What Are Adam and Stuart Most Thankful For in 2025?
Episode 57, Nov 27, 11:00 AM
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In this Thanksgiving-week episode, Stuart and Adam shake off a few weeks of heavy, future-of-AI doom-spiraling and intentionally zoom out to focus on perspective, gratitude, and what truly matters in destination marketing. It’s lighter, more reflective, and full of listener shout-outs, industry appreciation, and some familiar banter.
Opening Banter
Stuart kicks things off with an over-the-top Adam introduction that somehow escalates into unicycles, juggling, and bagpipes. The duo sets the stage for a short but sincere episode about gratitude heading into the holiday.
Stu’s News
The update focuses on Gemini 3 Pro and the accelerating capabilities of frontier AI models. Stuart shares examples of AI building full software environments from a single prompt and reflects on how adoption might take longer than the technology curve suggests. He explains his shift in perspective—moving from fearing a near-term cliff to expecting a slow, multi-year adoption curve.
A Level-Setting Conversation on Industry Change
Adam reframes the urgency around AI: DMOs tend to adopt slowly, and the industry can’t afford to be passive this time. The hosts agree that the future is coming, the timeline is the only question, and the call is to be proactive without panic. Start turning the ship now, keep the North Star steady, and allow tactics to evolve.
Thinking Beyond Marketing
Stuart revisits his “DMOs as the operating system for hospitality” concept and broadens the conversation into DMO value beyond promotion. Roles in economic development, workforce, meetings, placemaking, and collaboration emerge as central themes. The hosts highlight the need for first-principles thinking and cross-stakeholder alignment.
Listener Appreciation and Community Feedback
This episode features a full run of listener shout-outs from Spotify and past episodes. Highlights include:
• Nate Graysock’s reflections on PTO culture and destination storytelling.
• Caleb Sullivan’s “dance-off” challenge content.
• Comments from Tyler Ford and Caleb on supply-chain thinking for visitor journeys.
• Dustin Rowe’s question about social content value in the age of LLM indexing.
The hosts invite more listeners to comment, review, and join future episodes with strong opinions and bold ideas.
Gratitude Reflections
Stuart and Adam trade heartfelt thanks for:
• The audience that keeps the show going 57 episodes in.
• The guests who have stretched their thinking and shaped their leadership.
• Their teams—who adapt to constant change and help bring ideas to life.
• The CMO Jam cohort and the leaders willing to be vulnerable and collaborative.
• An industry full of people who share openly, support one another, and rally in times of need.
They also share personal anecdotes, including the LinkedIn message that sparked their partnership and the moments listening back to episodes when they learn from their “podcast selves.”
Calls to Action
Stuart and Adam ask listeners to:
• Share show reviews on Apple Podcasts or comments on Spotify.
• Spread the show on LinkedIn to help the industry learn and evolve together.
• Submit burning topics or bold takes to join as future guests.
• Watch on YouTube when possible for added visuals and community conversation.
Closing
The episode wraps with warm Thanksgiving wishes, a reminder that travel is an antidote to division, and an invitation for the industry to share predictions heading into the new year.
Opening Banter
Stuart kicks things off with an over-the-top Adam introduction that somehow escalates into unicycles, juggling, and bagpipes. The duo sets the stage for a short but sincere episode about gratitude heading into the holiday.
Stu’s News
The update focuses on Gemini 3 Pro and the accelerating capabilities of frontier AI models. Stuart shares examples of AI building full software environments from a single prompt and reflects on how adoption might take longer than the technology curve suggests. He explains his shift in perspective—moving from fearing a near-term cliff to expecting a slow, multi-year adoption curve.
A Level-Setting Conversation on Industry Change
Adam reframes the urgency around AI: DMOs tend to adopt slowly, and the industry can’t afford to be passive this time. The hosts agree that the future is coming, the timeline is the only question, and the call is to be proactive without panic. Start turning the ship now, keep the North Star steady, and allow tactics to evolve.
Thinking Beyond Marketing
Stuart revisits his “DMOs as the operating system for hospitality” concept and broadens the conversation into DMO value beyond promotion. Roles in economic development, workforce, meetings, placemaking, and collaboration emerge as central themes. The hosts highlight the need for first-principles thinking and cross-stakeholder alignment.
Listener Appreciation and Community Feedback
This episode features a full run of listener shout-outs from Spotify and past episodes. Highlights include:
• Nate Graysock’s reflections on PTO culture and destination storytelling.
• Caleb Sullivan’s “dance-off” challenge content.
• Comments from Tyler Ford and Caleb on supply-chain thinking for visitor journeys.
• Dustin Rowe’s question about social content value in the age of LLM indexing.
The hosts invite more listeners to comment, review, and join future episodes with strong opinions and bold ideas.
Gratitude Reflections
Stuart and Adam trade heartfelt thanks for:
• The audience that keeps the show going 57 episodes in.
• The guests who have stretched their thinking and shaped their leadership.
• Their teams—who adapt to constant change and help bring ideas to life.
• The CMO Jam cohort and the leaders willing to be vulnerable and collaborative.
• An industry full of people who share openly, support one another, and rally in times of need.
They also share personal anecdotes, including the LinkedIn message that sparked their partnership and the moments listening back to episodes when they learn from their “podcast selves.”
Calls to Action
Stuart and Adam ask listeners to:
• Share show reviews on Apple Podcasts or comments on Spotify.
• Spread the show on LinkedIn to help the industry learn and evolve together.
• Submit burning topics or bold takes to join as future guests.
• Watch on YouTube when possible for added visuals and community conversation.
Closing
The episode wraps with warm Thanksgiving wishes, a reminder that travel is an antidote to division, and an invitation for the industry to share predictions heading into the new year.