Longtime Discover Kalispell Director Leaves Legacy of Adaptation and Shoulder Season Celebration
After nearly 16 years, Executive Director Diane Medler navigated the tourism bureau through a fluctuating economy while promoting responsible recreation as northwest Montana’s popularity grows
By Maggie Dresser
Having guided the Flathead Valley’s tourism industry through economic downturn, cross-border tensions and a global pandemic, longtime Discover Kalispell Executive Director Diane Medler will retire this summer after nearly 16 years with the tourism bureau.
Since starting her role with the destination marketing organization in 2010, Medler has collaborated with the Kalispell Chamber of Commerce to promote off-season events while also encouraging responsible behavior on public lands.
Organizing “destination events” designed to draw travelers to the area for things like the Spartan Race in Bigfork and the Montana Pond Hockey Classic, these festivities have been intended to attract visitors and stretch tourism dollars during the off-season.
Medler has also focused on partnering with teams to host sporting events in recent years, including the Glacier Park College Soccer Showcase at Legends Field, which will bring in the University of Montana Lady Griz soccer team to the Flathead Valley later this year. Other sporting events like youth soccer and Kalispell Lakers baseball tournaments, too, have drawn additional visitors to the Flathead.
“We’ve always been mindful of not just bringing tons of people here — particularly not in the summer — but we’ve always been mindful of the seasonality and the seasonal deficits we have,” Medler said. “What do we need to support all of our tourism-related businesses in Kalispell and in the valley during those off-seasons and how can we build visitation to match that.”
With more than 3 million visitors passing through Glacier National Park’s entrance gates each year, Medler has worked to promote responsible recreation after record-breaking tourism traffic flooded the Flathead Valley during the pandemic.
Medler and her team restructured their messaging to educate visitors as they flocked to northwest Montana’s public lands, pivoting to outdoor stewardship, safety and backcountry etiquette to prevent things like littering and adventure mishaps. The tourism bureau also partners with agencies like Glacier National Park and conservation organizations like Flathead Rivers Alliance to promote education.
“After the pandemic, we had to be more careful in our messaging and promoting responsible travel, responsible recreation and more education to visitors,” Medler said.
Medler said Discover Kalispell’s campaigns have always followed changing consumer trends, which are typically influenced by the geopolitical climate, the economy and evolving technology.
For example, Canadian travel dropped by 25% last year as tense border relations and a weak currency dissuaded cross-border tourism. The decline prompted Medler and her team to launch the “Kalispell Canadian Welcome Pass,” an app that offers discounts at local businesses.
Artificial intelligence, too, is impacting travelers’ decisions as it’s increasingly used for trip planning, which requires Discover Kalispell to ensure software will pick up data from its website.
Social media platforms are also changing the way tourism bureaus market, and Medler said the organization works with a few internet influencers to help promote Kalispell, including local photographer Forrest Mankins and some out-of-area personalities.
While Medler has adapted to changing travel behaviors and technology over her career at Discover Kalispell, she describes the partnership with the chamber of commerce as a productive team with a shared goal of economic vitality.
“I think nowadays it’s even more important than ever to be able to work together and impact the right kind of change,” Medler said.