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TIABC
PDMO Task Force Update
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The following is an update from the Provincial Destination Marketing Organization
(PDMO) Task Force.
On
behalf of the Tourism Industry Association of BC (TIABC)
Provincial
Destination
Marketing
Organization
(PDMO)
Task
Force we are
pleased to
provide the following communication update. We encourage
you to share this immediately with any individuals or organizations
in tourism who might be interested in this important topic. We have had two productive meetings
in the last two weeks, after which we are pleased to report
there are three critical areas where we are making progress:
1) the Task Force itself, 2) the PDMO model and 3) agreeing
on broad industry consultation.
1.
Task Force Composition: As
a result of the TIABC PDMO Task Force meetings, we have structured
the Task Force to be in
compliance with our original Terms of Reference. There
was over-representation from the TIABC Board on the Task
Force.
Where there were five (5) representatives from the TIABC
Board, there are now three (3). We have also changed the Chair to
minimize any perceived or real concerns over conflict of
interest (originally the Task Force and TIABC shared the
same Chair; however, Lana Denoni resigned voluntarily to
show her support for the structure and integrity of the Task
Force). The Task Force now includes six (6)
individuals with the skills, knowledge and experience to
develop and recommend a model for a PDMO and to guide industry
consultation. The six members of the Task Force are: The TIABC Board confirmed at its August
12th Board meeting that the Task Force will have the independence
to carry out: 1) the development and recommendation of a
PDMO model and 2) broad-based industry consultation to test
and refine the model. The goal of these tasks is to ensure
a strong position backed up by industry alignment. 2. Conceptual PDMO Model: A facilitated discussion took place
in our meeting yesterday focused on key characteristics of
a PDM organization. Drawing on many documents and resources,
we worked through elements ranging from purpose and mandate
of a new organization to investment mechanisms, levels of
governance and relationships with stakeholders. The mantras
of industry-led, formula-funded and arms-length were carefully
scrutinized. Some exciting possibilities emerged, but they
were always tempered with practical and thoughtful debates
around what is possible. The end goal is long term sustainability
and tourism growth along with maximizing investments and
ensuring alignment, transparency and accountability.
A clear marketing mandate for the
PDMO, while seemingly straightforward, starts to point to
certain organizational models ranging from crown corporations
to not-for-profit societies. The reality check is always
a consideration of how the marketing investments flow. The
industry is proud of the amount of private marketing dollars
invested to attract visitors to British Columbia, and the
significant opportunity and benefits that arises when these
dollars are properly leveraged. If we're going to ask government
to invest significant dollars with solid rates of return,
it will require a high level of due diligence. The Task Force
is committed to going the extra mile to make our case.
3. Need for Industry Engagement: The Task Force's first job is to develop
a PDMO model. Our second task is to then engage the tourism
industry in conversations about that model with a view to
building something around we can all rally. A few of you
raised some concerns about the fact the Task Force was very
small and did not include all sectors of tourism. We all
feel that by using a small knowledgeable Task Force, and
then taking the results to the entire industry for feedback
and revisions, it's a much more efficient and effective way
to deal with this complex issue. We need to gather and analyze industry
feedback, make refinements based on that feedback and then
report back to industry. It is our intent to use a range
of tools to gauge the tourism industry's feelings about a
new PDMO model; this may include online surveys, podcasts,
face-to-face focus groups and one or more industry workshops.
You'll be hearing more about these plans as we firm up the
industry engagement process. This is a very big undertaking and
we are all committed to doing our best to represent the interests
of the tourism industry. If you have any comments or concerns
please feel free to contact the TIABC PDMO Task Force. On Behalf of the TIABC PDMO Task Force, Ingrid and Ingrid TIABC PDMO Task Force
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Opening
Air Access with Brazil to Ignite Canada's Tourism Exports
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| A
new and expanded open skies agreement with Brazil
announced recently will drive growth for Canada's
travel and tourism
sector, says the Tourism Industry Association of
Canada.
"This
expanded open skies agreement will provide us with
greater opportunities to deliver more Brazilian leisure
and business travellers
to more Canadian destinations," said TIAC President and CEO David Goldstein. "Brazil is unquestionably a priority market, with a burgeoning middle class that
is enthusiastically engaging in international travel.
Canada needs to capitalize on this significant economic
opportunity, and today's announcement is an important
step towards doing so."
The
enhanced air access initiative is a key outcome and
a prominent aspect
of Prime Minister Stephen Harper's Brazilian stop
in his official visit through South and Central America.
This recognition of the tourism sector's impact as
a key export industry is a further example of the
government's
commitment to promote growth through the Harper Government's
Federal Tourism Strategy.
Brazil
has already demonstrated an increased interest in Canada,
with Air Canada's
new and successful daily Toronto-to-Sao Paulo route
helping to fuel an impressive 12% increase in visits
from the South American economic powerhouse for the
year-to-date in 2011.
"Tourism
is one of the world's fastest growing economic sectors,
and Brazil is one of the most vital markets with tremendous
growth potential," added Goldstein. "Enhancing our ability to access this key market will help to spur growth for
Canada's tourism exports, and investment in Canadian
travel businesses."
For more information, please contact:
Kevin Desjardins
Director, Communications,
Tourism Industry Association
of Canada
kdesjardins@tiac.travel
(c) 613-240-7225
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Media
Report
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| Summer
has been flying by – well, maybe the weather hasn’t
been as cooperative as we’d like, but Vancouver,
Coast & Mountains have seen a fury of media activity
throughout the region with no signs of slowing. There
have been a number of broadcast media in the area
producing stories for Biker TV, CHEK TV and the Discovery
Channel. Andrea is also currently working on two
more television programs; one for “Next Stop” the
Alaskan Airlines inflight channel and an additional
piece for a series airing on CHEK TV. In addition,
we have had a sizable influx of international travel
writers coming through on large press trips and experiencing
every corner of the region. Of course there have
also been local travel writers and bloggers out and
about writing articles on the different ways we like
to eat, drink, and play in the summer sun.
Andrea is currently preparing for GoMedia Marketplace
2011; one of the year’s biggest national media
conferences. The event will be held in Edmonton
from September 18 – 22. Andrea will meet with up
to 42 national and international journalists from
all mediums and highlight the elements that make
every corner of the Vancouver, Coast & Mountains
region the ideal place to visit during any season!
A BIG Thank You to everyone who contributed ideas
for ‘new & improved’
activities for NBC’s Today Show and ‘Labour Day
Deals’ for Frommers.com. Up next? Tourism BC is
creating a living document of travel story ideas
and every one of you should make sure you are included!
Please contact your local DMO before August 25th
as they are compiling lists to forward to Andrea
as part of this exciting initiative.
For questions or for more information contact Andrea Visscher, Regional Media Relations
Representative at 604.484.5361 or andrea@vcmbc.com.
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Welcome
to Cynthia Wildman |
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Vancouver, Coast & Mountains staff are pleased to welcome to the team, Cynthia Wildman as Manager,
Consumer Marketing.
Cynthia completed her Bachelor of Business Administration with a concentration
in marketing at Simon Fraser University and comes to
us after 7 seasons with the Vancouver Canadians Baseball
Team.
When she's not in the office coordinating exciting and innovative marketing programs,
you will find Cynthia exploring the City of Vancouver.
Whether it's trying out a new restaurant, biking the
seawll or catching the latest movie, she loves everything
that Vancouver has to offer! Training for a triatholon
in September, Cynthia also enjoys staying active. (The
rest of us will enjoy cheering Cynthia on!)
Cynthia also loves to travel and has recently enjoyed visits to San Francisco,
New York and Paris.
She looks forward to working with Vancouver, Coast & Mountains partners and assisting
you in meeting your marketing objectives. Cynthia
can be reached at cynthia@vcmbc.com or 604.638.6931. Please
join us in welcoming Cynthia to the Vancouver, Coast
& Mountains team!
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Abbotsford
Citizen of the Year: George Ferguson
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| In
June, when he was recognized as one of the seven
Order of Abbotsord winners, former Abbotsford Mayor
George
Ferguson was also chosen by city council as Abbotsford's
Citizen of the Year. In a political career that spanned
close to 40 years, only one term – his first – was
as councillor. He was a key player in seeing the
neighbouring municipalities of Abbotsford, Sumas
and Matsqui amalgamated
into one city. In addition to his work in local politics
and the Union of BC Municipalities, Ferguson was
a valuable member of the board of Vancouver,
Coast & Mountains Tourism
Region for many years in the late 1980's and early
1990's.
The Vancouver, Coast & Mountains staff and board would like to extend our warmest
congratulations to George!
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TIC
Registration Now Open
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| 'FOCUS
ON THE FUTURE: STEPS FOR A BETTER INDUSTRY TOMORROW'
The
Tourism Industry Conference (TIC) is the annual gathering
of British Columbia's tourism industry
to learn, network, exchange ideas and establish new
contacts. This year's conference will have an exciting
lineup of speakers and presentations, designed to stimulate
discussion and deliver ideas that delegates can take
away and use immediately in their business and association
operations.
Early bird rates apply, so register online today!
The 18th Annual BC Tourism
Industry Conference will be held October 24-26, 2011
at the Victoria Conference Centre and the Fairmont
Empress.
Visit www.bctourismindustryconference.ca for more information.
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Dine
Out Vancouver: Diner Experience Survey |
Carmen
Melotto, Vancouver, Coast & Mountains current intern student
is collecting data
for her university thesis, the topic
of which
concerns the relationship between food quality and service
quality and satisfaction with the dining experience during
the Dine Out Vancouver Event (DOV). DOV is an annual city-wide
celebration of food, supported by several restaurants with
215 menus at fixed prices of $18, $28 and $38 and attracts
hundred of food lovers of all persuasions.
We all enjoy memorable dining experiences and if you have
participated in Dine Out Vancouver this year and/or in the
past years,
please
take
a few minutes
to complete
the questionnaire about your personal dining experience at
the link indicated below. This survey is for academic purposes
only and no information will not be shared with any third
party.
Link to survey: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/SX29QXX
Thank
you for taking the time to read this message and please forward
it to somebody you know who has (was)
participated (ing) in Dine Out Vancouver.
Kind regards,
Carmen
Melotto
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What's
the deal with Foursquare? |
Posted
by Joel Marc to Think! Social Media's Blog - Click here for
the original blog post
You’ve
probably heard of Foursquare or seen a sticker encouraging
you to Check-In at your local coffee shop. While
some may write-off Foursquare as another social media platform
to keep track of,
Foursquare has been quietly picking up momentum to
the tune of 10 million subscribers. Then yesterday, Foursquare
got it’s
biggest endorsement yet as President Barrack Obama
announced the White House’s official use of Foursquare.
So what is Foursquare? Foursquare
creates personalized experiences among friends using location-based
technologies within mobile smartphones. The entire goal of
Foursquare is to share tips, insights, and deals from the
businesses and areas you interact with on a daily basis.
Checking-In
on your mobile phone unlocks the tips left by your friends
and others for that particular
business or area. I could Check-In to my favorite deli
and leave a Tip for a particular sandwich that isn’t on the
menu,
or when running a trail in Stanley Park I could leave a
tip for a particular place to get that perfect scenic view.
When
friends or others check-in to those locations, my tips
are automatically displayed to them. My friends can even
add
these tips to a To-Do List to create their own mini adventures
based on my experiences.
Recently,
Foursquare launched support for Businesses, called Foursquare
Pages. This is where Foursquare
becomes really valuable for DMO’s
and their members. Pages enables a business or organization
to brand the Page to their own graphical feel and display
Lists of places that they recommend. So if you decided to
follow
the Think! Social Media Foursquare Page you would see our
List of places around Yaletown we love to go for lunch. Additionally
you can see the tips we’ve left at all the locations around
the world.
Foursquare
Pages are a natural fit for member-based organizations who
want to promote the members
of their region. The trick is to make your Page appealing
so visitors will want to follow it. We suggest providing
tips,
insights, and deals that only Foursquare users can experience.
Luxury hotelier Ritz-Carlton took some of the knowledge from
their esteemed Concierges and made them tips on their Foursquare
Pages of each property. Their motivation? Take the renown
insight of their Concierges and make it accessible to people
who love
the Ritz-Carlton brand online.
Encouraging
members to offer small freebies to customers for checking-in
on Foursquare
is a great way to
build some momentum. A cupcake shop offered an extra shot
of icing if customers showed an employee a check-in on their
mobile
phone. Small items such as an “extra shot of espresso” work
best.
Marketing
material stating that your business is on Foursquare is a
helpful way to remind people to check-in (as they’re
thinking about what
kind of sandwich they want). A small stand-up at the checkout
counter goes a long way. I was buying groceries recently
and the display showing my purchase had a graphic stating
“Check-in
to Foursquare and ask for a free apple.” Smart and simple.
Want
a Free Foursquare Window Sticker for your business? Just
verify your businesses location on
Foursquare and they’ll mail you one. Or, to get Foursquare’s
logo to use in your marketing material, visit this link and
choose Buttons and Logo’s.
Think! Social Media is a boutique digital marketing agency with a laser-focus
on the tourism industry and its roots in social media.
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604 Pulse - ongoing deadline
Digital
Guide Monthly Deals - deadline
- August 24
Northwest
Women's Show - deadline August 31
Seattle
Times Sep/Oct - deadline
- September 5
Meeting
Places 2012 - deadline September 13
Tourism
BC Outdoor Adventure Guide - deadline September 14
..........................
Current marketing opportunities are always available at www.vcmtourism.com. |
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July 15 - Exploring BC's Sunshine Coast by Kayak, Darryl Leniuk, The Globe & Mail
June 30 - In Pemberton, spuds - and vodka - taste fine, Carolyn Ali, The Georgia Straight
July 23 - Whistler's Little Sister (Squamish), Susan Greenwood, The Australian
(Online)
July
10 - Rock Star Tour of BC: Enormous Beach Boulder keeps
visitors guessing, Lori Knowles,
Toronto Sun - Travel Canada (Online) |
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Aug 26, 2011
Vancouver AM
Peter Male, The PNE
Sep 16, 2011
Vancouver AM
Ian Tostenson, BC Restaurant & Food
Services Association
Sep 23, 2011
Vancouver AM's 35th Anniversary Celebration
Oct 24 - 26, 2011
BC Tourism Industry Conference
June 19 - 21, 2012
VCM
Regional Tourism Leaders Forum & Annual General Meeting
.......................... Current & upcoming industry events
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