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“VisitDallas is committed to making the total McKenney believes there are three key elements
visitor experience our number one priority,” said to delivering a great customer experience: listen-
Jones. “We are hiring top talent within, as well ing, discovering, and personalizing. By working
as training all front-line hospitality employees with visitors and listening to and understanding
to deliver on memorable moments and top shelf their needs, VisitDallas is able to craft trips based
customer service.” on individual motivators.
BEHIND THE SHIFT FROM The department works with industry partners Looking ahead, the future state-of-the-art Visit-

DESTINATION MARKETING TO including airlines, nightlife, shopping destina- Dallas Experience Center in the newly expanded
tions, hotels and resorts, arts and culture facilities, Klyde Warren Park is revolutionizing the tradi-
attractions, and more to collaborate and provide tional Visitor Center — blending best-in-class
DESTINATION MANAGEMENT the best experience for all visitors. customer service with interactive technology
that tells the story of Dallas. Using a variety of
VisitDallas goes beyond just getting a visitor to mixed reality platforms, the Experience Center
Skift Take: their city. It strives to build an overall experience will immerse visitors in a personalized journey
The role of destination marketing organizations (DMOs) is that keeps them coming back and sharing their unprecedented in North America.
stories with family and friends.
evolving and expanding into destination management to The design and construction of the 20,000-square-
elevate the customer experience more intentionally. For example, in an effort to truly drive the experi- foot pavilion, which will house the Experience
ence design, VisitDallas partnered with Southwest Center, is scheduled to begin in 2019, with
Airlines to build the Customer Service Master completion expected in 2023.
Today, leisure and business travelers are sharing In another very different example of destination Class, “It’s Hospitality Y’all,” to train f ront-line
their experiences over multiple online channels, management, VisitDallas built a statewide coali- hospitality employees on how to best create VisitDallas aims to design all kinds of experiences
and in doing so, they’re taking over the promo- tion of tourism and non-travel-industry partners and deliver on the airline’s customer experience. that leave a long-lasting impression. Whether
tion of the destination, for better or worse, on a to successfully defeat discriminatory legislation The immersive one-day event brought together you are a native Texan or f rom hundreds of
scale far greater than any tourism board could. that would have degraded the visitor experience everyone from restaurant service staff to hotel miles away, Dallas has a way of always coming
for convention attendees visiting the city. employees to learn how to deliver a unique and to top of mind.
As such, the most progressive DMOs are devel- inclusive experience from some of the best in
oping new partnerships with local organizations At the end of the day, destination management, the business. Dallas brothers Jason and Michael Castro, of
to improve the destination experience, based or what some refer to as destination develop- “American Idol” fame and the band CASTRO,
on global trends reshaping consumer expecta- ment, is about customer experience. Just like any The training encourages hospitality employees to were so inspired by the experiences they’ve had
tions in the global visitor economy. So much so other industry worldwide, all brands prioritize go above and beyond to ensure visitors coming in their city, they worked with VisitDallas to write
that many destination leaders are now calling a customer-centric approach to compete in a to Dallas are greeted with the Southern Hospi- the song “Forever Texas.”
themselves “DMMOs” — destination marketing national or global marketplace. tality the city is known for, and feel at home
and management organizations. from the minute they step off a plane, sit down “We wanted a song to represent our city, and
VisitDallas Curates the Customer Experience at a restaurant, or walk into a hotel lobby. The CASTRO was the perfect voice to capture Dallas’
That shift is manifested in many different ways. From Inside-Out customer service training has pop-up sessions essence in a catchy tune,” said Frank Librio, chief
VisitDallas, for example, developed the Margar- throughout the year and culminates with an marketing officer of VisitDallas. “They have an
ita Mile by creating a collection of top bars and According to Phillip Jones, president and CEO of annual Master Class at Southwest Airlines. incredible story that represents Dallas’ can-do
restaurants that each celebrate the frosty cocktail VisitDallas, the destination marketing organization attitude. We are excited to have them as ambas-
in innovative ways. views customer experience as over-delivering on Expert Leadership takes the Experience to sadors to our city and think it will be a song
what people expect, while bringing to life all of the Next Level everyone will be singing along to.”
Through the destination management initia- the surprising little touches along the way. In
tive, VisitDallas staked a claim that Dallas is the 2016, VisitDallas developed an entire department To ensure the success of the VisitDallas Now, visitors and locals alike can sing along and
“Official Home of the Frozen Margarita,” as the — and a C-level position — around this concept, Customer Experience department, VisitDal- recount all their BIG experiences. To top it off, there
frozen margarita machine was invented by Dallas making it the first DMO in the country to move las CEO Phillip Jones brought in a hospitality is a music video that features CASTRO’s favorite
restaurateur Mariano Martinez in 1971. However, in this direction. It's putting visitor experience expert to completely disrupt the destination Texas spots, from the Deep Ellum neighborhood,
the Margarita Mile is much more than a collec- at the top of everything it does by becoming a management sphere. Renee McKenney was to the State Fair of Texas at Fair Park, green space
tion of the best and most brazen margaritas much more involved concierge for the city. hired as chief experience officer (CXO), and in Klyde Warren Park, and margaritas at Beto &
in the city, conveniently located in a colorful brings nearly three decades in the hospitality Son in foodie heaven, Trinity Groves. Check the
mobile application. The app also helps visitors In effect, the organization is moving f rom an field to VisitDallas, most recently working as video out at www.VisitDallas.com/ForeverTexas.
discover great neighborhoods, restaurants, and information curator to an experience curator national sales director for Disney Destinations
bars across the region that they may have never by leveraging its knowledge of global tourism – the Walt Disney Company.
found otherwise. to drive innovation in customer service locally.

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