Topeka Destination Specialist

Visit Topeka works hard to promote an outstanding experience for guests to Topeka and Shawnee County, Kansas. To that end, we offer specialized training for the hospitality industry staff in our community.

Participants in the Topeka Destination Specialist program will learn about hospitality techniques, the importance of tourism in Topeka & Shawnee County, and how economic development can begin with something as simple as a smile.

Participants also will learn about their community and be able to share with visitors the wonderful places to see and things to do in Topeka. Visit Topeka encourages anyone interested in the field of hospitality or tourism to take advantage of this free and exciting opportunity.

How it works

• Earn a total of 15 points in one year by attending education conferences, training, visiting local attractions, shopping local and completing one book report from the provided list of books. 
  • All core requirements must be completed for a total of 10 points.
  • Complete any combination of electives to earn 5 points.

Core requirements

KNOW YOUR CITY: Attend one Know Your City Tour (offered four times per year.) 
3 points

REQUIRED READING: 

• Read Hug Your Haters by Jay Baer
• Read The Invisible Sale by Tom Martin. 

Provide a small summary of each and submit to Jessica at jessica@visittopeka.com.  These books can be purchased at Visit Topeka, 719 S. Kansas Avenue for $10.
5 points

VIDEOS: View the following videos and write a brief summary.
2 points

• Johnny the Bagger

• Give Them The Pickle: How to Act Like You Care

• A Hotel is Just a Building

• Hug Your Haters

 

 

TOUR LOCAL: Tour a local attraction and report the significance of that attraction to Topeka & Shawnee County. Send your selfie at the attraction to jessica@visittopeka.com. 
2 points

• Two per year allowed, for a total of 4 points
• Selfie not to be taken at Know Your City Training stops. 

Elective offerings

READING: Read a book from the approved book list and provide a summary.
2 points

History:

• African American Topeka, Arcadia Publishing, ISBN 9781467110686
• Topeka, Arcadia Publishing, ISBN 9780738584348
• Harvey Houses of Kansas; Historic Hospitality from Topeka to Syracuse, Arcadia Publishing SC, ISBN-13: 9781540212894
• Topeka: An Illustrated History of the Kansas Capital, Better World Books West, ISBN-13: 9780941974066
• Hidden History of Kansas, The History Press, ISBN-13: 9781625858894
• Haunted Kansas: Ghost Stories and Other Eerie Tales, University Press of Kansas, ISBN: 0700608656
• The Kansa Indians: A History of the Wind People, 1673-1873, University of Oklahoma Press
• John Brown to Bob Dole: Movers And Shakers in Kansas History, by Virgil W. Dean
• Bleeding Kansas by Sara Paretsky

Customer Service:

• Fish by Stephen C. Lundin, Harry Paul, and John Christensen
• The Thank You Economy, by Gary Vaynerchuk
• The Starbucks Experience by Joseph A. Michelli
• The Nordstrom Way, by Robert Spector
• Outside In: The Power of Putting Customers at the Center of Your Business by Harley Manning and Kerry Bodine
• It’s My Pleasure: The Impact of Extraordinary Talent and a Compelling Culture, by Dee Ann Turner

Tourism:

• Tourism Management: Analysis, Behaviour and Strategy First Edition, by Arch Woodside
• Secret Recipe: Why KFC Is Still Cookin' After 50 Years, by Bob Darden
• Have Fork Will Travel: A Practical Handbook for Food & Drink Tourism Professionals, by Erik Wolf
• Sustainable Cultural Tourism: Small-Scale Solutions (Resilient Communities) (Volume 1), by Susan M. Guyette Ph.D.
• City Branding: Theory and Cases, by K. Dinnie

CITY COUNCIL: Attend a City Council Meeting and write a paragraph about one of the topics discussed.
2 points

BUSINESS UNWIND: Attend a business unwind and write a paragraph about the experience and educational topic.

1 point

POWER BREAKFAST: Attend a power breakfast and write a paragraph about the experience and what you learn.

1 point

TOPEKA PARTNERSHIP RIBBON CUTTINGS: Attend and support new Topeka businesses and write a paragraph about the new business and what they bring to the table for Topeka as a destination.

.5 point

SHOP LOCAL: Provide a receipt for an item purchased at a locally owned Topeka store.
1 point

NT&T WEEK: Write a one-page report about National Travel & Tourism Week and its importance.
2 points