (25-40 people per session)
Customized content
What are your stakeholders’ needs and issues? What does your destination need to get to the next level? Let’s work together to make sure the content is a perfect match.