VISIT COLUMBUS

01

Be the resource for smoother navigation.

When “ease of getting around” - a key metric for visitor satisfaction - trended down, Columbus’s 12 EDD sector leaders were able to take action. Armed with data from 81,000+ visitor and stakeholder surveys, the EDD framework for continuous improvement enabled a swift response.

The industry needed it. The Experience Institute built it.

Co-founded by industry veteran, Mickey Schaefer, The Experience Institute® (TEI) has devoted 2,000 hours of primary research to define and validate consumer-driven standards. We have developed a set of tools and products that give destinations consistency in assessing visitor satisfaction. And, a structyre that aligns stakeholders to a ‘shared product’ that can be strengthened together. Through TEI, destinations, their civic leaders, and stakeholders have an objective way to fuel their visitor economy — Competitive Positioning, Visitor Satisfaction, and Visitor Growth.

Savvy destinations use TEI to strengthen their brand experience.

DESTINATION CLEVELAND

02

Be a new model for destination leadership.

With increasing goals for expanded visitor growth, destination Cleveland expanded their role from DMO to DMMO - with a new emphasis on destination management - to integrate travel and tourism into the broader community. 

OPTIMIZE

The Visitor Experience

Today’s consumer is King. Do you really understand what visitors want? Do you have the means to work with community stakeholders towards improving and delivering better experiences? Now you can.

The Pulse of Visitors

Destination Scorecard

Stakeholder Alignment

 
UNDERSTAND

Your Visitor Segments

Beyond social media, we have the tools to capture what visitors - Leisure Travelers, Business Travelers and Attendees - are saying about your destination. Do you want to know what they have to say?

Actionable Data

Real Learning

Repeat & Compare

 
DELIVER

Better Experiences

Be clear, be confident, and don’t overthink it. The beauty of your story is that it’s going to continue to evolve and your site can evolve with it. Your goal should be to make it feel right for right now.

Product Infrastructure

People Infrastructure

Tourist’s Reception

SONOMA COUNTY

03

Be empowered to align an entire county.

Sonoma County has a wonderful mix of businesses of all sizes – from large wineries to small ‘mom and pops’ – that stretch across a wide geographic area, from Pacific Coast redwoods to inland wineries. Even with such riches, stakeholders were not closely aligned regarding their collective purpose or focus until the cta program got them all on the same page.

Experience Dedicated.

You’ve done the self-assessment, strategic planning, and updated your branding efforts. Now it’s time to take action on things that matter to visitors. And, create a pathway to repeat visits and referrals. What’s next? It’s EDD.

Our Experience Dedicated® Destination (EDD – We are Ed) program is gaining traction among destination organizations looking to engage and activate their stakeholder communities. Columbus has parlayed EDD into award-winning visitor experience ratings; check out the video they produced for their fourth year EDD celebration attended by over 200 stakeholders. Silos have disappeared and they’re coming on strong.

DISCOVER ALBANY

04

Be a path to better visitor encounters.

With the opening of a new convention center, tourism leaders in Albany, NY were bracing for a surge in visitors. Yet area stakeholders (DMO, hoteliers, attractions, restaurants) couldn’t find time to develop training in-house or didn’t want to pay to attend off-site classes. And, when the state-level collaboration never materialized, A2D was the answer.

DECISION TO ATTEND STUDY

The sale isn't made when the convention is booked. The sale is made when the convention leaves.

Likely to recommend destination if experience is positive.

Likely to return to destination for leisure if experience is positive.

Gen X and Gen Y millennials having a high propensity to attend.

Get 'out & about' while forming opinions on destination experience.

The latest from The Experience Institute. Understanding Attendees.

Decision to Attend Study: Full Report with Executive Summary

Get valuable insight from over 8,900 prospective and current attendees — from Millennials to Boomers.

Maximize Attendance Toolkit

Get all the tools you need to maximize attendance.

Behavior Profile Template

A tool that fuels dialogue between CVBs and Meeting/Expo Professionals to develop marketing strategies together!

Experience Dedicated Destinations

  • "We see TEI's Experience Dedicated Destination (EDD) program as a great way for destinations to engage and activate their stakeholder communities. Engaged communities and ongoing visitor research drive strong destination brands and, thus, destination organization relevancy."

    Don Welsh, President & CEO Destinations International

  • "Our community is excited about having a trend-line measure of total service and eventual comparison to our competitive set."

    Brian Ross, CTA, CEO, Experience Columbus

  • "The CTA program aligned the community to our goal of exceeding visitors' expectations. It unifies the community.

    Jay Burress, CTA, CEO, Visit Anaheim

  • " Data like this is very useful when we consider returning to a destination — particularly when it’s our first time in the city ..."

    Lisa L. Dyson, Director of Conference Services, TESOL

Want to know more about The Experience Institute?

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