CMO Jam 2026, Part 3 – What 6 DMOs Want From Their Agencies

What does a great agency partnership look like for a DMO in 2026? Agencies still matter to destination marketing organizations, but how DMOs work with them is changing. In Part 3 of 4, Adam Stoker asks six DMO marketing leaders what they want from agency partners, from convention and visitors bureaus to tourism boards. Three of them no longer have an agency of record, and all of them still want agency partners. The panel: Joshua Albrecht of Visit Milwaukee, Allison Brown of Discover Long Island, Karina Anthony of Visit Atlantic City, Megan Buchbinder of Wilmington and Beaches, Christian Mengel of the St. Joseph CVB, and Kelli Steele of Putnam County Tourism.

Allison now hires agencies project by project and is replacing the three-bid RFP with a capabilities deck. Megan dropped her agency of record to stay nimble on a roughly $5 million marketing budget. Karina uses different agencies for different campaigns to keep the work distinct. Christian wants agencies to pitch ideas they’ve never tried with another client. Joshua says the best agencies are partners, not “marketing dictators.” Kelli paid a local agency for a one-hour brainstorm within a fixed budget. Adam explains how agency business models are changing as media commissions shrink, and why a true partner means paying for brains, not hands.

In the hot seat, each panelist names the biggest threat to their DMO budget over the next 12 months: single-source hotel tax funding, a shrinking population in a sales-tax market, bid fees and tourism improvement districts, and a local annexation that put 15 to 20 percent of revenue at risk.

What DMO and agency leaders will learn:

• What DMOs value most in an agency partner
• Why DMOs are moving from agency of record to project-based agency relationships
• How to replace a three-bid RFP with a capabilities deck
• How to pay an agency for a one-hour strategy session on a small budget
• What DMOs want from agencies: original ideas and strategy, not extra hands
• Which funding threats DMO marketers see ahead: hotel tax limits, bid fees, tourism improvement districts, population decline, local politics

Who should listen: DMO and CVB marketing leaders, tourism board and destination marketing staff, destination marketing agency executives, and anyone planning an RFP or agency review.

Watch episodes early! Set up an account on Tourism IQ, where we give pre-release access each week for a new episode. https://mytourismiq.com/

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The ⁠⁠⁠⁠Destination Marketing Podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠ is a part of the ⁠⁠⁠⁠Destination Marketing Podcast Network⁠⁠⁠⁠. It is hosted by Adam Stoker and produced by Brand Revolt. If you are interested in any of Brand Revolt’s services, please email ⁠⁠⁠⁠adam@thebrandrevolt.com⁠⁠⁠⁠ or visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠www.thebrandrevolt.com⁠⁠⁠⁠.

To learn more about the Destination Marketing Podcast network and to listen to our other shows, please visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠www.thedmpn.com⁠⁠⁠⁠. If you are interested in joining the network, please email ⁠⁠⁠⁠adam@thebrandrevolt.com⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Chapters:
00:00 Why three DMOs moved beyond the agency of record
01:09 Allison: why the agency of record didn’t fit
02:16 Project-by-project agencies and a lighter RFP
04:38 Karina and Christian: agencies and the sea of sameness
07:09 Would you take an unsolicited agency pitch?
08:56 Megan: why she dropped her agency of record
11:21 Joshua: the best agencies are partners, not dictators
15:50 Brains, not hands
16:07 Kelli pays for a one-hour agency brainstorm
18:30 Why agencies sell so hard right now
21:29 Paying a premium for a true partner
24:50 Christian: agencies that adapt to DMO needs
26:47 Joshua: a disrupted industry and new players at the table
28:53 Hot seat: the biggest threat to your DMO budget
29:27 Karina and Allison: alternative funding sources
32:47 Christian: a shrinking population and sales tax
35:41 Joshua: bid fees, tourism improvement districts, global competition
40:41 Kelli: local politics and the annexation scare
42:23 Megan: diversifying a single funding source