Tourism Deserves a Seat at the Table with Discover Albany's Jill Delaney

Tourism Deserves a Seat at the Table

What does it take for a destination organization to become one of the most trusted voices in its community?

In this episode of Business Class, Stephen Ekstrom sits down with Jill Delaney, President & CEO of Discover Albany, for a conversation about leadership, advocacy, and why destination organizations must do far more than market places.

Jill shares how Discover Albany has earned a respected voice with elected officials, community leaders, and state agencies over its 50-year history—not through politics, but through relationships, credibility, and a relentless focus on serving the community.

Along the way, she offers practical advice for emerging tourism professionals, reflects on the importance of frontline hospitality workers, discusses lifelong learning, and explains why confidence and purpose matter when advocating for your destination.

Whether you're a destination executive, hospitality leader, student, or someone passionate about community building, this episode is a reminder that tourism's greatest influence often happens long before visitors ever arrive.

In this episode you'll learn:

•  How destination organizations earn a seat at influential decision-making tables 
•  Why advocacy is becoming an essential leadership skill in tourism 
•  The overlooked impact of frontline hospitality employees 
•  How relationships shape successful destinations 
•  Why curiosity and continuous learning make better leaders

Business Class is brought to you by Learn Tourism, the nonprofit academy - harnessing the power of science, business psychology and adult education to advance the tourism industry and build sustainable economies. Learn how to engage your community, win over stakeholders and get more visitors at learntourism.org. 

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:29

Good afternoon. How are you? I'm great. How are you? I'm an absolute delight. I love your glasses. Oh, thank you. I really do appreciate it, and I'm glad we're connected finally.

SPEAKER_01 0:43

Me too. Yeah, it's great to see you. I know it's been a long time.

SPEAKER_00 0:48

It has been a long time. I want to say we first met when I was living in New York City.

SPEAKER_01 0:53

I think so. Was I with Nastia then?

SPEAKER_00 0:56

I think you were.

SPEAKER_01 0:57

Yeah. So it was a lifetime ago for sure. I'm Jill Delaney. I am the president and CEO of Discover Albany from Albany, New York.

SPEAKER_00 1:07

Jill, what do you love most about Albany?

SPEAKER_01 1:11

I think what I love most is that it's a small city. You know, we have what you look for in a larger city, but it's just a bite size. And being that it's the state capital, there's so much arts and culture that you would never get bored of things to do. But we also represent the entire county of Albany. And you drive five minutes outside of downtown, and you're in the country. There's farms, there's mountains, there's incredible vistas. So it really is the best of all worlds. And we're right on the Hudson River. So you have so much to offer. And it's just really an affordable, scaled-down city.

SPEAKER_00 1:55

What would you change about it if you could change anything?

SPEAKER_01 1:58

There's a lot. And it's probably the same as what a lot of destinations right now are struggling with. Crime is an issue in a lot of cities right now. And so it's something, even if it's not a high crime rate, any perception of crime sets people off. And so combating that and seeing anyone unhoused on the street, there's one person in a small city, and it seems like an epidemic, right? Because you're in a small city. If you're in a very, very bustling metropolis, you don't even notice because there's so many people around. So that's one of the struggles we have is the benefits of being small are sometimes the reasons we have struggles. The changes are coming. We're working with the governor on it because this is her home, too, at the state capitol. She's really invested in it. So I see the changes on their way, and I'm really excited for them.

SPEAKER_00 2:50

In what way do you hope your work makes a difference?

SPEAKER_01 2:55

I love that we have a seat at the table at these conversations, you know, at the state level, where we are invited by the governor to participate in the conversations about how to change and where investments should be made, including in the New York State Museum. And I sit on the task force to revitalize that. And we're the oldest state museum in the country. And we're the oldest continuously chartered city in the country. So we just have a lot of history. So from that perspective, we've been around for 50 years. So we as an organization have built up that rapport with the leadership of the community to be part of the change that is needed whenever it is needed. But on the flip side, I also want to do better at what our mission is, which is really to tell the rest of the world why Albany is a great place to visit, and which of course makes it a great place to live and a great place to do business. So being a part of that messaging is something we are happy to do.

SPEAKER_00 3:53

What is the most challenging part of your work on a day-to-day basis?

SPEAKER_01 3:57

Um the most challenging part, you know, I think it's the same thing as what is really fulfilling about our work, and that's the partnerships. We have 400 years of history built up. So when you have that many years of a functioning government and being a city representing the whole county and also the state capital, there's a lot of entities that you get to partner with, but it's also a lot of entities you have to partner with. And so that is the daily struggle is making sure all the right people are part of the conversation, making sure we have a seat at the right table, and making sure we're all working toward the same goals, which is the challenge. It's a gift, but it is very much a challenge that we contend with every day.

SPEAKER_00 4:46

When you were starting your career, did you think you would be managing so much? I say politically, not in that elected way, but in that bringing stakeholders together by.

SPEAKER_01 4:57

No, honestly, I had my first experience in tourism in the 90s. I was a college student and I had the benefit of getting an internship with I Love New York. And so that was didn't seem like a very political job at all. It was very hands-on marketing. We're calling the tourism offices and asking them what their leaves look like. It was a very warm and fuzzy experience until the day I came in after the gubernatorial elections, and everyone seemed like they were at a funeral. And that's when I realized it was very political because all of the appointees in that office were about to lose their jobs because there was a change in politics. So I knew then that it was a political job, but it felt still secondary. Until I was in this role with Discover Albany, I really didn't have a full grasp on just how big of a role politics plays in what we do. And it's necessary. It's a good thing. A lot of what we do impacts our government and is impacted by our government. So having those relationships is essential, but still catches me off guard sometimes.

SPEAKER_00 6:15

Do you think that that's that's a function of your job because the organization is mature? And I think of I'm thinking of the destination organizations that have had the aha moment in the last few years, that they need to be politically savvy? Or do you think that's just a function of your role in the space and in today's day and age?

SPEAKER_01 6:39

Probably both. That we have been the destination management organization for this year's 50 years, and I'm only the third CEO. We have a history of building up that level of respect by our elected officials, by our community leaders to have a seat at those tables, and you have to earn it. Each one of us has had to earn our place. I took over. It wasn't like I could just walk in and here I am, I'm in charge now. You have to build up those relationships. But I had the benefit of having run the State Tourism Association before this. So I was already spending a lot of time at the Capitol advocating for our industry. I already knew a lot of the elected officials because of that. So it made it a lot easier to get my foot in the door to focus on our industry. And I spend a lot of time up on the hill, as it were, at our Capitol, and not just for what impacts us here in Albany County, but for our industry as a whole, especially statewide, carrying messages from my peers across the state, partly because of proximity, right? Not just that I am comfortable in that role, but I'm here. If there's an issue and the hotel association needs somebody from tourism to head up there with them and be arm in arm, I'm it, right? I'm already there. I'm happy to do it. It's right up the street. Proximity to the Capitol probably has a lot to do with it as well.

SPEAKER_00 8:09

What two or three bullets of advice would you give to the young professional who has to develop that skill?

SPEAKER_01 8:17

First and foremost, put away any fear of not belonging, right? You're not only somebody who is an expert in your field, and even if you're new, right, you need to own your place in this industry, but you're also a part of the community. You are a voting member of the community, and you have to remember that the elected officials work for us. Now, don't treat them that way, but it helps to remember, okay, they're here to serve our interests. I'm here to serve the interests of our community. Remember what your mission is. You're not asking for favors for yourself. So I guess this is the second bit of advice. You're asking for support for their constituents, right? These are things that are good for their constituents. And so when you walk in with that, it gives you a level of confidence and just know believe in what you're asking for. It's really hard to make a pitch to an elected official and to try to put your stake in the ground if you are not passionate about your why.

SPEAKER_00 9:25

I love that. Very smart. When you think about people who are working on the front lines of tourism, what do you wish more of them were able to do? Or do differently?

SPEAKER_01 9:37

I wish more of them understood the impact that they have on each visitor they encounter. You and I travel, right? We know we encounter somebody at the front desk. Did somebody greet us at the door and offer to take our bags for us? How would that exchange? Were we making their day better by doing those things? And it's really hard, especially if there's high turnover in our frontline pieces of our industry, for them to feel like their job makes a big difference. I've made my own kids work in our hotels. You can work at a front desk and you can pretty much learn to do anything after that. You know how to work with people, you know how to solve problems, you know how to deal with angry customers. So I've learned a lot from my own kids, what they bring home to me from their experiences. And I think a book could be written about the day in the life of hotel staff or restaurant staff. And I'm sure there have been, but how to translate that into why their job matters in the bigger picture? I don't think they get to hear that enough. That they matter. Pride in what they do and yeah, and that appreciation.

SPEAKER_00 10:54

You mentioned your kids.

SPEAKER_01 10:55

How do you hope they describe oh, that's a tough one. I have always strived to make sure that there's a balance between setting expectations and being not their friend, but now they're adults now. All of them are over 18, technically. They're friends. And honestly, my daughter came home to me one day. She's the oldest, and she was working at a hotel, and she was watching a tween roll her eyes at her mother and scoff at everything. Her mom was having trouble getting the chip reader on her card to work, and the daughter is acting like it's the end of the world, and her mother's the dumbest person. And my daughter said, Well, I just looked at the mom and I said, Don't worry. I remember being that age, but now my mom is my best friend. And that's all I need to know because the best friend isn't somebody you just have fun with. That's somebody you confide in. That's somebody you go to for advice. And as adults, I'm glad that's the role I get to play in their lives.

SPEAKER_00 12:01

In what way do you think you're like each of your parents?

SPEAKER_01 12:04

My dad was one of the most well-liked people. Anybody who knew him just liked him because he always wanted to help, right? And that's something I like to do. I enjoy helping people. If there's a problem and I think I can help with it, I'm gonna go after it. Even if I don't really have time, my dad would sacrifice his own golf game to go and fix somebody's water heater. And that wasn't a field he was in. He just knew how to do it, right? But he was very quiet. So in that way, I'm very much not like my dad. My mom is a born leader, and I think that's where I get her what I got from her. She still is that personality. She is strong, she's confident. She was not given any opportunity to get a higher education, and she still built a great career for herself. I watched that growing up, and I'm grateful that I got to see her do that because it showed me what women can do and what you can still do when you have a family of your own to take care of.

SPEAKER_00 13:13

Interesting that you mentioned learning and higher education. And I've said this before. One of the things that I think those of us who love this industry have in a traveler who experience our work is that we love to learn. We love to learn about people in place experiences and everything that goes into it. What's a skill you would like to learn in the coming year?

SPEAKER_01 13:35

I recently completed my CDME, the Destinations International, at my age with three adult kids. Going back and starting over with school was intimidating, but I learned that I crave knowledge more so than when I was gifted college as a young person, right? I don't think I appreciated it that much. So I want to learn everything. I always want to learn something new. I always want to take new classes. What I didn't come into this industry with is a sales background, right? I could tell myself I can tell everybody why my destination is great, but I don't have the skills that my DOS has. So those things, I still lean on them, which I think is great. They know what they know and I trust them to know what our sales team knows. But I would absolutely like to learn more about the ins and outs of it because I think it'll make me a more well-rounded leader.

SPEAKER_00 14:33

I think you'd be surprised. And I see this from somebody who started with a sales background and is now in the education space and the nonprofit space. So much of what you do in just having that conversation of building that rapport and leading with your commonalities is what sales boils down to. Unless you're the sleazy car salesperson.

SPEAKER_01 14:53

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 14:53

I don't think that works anymore.

SPEAKER_01 14:55

No, you it's all about relationships, right? Sales is a relationship-driven industry. I think it's more the ins and outs of why you sell this way to one and how you navigate the conventions versus the not-for-profits, just because I haven't hands-on done those things myself. So maybe I just need to go with them on calls a little more.

SPEAKER_00 15:19

I'm a nerd. What did I not ask that you wish I did?

SPEAKER_01 15:23

Maybe what major projects have are we undertaking?

SPEAKER_00 15:27

What major projects are you preventing?

SPEAKER_01 15:30

Stephen. I thought that I mentioned it's our 50th year as originally the Albany County Convention and Visitors Bureau. We were started in 1976. So we predate I Love New York and Star Wars, right? And we don't predate me, but we predate a lot of my memories. And so there's a lot that we decided to roll out somewhat to our own sanity think, because we're putting too many things together at once. But we do it because there's passion in our organization and everybody wants it to be the best and at the right timing. So we are rolling out a new brand this year, rolling out a new website, a new visitor guide. And once those are out, really launching a huge celebration for 50 years of people discovering Albany. So it's a big undertaking, but everybody is behind it and is super excited, and we can't wait to unveil everything.

SPEAKER_00 16:34

What's something you'd like to say to the members of your team that you may not say often?

SPEAKER_01 16:38

Oh, I appreciate them. I couldn't say often enough how much I appreciate them. They are talented and they know what they know, but they know how to partner together. I know other DMO teams, and sales and marketing don't always get along. And many teams don't even have a community engagement division. All of my departments work together and they collaborate and they like each other. And I'm just so grateful for that and for them.

SPEAKER_00 17:08

What would you like to ask me?

SPEAKER_01 17:11

What's on the horizon with education in our industry? What's coming that I may not have my eyes on?

SPEAKER_00 17:20

It's with that question in mind that we actually founded tourism six years ago. And it was an understanding that so much of what we called education, the tourism industry, was missing the mark. And I've seen through education slight shifts over the last few years in how organizations look at education in how they're delivering education. There are two phrases that we use here quite often. One is education with empathy. But you have to provide learning to people how, when, and where they crave knowledge most. Not everybody's a reading learner, not everybody's a video learner, not everybody's a written learner. So you have to find ways to cultivate different messaging, different content, and work that into whatever it is that you're doing. And in the same way in your marketing plan, in your sales strategy, as you would in community engagement, frontline training. The other phrase that we use quite frequently here is we call it the tea, as if you're sipping tea. And that is that you look for education programming or you look to deliver education programming that delivers transformation. Not knowledge for knowledge's sake, but changes in behavior. What can you do differently or better than you were doing before? So is it so important to me that I know who stood on the blade of grass in whatever year? Or is it more important to me that I I be able to find that information and share a story about it?

SPEAKER_01 18:59

I like that.

SPEAKER_00 19:01

The second element of the tea principle is engagement. The webinar that plays in the background while you go mow your lawn or make yourself coffee. People have to be actively involved in their learning experience. Whether that's in person or it's online or it's a hybrid or it's at a trade show or in the office, whatever it is, they have to be actively engaged. But not just with the uh instructor, but with the content, with the games. They have to have opportunities to self-discover, they have to have opportunities to learn from each other, they have to have opportunities to reflect. So it's applying these elements of instructional design and behavioral economics and organizational psychology to how we're teaching in the industry. As organizations pick up on that and adapt to that, we're seeing tremendous growth in the participation in the education programs that other organizations are offering. And the third in the T is accessibility and how people are. I think it's incumbent upon us to meet people where they're at, draw them a picture of where we think we can be together, and provide them the tools, resource, and support. Fantastic. Thanks. My niece said to me the other day, she goes, you know, Steve, she calls me Aunt Steve. When it's just us, you're a clown. But when you get asked a business question, you're kind of smart.

SPEAKER_01 20:40

I love it. I love it. Well, and that's good. So you're appropriate for the moment, you know, and that's what you're talking about. What works for each person in each place that they're at right now.

SPEAKER_00 20:51

Exactly. Anything else you'd like to chat about while we're still here?

SPEAKER_01 20:56

I could always chat with you for hours.

SPEAKER_00 20:58

So anything you if folks want to plan a visit to Albany, what resource would you recommend?

SPEAKER_01 21:04

Definitely head to our website. It's albany.org. It's real easy. Everything is on there. We strive to be the first result that you see when you Google us in AI's poll and work to make sure that it is pulling the right information. But you can be sure it's up to date if you get it from our website. And you can do it, it's mobile friendly. You don't have to worry about apps or anything. We will make sure you get everything you need to know. And if you aren't sure, give us a call. You can find our number on our website, and we're happy to there's always someone around to talk to you. And we have a visitor center, so stop by and say hi too. We'd love to hear from our visitors.

SPEAKER_00 21:46

And I will say you have a great, fantastic festival and event lineup.

SPEAKER_01 21:51

Yes. We are definitely a city of festivals, and there's a lot of them, and our calendar of events has always something like that to do.

SPEAKER_00 21:59

Well, thank you for joining me on the podcast. And I look forward to visiting Albany soon and seeing you in Portland.

SPEAKER_01 22:05

Yes, absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 22:07

All right.

SPEAKER_01 22:08

Thank you. Thank you.