Collaboration Over Competition: A "Staff-Swap" Between DMOs

In December of 2025, Visit Colorado Springs and Visit Mesa collaborated by undergoing a “staff-swap” to promote a new nonstop Allegiant Airlines flight between the cities’ airports. This meant that instead of paying influencers to visit each destination, each organization’s content experts did the traveling. Visit Mesa’s Content Marketing Manager, Cameron Malloy, created content during a Colorado Springs visit, followed by Visit Colorado Springs’ Content Specialist, Kate Hertz, visiting Mesa the next week. The two DMOs then used the video content to promote social media giveaways to each of the destinations.  

What inspired you to collaborate with each other?  

The addition of the Allegiant route between our destinations was the catalyst that brought our destinations together to collaborate. Our teams met to brainstorm ways we could leverage each other's audiences to promote the new flight. The more we talked, the more we realized our destinations had in common: appeal to outdoor adventurers, emphasis on accessible travel, a flourishing craft beer scene and more.  

What were you hoping for when you originally planned this collaboration?

Initially, our idea for a collaboration started as a plan to split the cost of an influencer visit between our two DMOs. The content creator would take the flight and highlight each of our destinations in one trip.  

Our staff-swap idea started as a joke during one of these brainstorming meetings - the more we learned about each other's destinations the more we wanted to visit for ourselves.  However, the idea started to make sense. This was during Q4, so media budgets were tight. Trading staff members allowed us more flexibility and control over the content and with a lower price tag.

Why collaborate with another DMO?

Collaborating with another DMO allows destinations to grow together instead of competing for attention. By pooling our audiences, resources and trust, both destinations were able to reach travelers who already showed interest in similar experiences our destinations offer.  

What did the launch of this collaboration look like?  

The campaign rolled out in mid-December to capture peak winter planning season, with both destinations activating at the same time across organic social, light paid support, email and a shared giveaway. Content centered on the staff swap experience, curated winter itineraries and the ease of flying nonstop between Mesa and Colorado Springs, allowing each destination to maintain its own voice while reinforcing a shared story. Allegiant was woven in naturally as the connective thread, emphasizing simplicity and accessibility rather than feeling like a traditional sponsor callout. The result was a launch that felt experiential, human and actionable instead of staged or transactional.

How did the ROI of this collaboration compare to more typical influencer collaborations?

The ROI significantly outperformed typical influencer collaborations, especially when measured against cost efficiency. Visit Mesa’s direct campaign investment totaled just $496, while Visit Colorado Springs invested $543. In return, both destinations generated dozens of authentic UGC-style videos, strong engagement rates above three percent and meaningful email list growth. The value far exceeded what comparable influencer or content procurement platforms would have delivered at a similar spend.

If another DMO is considering a collaboration like this, what do you think they should know?  

The launch was built around alignment first and tactics second. Before anything went live, all participants agreed on a single, shared narrative: seasonal contrast made easy through Allegiant’s nonstop route: travelers could go from desert to snowy winter wonderland by way of one easy flight. That clarity allowed the campaign to stay lean and focused from the start, without overcomplicating execution or diluting the message.

Our destinations activated during the same window, using organic social, a small amount of paid amplification, email and a co-branded giveaway of trips to each destination to reinforce the story across touchpoints. Content highlighted the staff swap experience, destination-built itineraries and real moments from each trip, which made the campaign feel lived-in rather than staged.

Defined roles kept the collaboration efficient. Each DMO focused on hosting, storytelling and sharing content created by the visiting staff member, while Allegiant served as the connective thread that made the experience possible. Because the framework was simple and trust was established early, teams were able to move quickly, adapt in real time and keep the launch feeling natural instead of overly managed.

The result was a launch that felt more like a shared experience than a traditional campaign. It showed that when partners align on story and intent first, the tactics don’t need to be complicated to be effective.

Any unexpected outcomes or takeaways from this collab?

One unexpected takeaway was how strongly our audiences responded to the authenticity of the staff swap model. Seeing destinations endorse each other built trust and curiosity in a way traditional campaigns often struggle to achieve. Internally, the collaboration also reinforced that this model is repeatable.  

We also forged invaluable connections as destination professionals. Typically, industry conferences are our biggest chance to meaningfully meet with our peers, but this was an out-of-the-box way to get insight into a similar destination with a unique perspective.  

Want to learn more? See the social media posts from the collaboration here (Visit Colorado Springs’ trip to Mesa) and here (Visit Mesa’s trip to Colorado Springs). View the details in the campaign report here.