Podcast
Episode 055 – Beach. Culture.
Returning guest Oliver Kugler of Visit St. Pete Clearwater delivers an energetic rundown of a destination firing on all cylinders. Record bed tax collections are rolling in — January and February 2026 are in the books and March looks like th e best ever — powered by short-term rentals and hotels coming back online after the fall 2024 storms (though he notes some south-county properties are still recovering). The event calendar is a headliner: Red Bull Cliff Diving arrives at the St. Pet Pier in June (a 90 foot scaffold over a dredged Vinoy Basin), and The Ocean Race makes St. Pete Clearwater its North American stop in May 2027 — a 12-day international sailing event promising major global exposure. Oliver also unveils a new brand campaign, “Beach. Culture.” — an evolution beyond “Home to America’s Best Beaches” that leans into the destination’s cultural depth: the Dalí Museum, an incoming 2026 Michelin guide, 600+ murals, food and beverage, music, and pro sports from spring training to the Tampa Bay Rowdies. He rounds it out with the community and economic case for tourism (Pinellas County’s number-one economic driver, saving the average household roughly $1,730 a year), plus the ease of a car-free visit via the Grouper shuttle, Jolly Trolley, PSTA, and Sun Runner. SPONSORED BY: ABOUT OUR GUEST: Oliver Kugler – LinkedInCommunity Relations ManagerVisit St. Pete-Clearwater…
Read MoreEpisode 054 – From AEO to SEO
This podcast episode revolves around the ever evolving and increasing trend of sports tourism and its transformative impact on destinations, particularly in Florida. Larry and Mady delve into the art and science of capturing attention within this dynamic field with Sean Doherty, Tourism Executive Director and Sean Walter, Sales/Sports Business Development, Director, both with the…
Read MoreEpisode 053 – It’s All Connection
Recorded live at VETS 26 in New Orleans, this episode features Tiphanie Forst, Founder & CEO of Frigata Health Strategies and a Principal at Deep Water Point. With 24 years across clinical, pharmaceutical, and healthcare IT — the past 20 focused on Military Health System modernization for the DoD and VA — Tiphanie has built…
Read MoreEpisode 052 – The Case for Meaningful Travel
Kylie Diaz, VP of Community Engagement at Visit St. Pete Clearwater, brings a refreshingly mission-driven perspective to this Destination Florida conversation. She oversees the DMO’s capital funding program, its chambers, and a partner base of roughly 4,000 — and she makes a compelling case for how tourism quietly powers a community. Pinellas County collects north…
Read MoreEpisode 051 – Three Destinations, One Paradise Coast
Sandra Rios, PR and marketing manager for the Naples, Marco Island & Everglades CVB — a.k.a. Florida’s Paradise Coast — brings 25 years of hospitality experience (casinos, the Opal Collection, opening the Hard Rock guitar hotel) to a wide-ranging tour of Collier County’s three very different personalities. Naples is “unapologetically luxury”: quiet wealth, owner-owned boutiques…
Read MoreEpisode 050 – Exploring the Manatee Capital: A Deep Dive into Crystal River
Crystal River bills itself as the (copyright) Manatee Capital of the World, and marketing & content manager Nick Popham makes a strong case for why. A former TV reporter turned DMO storyteller, Nick walks host Larry Aldrich through what makes this stretch of Florida’s Nature Coast a genuine hidden gem: 72-degree spring water year-round, thousands…
Read MoreEpisode 049 – From Navy Firefighter to Cybersecurity Founder
Recorded live at VETS 26 in New Orleans, this episode features Cordell Rolle, founder of Rolle IT, a cybersecurity firm about seven years in that works primarily with the federal government and VA, plus B2B clients navigating the new CMMC regulations. Cordell’s origin story is the heart of the conversation: a Navy firefighter (damage controlman)…
Read MoreEpisode 048 – Ep 48: The Tools Changed, the Relationships Didn’t
Larry talks with Daniel Cohanpour, CEO of Trove Tourism Development Advisors, a New York agency that works exclusively with tourism boards and DMOs across marketing, research, and destination development. Daniel’s core message: the industry has changed more in the last six months than ever, and the destinations winning right now are the ones treating traveler…
Read MoreEpisode 047 – Office of Two, Audience of Thousands
Larry sits down with Brittany Kenner, marketing director for Murray, Kentucky — the self-proclaimed friendliest small town in America, home to Murray State University and a tourism office of exactly two people running the whole show. Brittany’s through-line is that a small budget and a small team aren’t a handicap so much as a forcing…
Read MoreEpisode 046 – Traveling with the VIP (Very Important Pet)
Recorded live from the Etourism Conference in Louisville, this one’s a fun reminder that the biggest travel trend of 2026 might be walking around on four legs. Coryn Briggs, Senior Director of Marketing at Traverse City Tourism, breaks down TripAdvisor’s “VIP Travel” trend — which turns out to mean Very Important Pets, not very important…
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