It’s hard to believe this month marks my fifth year with Destinations International! After four years of working in products, specifically empowerMINT  and EIC engagement, I am thrilled to put on my membership hat  and become more personally engaged with all of our members. One of my favorite things about this job has been and continues to be getting to know individuals and teams and connect them with resources that make them more successful in their jobs. The relationships I have built are invaluable and make this job so fun.

In our newly formed Membership team at Destinations International I am extremely proud of the fact that all of us have had very specific and personal experience  working for destinations  and membership centric organizations.  Through this experience we  relate to you as a member  and what your pain points  and needs are. I like to think of us as your personal concierge team!  This month we had the pleasure of adding Quineesa Smith as our new Membership Engagement Manager. From our very first interview  and now  a few weeks into the job, it was clear to me that Quineesa is extremely passionate about member needs and customizes each interaction with thoughtful attention to detail.

We know membership is not one size fits all. Just like when you are planning a vacation,  you customize your journey, we want your membership experience to be tailored with the right mix of products, events, education and  resources from Destinations International. In my personal journey prior to DI, I worked for San Diego Tourism for seven years. That team and journey was very much responsible for my understanding and passion about the CVB world. In contrast, over the last few months I have had the awesome opportunity of working with Melyssa Laughlin from Vacaville and Ali Best on our Small but Mighty CVB Committee. We know the needs of a small  CVB are drastically different than a larger team like San Diego. It’s really exciting to see Destinations International start to create spaces  and resources for all levels of personal and  organizational growth.

If you are new to Destinations International or even a seasoned member but have not been engaged, we know looking at our events, products and professional development or advocacy resources can often feel like arriving at your vacation destination and being overwhelmed with all of the must see activities and experiences.  We are here to help you. We know having the right concierge can make all the difference in the right ingredients or elements to have the best experience possible. What is the one thing you want to do before leaving?

This month I embarked on one of the most exciting things of my professional development, I  participated in the CDME program. One of the themes I kept hearing from our amazing instructors is to “Have a seat at the table, join the conversation.” One of the best parts of travel is who you meet, and the amazing conversations you can have with a complete stranger. We want to be your guide to connect you with  community, advocacy, research and educational resources for a customized membership experience for you and your organization.  Let us help you find a seat and serve you the right content.

I invite you to do these three things:

1. Meet the team- we want to meet you! One of the best ways to get you engaged is to update your contact list. Connect with us & send us your information.
Connect with your peers! A great way to measure your experience is  to talk to your peers and see what they are involved with and get their feedback. Use each other as field guides for your experience and perhaps get recommendations on programs that have been a success that maybe you and your team would benefit from as well. Not sure how to connect outside events? Or maybe you don’t know  specific contacts or groups? We have the solution! Our Member Forum is an amazing way to learn from your peers.

2. Learn From Your Peers with Destinations International’s Member Forum. Sign up for one of our webinars to learn about this awesome community resource.

3. Plan your membership Itinerary. We lead monthly webinar series. You may learn more or register here. 

I am looking forward to connecting with you soon and getting you more engaged and our entire team looks forward to serving you well!

About Kate Skidmore:

Senior Director of Membership
+1.202.835.4099 | [email protected]

Kate Skidmore joined Destinations International as Subscriber Services and Engagement Manager for the empowerMINT product in October 2013. She now serves on our Membership Engagement team. Prior to her role at Destinations International, Skidmore spent seven years at the San Diego Tourism Authority. Her background includes marketing, digital media, advertising sales, IT implementation, and CVB/Hotel sales training for iLead.