Last September, I was talking to David Peacock about something work-related and ended up shooting the breeze about all the things I was learning at the GDS-Movement, and he said I should share my insights on a webinar he was speaking at. I was hesitant at first because I’d only been with the GDSM for three months, so I didn’t feel like I knew enough about the company to be talking about them publicly so soon. But he said that he wasn’t looking for an expert’s perspective, and I thought that’s great, I enjoy speaking unofficially as a non-expert. My CEO was all for it so I agreed.

The talk was titled “Sustainability: DMO‘s Must Take an Active Role or Face Irrelevance” hosted by the Tourism Management Institute (TMI) and you can watch part of the discussion here. We talked about how different DMOs approach (mis)managing their destinations by including sustainable practices and their resident’s opinions – or not, to their own detriment, now or later.

Even if you haven’t listened to his podcast on the Future of Tourism, you can tell that David is an excellent interviewer and orator because he was able to draw out information from me and others in the session, and it turns out that I did know a few things after all (it’s always nice when your interviewer is able to extract info from you and make you look good).

Still, the chance that I may misrepresent something from my new role lingered in the back of my mind, which resulted in a semi-permanent look of anxiety on my face throughout the webinar.

It turned out to be a really fun and engaging experience, and Peacock moderated a Q&A discussion that got audience members from different DMOs sharing news about what they’re doing to transition to a more inclusive and sustainable future. My colleagues Rebecca and Jess were also part of the Q&A and shared their wisdom and insights too.

Eventually, this cross-collaboration led to a highly-engaging discussion between my CEO Guy Bigwood and David Peacock. You can watch their interview below or listen to the podcast episode on Spotify.