In our case, people thought Michigan was old Detroit in an old manufacturing building that is all broken down, falling apart, maybe crime ridden maybe with corruption. The other thing they thought is that is cold. So we're there to correct misperceptions, give them the real picture so they consider it as a place to visit, or maybe live, or consider it as a place to work or to engage with. That's an important job. Zac - What should we be considering right now as a destination from a marketing perspective? Dave - I literally thought I would see some oil wells, the old tiny things and then I thought I would see more brown. I was really surprised to see so much. I had no idea I'd modern everything and really cool everything. So I would love to have you tell that story. I was getting ready for this meeting and asked about budget and was surprised to hear what it was, because a city of this size should have I think about twice that budget. Your overall operating budget is $5.7 million and paid media is probably around a million. In Michigan on the lower peninsula, there's a little place called Traverse City. It's a really beautiful place, and basically a summer resort. Their operating budget is $12 million. They're a city of 11,000 people. Their metro is about 200,000. Detroit is not that much bigger than this area and their budget is between $12 and $14 million. So you're competing against resort communities like Traverse City and you are competing with markets like Detroit. You really need more firepower to get out there.
A Q&A WITH EXECUTIVE CONSULTANT, DAVE LORENZ
At the April Chamber Forum, Visit OKC President Zac Craig sat down with Dave Lorenz, and an executive consultant with MMGY, a national marketing agency that specializes in visitor marketing. He formerly worked for many years with
DAVE LORENZ Executive Consultant MMGY
Travel Michigan and was one of the creators of Pure Michigan, a brand and marketing campaign that changed the perceptions of the state of Michigan. Zac – Dave, tell us your first impressions of Oklahoma City. Dave - I've never been to Oklahoma and I'm so impressed, I cannot tell you how impressed. I've been here for less than 24 hours and I can say this genuinely, authentically meaning this, I could live here and be happy. This is a great place. Zac – First, I want to talk about just the mission of a convention or visitors bureau or destination marketing organization. What should residents of our community know about the role of these organizations? Dave – You are the storytellers, you're the people who are out there telling the story about a place, about a people, about the many experiences you can have when you come to this place. This is the place that maybe you've never thought of before we want to make sure you know what the real place is like.
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