View From Afar S1, E12: IPW 2025 | Stacy Ritter, President and CEO of Visit Lauderdale

I’m Michelle Baran, deputy editor at Afar. Welcome to View From Afar, a podcast that spotlights the people and ideas shaping the future of travel. And in this special series, I’m coming to you live from the floor of IPW, the annual travel conference organized by the U.S. Travel Association to share the best of America with the rest of the world.

In this episode, we’re talking with Stacy Ritter, President and CEO of Visit Lauderdale. Stacy has had an interesting path to tourism. She started as a lawyer, then served eight years in the Florida House of Representatives before taking over at Visit Lauderdale in 2016. In her current role, Stacy led a complete rebrand from the old “Hello Sunny” tagline to “Everyone Under the Sun,” a campaign that puts diversity and inclusion front and center.

This year, she was named a Travel Unity 2024 Honoree for her work promoting inclusive travel. She’s been leading this charge during a relatively challenging time in Florida. While the state has faced headlines about policies affecting LGBTQ+ travelers, Stacy has doubled down on making Fort Lauderdale a welcoming destination for everyone.

Transcript

Michelle: Welcome Stacy. It’s so great to have you.

Stacy: Thank you. It’s great to be here.

Michelle: So I want talk a little bit about your path to tourism, which was a bit unorthodox. You have a background in the legal field. So how has your background shaped your approach to destination marketing?

Stacy: Well, you know, when I had applied for this job at Visit Lauderdale back in 2016. Wow. Nine years this month, by the way, nine years. I was the county commissioner. And there was a lot of opposition in the tourism industry. They didn’t want a politician, they didn’t want someone who hadn’t been in tourism, who didn’t know the tourism industry.

And basically my campaign, which is what it was, was about the politics of a position like this. And it is highly political. You have to navigate through many, many layers of elected officials and county and, and city governments. Talking to people in the hospitality industry requires a bit of politicking. And although I haven’t practiced law in a really long time, just being able to speak to people in public, you know, getting up in front of a courtroom in front of a jury, strangers, trying to sell your client to them, this is a lot nicer than having to go in front of a jury. But I think that all of those things that I’ve done in my past actually helped guide me to the point where I am, and have allowed us to be successful because navigating the politics is so, so—it’s like a tightrope.

Michelle: Right. Right. So speaking of navigating the politics…

Stacy: *Laughs* Oh wow. What a great segue. Look at me.

Michelle: Fell right into that one. The Everyone Under the Sun campaign is really bold, especially in the current Florida political climate. What led you to that decision, and how do you balance community values with potential backlash?

Stacy: It’s a good question. We actually talk about it every day, and we’ve been talking about it for several years now in Florida. Florida started a couple years ago with, don’t say Gay and, god, there are a couple others whose names are— I guess I blocked them out of my mind.

And we thought, OK, so we’ve always been an inclusive and welcoming place. How do we make what limited resources we have, how do we make the noise loud enough to try to combat some of what’s going on with the bully pulpit at which at that time was just the state capitol. And we looked at who we are and the people who live in Broward County. There are 2 million of us who live in Broward, which is where Fort Lauderdale and Greater Fort Lauderdale is. They’re from 170 nations. We speak 148 languages. Can’t get any more diverse.

So, you play to your strength, you know, whether it’s tourism or baseball, and we think our strength has always been our diversity. Everyone from around the world comes to us, but more importantly, to us, or at least equally importantly, everyone under the sun lives in Greater Fort Lauderdale, and we wanted to tell that story.

Michelle: And have you had success in differentiating your destination from the broader state narrative? What’s been the response from travelers in the industry? It sounds like it’s been a pretty positive response.

Stacy: It has been very positive because we’ve leaned into it. Instead of sticking our heads in the sand and saying, OK, this too shall pass, which, well, I mean, I hope it does. But instead of doing that, we’ve decided to double down on what we think is important to the traveling public and to the people who live in Broward County, the people I represent who work in tourism.

10% of Broward residents are directly or indirectly employed in tourism. They need tourists to pay their bills and feed their families, so I think it’s been successful. The numbers suggest it has been successful. And when other Florida destinations and when Visit Florida took down its LGBTQ+ page, we thought, well, you know that’s not who we are. We’re not going to erase our history. We’re going to embrace it.

Michelle: I love that. So being right next door to a globally recognized destination like Miami—

Stacy: Oh, you’re talking about Miami? *Laughs*

Michelle: We’re switching gears a little bit. How has Fort Lauderdale managed to set itself apart and create a unique identity all its own?

Stacy: Well, we recognize that Miami is the 800-pound gorilla. You know, Miami burst onto the scene in the eighties for Miami Vice, and they’ve been riding that wave for 40, 50 years now. So, congratulations to them. We are just a different destination. You know, the flip-flop is our shoe, not the stiletto. You don’t have to put makeup on to go to the beach. If you want to eat dinner in shorts by the Intracoastal Waterway, we celebrate that. And I think that there is enough tourism to go around Miami. We are friendly competitors, but honestly, we compete in different markets.

And what I have found is that the expectations of Greater Fort Lauderdale are pretty neutral. And people come and they are pleasantly surprised at what they get. And while we would like to have high expectations, and have people walk away with that experience being validated, we have a canvas that we can create expectations on, and I think for other destinations, they have high expectations which are not being met by the traveling public. We don’t have that issue.

Michelle: To kind of let people know what they can expect. What are some of the most exciting new openings and events coming to Fort Lauderdale?

Stacy: Well, I’m glad you asked. First of all, I would be remiss if I didn’t remind everyone that we have 24 miles of beaches. We have eight beach cities, all with a completely different vibe. You get Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, which is very relaxed and with low rise buildings. And then you get Fort Lauderdale and Hollywood, which have, you know, skyscrapers and Ritz-Carltons and Four Seasons.

So it’s just what you want out of your time spent with us. So the beach obviously is the number one, but we are expanding our convention center with an 801-room Omni Hotel attached. The first time we’ve ever had a hotel attached to our convention center, and our convention center’s been around for 30-plus years, so that’s super exciting for us. That ribbon cutting is in early September, and Omni’s taking reservations right now, which is allowing us to host IPW in 2026. We wouldn’t have been able to do that without the expanded convention center. We have an east expansion, which is right on the Intracoastal Waterway. You cannot find that anywhere else.

You get jaw-dropping views of multi-million dollar homes that we’d all, you know, salivate to live in. So that’s been something that is truly a jewel in the crown and a highlight , for me personally, as, you know, as I start to wind toward retirement. And then, you know, my personal favorite is the new pickleball. *Laughs*

Michelle: I knew we weren’t going to get through this podcast without pickleball coming up.

Stacy: I started to play pickleball in March, all right. Of this year. And I rolled my eyes, oh, pickleball, please. You know, old people like me play pickleball because they can’t bend their knees anymore. Well, let me tell you something. You need to bend your knees more into pickleball than in tennis, I’m telling you. It’s this new facility in Fort Lauderdale, in Snyder Park. It’s got 30-plus pickleball courts, both covered and outdoor, along with a bar and a restaurant and venue space, and a lake with a beach. It’s actually pretty fun. I’m very upset that I’m not playing pickleball right now, although I know there’s a pickleball court here. But let me tell you something. Pickleball requires you [to] sweat.

Michelle: I am still not convinced. So I’m, you know, you’re convincing me a little bit, but I’m still a tennis snob, so—

Stacy: I gush more about pickleball than about my granddaughter. But don’t tell my son that. Don’t tell my son that.

Michelle: So there’s a lot going on and obviously it sounds like the convention center and expansion is really critical to your growth. So how are you positioning Fort Lauderdale to compete with destinations like Miami or Orlando for these big events?

Stacy: We have a huge group sales team, which at this particular point in time is very beneficial, because they are really busting their butts. The amount of inquiries that are coming in for our convention center and the hotel are off the chart. Omni has told us that we’re the second most booked Omni in their chain, second only to Nashville. We’re not even open yet. So that’s huge for us. But things like IPW will help put us on a map that we’re actually not on yet. We’re not on that huge international stage yet, but allowing IPW to come to Greater Fort Lauderdale next year will put us on that international map where we will be able to show something.

It allows us to showcase not only the great product, but the beauty of the destination because we are on the Intracoastal Waterway. You can’t duplicate that anywhere else in the country.

Michelle: Yeah, I can’t wait for next year for IPW and to check it out. So you mentioned that you plan on retiring soon. What advice would you give to the next generation of destination marketing leaders?

Stacy: Gosh, this is what happens when you announce that you’re retiring soon. And retiring soon means like two years, you know, the lesson I learned early, like 30 years ago, was not to wait your turn or what people tell you your turn is. You decide when your turn is. If you think you are ready to go for something else, then go for it. If it doesn’t work out, it’s not that it wasn’t meant to be, but you know, failure’s an option in life, but not trying is never an option. And if you don’t try, you don’t know if you will succeed. And so, whether it was my first race for the State House in 1996, or going for this job in 2016, people told me I shouldn’t do either one of those—it wasn’t your time, Stacy, you’re not ready. And I said, you know what? I’m going to decide whether it’s my time and my turn, and both of those turned out positive. But that’s not to say it will for everybody. But you gotta try, and if you really think that there’s something out there, your dream job, your dream position, just try. Go for it. And you might be pleasantly surprised.

Michelle: So what’s something that tourists misunderstand about your destination, and what do you want them to know instead? Like, what’s a common misconception about Fort Lauderdale?

Stacy: Well, we’re not Miami, we’re not a suburb of Miami. And where we’re located! Because every map you ever see has like Palm Beach and Miami, and then we’re sort of squished in the middle. And I do believe that the opening of the Four Seasons a couple years ago and the expansion of the convention center and the elevated luxury that we are producing now will definitely start to separate us from the oh, where are you again conversation. And that’s something that when I do leave—and nobody’s going to push me out before I’m ready there—but when I do leave I hope that that will be something that we will have accomplished.

Michelle: So when you do leave, which isn’t necessarily anytime soon, we’re not pushing you out the door, what is your hope and vision for Fort Lauderdale’s Tourism future? Like what, you know, I know you’ll be watching from the sidelines

Stacy: Oh, I am actually not planning to watch. I’m not. I feel like when I am, when the time comes and I close the door, that I don’t want my successor to feel like someone’s watching over his or her shoulder. And everybody—my successor will just do the job differently. But that doesn’t mean it’s that he or she’ll be any less successful. And that’s what I’m hoping for. But I do hope that for the place that I’ve called home for 50-plus years, that we continue to evolve, that we continue to embrace the diversity that makes our destination so special, that we resist when we have to, not because we want to, but because it’s the right things to do. And that Visit Lauderdale as an agency continues to lead with its values, which are the values of the destination and the people that I love in my hometown.

Michelle: So we’ve been asking a lot of the DMOs, we’re calling it 30-second challenge. It usually turns into like at least a five minute challenge, but that’s fine. *Laughs* You know, to convince me, make me want to go to your destination. Not the PR pitch, but the pitch you would give your friend. So tell me why I should come visit and what we’re going to do.

Stacy: OK. So where do you live?

Michelle: I live in California.

Stacy: Oh. Okay. Well that made it a little harder, but—

Michelle: Well, so yeah. Now it’s a real challenge.

Stacy: Well, California’s a beautiful state. I mean, it’s not called the Golden State for nothing. Well, I, guess, you know, first I’d want to know what you like to do. But if you’re not going tell me that, are you going tell me what you—

Michelle: I can tell you. I definitely like arts and culture, even though I’m from California. I do like…it’s okay for me to go to the beach in Florida, even though we have lots beach.

Stacy: It’s okay. Well, thanks. It’s okay. Great. So our water, you can swim.

Michelle: Yes, that’s fair.

Stacy: The warmth of the water is exceptional. You cannot, you know, it’s more than just dipping your toe. It’s not the Pacific. Although you won’t find the waves on the Atlantic side that you do on the Pacific side, but I mean, we do have beautiful beaches.

We, for the first time ever, we’re in the Michelin guide. We have a Michelin-starred restaurant, which you know, was a huge accomplishment for us because I grew up there where chicken fingers and hot dogs were a culinary delight. So the fact that we have a Michelin star is a big deal. If you like to eat, then the best way to do that is you take a water taxi or a boat, you dock and you get off, and you dine on the waterfront. And then you go back on your water taxi and you never have to set foot on land, really, which I think is actually super special.

We have some great shopping out at Sawgrass Mills mall. It’s the second-largest tourist attraction in the state of Florida. It’s all high-end discounts. I mean, if you really like Jimmy Choo or Gucci, but you prefer it a third of the price off, there is no place better to shop than Sawgrass Mills. I have a Gucci lady that I text. If you need her. I will hook you up with my Gucci lady.

Michelle: *Laughs* You heard it here.

Stacy: But only you. I’m not giving that out to everybody. And the weather is just so beautiful. And, again, I probably sound like a broken record, but so are the people. Yeah, the people are nice. They’re friendly, they’re welcoming, they’re inclusive.

I used to say we don’t care, but we actually care. We care very deeply that you have an amazing experience and that you feel like you are home. That when you go home to your friends and family, you’re like, you know what? I felt really comfortable and safe there. Yeah. So if you want to go someplace like that, you know, we’re happy to host you. Happy to host you. Delighted to host you!

Thanks for joining us for this episode of View From Afar. In the show notes, you’ll find links to everything we discussed today, as well as Visit Lauderdale’s website and social media handles. And be sure to follow along this week to hear more interviews with industry experts.

You can find more Views From Afar on afar.com. And be sure to follow us on Instagram and TikTok. We’re @AfarMedia. If you enjoyed today’s exploration, I hope you’ll come back for more great interviews. Subscribing always makes that easy. And be sure to rate and review the show on your favorite podcast platforms. It helps other travelers find it.

This has been View From Afar, a production of Afar Media. The podcast is produced by Aislyn Greene and Nikki Galteland, with assistance from Michelle Baran and Billie Cohen. Music composition from Epidemic Sound. This podcast is part of the Airwave Media podcast network. Visit AirwaveMedia.com to listen and subscribe to their other fine shows like Culture Kids and The Explorers Podcast.