If you’ve ever felt like your DMO is five different organizations wearing the same logo… this episode will feel very familiar.

Stuart and Adam welcome Danielle Hollander from Visit Orlando for her first appearance on Destination Discourse. After a slightly unhinged (and very “letter M”) opening, the conversation settles into something deeply practical: why DMOs so often feel siloed—and what it actually takes to fix that.

Stu’s News: Travel didn’t crash—it just felt harder

Stuart kicks things off with a Bank of America report using Visa spend data showing that 2025 travel softened slightly compared to the post-pandemic highs, but is still stronger than 2019.

So why did it feel rough?
• Adam connects it to the labor market shift. When jobs feel less secure, people protect PTO and travel budgets.
• Danielle points to return-to-office realities. Fewer “work from anywhere” trips means travel requires more planning and tradeoffs.
• Stuart zooms out: the important signal is that travel is still prioritized, even if expectations need recalibration after the chaos of 2022–2023.

The real conversation: DMOs don’t have one business model—and that’s the problem

Danielle lays out something most DMOs feel but rarely say out loud:
We’re marketing organizations, sales organizations, membership organizations, community organizations—and sometimes all at once.

That complexity is exactly why silos form.

She shares how Visit Orlando works intentionally against that:
• A strategic plan that’s actually used, not just approved.
• An annual theme (like “collaboration”) that becomes part of daily behavior.
• Internal “Collaborama” sessions where teams explain what they do and how it affects everyone else.
• Cross-functional planning where marketing, sales, events, and leadership hear the same strategy before tactics ever start.

Strategy is making a comeback (thanks, AI)

Adam argues that we’re in the middle of a strategic reset. As AI makes tactics easier and cheaper, the real differentiator is no longer execution—it’s thinking.

His agency’s biggest unlock in 2025?
Assigning a clear initiative owner for major work—someone responsible for the outcome, not just their slice of the process. The result: better work, less confusion, and people discovering leadership potential they didn’t know they had.

How Orlando keeps everyone focused on the same win

Stuart asks the key question: How do different teams know they’re winning together?

Danielle walks through Visit Orlando’s approach:
• A small set of org-level goals approved by the board.
• Incentives tied to those goals—from the C-suite down.
• Team goals that clearly ladder up.
• Monthly reviews that force honest conversations about what’s working and what’s not.

Agencies aren’t vendors—they’re part of the system

One of the most practical parts of the episode is Danielle’s breakdown of how Visit Orlando evaluates agencies:
• Input from multiple internal departments.
• Agency self-evaluations.
• Required written justification for scores.
• Formal feedback, improvement plans, and documentation that stands up in audits.

The takeaway: no surprises, no finger-pointing, and no silos—internal or external.

2026 focus: Elevate by doing less, better

For Danielle, the goal this year isn’t more innovation—it’s more discipline:
• Clear ownership using RACI.
• Fewer tactics (“pick three”).
• Built-in recaps so learning doesn’t disappear.
• More time for teams to think instead of react.

Her litmus test?
If you can’t explain the initiative like an award entry, you probably don’t understand it well enough yet.

The big takeaway

Breaking silos isn’t about org charts.
It’s about shared strategy, clear ownership, honest scorecards, and treating partners like part of the same team.

And as Danielle puts it: the real competition isn’t the destination down the road—it’s the couch.

Resources mentioned in this episode

Agency Evaluation Scoresheet
A cross-functional framework for evaluating agency performance across strategy, communication, operations, and accountability.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Z6Sdo4339Yu53kxP6pZ2W0BwgnyBFON2/edit
Universal Project Brief (Visit Myrtle Beach)
A strategic alignment tool used to define the “why,” success metrics, and ownership before work begins, inspired by the “write the press release first” approach.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1OrYwuR-irFtm6VWeLG5hU7_ClstjpkzZ/edit

Resources mentioned in this episode

Agency Evaluation Scoresheet
A cross-functional framework for evaluating agency performance across strategy, communication, operations, and accountability.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Z6Sdo4339Yu53kxP6pZ2W0BwgnyBFON2/edit
Universal Project Brief (Visit Myrtle Beach)
A strategic alignment tool used to define the “why,” success metrics, and ownership before work begins, inspired by the “write the press release first” approach.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1OrYwuR-irFtm6VWeLG5hU7_ClstjpkzZ/edit

Resources mentioned in this episode

Agency Evaluation Scoresheet
A cross-functional framework for evaluating agency performance across strategy, communication, operations, and accountability.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Z6Sdo4339Yu53kxP6pZ2W0BwgnyBFON2/edit
Universal Project Brief (Visit Myrtle Beach)
A strategic alignment tool used to define the “why,” success metrics, and ownership before work begins, inspired by the “write the press release first” approach.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1OrYwuR-irFtm6VWeLG5hU7_ClstjpkzZ/edit

Resources mentioned in this episode

Agency Evaluation Scoresheet
A cross-functional framework for evaluating agency performance across strategy, communication, operations, and accountability.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Z6Sdo4339Yu53kxP6pZ2W0BwgnyBFON2/edit
Universal Project Brief (Visit Myrtle Beach)
A strategic alignment tool used to define the “why,” success metrics, and ownership before work begins, inspired by the “write the press release first” approach.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1OrYwuR-irFtm6VWeLG5hU7_ClstjpkzZ/edit