PUBLIC RELATIONS. June 2006 Report. Prepared by: Wit Tuttell Public Relations Director

Transcription

1 PUBLIC RELATIONS June 2006 Report Prepared by: Wit Tuttell Public Relations Director MEDIA VISITS/ TRADE SHOWS CVB German Media Mission James Raulerson attended the CVB s annual German Media Mission May 29 June 6 arranged by the CVB s German PR agency News Plus. In an effort to promote the 100 th Anniversary of the sponge industry in Tarpon Springs, he was joined by TDC Member George Billiris. They traveled to Hamburg, Munich and Berlin, and met with 30 travel writers from all over Germany. In Hamburg, Travelchannel.com, Golf Magazine and DPA (the German Associated Press) were very interested in the area. The group also met with representatives from Berlin s top daily newspaper BZ and the area s largest Sunday paper Welt am Sonntag as well as the top upscale magazine VIP Reisemagazin. In addition, they held a media luncheon in Munich and met with writers from Madame, Amica, Oliver Fritz and Travel-Topics.de. Liz Fleming, Canadian Travel Writer (freelances for the Toronto Star) We provided in-depth media assistance and trip planning to Canadian Travel writer Liz Fleming who visited the area June The Westin Innisbrook Golf Resort provided accommodations to Mrs. Fleming and her family who accompanied her on this trip for a family-based travel story. While here, Mrs. Fleming visited Fort De Soto, Egmont Key, Tarpon Springs, and Caladesi Island State Park. Her article will appear in the Toronto Star. Society of American Travel Writers (SATW) ACC Chapter Convention Wit Tuttell attended this annual gathering of nearly 100 of the top travel writers and editors from the Atlantic-Caribbean section of the United States June 7-11 in Mackinac Island, Michigan. He attended the SATW marketplace and was able to meet with many of the writers to discuss story ideas in our area. Several story leads were generated at the 1

2 show and should result in potential stories in publications such as the Yoga Journal, Scouting Magazine and the Miami Herald. Drew Limsky, Metrosource Magazine We assisted this travel writer who visited the area June He is the travel editor of Metrosource and also freelances for several national publications. He visited sights throughout the area including St. Petersburg and the St. Pete Pride celebration. North American Travel Journalists Association (NATJA) Annual Conference Mary Haban attended the North American Travel Journalists Association Annual Conference in Stowe, Vermont, during the month of June. She promoted the destination to more than 50 travel writers from throughout the United States. NATJA is one of the largest travel writer associations in the nation. Mary met with several key travel writers, including Lisa Lenoire of the Chicago Sun Times, and Ron Stern, who is a contributor to Shape Magazine. Mary is following up with these travel writers and others whom she felt would provide great coverage for our destination. Takane Fukimoto, Japan s Globetrotter Travel Guide Working with the Sheraton Sand Key in Clearwater Beach, we hosted this guidebook writer June 6-8. She visited properties along our beaches and was interested in new properties and attractions in the area. Globetrotter is the largest travel guide in Japan, and they are expanding their Florida coverage. Society of American Travel Writers/Public Relations Society of America Conference James Raulerson attended the Public Relations Society of America/ Society of American Travel Writers Conference in Washington, D.C. June The conference covered PR Communications topics such as crisis communications, communicating to local markets and blogging. James also met with writers from Out Magazine, USA Today, and two African American Woman s magazines, American Legacy and Upscale. Florida Public Relations Travel Forum Mary Haban represented the St. Petersburg/Clearwater Area CVB at a gathering of all PR Managers from around the State of Florida. The PR Forum was held at the Daytona International Speedway on June 6 and was an excellent opportunity to brainstorm with other CVB managers about ways to effectively deal with media and plan press trips. The group is planning to meet several times a year at different locations around the state. 2

3 MEDIA ASSISTANCE Pending Stories (27) Jessica Levine, Women's Health Magazine (KaYoga); Rowland Stiteler, Meeting News (meeting news); Trevor Adams, CanJet Airlines Inflight magazine - Aloft Magazine (area overview); Charlotte Duck National Geographic.com (SCUBA); Georgina Cruz, freelance (area information); Marc Fletcher, UK Sunday Mirror (Fort De Soto Park); Susan Clarke, Orlando Sentinel (gay tourism marketing); Dan Donovan, Ottawa Life Magazine (family fun); Carole Schrock, The Star Newspapers (area overview); Mitch Stacy, Associated Press (Pinellas green spaces); Katharine Fletcher, Canadian freelance (dining); Cynthia Janssens, freelance (golf resorts and events); Raisa Rivas, Puerto Rico s El Nuevo Dia and Orlando s El Nuevo Dia Newspaper (area overview); Kate Collyns, UK s Florida Magazine (SSL properties); Allison Trinidad, Florida Times-Union (statewide CVB story); Florence Lemkowitz Florida Travel Guide (Tarpon Springs); Charles Greenfield, Coral Gables Gazette (area overview); Kelly Thompson, Prep Traveler magazine (area update); Tara Mello, StreetScene Magazine (Grand Prix); Adriana de la Torre, Mexico s Mundo Ejecutivo (what s new); Dominique Einhorn, Estelle TV (area overview); Kristy Egern, Small World Publications (area overview); Steve Blanchard, Watermark magazine (gay tourism marketing); Maureen King, Where to Retire Now magazine (beaches); Kathleen McGlaughlin, Sarasota Herald-Tribune (gay tourism marketing); Barb Richaw, Interactive Blvd.com (Grand Prix); and Emily Grass, Roam magazine (fishing). Local Media (9) Steve Huettel, St. Petersburg Times (impact of hurricanes on tourism); Dave Simanoff, Tampa Tribune (gay tourism marketing); Larry Halstead, Tampa Bay Business Journal (CVB budgets); Steve Nichols, FOX 13 (gay tourism marketing); Mary Burrell, Tampa Bay Newspapers, (boating and hurricanes); Barbara McGovern, Accent on Tampa Bay (visitor statistics); Kevin Begos, Tampa Tribune (tourism statistics); Dave Simanoff, Tampa Tribune (beach impacts); and Steve Huettel, St. Petersburg Times (gay tourism marketing). Press Releases (6) We developed and distributed releases for: Michelle Smith Softball Camps, CVB Hurricane Seminar, CVB Red Tide Seminar, Gay Tourism Marketing Research, Weddings update and Millennium Dance Competition. Story Leads (4) Through the Travel Industry Association of America and Society of American Travel Writers, we provided informational leads to: Janet Groene, Best Florida Hotels (area 3

4 news); Apryl Thomas, Southern Hospitality (spa renovations); Pamela Wright, freelance (soft adventure); and Vickie Mitchell, Small Market Meetings (historic meeting facilities). VISIT FLORIDA PARTNER OPPORTUNITIES VISIT FLORIDA Media Leads Provided information to Visit Florida for: Katy Koontz, freelance (family vacations); Marlena Morton, The Weekender (golf vacations); and Christine Loomis, Family Fun magazine (family trips). LOCAL INDUSTRY ASSISTANCE Local Industry Media Assistance: The PR department provided information on the area and several attractions to USA3000 Airlines for their new In-flight Magazine; Worked with Busch Gardens Tampa Bay to plan co-op marketing activities for next year; Provided information on the CVB to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays for their new touch tank; Worked with several area condo management companies to introduce the CVB s listing process for its website and Visitor Guide listings; Provided hurricane information on the area to a meeting planner from Helms Briscoe for a client planning a meeting in the area; and Provided information on clipping services to the Mahaffey Theater. Assisting other CVB and County Departments: We assisted several other departments with ongoing projects including: Assisted KBC- PR Agency in the United Kingdom regarding information for a fishing story on our area to run in the UK s Press Association (similar to the Associated Press); Assisted the CVB s Canada office with information for the Canadian See America Committee s article on Great Snowbird Destinations; Assisted the CVB s Special Events department with the Millennium Dance Competition; Provided county Emergency Management department with our Hurricane/Crisis communications plan; and Worked with the CVB Film Commission to promote their Fresh Films casting call. On-Going Projects: Each month, the PR department is charged with updating the CVB s website calendar of events, and compiling, editing and distributing two editions of the E-News CVB update. We also regularly research and answer contact form questions submitted by consumers to CVB website. Mary, James and I are also members of several area tourism committees 4

5 for area attractions and events, and the department attends the county s News Communications meetings. ADDITIONAL PR ACTIVITIES UK and German Media Activities: See attached agency reports. Outdoor/Nature PR Activities: AuCoin & Associates, our Nature/Outdoors PR firm, attended the annual conference of the Outdoor Writers Association of America in Lake Charles, Louisiana. While there the agency co-hosted the Visit Florida hospitality suite for the CVB. In other news, the Associated Press distributed its annual outdoors feature packet to 2,000 newspapers including two articles with pictures from Florida s Beach by reporter Dean Fosdick, one about birding photography at Fort De Soto Park and one about a new category of offshore angling called Go Fast Fishing. The agency worked to bring Mr. Fosdick to the area and generate the stories. Visit Florida PR Committee CVB PR Director Wit Tuttell has been named to the Executive Committee of the state tourism office (Visit Florida). Tuttell is serving a term as the chair of the Visit Florida PR Committee. The committee is made up of representatives from other CVBs and major attractions/accommodations throughout the state. The committee works with the Visit Florida PR Director to oversee the state s PR marketing plan. CVB Red Tide and Hurricane Seminar Wit Tuttell spoke at CVB seminars dealing with the Impact of Red Tide, and providing the industry with information on hurricane communications. Representatives from the media, and several local hoteliers attended these conferences. The Red Tide seminar included representatives from Mote Marine Laboratory and START (Solutions to Avoid Red Tide). The Hurricane seminar included representatives from Pinellas County Emergency Management, Progress Energy, Visit Florida and a local meteorologist. Dr. Beach Storm & Tides Program We supported Dr. Beach in starting the Storm Tracking and Observational Reporting Mission (STORM) & Tides Project in June. We assisted in the first meeting of the Storm & Tides volunteers. The program is designed to work with professionally trained volunteers to provide high quality, real-time information on beach conditions including visible signs of Red Tide. Volunteers will receive training and equipment. Reports should 5

6 be up in the next few months. For more information, contact the program coordinator Pat Houle at Emergency Management Wit Tuttell attended a meeting of the county emergency management office to work on hurricane/crisis communications. The CVB is the primary communicator to the tourism industry during hurricane situations. The CVB also acts as a housing bureau for emergency personnel and workers after a storm. Beach Walk Public Meetings Representatives from the CVB s PR department attended a public presentation on Beach Walk during June. The City of Clearwater and Clearwater Regional Chamber had an excellent and informative program to cover all the real and perceived issues coming up with Beach Walk and other construction projects on Clearwater Beach. Wit Tuttell presented information on how the CVB is marketing Beach Walk and the construction on Clearwater Beach to visitors from the U.S. and internationally. Safe Beaches The CVB is working with Visit Florida and the state department of health to develop a page on the DOH website that provides accurate information on issues such as Red Tide, Sharks, Alligators and other issues that come up with visitors to the state. Upcoming Press Trips/Events The CVB PR staff is working on several upcoming press trips including programs that will feature family travel for the summer and spa trips for upscale travelers. UPCOMING TRADE SHOWS/PRESS GROUPS 1. CVB Family Press Trip: July 19-23, Hosting travel writers with children. 2. CVB PR Committee Meeting: July 27, Meeting for all area industry. 3. Governor s Conference: Aug. 6-8, Industry meeting in Orlando. 6