by Padraic Gilligan, Managing Partner, SoolNua Tourism-Review.Com recently ran a piece by David Whitley (http://www.grumpytraveller.com) entitled “A Destination Marketing Dilemma: How do you sell a city like Sheffield?” It’s a well written, mildly strident rant about what he calls the “cack-handed, hope-over-reality marketing” that many destination organisations are guilty of. He insists that destination marketing… Read more »
Global DMCs – a beautiful oxymoron? by Padraic Gilligan Allegedly, when asked for his favourite oxymoron Irishman, global entrepreneur and former international rugby player, Tony O’Reilly, said “Great Britain”. But it may be regarded as crass and unfair to explain the meaning of oxymoron by reference to O’Reilly’s wicked quip (although given the current rumblings… Read more »
EIBTM 2011 – Behind the Scenes by Padraic Gilligan, VP, Ovation Global DMC and Global VP, Industry relations MCI 2010 v 2011 What a difference! What a difference a year makes! Exactly one year ago most of Europe lay under a thick covering of snow making travel in and out of Barcelona extremely problematical. This… Read more »
By Padraic Gilligan, Managing Director, Ovation Global DMC [First published in Kongres Magazine, December 2011] According to a recent exchange on Linkedin the term “DMC” or “Destination Management Company” was coined by either Tom Risbecker, Gunter Roleff or Phil Lee. Tasso Pappas and Ralph Holt, both DMC legends in their own right, opt for Europeans… Read more »
FICP – Day 2 by Padraic Gilligan, Managing Director, Ovation Global DMC I’m not going to lie. The transfer from San Antonio to Knibbe Ranch was very, very long. At first it was long enough for me to desperately want a beer but then it became long enough for me to be glad I didn’t… Read more »
FICP Day 1 by Padraic Gilligan, Ovation Global DMC On Sunday 13 November the Grand Hyatt in San Antonio dispatched its share of the 30000 participants at the city marathon and prepared for the arrival of 800 demanding, discerning FICPers. It’s the meeting from hell – you’re simultaneously playing host to your competitors and your… Read more »
by Padraic Gilligan, Managing Director, Ovation Global DMC I’m 51 and I’ve never done it. There. I’ve said it. I talked to Dan Young and I know he’s done it. A good few times, it seems. So has Darlene Catan but not, I think, with Dan Young. And I’m unclear as to whether either of… Read more »
The late, great Jack Franchek once told me that success as a DMC was all about cultivating relationships with weird people. And Jack being Jack exaggerated that contention to the nth degree: “Unless you’ve got a whole bunch of outcasts and weirdos in your Rolodex (this was a pre-Internet age!), you’re as useful to me as… Read more »
A week in Las Vegas – Day 2 Early this morning as the intensity of the cleaning, power hosing and sweeping along Las Vegas Boulevard seemed to increase, I had a blinding insight. I figured out where it all comes from. This is not WASP / Calvinist earnestness and endeavour but rather Catholic guilt and… Read more »
The Language of Business by Padraic Gilligan, Managing Director, Ovation Global DMC Hilton has recently launched a really interesting app connected with its Garden Inn product. Called Bizwords it’s a combination game / educational resource pivoting around the acronyms and buzz words which, increasingly, punctuate our daily business discourse. Naturally Hilton slips a little self… Read more »