the cvb exec

Dan Quandt, CAE

"Tired of sitting on the bench!"
Summer 2010

DAN QUANDT, CAE, is the executive director of the South Padre Island Convention & Visitors Bureau.

MPG: What was your first hospitality industry job?

Dan:  In 1969 I was a bellboy at the Powers Hotel in downtown Fargo, North Dakota where I grew up.  I made 65 cents an hour plus tips and learned how to carry as many things as possible while keeping one hand available for a tip.

What attracted you to CVBs?

I got my degree in broadcast journalism from the University of North Dakota and spent about five years with a TV station up there as their news bureau chief.  In a small market I had to be at every meeting - city council, school board, county commissioner - whatever it was, I was there.  To be an objective reporter, you have to keep your mouth shut but, occasionally, I just wanted to stand up and yell, “why don’t you listen?!”

One day I saw the Grand Forks Chamber president and said, “I’m tired of sitting on the bench and want to get into the game.”  He said they were going to pass a lodging tax and create a convention and visitors bureau.  In December 1981, I became the first director of the Grand Forks CVB.  I wasn’t really sure what I was supposed to do, but it’s been a love affair ever since.

Who were your early mentors and what lessons did they share?

There was a phenomenal gentleman, Rod Tjaden, in Medora, North Dakota.  He was just so practical, especially on legislative issues.  I distinctly remember looking at him one day and saying, “They can’t do that!”  He said, “Dan, lesson number one - they can do whatever they want.  It is up to you to help with their “education” so they will do what we think is the right thing.”

Mike Foster, my oldest friend in this business, was the travel director of North Dakota.  Not only was Mike very dedicated and extremely creative, he made sure everyone understood that when we were on the road, it didn’t matter how much socializing you did at night, if the next day started at 7:00 am, you were there.

What do you think is the most important function for CVBs?  Has this changed since you began your career?

I still think our most important function is to build and maintain positive relationships.

It’s not only with our clients, but it’s with everyone in our community who has an impact with clients - hoteliers, attractions, elected officials, restaurants - so we can all work together to provide an outstanding meeting experience for our guests.

Next, try to anticipate your clients’ needs rather than waiting for something to come up.

Finally, the most important thing to me is just being honest.  There is nothing worse than telling someone you can deliver something that you can’t.  The old saying about under-promise and over-deliver is very true.

There is some concern about how the Gulf oil spill might impact travel into the region.  What are your thoughts?

First, it’s a terrible tragedy.  We feel horrible for everyone in that part of the Gulf Coast that’s being affected.  I am a firm believer that you don’t market to take advantage of someone else’s tragedy and South Padre Island is not going to be out there promoting in Mississippi and Alabama that we don’t have any of their problems.

But, on the other side, if people want to have a beach vacation, there are locations all along the Texas coast that have not been affected and probably will not be affected.  We have 600 miles of shoreline in Texas that is, at this point, unscathed.

Your career in South Padre Island includes a bridge disaster and a major hurricane.  What advice do you have regarding what to do when a crisis occurs?

South Padre Island has the possibility of having hurricanes but only one has come ashore here in the last 28 years.  Nonetheless, you must be prepared.  Sit down, think it through and ask yourself these questions:  How do you react to the situation?  How do you keep hotel guests and your community informed?  Are you part of the towns’ information outlet?

If something does come up, you must have a written emergency plan.  Our plan covers everything from hurricanes to natural disasters to social uprisings to everything we could possible think of and how we respond to that as a bureau and a community.  There is nothing more important than being calm, analyzing the situation and telling people the truth.

That being said, meeting planners shouldn’t be afraid of holding a convention anywhere along the Gulf of Mexico because of some potential disaster.  The odds are overwhelmingly in their favor.

Do you recall ever attending a meeting that may have changed the course of your life in a good way?

One that had an interesting impact on me was a painter with wild hair at an ASAE convention in Atlanta.  He just throws paint on a huge canvas and moves it around with his fingers.  He did two paintings at that session.  One turned out to be a beautiful and accurate portrait of the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.  The other was a portrait of the ASAE chairman.  The lesson I learned from that unique painter was that part of our job is to take the abstract and make it real.  We are all given opportunities to do something new and different with everyone we serve.

What can we all do to help insure the long-term success of face-to-face meetings?

We have to listen.  We have to hear what’s going on in the market.  What are people telling their meeting planners?  How can we help them? 

Be an active part of the Texas Society of Association Executives.  Learn what they are hearing from their colleagues and presenters on new meeting trends.  Associations do a great job of providing education for their members but some of the best learning opportunities are in the social settings which may be in the hallways or after hours gatherings.  You can’t do that online. 

The 1980’s book Megatrends said that in the future, we would no longer be meeting face-to-face.  Fortunately, that hasn’t happened and I don’t think it ever will.  People need to be together and look each other straight in the eye.  You just can’t do that on Skype.   

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