WEBVTT
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I'm in Montana and I had a couple meetings this morning.
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And then I had to run out and go and meet the folks from the destination that we're working with, where I'm gonna be done now.
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And then I came back and I've had a meeting every half hour on the 15 and 45.
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Oh.
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I'm sorry.
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Thank God for the note takers.
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Yeah.
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I don't know what I would do without them.
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Wendy Hazzy Roberts, president and CEO of Travel Santa.
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Travel Santa Ana is a relatively new DMO.
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I'm reaching my five-year anniversary.
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Congrats.
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Thanks.
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What has been your favorite day at work so far?
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Oh, to pick just one.
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I don't know if I could pick just one.
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I think one of my favorite things about my work is that we've brought together industry partners for collaborations and seeing those relationships blossom because we brought everyone together.
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Because there wasn't that connector before Travel Santa.
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You had the Santa Ana Business Council, but that was pay to play, and that focused on downtown.
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And you had downtown Santa Ana, which again was pay-to-play in downtown, but we're bringing those outside of downtown together and they're finding collaborations.
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And it's the zoo working with Discovery Cube and the Bowers Museum and the restaurant working with the Frida Cinema for movie date night kind of thing.
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So we played a role in bringing those relationships together.
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How did you find yourself working in a destination?
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I started my career in destination marketing back in 1999, and I stumbled on it by accident.
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I was unhappy in my job, and a friend told me that a Visit Milwaukee was hiring for a public relations manager, which was my background.
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And I blindly applied, not knowing what the DMO did.
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And I was hired, and that started my career in this industry that I now love.
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What do you love most about it?
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I think what I love most about it is the fact that while we all compete, we are also there to support, lend best practices, help one another.
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You don't find that, I don't think, in any other industry.
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Who do you look up to as a role model in the industry?
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Or who have you looked up to?
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I looked up to a few of my counterparts who also started in the PR world with me.
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Tanya from Albuquerque, Kristen, who's now to Chicago, Dano Daniels in North Shore.
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They've led their organizations and their powerful women within the industry.
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Started in public relations.
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What has been your most challenging day at work?
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I think a lot of DMOs probably have the same challenges is just getting people to understand what our role is and to appreciate our efforts.
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Sometimes I feel like the more they know, the less appreciative they are, or that you give them X and now they want Y.
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So trying to balance that.
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When you were growing up, what did you want to be as an adult?
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What did I want to be when I was growing up?
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I actually wanted to be a police officer.
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How is your job now like being a police officer?
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I'm a rule follower.
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So I think being a rule follower and having that analytical look at things helps me be a solid leader on crossing all my T's and dining over my I's, so to speak.
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I think that would be a good trait for both a police officer and the leadership role of a DMO.
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Also just being in front of the community and engaging the community and being a pro com advocate for that community.
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Can you think of a time where the data suggested something different than you might have had in mind?
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And what you've done.
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Because when we started with Travel Santa Ana almost five years ago now, there was no data for Santa Ana and no one was keeping track of any kind of visitation.
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So we started out fresh and new.
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And some of that due to little glitches here and there, whether it was the way that the map was drawn and so forth was some of the things we were trying to attract and weren't measuring up.
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One example is California, because of privacy rules, we can no longer track anything that is in regards to an LGBT association or affiliation, and one of our major attractions is in the same building as the LGBT building.
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So we can't get any data for that attraction.
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That's a challenge.
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Yeah.
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That is definitely a challenge.
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What is something that you're looking forward to?
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I'm looking forward to having, I feel like this is the year that we've been meeting my team and I have been building a foundation and then trying things to see what was working and what was not.
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We were literally uh throwing spaghetti against the wall and seeing what stuck because we had no previous experience to go on for Travel Santa.
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And now I'm looking forward to this year and next and building on what we've built and now showcasing it and doing great things.
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We're done with building the foundation.
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I think we've got an excellent foundation, we've got an excellent brand, and now building on that.
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So I'm looking forward to, I'll be approaching my five-year anniversary in the next couple months.
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And I'm looking forward to the next five years.
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Congratulations on that.
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Thank you.
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What advice would you have for your younger self?
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Listen to yourself and just be stay true to your path.
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I had a lot of diversions in my destination marketing organization career path.
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And there were times where it just felt like I wasn't going to be able to stay in this industry and I felt defeated.
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And so going back, I would just say trust the journey and know that you're on the right path.
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This is where you belong.
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How do you handle those types of situations when it just doesn't feel right?
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You learn.
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I think for me, I a lot of inner perspective, and I've learned how I fit into the challenge and the role that I played to create that challenge and how I can better myself and handle myself if a similar challenge presents itself later, and that it's sometimes not in my control.
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And the only thing I can control is my reaction, my attitude.
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So I think I'm at a good place from a maturity standpoint after all these years to know myself better than I did 20 years ago.
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And sometimes the only thing you can do is stand up and walk away from the table.
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Yeah, whether it's professional or personal, I'm very loyal to a fault.
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And I don't know who exactly I'm loyal to, but I'm loyal and I also don't give up, so I almost have to be shoved out of a situation, so to speak, whether that's a relationship ending and being brokenhearted or having a career position end very similar to being broken up with.
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You and I have that in common.
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And it sucks.
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Yep.
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I think in hindsight, I wish I would have had that ability to say, okay, you know what?
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This is a terrible situation.
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I'm seeing red flags.
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I'm gonna walk away now before it gets catastrophic.
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But instead, I'm like, I'm gonna make a difference.
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I'm different than the person before me.
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This isn't gonna happen again.
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And I still head on into the red flags, capside, got the boat backed up and took a different course.
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In olden times, I would catch the bouquet of red flags.
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It's like I'm unemployed and I'm interviewing for a job, and the job I'm interviewing for has obvious red flags, but I'm like, I need a job, I can't pass up this opportunity, so I go in seeing the red flags.
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So I need this job, I need to take it.
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But you can learn from those situations too.
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We learn from our mentors, and sometimes the mentors are the people who we don't want to be like.
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Yes.
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I think I've learned more on how to be a leader from those that have, and I use air quotes, led me before.
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Um, and then by that, how to be a good leader by having bad leaders.
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Yeah.
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So one of those foundational things that you put in place was a certified Santa Ana Enthusiast Program.
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We recognize our community uh is about 78% Hispanic, and it's a very prideful and passionate community.
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And so we started the Santa Ana Enthusiast Program, primarily as a platform for our frontline staff at hotels to better understand the destination.
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It's actually threefold.
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There's a part that explains the importance of tourism to the local economy, a segment about travel Santa Ana and how to work with us and what our efforts include, and then a segment on Santa Ana and what makes it different and special within Orange County in Southern California.
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And surprisingly, we have just over 300 participants now who've become official Santa Ana enthusiasts, and about 30% of those are residents.
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Your completion rate is relatively high.
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That's awesome.
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What's something you've learned from the people that are taking your course?
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I've learned that.
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So in reading their comments and their feedback, because we have the what can we do to make this course better?
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What would you recommend to a visitor?
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Those types of questions.
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One of the positive things I learned from their feedback about what they would recommend to visitors or what they love about Santa Ana is that our branding is on point because everything that they talk about is exactly what our branding is.
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The community, the passion, the pride.
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People have literally said that in their what they love about the destination.
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It's reinforced our branding and given us a good positive feedback on that.
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And I've taken some good feedback away from it that I've implemented or changed along the course.
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One of the suggestions was it should be in Spanish.
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And it was like, duh.
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And that's when I reached out and you can take it in Spanish.
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It just depends on your browser.
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So then I went back and I responded to that person to let them know that.
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So I've done it, I think I've done a fairly good job at reading those comments and answering questions or taking their suggestions and implementing them into the program.
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How important is it to you that you be able to make those changes when you need them?
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It's very important.
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I love the fact that I can go in and make those changes and update.
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I just did an update to all of the data for 2025 because we had our tourism economic impact report for 2025 completed just last month.
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And so I went in and changed all the tourism numbers very easily.
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And one of the things I noticed that you have in your course actually live versions of your website.
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So if somebody wants to learn about restaurants, or if you're trying to teach folks about restaurants, you're actually having them go to a real live version of your website to find the current listing of restaurants and then find something or match visitors up with that type of experience.
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Yeah, that goes back to it being originally designed for frontline staff.
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Because I'm this isn't Santa Ann exclusive, but you go into a hotel and they're focused wholly on their four walls.
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And being in Orange County, our hoteliers tend to if you were to go up to them, the majority of them would respond with Disneyland if you asked what there was to do.
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It is, and it's a wonderful attraction, but it's not necessarily for everyone, and you should probably want to engage with the hotel guests to find out what their interests are before you throw out Disneyland.
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So we wanted to make sure that our frontline hoteliers knew where to find information on travelsanta.com.
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We have an events calendar, which is one of our most popular pages on our website.
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We have a historic section that talks about the architecture.
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We have over 200 murals.
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We have a public art guide on our website.
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If you weren't in Santa Anna and you were on vacation somewhere, where would you be?
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Oh, I that's a tough one too.
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My last vacation was in London.
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My stepdaughter was getting her master's degree in London, and my husband and I went out there last November.
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And surprisingly, it was our first time ever to London.
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And we did all things touristy, but our typical vacations are adventure.
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We've climbed Kilimanjaro in Africa.
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We've done some funny Iron Man races.
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This year we bought a house, so our anywhere, we think face ship is a Home Depot.
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Yeah.
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But I think we're torn on our next destination.
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I'm thinking Poland, because I have ancestry from there, but I've always wanted to go to Greece.
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So one of those two destinations.
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I'll do them both.
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But I'd also love to just go to Ireland and drive along Ireland and go to the pubs and little towns and do all kinds of things Irish.
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My sister and I took my mom and grandmother to Ireland.
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And a few years ago.
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Great experience.
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In fact, Sarah from my office just backed from Ireland last week with her mom.
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Nice.
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Yeah, it's a great place to visit.
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I've had this tremendous opportunity to start travel Santa Ana from literally the ground up.
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Having been in this industry for several years now, decades, and being given a brand new DMO that basically just had a name and an address, and not even a brick-mortar address.
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It was just a mailing address.
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And to be given that opportunity, it's very entrepreneurial to me.
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It feels very personal.
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And I think being a small DMO, also, where there's only three of us: myself, my director of sales, Annalaura, and my content meeting manager Maria.
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And we have the smallest budget in Orange County at$1.6 million for our entire overall budget.
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And the things that we've accomplished, I'm very proud of.
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And at the same time as the president and CEO, I don't have the liberty of only wearing that hat.
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It's a blessing and a curse, but I'm also still the major marketer.
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I still do updates to the website.
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I still write press releases.
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I don't have that deep team that a team of 40 or a team of even seven.
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So it's funny when people say, Oh, I'm a small DMO, my budget's two and a half million, and we have 10 people.
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I'm like, that's that's small.
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How do you achieve that efficiency with such a small team?
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What tools do you implement?
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What resources do you draw on?
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We have to be careful because a lot of the things that our peers are doing, they do have the bigger resources, whether it's manpower or monetary.
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So if there's something we want to do, the first question is how do we do that and manage it with our assets?
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And I'm of the sound mind that I would rather do five things really well versus 10 things half baked.
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So there's some things that we just can't do.
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But we do the best we can.
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And thankfully, we work really well together.
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We all have similar tendencies, but we also have different weaknesses and different strengths that we are able to leverage and work together really well as a fine, I don't want to sound cliche, but like a fine oiled machine.
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But that's also scary too.
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If something happens to one of the pieces in the fine oil machine, we're kind of down for a little bit.
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What would be two or three characteristics of the next person you want to bring onto your team?
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They'd have to have the same work ethic.
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I think that's three of us because we don't have, we're also in a unique situation where we were formed right after COVID.
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And so meeting with my board during the hiring process, they said one of your responsibilities is to find a brick and mortar for Travel Santa Ana.
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And at that time, I didn't know exactly how big our budget was going to be.
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I had a ballpark, obviously, but I also didn't know what our team looked like.
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Do I get an office that accommodates a board of nine that meets quarterly?
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What does that look like?
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So I said, why would we spend money on overhead like that when we're just starting our funding?
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And so now five years later, we don't have a brick and mortar.
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The three of us work from home.
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And then once a week we get together and we meet at one of our hotels typically we meet at one of our hotels, which gives us great insight into the clientel.
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We get face-to-face one-on-one time with the hotel staff.
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Oftentimes they're telling us intel that they should have been sharing on a regular basis.
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Oh, we have a new banquet manager, or we're renovating that ballroom, or we're doing this.
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And so that would have been great in an email, but hey, we're finding out now.
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So I think getting a fourth person would be they would have to have that same drive where they can focus and work and get projects done without being and knowing that I'm a phone call away or email or what have you, and having that communication, because that's key.
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And then also just having the being proactive.
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What I love about my team is that they recognize that they're responsible for a lot of things and they're proactive in handling problems or handling a situation or taking care of details without having to come to me with that burden.
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And so having those two uh it's also a little scary in even thinking about hiring a fourth person just because of the dynamics and those characteristics, because we're in such a unique situation.
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It's funny, I found myself, we've now got five, and I'm like, I don't want to hire somebody because I have a job opening.
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Yeah.
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I want to hire somebody because they're the right person.
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And that's how I hired my content with community engagement manager.
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And Maria came to me about a week or so after I accepted the job and was employed by Travel Santa Ana and introduced herself.
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She had lost her communications position with a city entity as a result of COVID.
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And she was doing some social media for the Downtown Association and the Business Council.
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And I saw her throughout that course of the year, saw her at our art walk and at City Events, and her enthusiasm, her connections, her insight to the community she calls home were all so impressive to me that when I was looking to hire, I met with her and said, here's a job description based off of the strengths I believe you have and what I need.
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It's yours if you want it.
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And this was Marge, and I'm like, but I can't hire you till June.
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So it's yours if you want it.
00:21:58.869 --> 00:22:07.509
And I brought Anna Laura over from my previous DMO because I knew her work ethic and trusted her and worked well with her as director of sales.
00:22:07.829 --> 00:22:09.509
Yeah, very similar over here.
00:22:09.829 --> 00:22:13.190
What makes Santa Anna so different than the rest of Orange County?
00:22:13.430 --> 00:22:23.029
So I think a lot of people look at Orange County and they know Anaheim because of Disney and they know the beaches, which are all fantastic.
00:22:23.269 --> 00:22:30.629
I encourage those who are coming to Orange County to get out and explore Santa Ana because it really is very different.
00:22:30.789 --> 00:22:33.829
It's very ethnically diverse and culturally rich.
00:22:33.990 --> 00:22:35.670
We have over 200 murals.
00:22:35.829 --> 00:22:37.349
We have a monthly art walk.
00:22:37.589 --> 00:22:42.549
Our art focuses on artists of color and LGBT artists.
00:22:42.710 --> 00:22:51.349
We have a monthly art walk that it opens all the galleries free to the public, and there's vendors and performers, and it runs several city blocks.
00:22:51.670 --> 00:22:59.190
We have a lot of free cultural festivals throughout the year, whether it's Dio de los Muertos or Fiesta Patrias.
00:22:59.909 --> 00:23:06.149
You feel uh a community, sense of community and pride the minute you enter Santa Ana.
00:23:06.549 --> 00:23:10.069
If folks want to plan a trip to Santa Ana, where should they start?
00:23:10.389 --> 00:23:14.309
John Wayne Airport addresses Santa Ana.
00:23:14.710 --> 00:23:21.109
So you get out of John Wayne Airport and it's pretty much within two miles of the majority of Santa Ana airports.
00:23:21.509 --> 00:23:22.549
Fantastic.
00:23:22.710 --> 00:23:24.230
Anything you'd like to ask me?
00:23:24.470 --> 00:23:26.069
Where would you go on a vacation?
00:23:26.389 --> 00:23:28.950
I've been on a vacation for four and a half years.
00:23:29.349 --> 00:23:30.789
Oh no.
00:23:31.109 --> 00:23:34.470
Is that the if you love what you do, you never work a day in your life?
00:23:34.869 --> 00:23:36.069
It's one of those situations.
00:23:36.230 --> 00:23:37.190
You love to learn.
00:23:37.750 --> 00:23:46.230
Whenever I see something that's interesting, I put a pin in my map and I just play a big game of connected dots, and I learn about all of the things as I go along throughout the way.
00:23:46.309 --> 00:23:53.430
So that is my ideal vacation, is something that gives me a chance to learn, or it's a completely isolated retreat.
00:23:54.230 --> 00:24:06.230
Put me somewhere whether it's in the desert or it's by the beach or it's in the mountains where I can just disconnect and not have to do anything.
00:24:07.269 --> 00:24:09.829
And that that's a nice peaceful space for me.
00:24:10.309 --> 00:24:11.909
If they've got it would even better.
00:24:13.430 --> 00:24:14.149
Thank you for joining me.
00:24:14.230 --> 00:24:17.349
I really appreciate you, and I hope you have a delightful afternoon.
00:24:17.829 --> 00:24:18.549
You too, Stephen.
00:24:18.629 --> 00:24:19.670
I appreciate the opportunity.
00:24:19.829 --> 00:24:21.190
Thanks for letting me chat with you.
00:00:29.100 --> 00:00:32.859
I'm in Montana and I had a couple meetings this morning.
00:00:33.179 --> 00:00:39.500
And then I had to run out and go and meet the folks from the destination that we're working with, where I'm gonna be done now.
00:00:40.620 --> 00:00:47.420
And then I came back and I've had a meeting every half hour on the 15 and 45.
00:00:48.219 --> 00:00:48.540
Oh.
00:00:49.500 --> 00:00:50.460
I'm sorry.
00:00:50.780 --> 00:00:52.939
Thank God for the note takers.
00:00:53.340 --> 00:00:53.980
Yeah.
00:00:54.380 --> 00:00:55.500
I don't know what I would do without them.
00:00:55.900 --> 00:00:59.740
Wendy Hazzy Roberts, president and CEO of Travel Santa.
00:01:00.380 --> 00:01:03.500
Travel Santa Ana is a relatively new DMO.
00:01:03.740 --> 00:01:06.060
I'm reaching my five-year anniversary.
00:01:06.859 --> 00:01:07.740
Congrats.
00:01:07.980 --> 00:01:08.780
Thanks.
00:01:09.180 --> 00:01:11.420
What has been your favorite day at work so far?
00:01:11.740 --> 00:01:13.819
Oh, to pick just one.
00:01:14.939 --> 00:01:16.859
I don't know if I could pick just one.
00:01:17.020 --> 00:01:30.780
I think one of my favorite things about my work is that we've brought together industry partners for collaborations and seeing those relationships blossom because we brought everyone together.
00:01:31.099 --> 00:01:34.539
Because there wasn't that connector before Travel Santa.
00:01:35.099 --> 00:01:41.259
You had the Santa Ana Business Council, but that was pay to play, and that focused on downtown.
00:01:41.419 --> 00:01:53.580
And you had downtown Santa Ana, which again was pay-to-play in downtown, but we're bringing those outside of downtown together and they're finding collaborations.
00:01:53.740 --> 00:02:04.140
And it's the zoo working with Discovery Cube and the Bowers Museum and the restaurant working with the Frida Cinema for movie date night kind of thing.
00:02:04.379 --> 00:02:07.580
So we played a role in bringing those relationships together.
00:02:07.819 --> 00:02:10.699
How did you find yourself working in a destination?
00:02:11.419 --> 00:02:18.219
I started my career in destination marketing back in 1999, and I stumbled on it by accident.
00:02:18.379 --> 00:02:27.020
I was unhappy in my job, and a friend told me that a Visit Milwaukee was hiring for a public relations manager, which was my background.
00:02:27.259 --> 00:02:31.580
And I blindly applied, not knowing what the DMO did.
00:02:32.060 --> 00:02:36.699
And I was hired, and that started my career in this industry that I now love.
00:02:37.419 --> 00:02:39.019
What do you love most about it?
00:02:39.259 --> 00:02:51.340
I think what I love most about it is the fact that while we all compete, we are also there to support, lend best practices, help one another.
00:02:51.819 --> 00:02:54.859
You don't find that, I don't think, in any other industry.
00:02:55.259 --> 00:02:59.659
Who do you look up to as a role model in the industry?
00:02:59.739 --> 00:03:01.500
Or who have you looked up to?
00:03:02.060 --> 00:03:09.099
I looked up to a few of my counterparts who also started in the PR world with me.
00:03:09.579 --> 00:03:17.019
Tanya from Albuquerque, Kristen, who's now to Chicago, Dano Daniels in North Shore.
00:03:17.500 --> 00:03:23.900
They've led their organizations and their powerful women within the industry.
00:03:24.699 --> 00:03:26.299
Started in public relations.
00:03:26.620 --> 00:03:28.939
What has been your most challenging day at work?
00:03:29.259 --> 00:03:39.900
I think a lot of DMOs probably have the same challenges is just getting people to understand what our role is and to appreciate our efforts.
00:03:40.139 --> 00:03:49.099
Sometimes I feel like the more they know, the less appreciative they are, or that you give them X and now they want Y.
00:03:49.739 --> 00:03:51.819
So trying to balance that.
00:03:52.460 --> 00:03:56.219
When you were growing up, what did you want to be as an adult?
00:03:56.539 --> 00:03:58.299
What did I want to be when I was growing up?
00:03:58.379 --> 00:04:00.219
I actually wanted to be a police officer.
00:04:00.539 --> 00:04:03.500
How is your job now like being a police officer?
00:04:03.979 --> 00:04:05.579
I'm a rule follower.
00:04:05.819 --> 00:04:20.060
So I think being a rule follower and having that analytical look at things helps me be a solid leader on crossing all my T's and dining over my I's, so to speak.
00:04:20.300 --> 00:04:25.340
I think that would be a good trait for both a police officer and the leadership role of a DMO.
00:04:25.740 --> 00:04:33.819
Also just being in front of the community and engaging the community and being a pro com advocate for that community.
00:04:34.139 --> 00:04:42.220
Can you think of a time where the data suggested something different than you might have had in mind?
00:04:42.379 --> 00:04:43.100
And what you've done.
00:04:47.420 --> 00:04:56.540
Because when we started with Travel Santa Ana almost five years ago now, there was no data for Santa Ana and no one was keeping track of any kind of visitation.
00:04:56.939 --> 00:04:59.340
So we started out fresh and new.
00:04:59.500 --> 00:05:12.780
And some of that due to little glitches here and there, whether it was the way that the map was drawn and so forth was some of the things we were trying to attract and weren't measuring up.
00:05:13.100 --> 00:05:32.620
One example is California, because of privacy rules, we can no longer track anything that is in regards to an LGBT association or affiliation, and one of our major attractions is in the same building as the LGBT building.
00:05:32.860 --> 00:05:35.740
So we can't get any data for that attraction.
00:05:36.060 --> 00:05:37.260
That's a challenge.
00:05:37.500 --> 00:05:38.140
Yeah.
00:05:38.540 --> 00:05:39.980
That is definitely a challenge.
00:05:40.300 --> 00:05:42.460
What is something that you're looking forward to?
00:05:42.780 --> 00:05:58.939
I'm looking forward to having, I feel like this is the year that we've been meeting my team and I have been building a foundation and then trying things to see what was working and what was not.
00:05:59.100 --> 00:06:07.420
We were literally uh throwing spaghetti against the wall and seeing what stuck because we had no previous experience to go on for Travel Santa.
00:06:08.140 --> 00:06:16.300
And now I'm looking forward to this year and next and building on what we've built and now showcasing it and doing great things.
00:06:16.540 --> 00:06:18.220
We're done with building the foundation.
00:06:18.300 --> 00:06:23.340
I think we've got an excellent foundation, we've got an excellent brand, and now building on that.
00:06:23.420 --> 00:06:28.460
So I'm looking forward to, I'll be approaching my five-year anniversary in the next couple months.
00:06:28.540 --> 00:06:30.780
And I'm looking forward to the next five years.
00:06:31.100 --> 00:06:32.379
Congratulations on that.
00:06:32.540 --> 00:06:33.180
Thank you.
00:06:33.420 --> 00:06:36.140
What advice would you have for your younger self?
00:06:36.460 --> 00:06:40.860
Listen to yourself and just be stay true to your path.
00:06:41.020 --> 00:06:46.860
I had a lot of diversions in my destination marketing organization career path.
00:06:47.180 --> 00:06:54.379
And there were times where it just felt like I wasn't going to be able to stay in this industry and I felt defeated.
00:06:54.620 --> 00:06:59.900
And so going back, I would just say trust the journey and know that you're on the right path.
00:07:00.060 --> 00:07:01.100
This is where you belong.
00:07:01.420 --> 00:07:05.420
How do you handle those types of situations when it just doesn't feel right?
00:07:05.660 --> 00:07:06.220
You learn.
00:07:07.340 --> 00:07:28.220
I think for me, I a lot of inner perspective, and I've learned how I fit into the challenge and the role that I played to create that challenge and how I can better myself and handle myself if a similar challenge presents itself later, and that it's sometimes not in my control.
00:07:28.300 --> 00:07:33.740
And the only thing I can control is my reaction, my attitude.
00:07:34.460 --> 00:07:46.220
So I think I'm at a good place from a maturity standpoint after all these years to know myself better than I did 20 years ago.
00:07:48.060 --> 00:07:51.900
And sometimes the only thing you can do is stand up and walk away from the table.
00:07:52.460 --> 00:08:00.060
Yeah, whether it's professional or personal, I'm very loyal to a fault.
00:08:00.300 --> 00:08:25.660
And I don't know who exactly I'm loyal to, but I'm loyal and I also don't give up, so I almost have to be shoved out of a situation, so to speak, whether that's a relationship ending and being brokenhearted or having a career position end very similar to being broken up with.
00:08:26.300 --> 00:08:27.660
You and I have that in common.
00:08:28.060 --> 00:08:28.780
And it sucks.
00:08:29.660 --> 00:08:29.900
Yep.
00:08:30.140 --> 00:08:36.779
I think in hindsight, I wish I would have had that ability to say, okay, you know what?
00:08:36.939 --> 00:08:38.379
This is a terrible situation.
00:08:38.460 --> 00:08:40.539
I'm seeing red flags.
00:08:40.860 --> 00:08:45.740
I'm gonna walk away now before it gets catastrophic.
00:08:46.059 --> 00:08:48.779
But instead, I'm like, I'm gonna make a difference.
00:08:48.939 --> 00:08:51.019
I'm different than the person before me.
00:08:51.259 --> 00:08:52.939
This isn't gonna happen again.
00:08:53.100 --> 00:09:01.340
And I still head on into the red flags, capside, got the boat backed up and took a different course.
00:09:01.740 --> 00:09:04.860
In olden times, I would catch the bouquet of red flags.
00:09:05.259 --> 00:09:18.460
It's like I'm unemployed and I'm interviewing for a job, and the job I'm interviewing for has obvious red flags, but I'm like, I need a job, I can't pass up this opportunity, so I go in seeing the red flags.
00:09:18.940 --> 00:09:21.740
So I need this job, I need to take it.
00:09:22.060 --> 00:09:24.139
But you can learn from those situations too.
00:09:24.300 --> 00:09:31.100
We learn from our mentors, and sometimes the mentors are the people who we don't want to be like.
00:09:31.580 --> 00:09:32.220
Yes.
00:09:32.620 --> 00:09:45.659
I think I've learned more on how to be a leader from those that have, and I use air quotes, led me before.
00:09:45.820 --> 00:09:49.740
Um, and then by that, how to be a good leader by having bad leaders.
00:09:49.980 --> 00:09:50.300
Yeah.
00:09:50.779 --> 00:09:55.580
So one of those foundational things that you put in place was a certified Santa Ana Enthusiast Program.
00:09:56.139 --> 00:10:05.500
We recognize our community uh is about 78% Hispanic, and it's a very prideful and passionate community.
00:10:05.740 --> 00:10:17.980
And so we started the Santa Ana Enthusiast Program, primarily as a platform for our frontline staff at hotels to better understand the destination.
00:10:18.220 --> 00:10:19.420
It's actually threefold.
00:10:19.500 --> 00:10:38.220
There's a part that explains the importance of tourism to the local economy, a segment about travel Santa Ana and how to work with us and what our efforts include, and then a segment on Santa Ana and what makes it different and special within Orange County in Southern California.
00:10:38.540 --> 00:10:49.580
And surprisingly, we have just over 300 participants now who've become official Santa Ana enthusiasts, and about 30% of those are residents.
00:10:49.899 --> 00:10:51.740
Your completion rate is relatively high.
00:10:52.139 --> 00:10:52.940
That's awesome.
00:10:53.259 --> 00:10:56.620
What's something you've learned from the people that are taking your course?
00:10:57.180 --> 00:10:58.540
I've learned that.
00:10:58.779 --> 00:11:05.019
So in reading their comments and their feedback, because we have the what can we do to make this course better?
00:11:05.259 --> 00:11:07.420
What would you recommend to a visitor?
00:11:07.740 --> 00:11:09.019
Those types of questions.
00:11:09.259 --> 00:11:22.940
One of the positive things I learned from their feedback about what they would recommend to visitors or what they love about Santa Ana is that our branding is on point because everything that they talk about is exactly what our branding is.
00:11:23.500 --> 00:11:25.980
The community, the passion, the pride.
00:11:26.220 --> 00:11:31.180
People have literally said that in their what they love about the destination.
00:11:31.500 --> 00:11:38.779
It's reinforced our branding and given us a good positive feedback on that.
00:11:39.100 --> 00:11:45.740
And I've taken some good feedback away from it that I've implemented or changed along the course.
00:11:45.899 --> 00:11:48.460
One of the suggestions was it should be in Spanish.
00:11:48.540 --> 00:11:49.580
And it was like, duh.
00:11:49.820 --> 00:11:52.540
And that's when I reached out and you can take it in Spanish.
00:11:52.620 --> 00:11:55.500
It just depends on your browser.
00:11:55.820 --> 00:11:59.500
So then I went back and I responded to that person to let them know that.
00:11:59.820 --> 00:12:09.580
So I've done it, I think I've done a fairly good job at reading those comments and answering questions or taking their suggestions and implementing them into the program.
00:12:10.620 --> 00:12:15.100
How important is it to you that you be able to make those changes when you need them?
00:12:15.740 --> 00:12:16.940
It's very important.
00:12:17.100 --> 00:12:21.580
I love the fact that I can go in and make those changes and update.
00:12:21.659 --> 00:12:31.580
I just did an update to all of the data for 2025 because we had our tourism economic impact report for 2025 completed just last month.
00:12:31.740 --> 00:12:36.300
And so I went in and changed all the tourism numbers very easily.
00:12:36.940 --> 00:12:42.060
And one of the things I noticed that you have in your course actually live versions of your website.
00:12:42.620 --> 00:12:57.500
So if somebody wants to learn about restaurants, or if you're trying to teach folks about restaurants, you're actually having them go to a real live version of your website to find the current listing of restaurants and then find something or match visitors up with that type of experience.
00:12:57.820 --> 00:13:02.700
Yeah, that goes back to it being originally designed for frontline staff.
00:13:02.940 --> 00:13:09.899
Because I'm this isn't Santa Ann exclusive, but you go into a hotel and they're focused wholly on their four walls.
00:13:09.980 --> 00:13:19.659
And being in Orange County, our hoteliers tend to if you were to go up to them, the majority of them would respond with Disneyland if you asked what there was to do.
00:13:20.620 --> 00:13:32.700
It is, and it's a wonderful attraction, but it's not necessarily for everyone, and you should probably want to engage with the hotel guests to find out what their interests are before you throw out Disneyland.
00:13:32.940 --> 00:13:40.860
So we wanted to make sure that our frontline hoteliers knew where to find information on travelsanta.com.
00:13:41.180 --> 00:13:46.220
We have an events calendar, which is one of our most popular pages on our website.
00:13:46.540 --> 00:13:50.540
We have a historic section that talks about the architecture.
00:13:50.700 --> 00:13:52.300
We have over 200 murals.
00:13:52.379 --> 00:13:54.540
We have a public art guide on our website.
00:13:55.019 --> 00:14:01.980
If you weren't in Santa Anna and you were on vacation somewhere, where would you be?
00:14:02.300 --> 00:14:04.300
Oh, I that's a tough one too.
00:14:04.460 --> 00:14:06.779
My last vacation was in London.
00:14:07.100 --> 00:14:12.620
My stepdaughter was getting her master's degree in London, and my husband and I went out there last November.
00:14:12.700 --> 00:14:15.899
And surprisingly, it was our first time ever to London.
00:14:16.220 --> 00:14:22.540
And we did all things touristy, but our typical vacations are adventure.
00:14:22.779 --> 00:14:26.060
We've climbed Kilimanjaro in Africa.
00:14:26.300 --> 00:14:29.500
We've done some funny Iron Man races.
00:14:29.820 --> 00:15:15.829
This year we bought a house, so our anywhere, we think face ship is a Home Depot.
00:15:15.990 --> 00:15:16.390
Yeah.
00:15:16.870 --> 00:15:19.509
But I think we're torn on our next destination.
00:15:19.670 --> 00:15:26.549
I'm thinking Poland, because I have ancestry from there, but I've always wanted to go to Greece.
00:15:26.950 --> 00:15:30.710
So one of those two destinations.
00:15:31.110 --> 00:15:32.150
I'll do them both.
00:15:32.390 --> 00:15:42.870
But I'd also love to just go to Ireland and drive along Ireland and go to the pubs and little towns and do all kinds of things Irish.
00:15:43.910 --> 00:15:46.950
My sister and I took my mom and grandmother to Ireland.
00:15:47.190 --> 00:15:48.789
And a few years ago.
00:15:49.190 --> 00:15:49.829
Great experience.
00:15:49.990 --> 00:15:54.630
In fact, Sarah from my office just backed from Ireland last week with her mom.
00:15:54.950 --> 00:15:55.509
Nice.
00:15:55.829 --> 00:15:57.349
Yeah, it's a great place to visit.
00:15:57.750 --> 00:16:03.589
I've had this tremendous opportunity to start travel Santa Ana from literally the ground up.
00:16:03.829 --> 00:16:17.509
Having been in this industry for several years now, decades, and being given a brand new DMO that basically just had a name and an address, and not even a brick-mortar address.
00:16:17.589 --> 00:16:19.029
It was just a mailing address.
00:16:19.190 --> 00:16:24.069
And to be given that opportunity, it's very entrepreneurial to me.
00:16:24.470 --> 00:16:26.309
It feels very personal.
00:16:27.110 --> 00:16:38.630
And I think being a small DMO, also, where there's only three of us: myself, my director of sales, Annalaura, and my content meeting manager Maria.
00:16:38.870 --> 00:16:45.269
And we have the smallest budget in Orange County at$1.6 million for our entire overall budget.
00:16:45.430 --> 00:16:48.950
And the things that we've accomplished, I'm very proud of.
00:16:49.190 --> 00:16:57.349
And at the same time as the president and CEO, I don't have the liberty of only wearing that hat.
00:16:57.589 --> 00:17:02.309
It's a blessing and a curse, but I'm also still the major marketer.
00:17:02.630 --> 00:17:04.789
I still do updates to the website.
00:17:05.190 --> 00:17:07.269
I still write press releases.
00:17:07.589 --> 00:17:14.390
I don't have that deep team that a team of 40 or a team of even seven.
00:17:14.870 --> 00:17:19.589
So it's funny when people say, Oh, I'm a small DMO, my budget's two and a half million, and we have 10 people.
00:17:19.670 --> 00:17:21.110
I'm like, that's that's small.
00:17:22.710 --> 00:17:27.029
How do you achieve that efficiency with such a small team?
00:17:27.190 --> 00:17:28.470
What tools do you implement?
00:17:28.630 --> 00:17:30.470
What resources do you draw on?
00:17:30.789 --> 00:17:41.269
We have to be careful because a lot of the things that our peers are doing, they do have the bigger resources, whether it's manpower or monetary.
00:17:41.509 --> 00:17:49.110
So if there's something we want to do, the first question is how do we do that and manage it with our assets?
00:17:49.509 --> 00:17:58.549
And I'm of the sound mind that I would rather do five things really well versus 10 things half baked.
00:17:59.430 --> 00:18:02.230
So there's some things that we just can't do.
00:18:02.630 --> 00:18:04.390
But we do the best we can.
00:18:04.630 --> 00:18:07.750
And thankfully, we work really well together.
00:18:07.910 --> 00:18:22.309
We all have similar tendencies, but we also have different weaknesses and different strengths that we are able to leverage and work together really well as a fine, I don't want to sound cliche, but like a fine oiled machine.
00:18:22.710 --> 00:18:24.230
But that's also scary too.
00:18:24.470 --> 00:18:31.349
If something happens to one of the pieces in the fine oil machine, we're kind of down for a little bit.
00:18:32.149 --> 00:18:37.269
What would be two or three characteristics of the next person you want to bring onto your team?
00:18:37.509 --> 00:18:40.789
They'd have to have the same work ethic.
00:18:40.869 --> 00:18:48.470
I think that's three of us because we don't have, we're also in a unique situation where we were formed right after COVID.
00:18:48.710 --> 00:18:57.829
And so meeting with my board during the hiring process, they said one of your responsibilities is to find a brick and mortar for Travel Santa Ana.
00:18:57.990 --> 00:19:01.509
And at that time, I didn't know exactly how big our budget was going to be.
00:19:01.589 --> 00:19:05.589
I had a ballpark, obviously, but I also didn't know what our team looked like.
00:19:05.829 --> 00:19:11.349
Do I get an office that accommodates a board of nine that meets quarterly?
00:19:11.670 --> 00:19:12.389
What does that look like?
00:19:12.549 --> 00:19:17.750
So I said, why would we spend money on overhead like that when we're just starting our funding?
00:19:17.909 --> 00:19:21.269
And so now five years later, we don't have a brick and mortar.
00:19:21.430 --> 00:19:23.190
The three of us work from home.
00:19:23.430 --> 00:19:33.349
And then once a week we get together and we meet at one of our hotels typically we meet at one of our hotels, which gives us great insight into the clientel.
00:19:33.670 --> 00:19:37.829
We get face-to-face one-on-one time with the hotel staff.
00:19:38.069 --> 00:19:42.470
Oftentimes they're telling us intel that they should have been sharing on a regular basis.
00:19:42.629 --> 00:19:47.430
Oh, we have a new banquet manager, or we're renovating that ballroom, or we're doing this.
00:19:47.589 --> 00:19:51.029
And so that would have been great in an email, but hey, we're finding out now.
00:19:51.589 --> 00:20:11.750
So I think getting a fourth person would be they would have to have that same drive where they can focus and work and get projects done without being and knowing that I'm a phone call away or email or what have you, and having that communication, because that's key.
00:20:11.990 --> 00:20:16.629
And then also just having the being proactive.
00:20:16.789 --> 00:20:35.750
What I love about my team is that they recognize that they're responsible for a lot of things and they're proactive in handling problems or handling a situation or taking care of details without having to come to me with that burden.
00:20:36.069 --> 00:20:46.950
And so having those two uh it's also a little scary in even thinking about hiring a fourth person just because of the dynamics and those characteristics, because we're in such a unique situation.
00:20:47.509 --> 00:20:55.190
It's funny, I found myself, we've now got five, and I'm like, I don't want to hire somebody because I have a job opening.
00:20:55.430 --> 00:20:55.829
Yeah.
00:20:56.069 --> 00:20:59.909
I want to hire somebody because they're the right person.
00:21:00.389 --> 00:21:03.909
And that's how I hired my content with community engagement manager.
00:21:04.069 --> 00:21:11.750
And Maria came to me about a week or so after I accepted the job and was employed by Travel Santa Ana and introduced herself.
00:21:11.990 --> 00:21:17.909
She had lost her communications position with a city entity as a result of COVID.
00:21:18.069 --> 00:21:23.829
And she was doing some social media for the Downtown Association and the Business Council.
00:21:24.149 --> 00:21:50.629
And I saw her throughout that course of the year, saw her at our art walk and at City Events, and her enthusiasm, her connections, her insight to the community she calls home were all so impressive to me that when I was looking to hire, I met with her and said, here's a job description based off of the strengths I believe you have and what I need.
00:21:50.869 --> 00:21:53.029
It's yours if you want it.
00:21:53.190 --> 00:21:56.549
And this was Marge, and I'm like, but I can't hire you till June.
00:21:56.869 --> 00:21:58.789
So it's yours if you want it.
00:21:58.869 --> 00:22:07.509
And I brought Anna Laura over from my previous DMO because I knew her work ethic and trusted her and worked well with her as director of sales.
00:22:07.829 --> 00:22:09.509
Yeah, very similar over here.
00:22:09.829 --> 00:22:13.190
What makes Santa Anna so different than the rest of Orange County?
00:22:13.430 --> 00:22:23.029
So I think a lot of people look at Orange County and they know Anaheim because of Disney and they know the beaches, which are all fantastic.
00:22:23.269 --> 00:22:30.629
I encourage those who are coming to Orange County to get out and explore Santa Ana because it really is very different.
00:22:30.789 --> 00:22:33.829
It's very ethnically diverse and culturally rich.
00:22:33.990 --> 00:22:35.670
We have over 200 murals.
00:22:35.829 --> 00:22:37.349
We have a monthly art walk.
00:22:37.589 --> 00:22:42.549
Our art focuses on artists of color and LGBT artists.
00:22:42.710 --> 00:22:51.349
We have a monthly art walk that it opens all the galleries free to the public, and there's vendors and performers, and it runs several city blocks.
00:22:51.670 --> 00:22:59.190
We have a lot of free cultural festivals throughout the year, whether it's Dio de los Muertos or Fiesta Patrias.
00:22:59.909 --> 00:23:06.149
You feel uh a community, sense of community and pride the minute you enter Santa Ana.
00:23:06.549 --> 00:23:10.069
If folks want to plan a trip to Santa Ana, where should they start?
00:23:10.389 --> 00:23:14.309
John Wayne Airport addresses Santa Ana.
00:23:14.710 --> 00:23:21.109
So you get out of John Wayne Airport and it's pretty much within two miles of the majority of Santa Ana airports.
00:23:21.509 --> 00:23:22.549
Fantastic.
00:23:22.710 --> 00:23:24.230
Anything you'd like to ask me?
00:23:24.470 --> 00:23:26.069
Where would you go on a vacation?
00:23:26.389 --> 00:23:28.950
I've been on a vacation for four and a half years.
00:23:29.349 --> 00:23:30.789
Oh no.
00:23:31.109 --> 00:23:34.470
Is that the if you love what you do, you never work a day in your life?
00:23:34.869 --> 00:23:36.069
It's one of those situations.
00:23:36.230 --> 00:23:37.190
You love to learn.
00:23:37.750 --> 00:23:46.230
Whenever I see something that's interesting, I put a pin in my map and I just play a big game of connected dots, and I learn about all of the things as I go along throughout the way.
00:23:46.309 --> 00:23:53.430
So that is my ideal vacation, is something that gives me a chance to learn, or it's a completely isolated retreat.
00:23:54.230 --> 00:24:06.230
Put me somewhere whether it's in the desert or it's by the beach or it's in the mountains where I can just disconnect and not have to do anything.
00:24:07.269 --> 00:24:09.829
And that that's a nice peaceful space for me.
00:24:10.309 --> 00:24:11.909
If they've got it would even better.
00:24:13.430 --> 00:24:14.149
Thank you for joining me.
00:24:14.230 --> 00:24:17.349
I really appreciate you, and I hope you have a delightful afternoon.
00:24:17.829 --> 00:24:18.549
You too, Stephen.
00:24:18.629 --> 00:24:19.670
I appreciate the opportunity.
00:24:19.829 --> 00:24:21.190
Thanks for letting me chat with you.
