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

Transcription

1 PUBLIC RELATIONS August 2006 Report Prepared by: Wit Tuttell Public Relations Director MEDIA VISITS/ TRADE SHOWS GMTV Morning Show, UK The CVB teamed with the Don CeSar Beach Resort to host to five members of the GMTV production crew Aug The crew was in our area to film a three-minute holiday film segment to be aired on one of the top national TV breakfast shows in the UK, which attracts nearly 5 million viewers. These holiday films will be shown twice each morning in January, which is the most popular month for British visitors booking their holidays. The segment features the Don CeSar, Caladesi Island State Park, The Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary, Palm Pavilion, and Pier 60 on Clearwater Beach. Mary and Wit worked with the group to coordinate logistics. Kim Cross, Assistant Travel Editor, Southern Living Magazine The Don CeSar also hosted top travel editor Kim Cross Aug She visited our area to complete a story about The Don CeSar Beach Suites, and kayaking the mangrove tunnels at Weedon Island Preserve. While here, she also visited local restaurants. Southern Living has a monthly circulation of 2,754,537 and a one-page ad rate of $111,590. Simon Veness, UK s Daily Express We teamed with the TradeWinds Island Resorts in St. Pete Beach to host this British travel writer Aug Mr. Veness was writing a story about family friendly activities on the Gulf Coast for the Express. He visited attractions in Clearwater, along the beaches and in St. Petersburg. Mr. Veness is also the author of the Brit s Guide to Florida, Britain s best-selling Florida guidebook. The Express is a conservative, national British newspaper. It is the flagship title of Express Newspapers and has a daily circulation of 844,729. Sue Cocking, Miami Herald The new Hilton Hotel at Carillon in St. Petersburg hosted this writer Aug She came to the area to write a story about fishing and outdoor recreation in the St. 1

2 Petersburg/Clearwater area for the Miami Herald. The Herald has a daily circulation of 312,811. A typical story in the paper has an advertising value of nearly $14,000. Governor s Conference on Tourism Wit attended the Governor s Conference on Tourism Aug. 6-8 in Orlando. He met with several trade media representatives at the show including Travel Weekly and Travel Agent as well as the large consumer publication Southern Living. Wit also attended a FLA USA PR committee meeting after the show. Marae Leggs, Editor, Washington Parent Magazine, August 7-11 The CVB teamed with the Tradewinds Island Resort in St. Pete Beach to host Travel Editor Marae Leggs Aug She and her daughter who came here to do a feature on family travel. They visited family-oriented attractions throughout the county. Washington Parent magazine has a monthly circulation of 75,000 copies. Holger Jacobs, Germany s FVW Magazine We teamed with the Safety Harbor Resort & Spa to host this German travel in the area August 5-6. He is working on an article about resort spas for a German publication, FVW International The Trade Magazine for Tourism and Business Travel Editorial Board. FVW is the leading travel trade magazine in Germany. Richard Kerler, Germany s Holiday And Lifestyle Magazine Working with the Renaissance Vinoy Resort and Spa in St. Petersburg, we hosted this writer in the area August He is writing an article on luxury resort and golf for Holiday and Lifestyle Magazine an upscale consumer travel magazine targeting affluent German readers aged 35 and up. It has a circulation of 55,000. Christine Marks, I-75 and the 401 A traveler s guide between Toronto & Miami Mary assisted author and travel writer, Christine Marks and her two daughters Lizzie and Emily with their week-long visit to our area Aug The Sheraton Sank Key and TradeWinds Island Resort both hosted this family. The CVB organized a packed itinerary for Christine including visits to Caladesi Island State Park, Egmont Key, The Salvador Dali Museum and Great Explorations Museums, and several local restaurants. MEDIA ASSISTANCE Pending Stories (18) Jamie Hennessy, Good Morning America (Clearwater Beach); Jennifer Frazier, Southern Living (area update); Kay Moss, Fox News Network (area overview); Diane Bair, Met Life Magazine (Tarpon Springs and Dolphin Racer); Clair Byrd, ConventionSouth magazine (area meetings overview); Matthew Bourne, UK s Prima Magazine (Caladesi Island); Karen Temple, Ottawa Life Magazine (Dolphin Racer); Wendy Blackshaw, Minneapolis/St. Paul magazine (area update); Natasha Anderson, Canada s Courier magazine (what s new); Maria Pires, Canada s Florida Travel (area update); Matt Simpson, UK s New! Magazine (women s vacations); Melissa Hockman, 2

3 Skylights Magazine (Meetings news); Chris McBeath, Innfocus magazine (innovative spas); Gretchen Schmidt, Official Florida Meeting Planner Guide (area update); Doug Kelly, freelance (undeveloped islands); Marlene Littlejohn, freelance (winter golf); Kathleen Collins, freelance (beaches); and Mischa Kirby, freelance (restaurants). Local Media (11) Phil Morgan, The Tampa Tribune (Labor Day weekend business); Ellen Gedlius, Tampa Tribune (RNC Visit); Janet Zink, St. Petersburg Times (RNC visit); Phil Davis, Associated Press (RNC visit); Steve Nichols, Fox 13 (RNC visit); Tom Scherberger, St. Petersburg Times (hotel evacuation zones); Steve Huettel, St. Petersburg Times (in-state visitation); Mike Donila, St. Petersburg Times (Ernesto availability); Larry Halstead, Tampa Bay Business Journal (RNC visit); Paul Swider, St. Petersburg Times (gay travel); and Inga Metzger, Tampa Tribune (foreign visitors investing in area). Press Releases (6) We developed and distributed releases for: TDC board position openings; Retirement Announcement for Carole Ketterhagen, CVB Film Commission Offers New Service; Ketterhagen earns PDM designation; September calendar events and February long-lead events. Story Leads (2) Through the Travel Industry Association of America and Society of American Travel Writers, we provided informational leads to: Beth D Addono, FamilyFun magazine (kid-friendly resorts); and Melanie Reffes, freelance (luxury vacations). VISIT FLORIDA PARTNER OPPORTUNITIES VISIT FLORIDA Media Leads Provided information to Visit Florida for: Kelly McPherson, Florida Travel & Lifestyles magazine (hotel renovations); Alvin Reese, Travel Weekly (arts events); and Paul Kayemba, USA Today travel supplement (shopping and wacky attractions). LOCAL INDUSTRY ASSISTANCE Local Industry Media Assistance: The PR department provided information and statistics on visitors to the area for the St. Petersburg Pier for use in their marketing plan; Provided area tourism information to the St. Petersburg Times for their marketing efforts; and worked with the city of St. Petersburg to examine a proposal by the Mrs. America Competition to host their pageant in the area. 3

4 Assisting other CVB and County Departments: We assisted several other departments with ongoing projects including: Worked with Pinellas County Department of Environmental Management on Red Tide messaging and information distribution; Teamed with the CVB Convention Sales department to assist on the Republican National Convention site visit and collateral; Provided visitor information to Pinellas County Coastal Management; and worked with Heritage Village on historic African-American sites in the county for an upcoming CVB press trip. 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 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, is working with Bassmaster magazine on a destination story about Lake Tarpon. AuCoin & Associates is also working to bring several writers to the area including Willie Howard of the Palm Beach Post, Gary Garth of the Louisville Courier Journal, Dale Bowman of the Chicago Sun Times, Ken Moran of New York Post, Doug Pike of Houston Chronicle, and Paul Smith of the Racine Journal Times. In August the agency hosted Sue Cocking, fishing and outdoors writer for the Miami Herald, who is preparing articles on snook fishing at Caladesi Island and the Weedon Island Preserve mangrove kayaking experience. AuCoin & Associates distributed an 1,100-word feature titled Fort De Soto Park s Eco Beach to the outdoor writers for all of the major newspapers, magazines and webzines, and to freelance writers as well. One of the major online fishing publications, FishingWorld.com, posted it the next day with pictures. The outdoor editor of Florida Today in Melbourne, Florida said he plans to print it as well. The agency also lined up staff support at Caladesi Island State Park for GMTV and lined up staff support and kayaks at Weedon Island Preserve for Kim Cross, assistant travel editor of Southern Living magazine. Republican National Convention Site Visit The PR department worked closely with the Tampa Bay CVB and area partners to organize the RNC visit to our area. Tropicana Field, The Don CeSar Beach Resort and the Renaissance Vinoy Resort & Golf Club all helped hosted this important group of VIPs. Mary assisted the Tampa Bay CVB with photos and copy for all three venues for the Republican National Convention Committee s Bid Book. 4

5 Visit Florida PR Committee Meeting Wit chaired a meeting of the Visit Florida PR Committee after the Governor s Conference on Tourism in Orlando Aug. 8. The group met to discuss ongoing crisis communications and the state s response to the upcoming hurricane anniversary stories. The group also discussed the upcoming year PR plan for Visit Florida. Ford Ironman World Championship 70.3 The PR department is working with Ironman and the City of Clearwater to promote this upcoming event. We also enlisted Visit Florida to help promote the event to media and consumer travelers. The CVB is also assisting with the media book for the event. Society of Marketing Professional Services Luncheon Mary helped facilitate a speaking engagement for CVB Executive Director, Carole Ketterhagen at the Society of Marketing Professional Services monthly luncheon Aug. 8. Carole was part of a panel which discussed what economic impact development will have on tourism and Pinellas County. Pinellas County Emergency Operations Wit and the CVB executive staff met with Pinellas County Emergency Operations officials to review the CVB s role in emergency communications. The CVB is fully integrated into the county s emergency management operations for storm situations. PSTA & Suncoast Beach Trolley Mary met with Community Relations Manager, Bob Lasher of the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA) to discuss the possibility of teaming up with them to provide our travel writers staying on the beach with passes to ride the beach trolley. Upcoming Press Trips/Events The CVB PR staff is working on several upcoming press trips including programs that will feature spa trips for upscale travelers, gas-saving trips for families and a trip to focus on the area s African-American heritage. We are also working on Media Missions to Canada, Chicago and Philadelphia. UPCOMING TRADE SHOWS/PRESS GROUPS 1. Good Morning America: Sept. 5-6, Filming sand sculpture at Clearwater Beach. 2. Visit Florida Marketing Meeting: Sept , Meeting for statewide PR efforts. 3. CVB Philadelphia Media Event: Sept , Promote area to Philadelphia media. 4. Visit Florida Chicago Media Mission: Sept , Meet with Chicago writers. 5