Podcast Interview: Gui from Orlando North Florida. We Cover Many Topics Including: the importance of getting buy-in at all levels, local sports complexes, and KPIs

Gui from Visit Orlando North joined the HootBoard Visitor Information and Destination Marketing podcast to share his experience, journey, and insights as a Tourism Director. We covered a lot of ground about the state of destination marketing in Florida, and had a lot of fun talking with Gui. 

0:00​ Intro 

1:30​ - Give us a visual of Seminole County, how is it positioned, what is the marketing landscape, and what are your competing destinations that you must contend with?

5:37​ - Orlando has many attractions, and we were curious about how North Orlando separates itself from the popular attractions.

9:38​ - Gui tells us a bit about himself, the career journey, and how he came to be Director of tourism for Do Orlando North. 

15:50​ - Gui speaks about the importance of immersing yourself in your destination in order to deliver a great informational visitor experience. It’s a great way to get to know the people who visit your area, and understand what they truly love about visiting. 

21:45​ Gui offers advice to other DMOs, and provides insights on how to replicate success. 

27:10​ - Gui shares tips, tricks, tactics that other destination managers may find useful. 

34:40​ - Gui talks about how they have engaged the educational community in their area in order to create the next generation of leaders. We also discuss how utilizing the resources and talents of the higher education institutions in a way that is beneficial for all the stakeholders. 

41:30​ - Orlando North has seen a lot of growth and  many great things have happened. Gui gives insights into how maybe some other destinations can replicate that success. 

50:20​ - Gui talks about their journey with completing local sports complexes that are heavily used by people. They are a big draw, and have been very successful in creating sports participation among the citizenry and those traveling from farther away. We dive into the thought process, the journey, and how its success is creating more success throughout the area. 

56:45​ - KPI (key performance indicators) are an important part of measuring the success of any campaign. Gui talks about the process of creating their KPIs, which ones to focus on, and how to agree on which ones identify levels of achievement. 

01:05:35​ - We talk about the importance of having the right infrastructure to host big events. We talk specifically about how the NBA and MLS used the Orlando area as its hosting area for their playoff and championship games during the 2020 season. 

01:07:23​ - Gui discusses the pain points that are encountered in their industry, and what he would like to see as a solution to those pain points. This may be useful to anyone else who is experiencing the same type of issues while promoting a destination. 

01:09:35​ - Outro. We discuss our social media handles, how everyone can get into contact with Gui. Say our goodbyes, and thank yous.