How New York City Tourism + Conventions Sells The Iconic And The Unexpected

New York City is one of the most famous “brands” on earth, yet selling a trip to NYC still comes down to the same hard question every marketer faces: how do you keep something iconic feeling personal, current, and worth the effort? We sit down with Nancy Mammana, Chief Marketing Officer at New York City Tourism + Conventions, to get inside the strategy behind promoting a city that never stops changing, and to understand what “authentic” really means when millions of visitors arrive with completely different tastes, budgets, and comfort levels.We talk about NYC’s resilience, and why the city doesn’t have an awareness problem, it has a discovery problem. Nancy breaks down how her team tells a fuller story than the headline attractions, using local opinions and neighborhood voices to guide people toward the unexpected across all five boroughs. We also dig into value-driven tentpoles like Restaurant Week, Broadway Week, and the broader Winter Outing push, including how these programs support local businesses during key periods of need and help visitors plan a weekend that actually feels doable.Then we go deep on AI trip planning and what it’s changing right now. Nancy shares what they're learning from AI-powered tools on their site, how traveler queries are becoming more nuanced, and why keeping information accurate and up to date matters more than ever as people plan through ChatGPT-style experiences. We also look ahead to the FIFA World Cup and how fan zones and citywide activations can turn tournament energy into exploration, community, and real economic impact beyond the stadium.Subscribe to Fandom Unpacked, share this conversation with a friend in travel, ticketing, or live events, and leave us a rating and review so more people can find the show.Recorded Thursday, April 9th, 2026Hosts: Damian Bazadona, CEO & Founder, Situation & Maureen Andersen, President & CEO, INTIXGuest: Nancy Mammana, Chief Marketing Officer, New York City Tourism + ConventionsProducer: Peter Yagecic, Founder, A Mind at Work Consultinghttps://situationinteractive.comhttps://intix.orghttps://amindatworkconsulting.com