Destination Discourse · 2026-06-18 · 54 min
Stuart Butler and Adam Stoker welcome back Dan Holowack (CrowdRift) and Jeanette Roush (Brand USA) for a tactical deep dive into how DMOs are actually using AI day-to-day. The episode opens with a provocative Stu's News: 92% of respondents to an AI-enthusiast newsletter poll said they want more regulation - a number that surprises even the hosts. The group unpacks the growing backlash, from commencement speech boos to younger generations feeling shut out of the American dream, and why communicating purpose may matter more than promising prosperity. The conversation then shifts to practical tools. Jeanette and Dan break down voice-to-text tools like Monologue and WhisperFlow - how they outperform traditional dictation, boost speed 3 - 4x, and why building the habit is the hardest part. The group also digs into Granola and the Plod recording device: how Brand USA deployed them across their entire IPW team, creating a shared, queryable knowledge base from every meeting. Stuart shares how building Claude skills has cut his podcast publishing time nearly in half, and the group challenges DMOs to audit their workflows and identify what AI can automate today.
87: Would Your Stakeholders Fight to Keep You If You Disappeared Tomorrow? (Gary Sherwin)78 / 10088: Is Your DMO Protecting Itself Into Irrelevance? (Chris Fair)85: Are DMOs Focused on the Wrong Things at the Worst Possible Time? (Emily Zertuche)84: Can DMOs Fill the Void Left by Local Media? (Dan Gibson)83: What Is the Real Purpose of a DMO? (LIVE from DI MarCom 2026)