Marketing Opportunities
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January 12, 2011 Our world in 2011 - A
New Year Message from Kevan Ridgway, President & CEO |
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Our world in 2011 - A New Year Message from Kevan Over the second half of 2010, we have seen more changes in destination management and marketing than in my previous 15 years. I expect that to continue! …. And we’re ready and prepared for more change. Accountability continues to be a key question from industry about the role of destination marketing organizations, be they community, regional or provincial. It is our expectation that this question will be closer to an acceptable answer before 2011 ends, and we will certainly be looking to implement new solutions from a regional perspective. As we entered 2010, we had barely heard the term “Social Media”, but here we are in 2011 considering its relevance in every aspect of our marketing plans. We are pleased to have the enthusiasm and strategic input from Think Social Media to guide us in these uncharted waters. The pilot project last summer provided considerable guidance for this year’s tactics. Watch for our newest creation, the 604 Pulse microsite to be launched in this last quarter of our current fiscal year ending March 31, 2011. We were really grateful when the Liberal Government gave us “flex funds”, which allowed us to invest in ways that were not possible with other programs. It was indeed a wise decision of the Liberals (and, yes, we’d love to see something similar!). We predicted then that High Definition video would play a significant role in destination marketing, and we invested flex funds in the creation of over 400 hours of footage. We were ready for the Olympics! Now, we are working with NBC in San Francisco on half hour TV shows, the first one completed with Tourism Whistler to promote ski this winter. Two more shows to come! We will continue to invest in new HD video with our partners, and have completed five more projects with the Vancouver Attractions Group, Hostelling International, Fraser Valley Regional District, Tourism Abbotsford and Tourism Surrey. All footage will be housed on our new Regional Digital Asset Management System that will allow easy search and access for consumer marketing, trade and media purposes. Yes, our world has changed in very significant ways, but we have a talented and resourceful staff that has adopted and valued change in their worlds. All for the good of our business and community partners, and we thank you for your continued support, guidance and constructive criticism. Bring on the rest of this exciting year!
PS. Watch this to put a little (or big) smile on your face! Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics Video Essay by Stephen Brunt - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8LX98hDMnM Travel Trade Webinar – Wednesday,
February 2nd Watch for Invitations to be arriving in your email boxes shortly. It’s the time of year when writers/editors are looking for new ideas to fill their 2011 editorial calendars, and that means lots of in-market media events. Lisa will be busy on the road this winter, meeting with media to pitch your unique and quirky story ideas, so please keep VCM up-to-date with what’s new, and email all story ideas to lisa@vcmbc.com. Current trends and requests include: the Olympic Anniversary and legacy, romantic good-value quick getaways, interesting girls trips (think beyond the spa ... ladies want learn to mountain bike, golf and fish) and cool “mancation” or “bromance” trips that include a lot of R&R and male bonding like snowmobiling and vodka/wine tasting. To help promote your product, Lisa always needs prizing for media events, but also be sure to send updates on new tours, packages, contests, and great deals (including your upcoming Groupons), and we'll post them on VCM’s Twitter and Facebook. Don’t forget to "join the conversation" and post and retweet on VCM’s pages too! Upcoming media events: January 23 – CTC Seattle Media dinner VCM is now in the process of creating the Marketing Plan for the fiscal year ending 2012. With exciting marketing opportunities and a comprehensive array of consumer shows on the agenda we are ready to tackle the upcoming year. While we feel enthusiastic about our new plans, ideas and initiatives we always welcome feedback from our partners. If you have any comments, suggestions or concerns about the 2012 Marketing Plan, please contact Kayla Seib at kayla@vcmbc.com or Frances Ratcliffe at frances@vcmbc.com. What is the value of a TripAdvisor Destination Expert? Our friends at Think Social Media have a knack at raising excellent questions that make us stop and really think about what Vancouver, Coast & Mountains is doing with social media. One of the most crucial tips that they have given us is to get active (and stay active) on Trip Advisor and to, in turn, encourage our partners to get active on Trip Advisor. Visit Think’s blog for a great example of a TripAdvisor Destination Expert and the correct way to represent yourself, and your business, on TripAdvisor. And pay particular attention to Robyn’s question at the end … “Do you know who your local TripAdvisor Destination Expert is? Perhaps it can be you!” http://thinksocialmedia.com/2011/01/what-is-the-value-of-a-tripadvisor-destination-expert/ What new airline fees will we see in 2011? Here's our best guess By George Hobica - Airfarewatchdog.com It's a fact that airlines made most of their operating profit in 2010 from all those added fees that we love to hate. Indeed, without them, some airlines would have been in the red. So are the airlines done with new fees? We somehow doubt it. And although we're not encouraging airlines to do so, here are some new fees that we might see in 2011: Infant fees: lap children currently fly for free on domestic US flights, but will this always be the case? Europe's Ryanair, never shy about adding new fees, charges 20 Euros (about $30 or so) each way for lap children. The U.S. is considering banning lap children for safety reasons, requiring instead that parents buy seats and place little ones in child restraint systems. But if the government doesn't act, we might see the airlines make a move. In person check in: you've probably already used an airport kiosk to check in and get a boarding pass, or you've done it online at home. Easy, right? But these conveniences also save the airlines money by reducing personnel costs. What if airlines start charging a fee to check in with a live agent? You'll weigh and measure your bags at home, calculate and pay any fees online before leaving for the airport, print out a boarding pass or get one from a kiosk, and then drop any bags off with bag check staff at the conveyor belt. Otherwise, you'll pay an in-person check in fee. Using a credit card: airlines abroad already charge a small fee for ticket purchases unless paid in cash. Could we see U.S. airlines do the same? No worries, you'll get a break if you use your airline-affiliated credit card. Checked bag fees by the pound: many foreign airlines charge a flat fee for bags weighing up to a certain limit, and then charge by the kilogram or pound for anything over and above. Your bag could cost way more than your fare. Name change fees: some people might actually welcome this, if the price is right. You buy a non-refundable ticket you can't use, so rather than throwing it out you'll pay a fee to assign it to another passenger. No more refunds if a fare goes down: this wouldn't make anyone very happy, least of all our friends at Yapta.com, but what if airlines stopped issuing any kind of refund if a fare went down between the time you buy and the time you fly? Short-lived Skybus (remember them?) adopted this practice and some foreign airlines follow it. Currently, only Alaska, JetBlue and Southwest issue a full credit, but other airlines charge a change fee (typically $150 on a domestic fare). Will the "fee" go to 100 percent of your fare? Carry-on bag fees: Last year, Spirit began charging for carry-ons that don't fit under the seat in front and seems to be still flying. Will other airlines catch on? Fare lock-in fees: Continental offered this for the first time in late 2010 (you pay a fee, which varies depending on the route, to lock in a fare for three or seven days), and as of this writing other airlines haven't followed suit. But will they in 2011? Internet "convenience fee": Whose convenience is this, anyway? Ryanair charges 5 Euros per passenger each way to “cover costs associated” with its booking system. Several years ago, US Airways briefly charged $5 for booking online, and Allegiant Airlines also charges an online booking fee ($14.99). Who"ll be next? Introduction to Sustainable Tourism - Online Course Are you interested in or currently working for the
tourism industry?
Unsure of its environmental and social
impacts, but know you want to make a difference? Gain in-depth
knowledge of the tourism industry from an economical, social and
environmental perspective in this introductory online course. Analyze
impacts, learn best practices and key players, and explore the
roles of the consumer and industry through case studies, interactive
online discussions and practical assignments. Presented by the
UBC Continuing Studies Centre for Sustainability. The course begins
on January 14 though registrations will be accepted until January
24. For more information please visit - Student/Industry
Rendezvous - “A Forum for Tourism Leaders & Students
to Exchange Information” Harvesting the Afterglow of the 2010 Winter Games 2nd Annual BC Tourism Leaders’ Summit The 2nd Annual BC Rural Tourism Conference |
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Your feedback is most welcome on any subject – please e-mail kevan@vcmbc.com. |
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