Field Notes

What happens when a destination decides it’s not just selling visits—but protecting a place? In this episode, we head to the Oregon Coast to talk with Stacey Gunderson about the evolving role of DMOs in a world where tourism growth, environmental responsibility, and community trust are all colliding. This isn’t a conversation about campaigns. It’s about philosophy.

From seafood trails and cross-industry collaboration to the real (a...

In this episode of Field Notes: Insights and Observations for the Travel Marketer, Eric Hultgren sits down with Arturo Gaona and Sofia Bravo from Wheel the World, a company focused on making travel more accessible for people with disabilities.

Recorded during the Oregon Governor’s Conference on Tourism, the conversation explores how accessibility data, trust, and verification are transforming how travelers with disabilities plan tr...

In this episode of Field Notes: Insights and Observations for the Travel Marketer, Eric Hultgren sits down with Carol Skeeters Stevens, Chief Marketing Officer at Travel Medford, to explore how curiosity, community partnerships, and evolving marketing strategies shape tourism in Southern Oregon.

Recorded during the Oregon Governor’s Conference on Tourism, the conversation touches on the changing role of destination marketers, the p...

Eric Hultgren sits down with Claire Fisher, CMO of Explore Tualatin Valley at the Oregon Governor's Conference for Tourism. Claire brings an agency background and broad DMO experience beyond Oregon and the US, and she shares how the CMO role has evolved, how her team is navigating AI and social media, and what's on the horizon for Tualatin Valley in 2026.

Key Topics & Takeaways The Evolving CMO Role at a DMO • Claire frames t...

Leadership vs. Learning in Destination Marketing

Todd Davidson emphasizes that strong leadership requires knowing when to lead and when to listen. While Travel Oregon is often viewed as an industry leader, some of the best ideas originate from local communities and small organizations across the state. A key example is Oregon’s nationally recognized accessibility initiative, which began with coastal communities experimenting with ...

Guest: Marcus Hibdon, VP of Communications, Travel Portland

In this episode of Field Notes: Insights and Observations for the Travel Market, Eric Hultgren speaks with Marcus Hibdon, Vice President of Communications for Travel Portland, about what makes Portland a distinctive destination and how DMOs can think strategically about infrastructure, storytelling, and evolving travel sentiment.

From Portland’s thoughtful transportation s...

In this short Field Notes episode, Eric frames a practical message for destination marketers: AI is moving fast enough that relying on free tiers can put a DMO behind, and the bigger unlock is using AI inside real work (strategy, data, reporting, and content) instead of just asking quick questions. He also flags the emerging “ads vs ad-free” positioning battle between AI platforms as part of the broader trust conversation.

Why this...

In this episode of Field Notes, Eric breaks down a fast-moving week in marketing and technology—and what it all means for travel brands navigating an AI-mediated world.

The episode opens with the biggest shift of the moment: ads coming to ChatGPT. With advertising rolling out on the Free and Go tiers, Eric reframes the conversation away from monetization panic and toward usefulness. If ads are going to exist inside large language m...

Featuring Lori Pepenella, Southern Ocean County / Long Beach Island

In this episode of Field Notes, Eric Hultgren sits down live in Atlantic City at the New Jersey Tourism Industry Association Conference with Lori Pepenella, a longtime tourism leader representing Southern Ocean County and the Long Beach Island region.

This conversation explores what it really takes to grow a destination when geography, seasonality, weather, a...

Featuring Melissa DeFreest, VP of Tourism – Somerset County, NJ Recorded live at the New Jersey Tourism Industry Association Conference in Atlantic City, this episode of Field Notes features a wide-ranging conversation with Melissa DeFreest, Vice President of Tourism for Somerset County. As New Jersey prepares for a historic convergence—America’s 250th Anniversary and the 2026 FIFA World Cup—Melissa breaks down how Somerset County ...

Featuring Daniel Klim, CEO – New Jersey Restaurant & Hospitality Association In this episode of Field Notes: Insights and Observations for the Travel Marketer, Eric Hultgren sits down with Daniel Klim, CEO of the New Jersey Restaurant & Hospitality Association, live from Atlantic City during the New Jersey Tourism Industry Association Conference. With 2026 on the horizon—including the FIFA World Cup, America’s 250th Anniver...

Live from the New Jersey Tourism Industry Association Conference in Atlantic City, this episode heads to Elizabeth, NJ to talk with Jennifer Costa, the force behind one of New Jersey’s fastest-rising destination brands. Jennifer’s path is anything but traditional—international diplomacy, federal service, construction, development—and those experiences shaped her into the exact kind of innovative, resilient leader a city like Elizab...

Recorded live at the New Jersey Tourism Industry Association Conference in Atlantic City, this episode dives into the strategic power of arts and culture as economic engines. Our guest, Adam Perle, President & CEO of ArtPride New Jersey, explains how creativity fuels tourism, boosts local economies, and defines the authentic character of destinations statewide.

Adam shares wide-angle insights on statewide arts trends, pandemic ...

Live from the New Jersey Travel Industry Association Conference in Atlantic City, this episode features Jim Kirkos, CEO of the Meadowlands Chamber of Commerce. With the 2026 FIFA World Cup heading directly into the Meadowlands region, Jim breaks down what this moment means for New Jersey tourism, business growth, infrastructure planning, and long-term economic development.

This is not just a mega-event conversation. It’s a blueprin...

Live from the New Jersey Tourism Industry Association Conference in Atlantic City, this episode heads to Cape May County for a conversation with Diane Weiland, a leader whose destination has been riding a nearly uninterrupted upward growth curve for six years.

Diane breaks down the strategic choices behind Cape May’s sustained success, including: • Understanding shifting visitor behavior • Leveraging natural assets without over-eng...

This episode features a conversation with Tammie Horsfield of Sussex County, fresh off winning an Excellence Award for innovative tourism partnerships. We dig into how Sussex County has created a four-season tourism engine, the strong community networks powering their growth, and the unexpected impact of collaboration between agriculture, tourism, and economic development.Tammie brings decades of experience, contagious curiosity, a...

SEO has shifted more in the last nine months than in the previous nine years — and travel marketers are feeling it. In this episode of Field Notes, Eric sits down with SEO expert Casey Yandle to break down:

• What’s actually changed in SEO heading into 2026

• Why “SEO is dead” is terrible advice

• How travel brands should audit their content heading into the new year

• The rise of AI, Reddit, user intent, and what it all means ...

In this episode of Field Notes: Insights & Observations for the Travel Marketer, Rachel Normansell from Yodel joins Eric to dig into why events are becoming one of the most important levers for destinations heading into 2026.

From shifting traveler behavior to the rise of AI-assisted trip planning, Rachel unpacks why events can no longer sit at the edges of your marketing strategy—they are the strategy.

In this episode of Field Notes: Insights & Observations for the Travel Marketer, Eric sits down with Sara Dyer to unpack Canva’s largest product launch in its history — a complete reinvention of the platform into a full creative operating system. We break down how Canva’s new AI-powered suite is transforming the way destinations and travel marketers create, collaborate, and deploy content at scale… even without a full creative ...