Kate Scopetti is living a full life revolving around a passion for travel, plus an exceptional ability to develop super creative and truly unique experiences, naturally led to the creation of the categorically successful Mid Atlantic Receptive Services, (MARS) and its subsidiaries: Go Performing, Go Student Tours, Go Sports Tours, and SoccerTours.net. Destination on the Left is joined by Kate Scopetti, President and owner of MARS & Companies (Mid-Atlantic Receptive Services). On our podcast,...
Aug 26, 2020•44 min•Ep. 194
Kathy Casstevens is the Marketing Director at Starved Rock Lodge. She is also a photographer, tourism professional, and lover of nature. Kathy launched GnatTravel a year ago to promote travel in a different way. She is also the chair of the LaSalle County Tourism coalition. Destination on the Left is joined by Kathy Casstevens, the Marketing Director at Starved Rock Lodge. During our conversation, Kathy shares her journey into destination marketing and talks about how she has used creativity and...
Aug 19, 2020•33 min•Ep. 193
Rachel Laber Pulvino is a Rochester native who has the privilege of promoting her hometown on a daily basis as the Director of Public Relations and Communications for Visit Rochester. In this role, Rachel is regularly reaching out to regional, national, and international media to share Rochester’s story, and help media and visitors alike discover the activities and attractions that make Rochester an ideal destination. Raised in Rochester, Rachel attended SUNY Geneseo, where she earned a B.A. in ...
Aug 12, 2020•39 min•Ep. 192
Curt Bedei is the Executive Director for the Ottawa Visitors Center in Ottawa, Illinois. He was hired in 2011 as the Graphics Design Manager to handle the botanical brand management. Since then, Curt has worked his way up, earning a certificate in Not For Profit management. In 2015, he had the opportunity to take on his current role. Curt sits on many boards and committees related to tourism, such as the Heritage Corridor CVB, LaSalle County Tourism Coalition, the Looking For Lincoln/ Abraham Li...
Aug 05, 2020•52 min•Ep. 191
For Destination on the Left’s solocast episode, I want to talk to you about virtual events. Our team has been working with several clients to assist them with virtual event planning, and so much valuable information has come out of our experiences. On our podcast, we talk about why you should consider virtual events, what a virtual event is, and how to host your own virtual event. We also walk through a virtual event case study that exemplifies the process of turning a live event into a virtual ...
Jul 29, 2020•29 min•Ep. 190
JoAnna Haugen is a seasoned writer, speaker, and founder of Rooted, a solutions-storytelling platform. Her work has been published in more than 60 print and online publications, including Fast Company, Popular Science, Mongabay, BBC, and CNN. Her time as a returned Peace Corps volunteer, commercial travel writer, intrepid world traveler, international election observer, and American expatriate informed the establishment of Rooted, a storytelling platform at the intersection of sustainable travel...
Jul 22, 2020•45 min•Ep. 189
There’s a southern accent, where Courtney Kasper comes from. She is a Sweet Home Alabama native, Florida State and Syracuse University graduate, and a Poodle person. Courtney is the current Equal Rights Heritage Center Visitor Experience Manager. She is a former associate publisher of Today’s Central New York Woman, and a journalist with work featured in Time Out New York and Dance Magazine. Courtney is a direct descendant of Revolutionary heroine Nancy Morgan Hart, otherwise known as War Woman....
Jul 15, 2020•50 min•Ep. 188
Adam Stoker has been in marketing now since 2007. In 2012, he got his first experience in marketing for tourism destinations. From that point forward, he knew he had found his passion. Since then, Adam has worked with destinations across the country to improve their marketing, branding, and use of technology. He is the President and CEO of an advertising agency focused on marketing for tourism destinations. It’s called Relic, and it’s in Provo, Utah. Adam started the Destination Marketing Podcas...
Jul 08, 2020•49 min•Ep. 187
Colleen Siuzdak is the Manager of VISIT Staten Island, a campaign run out of the Staten Island Borough President James Oddo’s Office of Tourism and Cultural Affairs. This office, created in June 2017, invites visitors to explore the borough’s many parks and cultural attractions, while encouraging residents to explore their own backyard. Start your journey to Staten Island on the free Staten Island Ferry and see the many offerings of the Unexpected Borough! Jennifer Sammartino is a former journal...
Jul 01, 2020•41 min•Ep. 186
Robb Wells, President and CEO of the Greater Beaufort-Port Royal CVB, has been a Destination Marketing Professional for more than 15 years. Starting his career as Executive Director for Duplin County Tourism in North Carolina before moving to become Sr. Director of Marketing at the Knoxville Tourism & Sports Corporation and then became Vice President of the Tourism Division for the Beaufort Regional Chamber of Commerce before taking on his current role as President and CEO of the CVB. Robb i...
Jun 24, 2020•46 min•Ep. 185
Jillian Blackbeard’s passion lies in Africa Tourism and Conservation. She has been leading the industry for over 10 years specifically marketing, first for a Southern African hotel and resort chain, followed by five years as director for marketing and product development at Botswana Tourism Organisation, followed by Director for Africa for The World Travel and Tourism Association. She is now the CEO of The Victoria Falls Regional Tourism Association, the first purely private sector driven organi...
Jun 17, 2020•44 min•Ep. 184
Julia Feuell grew up in Auckland, New Zealand and settled in the UK in the 1980s. She set up New Frontiers in 1993, recruiting staff all over the travel industry. In 2008, Julia had an idea to create a training academy for call center workers to learn about products and destinations online. This idea transformed into another business called OTT – a global product marketing and communications business accessed by more than 180,000 travel professionals in 17 languages and in 22 countries. Julia ha...
Jun 10, 2020•34 min•Ep. 183
A seasoned tourism executive with more than 35 years of experience in the industry, Don Welsh serves as the President and CEO of Destinations International. Since joining the association in March 2016, Welsh has implemented a strategic realignment for the association through a renewed commitment to focus on member needs to deliver the resources members have determined to be essential to the success of their organizations. Prior to joining Destinations International, Welsh served as the President...
Jun 03, 2020•40 min•Ep. 182
Neal Sherman is the founder and President of TAGeX Brands , a global firm that creates marketplaces for surplus equipment, inventory, and other assets. With a sound foundation in the food industry, TAGeX has expanded into other sectors and focuses on generating return on assets and reducing waste. TAGeX Brands connects buyers and sellers in a common marketplace. The industries served include retailers, restaurants, grocery chains, manufacturers, distributors and convenience stores. For over th...
May 27, 2020•40 min•Ep. 181
A true visionary and entrepreneur, Brian has over 13 years of experience in the property management and vacation rental industry. Passionate about the budding potential of investing in the Finger Lakes region, and fueled by his love for the area and the outdoors, Brian was inspired to buy 80+ acres of local farmland. Dreaming of the possibilities this land could offer to the public, he formed Lincoln Hill Farms LCC and hired a team of various individuals with the necessary skills and talents to ...
May 20, 2020•18 min•Ep. 180
Carla Pendergraft is originally from Minneapolis, Minnesota. She has a B.A. degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and has a master’s degree in business from Texas State University. Since 1990, she has worked for the Waco Convention Center and Waco Convention & Visitors Bureau, first in the convention sales area and for the last 4 years, as Director of Marketing. Carla is the proud grandmother of Aviana, who is 8 years old, and Rosie, 2 years. In this episode of Destination...
May 13, 2020•27 min•Ep. 179
Rebekah Greenhill is the director of sales and marketing at Greenhill Winery & Vineyards in Middleburg, Virginia. She and her husband, David Greenhill, also own and operate Middleburg Life magazine and Greenhill Stables. They are based in Middleburg during the summer and Wellington, Florida in the winter for the equestrian and polo season. In this episode of Destination on the Left, Rebekah Greenhill, the director of sales and marketing at Greenhill Winery & Vineyards, shares Greenhill’s...
May 06, 2020•35 min•Ep. 178
For ten years Andria has been leading DMO strategy and development by working with the travel industry to navigate the world of data and analytics. Currently, Andria serves as Senior Director of Tourism and Hospitality at ADARA, providing strategic direction and drives cross-team decision making to grow enterprise opportunities in the Americas. Along with her passion for advancing the travel and tourism industry, Andria brings to the team ten years of destination marketing and research experienc...
Apr 29, 2020•45 min•Ep. 177
Tanner Knorr manages EplerWood International’s new business, develops the newsletter, and continues to build a presence for the company via public relations, social media, and events. Tanner holds a Bachelor’s in Archaeology and a Master’s in Administrative Studies, concentrating in Economic Development and Tourism Management from Boston University. He was also a Teaching Assistant at Harvard Extension. He owns a business called Off Season Adventures that strives for sustainable tourism practice...
Apr 22, 2020•33 min•Ep. 176
Jim Bartoo has been the director of marketing and public relations at Nashville Zoo since 1999. During that time, he has seen the Zoo grow from local awareness to national and international recognition with more than 1.2 million guests visiting in 2019. Before coming to Nashville, Jim spent seven years marketing the Columbus Zoo in Columbus, OH. He is accomplished in all aspects of marketing and communications initiatives across the Zoos owned, earned and paid platforms. Jim lives in the Bellevu...
Apr 15, 2020•39 min•Ep. 175
Erica Paolicelli is a Partner at Three Brothers Wineries & Estates and War Horse Brewing Company located in the heart of the Finger Lakes. Erica joined the company in 2007, before it opened its doors and helped grow the destination and brand which now sees 150,000+ visitors annually, has distribution regionally to over 300 locations, and employs 150 full and part-time employees. The campus at Three Brothers houses Iron Heart Coffee Company, a café serving lunch (and soon to be dinners) daily...
Apr 08, 2020•46 min•Ep. 174
A thirty-plus year veteran of the Travel & Tourism industry, Amir leads the entire Longwoods international team responsible for the development and execution of all facets of the organization from program development to customer acquisition and retention. He joined Longwoods in 2015 from his previous role as Vice President, Partner Engagement with Brand USA, the public-private partnership serving as the destination marketing organization dedicated to increasing international visitation to th...
Apr 01, 2020•27 min•Ep. 173
In this solocast episode of Destination on the Left, BTI’s Nicole Mahoney shares her thoughts surrounding the impact of the Coronavirus on travel and tourism since the pandemic took hold. She discusses the components of great leadership and mental strength and explains the importance of each in times of crisis. What You Will Learn in This Episode: BTI’s thoughts surrounding the impact of the Coronavirus pandemic after two weeks of lockdown The importance of great leadership in times of crisis Wh...
Mar 25, 2020•14 min•Ep. 172
With a talent for creating special events that blossomed while working for my dad’s car stereo shop, I got my start in marketing at Frontier Field in Rochester and I began serving as the executive director of the internationally known Lilac Festival. Later on, I headed the Canandaigua, New York Business Improvement District while also performing projects for the tourism promotion agency Visit Rochester. In 2009, I founded Break the Ice Media, with more than 20 years of experience in tourism mark...
Mar 18, 2020•8 min•Ep. 171
Scott Hutchinson is the Director of Marketing & Communications for the Warren County Convention & Visitors Bureau and has been with the WCCVB since June of 2014. Scott oversees the bureau’s marketing efforts, managing its advertising and public relations campaigns, as well as the production of its blog content, e-newsletters, and annual Visitors Guide. Prior to joining the WCCVB, Scott held roles with the Cincinnati Enquirer, the Western & Southern Open and Ryan Partnership – a creat...
Mar 11, 2020•36 min•Ep. 170
To Scott Osborn, Rochester native, the acquisition of Fox Run Vineyards was the natural culmination of his passion for wine and commitment to the industry. The son of two professors, Osborn’s first interest was international politics. Attending the Friends World College, a unique university with campuses all over the globe, he studied in Kenya, India, Thailand, Japan, and England. He went into real estate development in 1974, later opening an office in Lake County California, a well-known viticu...
Mar 04, 2020•28 min•Ep. 169
Paul Soseman is the founder and CEO of Department Zero, an experiential marketing agency based in Kansas City, MO. Paul began his career 20 years ago, running the marketing department for a consumer electronics retailer where he oversaw a multi-million dollar advertising budget and created special events and promotions that ultimately became a primary driver of the retailers business. He then brought his event and retail experience to Road Runner, a then startup broadband internet service provid...
Feb 26, 2020•33 min•Ep. 168
With more than 20 years of experience in the tourism and hospitality industry, Kristen Jarnagin oversees the official regional organization charged with furthering Long Islands $6.1 billion tourism economy. A Long Island transplant from Arizona, Jarnagin’s vast knowledge of the tourism industry spans from state tourism marketing, branding a luxury resort and serving as a lobbyist for tourism advocacy. Kristen and her team at Discover Long Island work to promote a positive perception of Long Isla...
Feb 19, 2020•28 min•Ep. 167
Listed on Inc.’s listing of the Top 50 Leadership and Management Experts in the world, and #1 on Huffington Posts 12 Business Speakers to See, Steve Farber is a bestselling author, popular keynote speaker, and a seasoned leadership coach and consultant who has worked with a vast array of public and private organizations in virtually every arena. Farber is the former Vice President of legendary management guru Tom Peters company and is the founder and CEO of The Extreme Leadership Institute, an o...
Feb 12, 2020•49 min•Ep. 166
Marsha Walden is the President and Chief Executive Officer for Destination BC. A lifelong British Columbian, Marsha’s career spans corporate leadership roles in marketing, strategy, transformation, operations, communications, and social responsibility. Marsha holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of British Columbia, loves to travel, and takes full advantage of family life in our extraordinary province. In this episode of Destination on the Left, Marsha Walden, President and CEO of De...
Feb 05, 2020•42 min•Ep. 165
