The small destination paradox.
The community has a few hotels and rentals, a funding source, and a real desire to grow tourism. A passionate few carry the torch. They manage a hotel or restaurant or city/county by day, then review event funding requests in the evenings and post to social media on the weekends. All for the love of their community.
The collections are real. Unfortunately, they are not enough to justify the senior staff a well-run tourism organization requires, or even a staff at all. So the nights and weekends continue on, trying to manage skilled destination management work you never signed up for.
Larger DMOs live a version of the same story. A $5M organization runs on 5 to 15 people. There is rarely a dedicated HR or finance professional, and the leader ends up running marketing, finance, HR, the board and the strategic plan, usually in the same day, and although the passionate team is working their hardest, they continue to fall behind their larger, more well-funded competitors with more skilled, higher-paid staff.
Neither is a recipe for long-term success for their communities.DMO+ exists to solve this problem and help these destinations flourish.
Find your fit.
DMO+ Managed and DMO+ Executive share a senior team, a back office, and a playbook. The difference is who is in the building and what they need from OA.
For destinations with a funding source and the desire to operate like a real DMO, but not the budget to staff one. Rather than piecing together a part-time director, an intern, and a rotating cast of vendors, the community contracts OA to run the whole function.
What OA carries
Strategy and planning
The strategic plan, the annual marketing plan, a sales plan where it fits, and a KPI framework the board can read.
Budget and finance
Annual budget development, monthly financial management, board financial reporting, and reserve and cash policies.
Leisure marketing
The biggest decision a small DMO makes each year. OA selects the agency, negotiates the contract, reviews the creative, and reports performance.
Board and governance
Meeting prep, board reporting, bylaws and contract management, and accreditation prep where it applies.
Event and grant funding
Guidelines, applications, and scoring, with quarterly recommendations to the board and elected leaders.
Partners and vendors
Lodging partner communication, chamber and downtown alignment, official briefings, and the full vendor stack.
Boots-on-the-ground work like events, social posting, and stakeholder visits. OA works with the destination to find the right local solution, often a single in-market contractor managed by OA.
For DMOs with a real staff and a real director, but without the senior expertise in Strategy, Communications, Governance, HR, and finance. OA does not run the DMO. OA elevates it.
What OA carriesFractional HR
Award winning culture leaders. Onboarding/Offboarding, policies, job descriptions, performance systems, hiring support, and manager coaching.
Finance and budget support
Tactical support. Budgeting, reserve strategy, industry best practice advice.
Governance and accreditation
Board onboarding, governance reviews, bylaws review, board chair coaching, and DMAP accreditation prep.
Strategic plan management
The plan loaded on the Growth Engine™, reviewed before every session, and adjusted as conditions change.
Agency and program oversight
Quarterly agency performance reviews, event funding cycle support, and advice on vendor scopes and agreements.
Leadership support
A monthly working session, written action items after each, and same-business-day access between sessions.
Day-to-day execution. The DMO team still runs the plan. OA sharpens the direction and the decisions so the team can grow.
Remove your stress. We got you.
DMO+ is not a project with an end date. It is a standing operating rhythm, tied to a plan, the budget and your annual calendar, designed to allow you to do what you do best.
The strategic plan lives online in the structure of the Radical Alignment Map™: every pillar, objective, owner, date, and measure. OA reviews it before every session, and the board sees one page that shows where the plan stands. The data stays the destination’s.
Keep the decision making, not the work.
DMO+ is a true partnership between DMO professionals and your destination leaders. OA takes the work off your plate but not the final decision making.
Real Organizations. Real Results.
Rice Lake Tourism
Rice Lake, Wisconsin is a small but mighty outdoor recreation paradise. A new Mayor focused on tourism restructured the tourism commission and staff and wanted a best-practice-run organization and strategy.
Using both the OA Scorecard™ and the strategic planning process, OA worked with the solo staff member to assess the organization model and develop a first-ever Rice Lake tourism strategic plan.
Working alongside OA staff on a monthly basis, Rice Lake is structuring their organization and tourism infrastructure for future success, including restructuring board governance, developing financial policies and a new budget, enhancing marketing and data analytics, and getting involved in destination development projects. The future of Rice Lake tourism is bright.
Is DMO+ right for you?
Does the destination give up control?
No. The municipality or board contracts the program and keeps the budget, the funding policy, the brand, and every contract and payment. OA carries the work under a defined scope and reports to the people who hold the authority.
How is this different from hiring a consultant?
A consultant is hired for a project: a plan, a comp study, a retreat. DMO+ is an ongoing relationship on a fixed monthly fee, with a standing cadence and a defined senior team the destination can draw on as situations come up.
Who does the work on the ground?
Events, social posting, and visits stay local. For DMO+ Managed, OA works with the destination to find the right in-market solution, often one local contractor managed by OA. For DMO+ Executive, your staff keeps running the plan.
We already have one employee. Is DMO+ still a fit?
Yes. OA builds a structure around that person, bringing them into the OA team or a contracted relationship so they have senior support instead of carrying the load alone.
What happens when we outgrow DMO+ Managed?
That is the goal. When a destination grows past roughly $500K, OA helps hire the first full-time director, hands off the organization with a plan in place, and can stay on through DMO+ Executive as the senior bench.
How do we know which product fits?
Start with a free 30-minute call. OA will hear where the destination stands and tell you honestly which product fits, or whether a different engagement is the better first move.
Related: Strategic Planning · OA Scorecard™ · Board Blueprint™
