I've spent a lot of time talking with leaders representing Convention and Visitors Bureaus around the country over the past several months. While their sizes may vary as do their strategies they all have one thing in common:
They are all facing a significant drop in hotel room tax revenues.
This problem has also been exacerbated by the heavy discounting of their hotels in an effort to motivate consumers. Many have been forced to cut budgets and reallocate expenses. Fear is probably one of the dominate emotions that these industry leaders are experiencing. Some have slashed budgets and are hunkering down for the duration.
Others have begun reengineering their strategic plans.
It’s these forward-thinking executives that are peeling the old paint off the billboard and reevaluating everything they've been doing. More importantly they have enlightened board members who now realize that slashing budgets and hunkering down is a decision that will not stop the hemorrhaging and likely prolong it.
Can you imagine how counter intuitive it is during this recession to actually invest in the development of new and emerging markets when every fiber of your being screams caution. Knowing that if it doesn’t work there will be a plethora of marketing experts saying I told you so he/she’s not qualified for the job.
One of these leaders, while slashing traditional spending, actually moved money into several new and emerging international markets with international representation and commensurate advertising support. That bold decision made last fall has generated a strong ROI, showing double digit growth year over year.
Another enterprising executive slashed budgets and then reallocated spending to a strong regional television campaign at what had been considered a bad time of the year. They developed a series of new and compelling 10 second spots strategically placed to maximize resident exposure. It paid off by garnering a larger share of the shifting resident market.
Experienced marketers, when faced with these challenges, start from a zero-based budget and reevaluate everything including the research upon which they are making media, and creative decisions. They are looking for those threads of opportunity that already exist within their network and how they might be manipulated for their benefit.
Whether it be the development of promotional programs, events, strategic partnerships, or staged publicity events, once you start the process of peeling the paint, it’s amazing the opportunities that begin to emerge.
If you’re having to peel the paint off your billboard, a good place to start is by looking for those connections and threads that already exist. 
Here's to peeling paint!