Destination Marketing Podcast · 2026-07-21 · 47 min
Adam sits down with Lance Fite, VP of Sports at Visit Mesa, to unpack how sports tourism became Mesa's biggest tourism driver, booking 60,000 - 80,000 room nights a year. Lance shares his path from pro basketball to DMO leadership, the story behind Arizona Athletic Grounds (a 280-acre sports complex years in the making), and why youth sports keep the lights on between marquee events. Adam opens with a monologue on why DMOs are hiring for the wrong things in the AI era.
450: DMO Hiring is Broken with Collin Norman75 / 100443: The Hidden Engine Behind Virginia's Tourism Growth with Katie Conner57 / 100
449: The Future of Agency/Client Relationships in Destination Marketing448: Travel Nevada's Keelie Cox on Turning Alex Honnold Into a Content Powerhouse447: Experience Ruston's New CEO Reveals the 3-Word Framework Every DMO Needs with Tori Davis