With fall campaigns in full swing, you’ve got a busy schedule. This week, we’ve compiled the top headlines and resources for DMOs so you can stay up to date without staying up late. This week, we have resources to help you write winning grant applications, tune you in on holiday predictions and teach you habits that will increase your productivity to accomplish your priorities. Keep reading to keep up on what’s most important to stay a step ahead in your industry.

Whether you’re a DMO, heritage area or economic development authority, we know you need funding. Funding is what keeps your projects going so that you can keep your community’s amenities open for visitors. But applying for that funding can be tough. There are many organizations vying for the same grants, so how do you stand out from the competition? Listening to this webinar will give you insight from a real grant writer on how to make your applications shine. Throughout the webinar, you’ll also learn how a strong marketing strategy can prove your organization’s sustainability and credibility. By using this strategy to fill out your applications, you’ll be leaps and bounds ahead of other organizations.

If you want more information on funding after watching this webinar, you can check out this funding guide for more advice and tips on getting started.

With your destination’s fall campaigns in progress, you should be looking ahead to the holidays. The holidays are a huge season for traveling, but not just because your family wants you home for Christmas. Gifting good experiences instead of items has been a big trend in recent years, with the data saying the pandemic could inflate it even more this holiday season. Eighty percent of millennials said they would choose an experience over buying something and 20% said they gave an experience as a gift in the first 12 months of the pandemic.

As this trend continues to grow in popularity, it’s important for you to keep this on your radar when planning holiday and winter campaigns. Now is the time to start thinking of ways you can market your destination as the travel gift your consumers’ loved ones want.

Travel-lovers in the U.S. are tired of being cooped up. There is a lot of optimism in the travel industry as domestic air travel is approaching 2019 levels, though caution is still in the air. Despite the Delta variant and high rates of infection throughout the country, travelers are still planning vacations through the end of the year. Forgoing the typical hotels and city destinations, they are opting for outdoor activities, rural destinations and rentals.

Travel is not going away, though the pandemic is dramatically changing the way people go about it. Many are avoiding indoor gatherings and are taking more time to plan their vacations so that they can better control their environment. When promoting your destination, you need to keep in mind that travelers are looking for flexibility, outdoor activities and vacation rentals over hotels. Experts predict a busy fall and winter for travel, giving rural destinations a great opportunity to promote their amenities as demand for socially distant, domestic travel increases.

Life is full of tasks clamoring for our attention and we spend most of our day trying to get them done. But are we doing all the wrong things to make sure they are done? These 10 professionals share their big no-nos when it comes to checking off their to-do list priorities. Here are the top takeaways to keep in mind if you want to get your most important task done:

• Stop checking your email in the morning.
• Learn to say no.
• Don’t overbook your calendar.
• Stop viewing everything as a priority.

Working for your community means you have a lot of big items on your list, so make sure you’re instilling practices that increase your productivity. Take stock of your daily habits and dump the ones that keep you behind.