More Does Not Equal Better: Why We Should Seek Optimization, Not Volume
The Dreaded River Blow Out
Many of you who know me personally know that I am an obsessive fly fisherman. Or fly fisherwoman. Whatever. I don’t care what it’s called it, I love it.
One thing I’ve learned about fly fishing in the Western Rockies is how bummed I get when I wake up early to go fishing only to find that the river has blown out.
No, I’m not talking about a baby’s diaper – which I do admit, is actually much worse than a river being blown out, especially when it occurs somewhere public, like the grocery store!
A blow out of the river means a substantial amount of water has rushed down the river in a short period of time churning up the river bottom, pulling sediment from the banks, and dragging any tree branches and debris it can find with it along the way.
The fish are still in there, and sometimes they are still eating, but food – or bugs – basically have to plunk them on the nose due to the murky water clarity (we call it “latte”-style, or “chocolate milk” based upon the hue).
Rivers get blown out from a heavy rainfall upstream, from spring snowmelt off the pristine mountain peaks, or from water being released from dams in a river that is a tailwater (one that flows from a dam).
It sucks. But, alas, it’s part of the sport and is to be expected.
Yet there is a silver lining.
The Bright Side
Right after the river “recovers”, or bounces back from a recent blow out, the fishing is usually EPIC! (Hey, I know how hungry I get after a day or 2 of no food…I can’t blame those fishies!)
Catch a river on one of these days and all seems right in the world.
What does this have to do with sport and tourism, you’re probably wondering.
The answer is: A lot!
The Ecosystem of Your Community
You see, our communities are like the western rivers I love. They are their own little – or big – ecosystems. And like the river habitat for big ol’ brown trout, our communities have an optimal balance to ensure they are appropriately stewarded.
The rivers can’t control the water flows from rain and snowmelt, but the dams are carefully monitored by water resource engineers at the US Geological Survey to ensure the overall health – and optimization – of the ecosystem given ever-changing conditions.
Unfortunately, much of the aim of the industry has embraced a mentality of more, more, more over sustainable and diverse impacts. In the general tourism industry, we see it regularly through the “overtourism” buzzword in places from Moab, Utah to Venice, Italy.
You don’t have to look very far to find these issues abounding in our increasingly globalized world. And it’s also prevalent in the sport sector of the industry. More events. More teams. More participants. More, more, more. It can also be the degradation of resources – natural or man-made.
And just like that, we blow out the places we were tasked with stewarding.
The result? A compromised experience for visitors and quality of life for locals.
Not exactly creating the places where people want to “work, live and visit”. Ouch. That hurts.
Funny, I have seen a lot of industry conference sessions titles, and never have I heard one talk about this kind of stuff. “Sustainability”, “Overtourism”, “Regenerative Tourism” and the slew of other buzzwords are thrown around like candy at a parade. But truly and genuinely addressing some of these issues would require a shift from our hotel room night-incentive-based structure…or at least an expansion. And we can’t have that!
Hear me when I say, tourism is important. Sport and tourism is important. They bring new dollars to the community that help subsidize the amenities that we, as residents, get to enjoy all year round – parks, recreation facilities, clean streets, safety, restaurants and attractions.
But like anything in life, there is a balance to be struck.
It’s Not About Volume
Enter what the team at Cimarron calls “Market Optimization”.
In our team’s vast experience, we have determined that every market has an ideal “ecosystem” that allows it to reach desired outcomes – including economic, exposure, quality of life, and more – without compromising the very assets that got them there. Whether it’s sport or general tourism, the concept is applicable.
Optimization looks different for every destination. It is carefully crafted based upon dozens of factors including event portfolio, capacity of the market, venue assets, desired outcomes, resident sentiment, and more.
The goal is to make your market efforts perform at their optimal levels, like a flywheel. And it’s not only totally achievable, but also our obligation as stewards of community resources and very often, taxpayer funds.
19th Hole with Stoll
Trust me when I say that I know the shift to “optimization” over “volume” is counter-intuitive to the standard industry line. The growth of the “DMMO” (adding critical “management” word to the historical “Destination Marketing Organization” moniker) is an encouraging sign but we must be realistic about the impact of the structure supporting the industry as a whole.
The hyper-room night focused structure is facing increasing tension as the industry is caught somewhere between a municipal service and a proclivity toward private sector revenue growth. Somewhere in between is the sweet spot where optimization lives. Never perfect; but always striving for it.
With a focus on optimization, markets can allow the debris to settle following the rush of water and when that happens markets just might find they catch an increased community value, broader support, a better place for residents to live, and a great day of fishing!
Evoke a thought.
