Stakeholders Gone Wild: The DMO Survival Guide

How to survive groupthink, ghosting, and the tourism version of a HOA with a Facebook group.

Let’s not pretend.

You didn’t go into tourism to navigate stakeholder drama. You just wanted to make things better, cooler, smarter. Now you’re in a Zoom room with 14 people who want to “weigh in” on the campaign tagline, and only 3 of them know what the campaign is.

Welcome to the jungle.

This is what I call: Stakeholders Gone Wild And no one is talking about how deep the chaos really goes.

Let's Set the Stage.

Here’s how you know you’re in it:

• A hotel partner hasn’t answered your emails in two months, but demands final approval

• A restaurant rep wants to know why “culinary” is spelled that way

• A board member says the font is “too confident”

• The city council liaison wants everything to be more “wholesome”

• And someone’s cousin (who “works in PR”) thinks your visitor persona should wear a blazer

They all want changes. None of them want responsibility.

And if you don’t wrangle it your campaign turns into a confusing casserole that no one ordered.

The Real Problem (Spoiler: It’s Structure, Not Just People)

Stakeholders aren’t inherently bad. But destination orgs are often built like the tourism version of a group project where everyone wants their name on the slide, but no one did the research.

You’ve got:

• Political appointees with veto power

• Industry reps focused only on their silo

• Legacy board members who still use Yahoo email

• And entire approval processes built around keeping people happy, not effective

You are trying to build brand strategy. They are trying to keep the peace, boost egos, and get through the meeting before lunch.

That’s not marketing. That’s hostage negotiation.

What This Looks Like in the Wild

This is where it gets personal. I’ve seen (and lived) it all:

• A social media plan blocked because someone didn’t like the word “adventure”

• A pride campaign watered down to “family-friendly festivities” after three emails and a phone call from a stakeholder who hadn’t even seen the creative

• A city-funded billboard that ended up featuring a restaurant that had closed... six months prior

You can’t make this stuff up. But we keep trying to make it work.

The Survival Guide

Here’s what to do if you’re living this nightmare in real time.

1. No More “Open Feedback”

Replace vague “thoughts?” emails with structured input:

• Here’s what we’re doing

• Here’s why it matters

• You have 3 days to respond

• After that, it’s locked

Set the deadline. Let them self-select out. You’re not a cruise director.

2. Appoint a Strategy Squad

Pick 2–3 internal allies who get it and trust them to help filter the nonsense. Think of them as the velvet rope between your brain and the bad ideas.

3. Frame It Before They Kill It

Give stakeholders a mini brief before they ever see the creative. Show the goals. The metrics. The actual audience data. That way, when someone says “Can we make it more... elevated?”, you can gently remind them that 87% of your travelers are in Walmart yoga pants and spending under $500.

4. Use Data Like a Bat

Lead with the stats. Weaponize the receipts.

• “We’re using this layout because it outperformed the legacy ad by 211%”

• “This CTA was the top performer in A/B testing”

• “That font is readable at a distance, on mobile, and in sunlight. Sorry it’s not giving vineyard chic.”

5. Master the Re-Loop

When someone inevitably says something that derails the whole thing, try this:

“Got it. Here’s what we’re solving for, and how this helps us do that. If there’s another priority I’m missing, happy to talk, but we’re staying focused on the traveler outcome.”

It’s polite. It’s clear. It’s a trapdoor for nonsense.

You Don’t Need a Miracle — Just a Playbook

Some days, all you can do is outlast the noise. Other days, you get the chance to flip the system entirely.

Here’s your cheat sheet:

Final Word (Because I Know You’re Tired)

Your job is not to make everyone happy. Your job is to lead strategy, center the visitor, and build something that actually works.

So if you're tired of groupthink dressed as collaboration… If you’ve been quietly screaming into your muted Zoom box…

You’re not alone.

Stakeholders matter. But they don't get to sink the ship because they’re scared of sails.

Let them run wild. You run the plan.

xo, Jenn