The Opportunities Behind Rebranding a State with Lisa Urias, CEO & Executive Director of the Arizona Office of Tourism
As a proud fourth-generation Arizonan, Lisa Urias has built her career on crafting and promoting the multi-faceted brand of Arizona through several companies, organizations, and roles. Lisa’s family has a long history of service to Arizona – a value she holds dear. Her more than 35 years as a marketing & PR professional have taught her that a strong organizational culture, a responsive strategic plan, diverse perspectives, and dedication to innovative ideas lead to sustained success.
Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:
Lisa Urias explains her role as CEO and Executive Director of the Arizona Office of Tourism
Understand the significance and value of cultural engagement in Tourism
Learn how the process is just as important as the end result
How creating opportunities can lead to remarkable achievements
Understand the challenges in rebranding a state like Arizona
Foster brilliance universally by promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion
Lisa’s desire to leave a legacy of creating opportunities and driving progress
What you’ll learn in this episode:
In this episode of From Persona to Personal, Roger Hurni welcomes Lisa Urias, CEO at Arizona Office of Tourism, you'll learn about her extensive career in marketing and PR, focusing on her role as the CEO of the Arizona Office of Tourism. The conversation delves into her approach to creating and promoting Arizona's brand by emphasizing the importance of diverse perspectives, innovative ideas, and a strong organizational culture. Lisa shares insights on how bridging opportunities to underserved communities can lead to remarkable achievements as illustrated by their success stories.
Additionally, the episode covers the significance of cultural understanding in tourism, particularly in engaging with Native American tribes and rural communities in Arizona. Lisa discusses the value of small, meaningful experiences in tourism, such as learning traditional practices from tribal guides, and the potential for these activities to create job opportunities and enrich visitors' experiences. The transcript highlights Lisa's dedication to inclusivity and representation in the industry, aiming to lift up diverse voices and talents to drive progress and innovation.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
This episode’s sponsor:
Today’s episode is brought to you by Off Madison Ave.
Off Madison Ave provides holistic marketing that inspires people to visit cities, attractions, and the great outdoors.
Their behavioral models tap into your audiences’ motivation and prompt’s them to shift behavior. This allows them to specialize in answering the question, “Where to next?” Then, they point them in the best possible direction: yours.
To learn more visit OffMadisonAve.com
Off Madison Ave. Go. See. Do.
Episode Transcript
Roger Hurni 00:33
Hello, everyone! I am Roger Hurni, the author of Outthink, Outperform, and the host of From Persona to Personal, where I get to use my expertise in behavioral marketing to engage with top business leaders who are propelling their brands forward. Before I get to today's very special guest. This episode is brought to you by Off Madison Ave, Off Madison Ave provides holistic marketing that inspires people to visit cities, attractions, and the great outdoors. Their behavioral models tap into your audience's motivation and prompt’s them to shift behavior. This allows them to specialize in answering the question. “Where to next?” Then point them in the best possible direction. Yours. To learn more visit OffMadisonAve.com. Off Madison Ave. Go. See. Do. Now, without further ado, I am really proud to have this person who's been a friend and a client and a colleague over the years, who I've known for a very long time. Lisa Urias and Lisa is the CEO at Arizona Office of Tourism, and the executive director. Lisa is a proud 4th generation Arizonan, and she has built her career on crafting and promoting multifaceted brands of Arizona through several companies, organizations, and actually roles. Lisa's family has a long history of service to Arizona of value. I know that she personally holds it very, very near and dear to her heart. She has more than 35 years as a marketing, and PR professional, and has taught her all that experience has taught her about strong organization of culture, responsiveness to strategic plans, diverse perspectives, and dedication to innovative ideas which have always led and helped her sustain success. So, without further ado, Lisa! Welcome to the show!
Lisa Urias 02:19
Thank you, Roger. It's a pleasure to be here with you.
Roger Hurni 02:23
Good! I love having you here. And again, I really appreciate it. In full disclosure again. You're a client and a friend and this makes these conversations so much easier to have, just because we know each other so well. Did I get anything wrong in the introduction? Anything we.
Lisa Urias 02:41
No, everything was spot on. I am very happy to be here in this role at AOT, a relatively new role for me. As you know, I've been there now a year and a half, and very, very happy to have OMA as our agency of record there. So that was quite good news for me to walk into.
Roger Hurni 03:03
Well, thank you. Thank you for that. I actually want to start a little bit more about you. I gave a little bit on the introduction, but now, honestly knowing you and the listeners don't. That's just the tip of the iceberg. I would really like to get a better sense of the real Lisa Urias and your background, which is so rich, and how it got you to this point, how you got started and feel free to take your time.
Lisa Urias 03:28
Sure. Well, you know, Roger, I am a fourth generation Arizonan, my great grandparents migrated to Arizona from Mexico, from Puebla, Veracruz, Sonora, and grandparents were all born in Arizona, so interesting background, because many immigrants are relatively new immigrants to Arizona, and our family has been here for many generations. Our daughters are fifth generation Arizonans, and so we've, I think, been a family that's been very engaged in Arizona and in building Arizona. My grandfather, Adam Diaz, was the first Hispanic city councilman for the city of Phoenix, and Vice Mayor, the city of Phoenix. And my father was a bilingual educator at Phoenix Union High School, and we have always been very engaged in Arizona, in the growth of Arizona, in trying to make communities better in Arizona, in understanding the richness of Arizona. So, it's such a pleasure to be in this role now, at the Office of Tourism, because I feel like my whole life has been really focused on supporting the brand of Arizona in one fashion or another. I did end up in my career, starting in the Arizona Republic, which was a lot of fun as a reporter and worked for the editorial board at a time when we had really great people there, Richard Lessner and Bill Cheshire and just amazing history with them. And then I went on to work at SRP. Took a job there as the head of their office of international affairs, and that was really designed to market SRPs water technology transfer services globally to 77 countries on an annual basis that we either hosted or sent engineers out into, and that was really a beautiful time of tremendous growth for me, being so young and thrown into a very big role with Jack Pfister, another Arizona Icon who hired me to put me in that role and lead that team folks to showcase, again showcase Arizona's incredible water system. People from all over the world wanted to know how we created this state-of-the-art water system in a semi-arid region. And so, it was very important for me to make sure that we were well positioned, and people understood the kind of water technology that we had to make sure that we were more prepared than many other States in the country. And then from there, I went off to start my own agency, and Urias communications has been going on for 20 years. Still going now with my CEO Jason Coochwytewa. We focused largely on multicultural markets of the US southwest, targeting those markets for clients and just been a great ride. We've had so much to be proud of, worked with lots of good clients, and have had the opportunity again to focus on, you know, just really meaningful work. From my perspective to shape the narrative about who we are in Arizona, the kind of work that we provide, and the kind of customers that we have available to corporations out there, and the and the amazing connectivity that they can have when they reach out to those customers.
Roger Hurni 07:37
Well, it, it seems to me, and you can correct me if I'm wrong. I mean, if I had to say, pull somebody from this background and have them be the executive director of Arizona Tourism. You would check every one of those boxes, and maybe that tie to Arizona's history was a primary driver for you taking this new role. But was there anything else that you felt like? Oh, this is important to me beyond that, that I want to do this because it's a, I don't know another challenge. Or is there something else that was a driver of you taking this new position.
Lisa Urias 08:13
Well, that's a great question, and I will tell you that. When Governor Hobbs was elected, I had a call from the transition team. Many people I knew who are on the transition team, and they said, would you like, would you like a position in Governor Hobbs cabinet, and I will tell you that some anxiety flowed straight through my veins, and I said, well, don't put me over housing or child protective services. I wouldn't do well in those roles; I would really mess them up. And they laughed, and they said, no, no, no, we were thinking about tourism, and it was interesting, because I honestly had never really thought about taking a role with the Governor's cabinet. But when they said tourism, and then, when Governor Hobbs called me a few days later and said, I can't think of anybody better to help me carry the brand of the State of Arizona. It was a very emotional moment for me. I actually felt, you know. I started. I started to tear up and cry a little bit, and she said, don't cry. You're going to make me cry. But it was really a wonderful moment for me, because I felt like, after so many years of work in Arizona and in large part really working to make sure that people understand Arizona in a way that I think is so powerful. Arizona is such a beautiful state. Arizonans, who have been here for generations, love this State. Arizonans who are new, love this state and there's so much to celebrate about who we are and so much of my life has been focused on that. Who are we? What do we really represent? How do we really celebrate the things that make this place so special and so yes, I saw it as a tremendous opportunity for me to really step into this role and help Governor Hobbs do what she has been saying, which is, create an Arizona for everyone which for me means celebrating the brand from an Arizona perspective. I want to make sure that Arizonans own the narrative, and that we are able to tell our story out to the world in a way that makes us all really proud.
Roger Hurni 10:38
Well, rebranding or branding a state from that perspective has a massive set of challenges because there are so many voices. And we’re a big state, I mean, physically. We're a big state, and you, I know, have been going corner to corner to corner and everywhere in between speaking to Arizonans, how? How has that process been for you? And when? What has been really? What's one of those most interesting moments that you had doing it?
Lisa Urias 11:09
Well, you know, as you suggested, sometimes the process is just as important as the end result. And I definitely think that that's the case with this effort to refresh the brand of the State of Arizona. So, I've worked on a lot of major brands over the years. I started working APS was one of our foundational clients that I got from Urias communications in 2004, and so we worked on a full rebranding of APS. I think it was in 2010 and huge undertaking, and I've done it for the Phoenix Zoo, and I've done it for lots of major clients over the years, and for me, brand doesn't change fully unless you engage all the constituents that need to be engaged, whether it's your customers or your board or your employees. You really do have to make sure that everyone owns that brand. And it's not just about a mark, as you know it's about the narrative. And so, we started on this journey. It's been almost a year now of going across the State to meet with. Yes, tourism professionals, but also business leaders and government leaders, to meet with everyday Arizonans, to meet with children, to meet with people in community, people who are just passionate about this state. And we've done these discovering Arizona listening tours where we've asked them lots of you know, interesting questions. We've asked them things about what makes them proud about their particular communities and about living in Arizona. We've asked them things like, what bothers you about what people say or think about Arizona, and we've got lots of interesting comments about that. We've asked them about what do they want? Reflected out to the world. What do people need to know about Arizona? And it's just been a really beautiful time to listen to Arizonans all over the State. The things that they say the way that they engage with each other have been really delightful to watch and every time I find myself being really touched by the answers that they're providing to us.
Roger Hurni 13:56
Yeah, I couldn't agree more. The narrative in this particular case is probably more critical than the outcome, because I believe that if you're going to see success, everyone has to see, however small their voice in that outcome. And you know you're the first executive director that I've ever seen where you really worked hard to uncover that beyond the obvious stakeholders that you looked at that diverse cultural aspects like you said you, you spoke with children, and you know I know you engage with native American tribes, and I don't think anyone's ever done that before, so I think the richness of whatever happens next will really shine through, because I think everyone will see. Hey, you considered my opinion. And that that kind of coalition building, I think is really important. I think you would agree with me on that point.
Lisa Urias 14:57
No, I really hope so. I hope people feel like they've been heard, I am working now on, you know. Of course, the narrative, and we'll be working with you all on expanding that narrative out. And we have taken so many gems. You know people say things that I love like someone said, you don't. In Arizona you don't have to be someone to become someone and that is powerful. You know lots of places in the rest of the country. You go to New York, you go to Boston, you go to Chicago, and if you don't have an in you may not make it, and in Arizona. There's so much opportunity for people to shine, no matter where they come from, no matter what their background. Someone else said, it's beyond beautiful Arizona's beyond beautiful. And I thought, that's a great way of putting it, because there's so much beauty in Arizona. The majestic beauty comes up over and over, but it's more than just beautiful. There are so many things that Arizona has to offer, and, as you mentioned. We have been engaging with all of our tribal nations. I have several meetings again with them. This week we have been engaging with many, many of our rural communities. We started in Prescott. We went to Yuma. We've been all through the Copper Corridor. We've been to Flagstaff and Payson and Pine Top, and Willcox. You name it. We've gone all over the state, and people have just been so open to telling us their stories, to telling us what makes their community special. And so, this isn't just a brand for tourism, even though tourism will see a campaign come out of it. This is for the state of Arizona. So, the information that we're gathering we are also providing to our agency directors or other CEOs across the 32 agencies within the State government, so that they can hear what people are saying about what they love about Arizona, what they want to preserve about the state and what they want to see improved. And so those are all things that are really important for us to listen to. And as you suggested sometimes, people will say, you know, you're the first tourism director we've ever seen, and I'm sure there have been many tourism directors have been out to visit, but I think, taking that time to really listen has been of value to them. I hope it has been, anyway.
Roger Hurni 17:48
Well, I mean there's listening to take action, and there's listening to understand. And my observation is that you listen to understand, and that makes people feel better about the conversations that they have with you than they may have had with past directors and stuff. And the whole thing is inspirational. That's something I've always used. It's like every action. Because this is such an amazing state, feels Arizona inspired. You know, that's like a thing. I've heard that there's a little bit of a part B, that is to this, and that has to do with working like on a statewide coalition help drive sustainability. And there's a lot to unpack there when it comes to unsustainability. But I know ultimately, you're tasked with making that sustainability coalition more meaningful for the visitor experience. Can you kind of explain what you're doing there, and how that turns into a better visitor experience.
Lisa Urias 18:48
Sure. Yeah, you know, in this role, a lot of people who have had this role in the past have been industry professionals, people who really have far more expertise than I do in the tourism and hospitality industry. Really important role and I'm very grateful to have people in our office who understand that world of travel agencies and bookings and making sure you've got you know all of our resorts full. So, you know that is a critical part of what the Arizona office of tourism does. My background, like yours, is more in the branding side, branding, marketing, PR, protecting, promoting brands. That's what I love to do, and that's a big part of what I pay attention to. And so, one of the things that I hear over and over again. I was just in a meeting at the Western Governors Association in Lake Tahoe this summer, and the under Secretary of Agriculture was there, and she was speaking to this group of you know, mainly State Government officials and the tourism folks were represented there, and she brought up that tourism is a challenge and I've heard it in many, many places. You read about it, as you probably have in the New York Times, and you know all kinds of magazines and publications that you know, tourism is becoming increasingly seen as a challenge to communities. One of the first big meetings that I had here was in Sedona. And they were concerned about the crowds and the people and their capacity to manage the tourists that come and flock to Sedona, particularly during the summer months. And so, you know, this is something that I think we need to address as industry professionals head on. It's something that a lot of states like Colorado have been extremely focused on. And I think it's really interesting to see the kind of work that states like Colorado have done. So, we have been working in this space. But we are becoming much more intentional about it moving forward. So, it really is about you know, how do we make sure that we have win wins across the board that we can bring tourists into our communities. I mean, you know, looks like 2023. We had 29 billion dollars spent in Arizona for tourism. It's a huge number, we contribute 10% of the State's budget. In those communities like Sedona, it's 70% of their total budget. It's tourism. So, we have to make sure that while tourists are coming to those places and visiting our communities statewide, that we are also working with our communities to make sure that we manage them well. And so, I know. For example, OMA is doing a lot of this work with us, helping people understand how to stay on trails. Making sure they understand the principles that we have and Appreciate AZ, appreciate Arizona, helping them understand? Leave no trace of all the things that our parents would tell us, you know. Leaving a place better than you found it are the things that we're trying to make sure that our visitors also understand.
Roger Hurni 22:47
You know it. It's such a smart approach in managing those expectations. I'm going to throw something out of left field. And I'm going to apologize right now, because I think you would look at this problem very differently. But in the news lately in Barcelona there's been local residents squirting some visitors or people who are like Airbnb-in over there. Like with squirt guns, like saying tourists get out of here and look, I understand the need to protect the Spanish culture, the Barcelona culture. But at the same time, it's a huge driver of revenue. If you were in charge of Spanish Tourism, and that were happening. Is there? Is there a step that you would take in that situation?
Lisa Urias 23:37
Yeah, you know the I just read that story, too. It's been all over the news. And I also read, interestingly enough, that Denmark is taking an entirely different approach. And that's the kind of approach that I hope we can take in Arizona. They're using positive reinforcement. So, for example, they were saying, if you take a bus or public transportation to a tourist destination, a highly visited tourist destination, they'll let you in free. If you are you know, engaging in practices that they encourage for any sort of practice that they encourage. They're going to reward you, and I think you know what? What people often don't realize. Residents of places don't realize that all those small businesses depend on tourists for their livelihoods. Small businesses, restaurants,
tour operators, hotels. You've got so many people who depend on those dollars. And as we mentioned in some of the communities, it's huge, the numbers, the economic numbers are huge. And so, if a place like Barcelona has that kind of behavior going on, they're going to lose tourists. They're going to lose tourists. They're going to lose opportunities. They're going to lose on so many levels. So, as I mentioned earlier, we have to find ways to create win wins for everyone involved. I love the Sedona City Manager. She has a great vision, she said to me. I want people to come to Sedona, park their cars where they're staying and never get in the car again. And I thought, That's a great vision. If you have a vision like that, you can make it happen. Make sure that you and you create a space for people to jump on a trolley to get up. You know some sort of public transportation to use the electric, driverless vehicles, or whatever it is that you're doing, so that people can get around without clogging up the streets with cars. So, there's so many things that we can think about to make it better for all of us.
Roger Hurni 26:08
Yeah, I mean, as a behavioral strategist, I am with you. What I love, what you're doing here is you are, and Denmark is doing this in a different way. Their tactics are different, but the strategy is the same. You change visitor behavior by bringing them into the cultural norms of that area.
Lisa Urias 26:27
Right.
Roger Hurni 26:28
And instead of Barcelona saying, you don't fit in, they're not taking the time to teach them how to fit in which will support all those businesses that you're talking about, and I see your point there from a behavior standpoint that if you, if you embrace those visitors, if you teach them how to fit in. If you teach them the cultural norms, then situations like Barcelona don't happen.
Lisa Urias 26:54
That's absolutely right. And it's funny that you bring that up because one of the things that I have spoken with some of the tribes about, for example is just that because you know one of one thing that people need to know when they come to Arizona, and they visit our tribal lands is that they're stepping on to sovereign land. So, when you go to Navajo or Hopi, or Apache land, you are stepping onto sovereign land. So, it's a completely different set of rules, and they all have ways of practice that are important for visitors to understand. And so, we've been encouraging them to do just that to help people come in. We always encourage using tribal guides to help make sure that people understand the way they live, and that's what they want. That's what tourists want. Tourists don't want to go to Barcelona or to Hopi and to go to an Applebee's. They want to go and see how you live. They want to experience your culture. They want to have the opportunity to learn something new, to see the world through your eyes. And so, you know, I joke about with the with the chairman of the White Mountain Apache, and I was telling Chairman Velazquez, that you know we in my family, we’ll go to Southern California and get on one of those whale watching trips, you know, on the boat, and spend hundreds of dollars per person to go out in the ocean, and half the time never see a whale. But the point is that if they were to create tour opportunities for us to go out with them on a jeep and see the world through their eyes, how they spot owls, how they find those beautiful deer and moose, how they are engaging in nature there, I mean, that is so important, teaching young people how to fish and camp, and how to how to live off the land. Those are the kinds of things that can drive a lot of good job opportunities for people within those tribal nations and create beautiful experiences for tourism.
Roger Hurni 29:22
I think people underestimate all the time the value of small experiences having big meaning. Look I mean, I want everyone to go to the Grand Canyon. See it? Because it's really, really amazing. But those little experiences being on a horse riding through the desert. It creates this lifelong memory because it is so. It's just it's just more emotional. And so, people really miss out. And those are huge opportunities for anyone that's in the native American community or any other smaller, more rural communities. They have a lot to offer that people just don't think about. And there's opportunity there to leverage those kinds of experiences, for sure.
Lisa Urias 30:08
Absolutely. We were with a couple of guys in Yuma out on one of their beautiful rivers, and they were river fishing and sitting there on the little boat river, fishing with a couple of locals. Talking about what they love about that place and showing us the kind of experience, they have on a regular basis that many of us may not get to experience. There is something really magical about that, as you said. I mean. It's such a small thing, but it's such a beautiful thing. And one thing Arizona definitely has, that many other states may not. Is that ability for people to connect in nature, and I think people are looking for that more and more. They want to get off their phones. They want to disconnect from technology. They want to get their kids out to see things that are in nature to experience the beautiful things that we have to offer, the rivers, the lakes, the mountaintops, the canyons, and you know, have some good healthy activity while you're at it.
Roger Hurni 31:27
No, it's true. It's true.
Lisa Urias 31:29
You mean, like you, you like biking right.
Roger Hurni 31:32
I know. Yeah, it's it honestly is one of the best places to cycle in the world. But yeah, people need to have those experiences, and it's funny they come for a week, but they live those experiences for a lifetime, you know, and it's a really different thing. I'm curious, what's keeping you up at night right now, like, what's the biggest challenge you're facing?
Lisa Urias 31:54
Well, I mean, this is such a beautiful job. I kind of tease my staff a little bit there, because I have to sit in Cabinet meetings. It's a privilege for me to sit in those Cabinet meetings, but when I sit in those Cabinet meetings, I listen to what my fellow directors and CEOs are dealing with. Those are real problems, right? Housing. Lots of issues around, you know, corrections. We've got a lot of work to do to make Arizona better, and to help keep moving things in a positive direction for our residents. Tourism is, you know, a very different animal. We're like a little business unit. I always say within the State government because we generate revenue for the state. And so, it's a perfect fit for me as a businessperson, to step into this role. So, the only real challenges we have are, you know, just making sure that we feel like we've done our job when it comes to refreshing the brand. We are meeting regularly with the CMOs. The Chief Marketing Officers of the agencies in the State government make sure that they're comfortable with the direction that we're taking. We are also meeting with external constituents, to review the narrative with them, to give them some ideas around creative direction, because we want to make sure we get it right. I don't like the idea of someone coming in and saying, okay, here's your new brand identity. And here's your new brand playbook without really doing the work. And so that's just a serious thing for me, and I think I've instilled it in our staff, and it's probably made them a little bit uncomfortable to some degree, because it's not easy work. It's hard work, and it's rewarding work. But it's a lot. And so, I think it's been a lot more for them in some ways than they've experienced in the past. But you know that's what you get when you get a new boss, I suppose.
Roger Hurni 34:12
Well, I only have a couple more questions. I want to step away from tourism. You probably or maybe you do realize this. But over the years I've had to mentor a lot of students sitting on the Cronkite board and doing other sorts of things. And your name has come up a lot. As a woman in marketing and the sort of the PR Industry. I know a lot of people have looked at you. You've helped inspire a lot of careers. I'm kind of curious as to when you, when you started off particularly with DEI issues now, when you started off to know like what has really changed in the industry for the better.
Lisa Urias 34:55
Well, that's really nice to hear, Roger. Thank you. I have. You know again I joke that I am not the first of anything in my family, because being 4th generation puts you in a little bit of a different position, even though I am Mexican American. My family's, you know, they're all highly educated people who've done a lot in the world. But what I will tell you is that as an executive, as a business owner, as a CEO. I have been the sole Hispanic woman in a lot of rooms. And it's you know, it's always an interesting experience, and I have really loved trying to help create more understanding and trying to make sure that we're bringing more people to the table. What I do know for sure is that there's brilliance everywhere. We have, you know, by nature, I think human nature. There's a prejudice that people have about others, but we are all the same. There are people in every community that are, you know, brilliant as artists, as scientists, as legal experts, as business leaders in every community you will find people who are good, who are honorable, who are working for their families, who are doing their best. And so, you know, all I care about is trying to create opportunity for everyone, making sure that we are providing the same resources, the same accessibility to people across the board. Because why should we waste any talent? And that's my thought is, you know, there are hundreds of young men and women out there who are Mexican American, for example, who could take my place any time, and it's just important for us to be able to lift them up. Lift them all up and let them have the opportunity to shine.
Roger Hurni 37:16
Is that what you want your legacy to be, that you are the person who helps create opportunities and just move things forward.
Lisa Urias 37:23
I think that's a big part of it, Roger. I want to make sure that people see that when you do that, when you bridge opportunities to communities that don't always have access to it. They will reward you in many, many ways with the kind of acceleration that we couldn't even imagine. I was just at an ASU Foundation Board meeting. I'm on their foundation board, and we have the next Gen. Council, and they're all these amazing young people from all across the board, who are who went to ASU. Many of them went to either ThunderBird or Barrett and they were many of them first generation college going students. And now they're working all over the world. They're working in Arizona. They're working in London. They're working in New York. They're working in Silicon Valley. They're all over the world doing incredible, incredible things. And they were telling their stories, and I just am overwhelmed when I hear the kinds of things that they're able to do just because we've given them the opportunity to do it.
Roger Hurni 38:38
Okay, I you've been wonderful with your time. I have one last question, and you could answer this personally or professionally. And hopefully, the answer is, go on, Roger Hurni's Podcast From Persona to Personal but what's the worst advice you've ever gotten.
Lisa Urias 38:56
Well, I think the worst advice.
Roger Hurni 39:00
Let’s qualify this, the worst advice you've ever gotten, that you went. No, I'm not doing that.
Lisa Urias 39:07
Yeah. Well, I've gotten a lot of advice not to try something. You know. I mean, I'm not calling out any names, but you know. Don't. don't try. You're not capable right, and anytime I heard that advice, I would try it because I don't like being held back or being told that I'm not worthy. I don't think anybody should. My family always taught us that there is nothing you can't try to do. nothing. It doesn't mean that you're going to be successful. I'm not very good at playing musical instruments, but I think if I had put effort into it, I could have done it. There are natural talents that people have, of course, that can make them shine in certain areas more than others, but there is nothing that you cannot try to do, and so if anybody ever told me no, you shouldn't try that. I've had that. You know said to me before, you shouldn't go for that position, or you shouldn't try that pitch, or you shouldn't do that role. That's when I knew I had to try.
Roger Hurni 40:19
See, there's always a gem of knowledge in that question, which is why I ask it.
Lisa Urias 40:25
There's always you can always try something. I've run into several walls. Like most professionals we've run into a few walls here and there, but we still try.
Roger Hurni 40:35
Well, that's the important part. Thank you so much for your time, Lisa. I really appreciate it. And everyone I have been speaking with Lisa Urias, CEO, and executive director of the Arizona office of Tourism, Lisa. Where can people learn more about you and the Arizona office of tourism.
Lisa Urias 40:54
Well, we are online, visitarizona.gov You can come and visit us anytime. We also are. I'm on LinkedIn. I think you have information on my LinkedIn, if anybody wants to reach out there as well. So, it was such a pleasure, Roger. I really enjoyed spending time with you today.
Roger Hurni 41:15
Oh, as I did with you. I'm Roger Hurni. This is From Persona to Personal, and we'll catch you next time.
Outro 41:24
Thanks for listening to From Persona to Personal, the podcast that takes a closer look into how organizations tap into behavioral marketing to personalize their customer’s experience. We'll see you again next time and be sure to click Subscribe to get future episodes.
