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 the CMO role today as fundamentally about alignment — breaking down organizational silos. • Constantly returning to the "why" behind strategy is critical as the marketing landscape shifts. • Favors a "compass, not a map" mindset: direction is set, but the route to get there must stay flexible. • Structure with flexibility — experiments should be allowed to guide the team down unexpected paths.

Social Media & Channel Strategy • TikTok: A priority growth channel — grew from ~300 followers to 5,000+ in about 18 months. • Younger audiences are increasingly using TikTok as a search tool; presence is non-negotiable. • Viral moments are meaningful for top-of-funnel awareness but shouldn't be confused with conversion. • Instagram is outperforming Facebook within their Meta investment. • Pinterest is on the radar as a pre-planning/inspirational tool, but KPIs and engagement benchmarks must be defined per channel before scaling. • Guiding principle: expand channels with purpose, not for the sake of presence.

AI — "Know Thy Frenemy" • AI is directly impacting DMO website traffic — AI-generated search overviews are reducing click-throughs. • The team is working to understand how their site is being referenced in AI summaries and ensure discoverability. • Uses a 28-day AI challenge program (one new AI tool per day, 10–20 min each) to build team fluency. • Explored tools across image generation, music, video, voiceovers (mentioned 11 Labs as notable), and content strategy. • Team-first philosophy: prefers directing feedback to human designers and writers over replacing them with tools — but acknowledges AI's value for under-resourced DMOs. • Sees parallels to early social media: the landscape is moving so fast that we won't know which tools survive until years from now. • Called for more regulatory structure around AI, drawing a direct comparison to how social media was left to grow unchecked.

2026 Priorities & World Cup • Excited for the 2026 FIFA World Cup — Tualatin Valley is positioned as a stopover between World Cup host cities San Francisco and Seattle. • Potential for international soccer teams to train in the region. • Internally focused on building a culture of "test and learn" and being data-forward. • Annual planning focus: fewer priorities, deeper impact — "a mile wide and an inch deep doesn't help you."

Destination Development & Partnerships • Strong existing relationships in wine, brewery/tap room, and cidery segments — these partners are becoming brand ambassadors. • Growth segments: agritourism, culinary, and outdoor — working to bring partnership trust up to the level of their beverage industry relationships. • Long-game thinking is essential, even when the instinct is to want results today.

Accessibility • Explore Tualatin Valley is a Wheel the World verified destination. • Completed Cohort 1 of Wheel the World assessments (10–20 locations: attractions, hotels, wineries, etc.). • Cohort 2 underway — expanding variety and geographic coverage within the destination. • Accessibility lens is broad: inclusive playgrounds, sensory rooms, and movie theater times for neurodivergent families. • Oregon is the #1 state in the nation for accessibility — a key point of distinction and storytelling. • Philosophy: accessibility isn't just a box to check — there are real stories to tell.

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 ways to make tourism more accessible to travelers with disabilities.

Travel Oregon learned from those local innovations and scaled them statewide. Today, Oregon is the only U.S. state with tourism accessibility verified by Wheel the World, covering hundreds of businesses across dozens of communities.

The Evolution of Travel Marketing

Davidson reflects on the transformation of destination marketing over three decades—from the early days of the web to today’s AI-driven personalization. When Travel Oregon first proposed launching its website in the late 1990s, many state tourism leaders questioned whether the internet would matter for travel marketing. But the throughline across every technological shift has remained the same: travelers want experiences that feel personal and tailored to them. AI, Davidson argues, is simply the latest tool that allows destinations to deliver on that expectation.

The Rise of Hyper-Personalized Marketing

One of Travel Oregon’s major strategic goals has been moving toward true one-to-one marketing. Rather than sending one newsletter to hundreds of thousands of subscribers, Davidson challenged his team to imagine sending hundreds of thousands of individualized emails, each reflecting a traveler’s specific interests and stage in the planning journey. This approach led to the development of a visitor lifecycle marketing model designed to match content with where travelers are in the decision process—from inspiration to trip planning.

When Marketing Works Too Well

Davidson also discusses a challenge that many destinations now face: over-tourism and unintended impacts of successful marketing. Travel Oregon’s “Seven Wonders of Oregon” campaign significantly increased visitation to several iconic natural sites. At locations like Smith Rock State Park, the campaign drove visitor demand beyond what the infrastructure could support.

The experience prompted the organization to rethink how it promotes destinations, focusing more on:

• dispersing visitation geographically

• encouraging off-peak travel

• managing visitor expectations

• monitoring resident sentiment

Measuring the Industry’s Impact

During Davidson’s tenure, Oregon’s tourism industry saw substantial growth. Tourism-related jobs increased from roughly 40,000 positions to more than 120,000, while annual visitor spending rose from approximately $6.5 billion to nearly $14.7 billion. For Davidson, the true impact of tourism is not marketing awards or campaigns—it is the jobs and economic opportunities created for residents across the state.

Advice for Future Destination Leaders

As he reflects on his career, Davidson offers three key pieces of advice for emerging leaders in tourism marketing:

1. Devour research Understanding evolving consumer behavior is essential to staying relevant in the travel industry.

2. Trust your team Great organizations succeed when leaders hire smart people and remove obstacles so they can do their work.

3. Trust your instincts Experience creates intuition. Leaders should balance data and research with the instincts developed over years in the field.

A Philosophy of Stewardship

When asked how he hopes to be remembered, Davidson rejects the idea of legacy. Instead, he frames his career as stewardship—caring for the role temporarily so the next leader can take the organization even further. For Davidson, the success of Oregon tourism isn’t measured in personal achievements but in the strength of the industry that remains after he steps away.

About the Guest

Todd Davidson CEO, Travel Oregon Todd Davidson has led Travel Oregon for nearly three decades and is widely recognized as one of the most influential leaders in U.S. destination marketing. During his tenure, Oregon’s tourism industry experienced significant growth and became known for its innovation in sustainability, accessibility, and destination stewardship.

About Field Notes Field Notes:

Insights and Observations for the Travel Marketer explores the ideas shaping the future of destination marketing. Through conversations with tourism leaders, marketers, and industry innovators, the podcast uncovers strategies destinations can use to connect with travelers in an increasingly digital and personalized world.

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 system to its globally recognized culinary scene, the conversation explores how intentional design, local culture, and authentic storytelling shape visitor experiences. Marcus also shares how international travel dynamics are affecting destinations today and why relationships—not campaigns—are the long-term strategy for global tourism recovery.

Designing Cities for Visitors and Locals Portland’s transportation system—including the MAX light rail and extensive bike infrastructure—reflects decades of planning focused on accessibility and livability. Instead of prioritizing highway expansion, the city invested in light rail and multimodal transportation, creating a system that benefits residents and visitors alike.

The Airport as the First Brand Experience The newly renovated Portland International Airport illustrates how infrastructure can become part of the destination narrative. Built with sustainably sourced wood and designed to reflect Oregon’s natural environment, the airport serves as both the first and last impression visitors experience when traveling to the city.

International Travel Headwinds Marcus discusses how international sentiment toward travel to the United States has softened in recent years. Instead of aggressive marketing, Travel Portland is focusing on maintaining strong relationships with international partners and waiting for the right moment to welcome travelers back.

Destination Differentiation Rather than competing on common features like outdoor recreation or urban amenities, Travel Portland emphasizes what makes the city unique—its proximity to nature, distinctive culinary culture, and the ability to experience both urban and rural Oregon within minutes of downtown.

The Power of Local Stories Marcus highlights an important philosophy for DMOs: “Your frontline is your bottom line.”

From chefs and farmers to servers and small business owners, the people who power a destination often become the most compelling storytellers.

Portland’s Culinary Culture The city’s restaurant scene blends international influences with local ingredients sourced directly from nearby farms. This approach has helped Portland build a reputation for innovative, accessible, and chef-driven dining experiences.

Marcus shares what visitors should do if they want to experience Portland beyond the typical tourist itinerary.

Highlights include:

• Exploring the city by bike • Visiting local coffee shops and craft breweries • Experiencing Portland’s seasonal, farm-driven food culture • Hiking in Forest Park, one of the largest urban forests in the United States • Spending time in neighborhood districts rather than sticking to tourist corridors

Portland’s geography makes it easy to combine urban experiences with outdoor exploration, with mountains, rivers, forests, and the Pacific coast all within easy driving distance.

When asked what he would do with unlimited funding, Marcus didn’t mention ad campaigns or infrastructure.

Instead, he pointed to creators.

If resources were unlimited, he would invest heavily in social media creators and travel influencers, funding them to produce authentic storytelling and amplifying their content with paid distribution.

The reasoning is simple: Creators already have trusted audiences, and those audiences believe their stories.

For DMOs, the future of destination marketing may depend less on polished brand campaigns and more on trusted storytellers who already hold attention online.

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 episode is relevant to DMOs Eric’s core argument is operational: if a DMO is serious about marketing, someone on the team should be using a paid AI tier so they can access stronger models and apply them to time-consuming work (finding insights in messy data, producing drafts, building narratives from reporting).

Resources referenced or strongly implied by the episode (for your show notes links) Matt Shumer’s viral essay is commonly reported as titled “Something Big Is Coming.” (Related coverage and critique: Business Insider. ) https://shumer.dev/something-big-is-happening

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 models, the real question becomes whether they help travelers finish a thought, close a gap, or make a better decision—without eroding trust.

From there, the discussion moves into what should qualify a brand to advertise inside AI systems at all. Instead of a pure pay-to-play model, Eric explores the idea of expertise as a gatekeeper—and why destinations, attractions, and DMOs may actually be well positioned if trust becomes the currency.

The episode then pivots to the early wave of Super Bowl campaigns already shaping culture ahead of game day. Eric looks at how brands like Pepsi are using humor and legacy narratives to poke competitors, why Levi’s is seeing massive awareness gains through “home turf” activations, and what all of it says about attention versus conversion—especially for places trying to turn buzz into actual visitation.

AI in advertising makes another appearance through new consumer sentiment data, revealing a near 50/50 split on comfort with AI-generated creative. With OpenAI set to return to the Super Bowl stage, Eric unpacks why marketers should pay close attention to how quickly tolerance can flip—and how easily trust can be lost.

The episode closes with a deeper marketing lesson from McDonald’s and the return of Changeables. Rather than nostalgia for nostalgia’s sake, Eric frames the Happy Meal as a modular “multiverse”—a repeatable container where IP, partnerships, and experimentation can rotate in and out. For travel marketers, it’s a powerful metaphor: instead of chasing decade-long story arcs, think in flexible, limited-run collaborations that fit your place and invite new audiences in.

The takeaway is consistent throughout the episode: in AI, advertising, and culture moments alike, the winners won’t be the loudest brands—but the most trusted ones.

As always, thanks for listening to Field Notes. If this episode sparked an idea, leave a comment or share it wherever you listen.

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, and history all impose real limits—and why education, authenticity, and resilience are the most durable tools travel marketers have.

From Superstorm Sandy to COVID to the massive opportunities ahead with America’s 250th Anniversary and the World Cup, Laurie shares how New Jersey destinations prepare for peak moments without losing what makes them special—and how DMOs should think beyond banner years.

This episode is packed with practical insight for travel marketers navigating volatility, scale limits, and long-term destination stewardship.

• Why tourism education is never “done”

• Leading through volatility: weather, transportation, and economic shifts

• Building destination growth without geographic expansion

• Authenticity as the foundation of sustainable tourism

• How small destinations innovate without overdevelopment

• Supporting generational businesses and local stakeholders

• Preparing for America’s 250th Anniversary and World Cup discovery moments

• Planning for the post-peak year (2027 and beyond)

• Conferences as engines for mentorship, ideas, and momentum

• Tourism as memory-making, empathy-building, and legacy work

00:00 – Welcome to Field Notes (Live from Atlantic City) 00:45 – Reflecting on a year of tourism challenges and growth 01:45 – Education, certification & lifelong learning in tourism 03:15 – Resilience after Sandy, COVID & industry disruption 04:45 – Growing destinations that can’t physically scale 06:00 – Authenticity, community & finding your true niche 07:30 – Supporting small businesses and generational tourism 08:45 – Preparing for America’s 250th & the World Cup 10:00 – Creating peak-year memories that last decades 11:30 – Managing expectations after a banner tourism year 12:45 – What great conferences really deliver 14:00 – Closing thoughts on optimism, potential & legacy

Lori Pepenella is a veteran tourism leader representing Southern Ocean County and the Long Beach Island region in New Jersey. A pioneer in tourism education and certification, Laurie has played a critical role in guiding destinations through recovery, reinvention, and long-term growth—while preserving the character and authenticity that keep visitors returning for generations.

Field Notes is a podcast for travel marketers, destination leaders, and tourism professionals focused on real conversations about strategy, storytelling, experience design, and the future of travel.

👍 Like, Subscribe & Share If this episode resonated, hit Like, subscribe to the channel, and share it with a fellow destination marketer.

📍 Recorded live at the New Jersey Tourism Industry Association Conference 🎤 Hosted by Eric Hultgren