Q124: Where are the bridges between tourism and economic development?
“If we have a tech event here in Pittsburgh, how do we make sure that knowledge capital stays in Pittsburgh?”
In the realm of local government, various groups work toward promoting a town or city to external investors. Destination marketers engage individuals and event planners to come and stay for a while. Economic developers engage entrepreneurs and enterprises to hopefully stay for a longer while. Where should these two camps intersect in terms of message and function?
On this episode, I speak with Jared Bacher Executive Vice President at Visit Pittsburgh, to better understand the various layers of local government, and how different interests can - or even should - work together to promote destinations to both visitors and business entities. Jerad says it has a lot to do with brand and how local stakeholders align messaging and marketing to engage distinct audiences.