BuckeyeLine

A New Season Brings New Opportunities!

As the snow continues to melt, we are getting our first hints of spring! This means it’s time to welcome spring break visitors as a warm-up to our peak leisure travel season. To that end, our team continues to work at 110 percent full speed! As you read this message, we will be concluding our winter/spring Town Hall Meetings with several hundred of our Industry colleagues and friends. If you missed out on attending one of the meetings, please check out the deadline reminders below and visit www.DiscoverOhio.com/industry for some terrific FREE marketing opportunities with upcoming deadlines. Ohio Tourism Month is now less than two months away, and we are excited to kick things off with you throughout Ohio and our surrounding states!

On the national level, we applaud Congress and the Obama administration for passing and signing into law the U.S. Travel Promotion Act. This creates a new dedicated funding mechanism and structure in which the United States will once again have an international tourism marketing effort that will begin to help us catch up to our competition. Click here to find out more about this important effort led by our U.S. Travel Association and key Industry leadership.

As for the ongoing effort to secure a new path for funding Ohio’s tourism marketing and promotion, the Ohio Tourism Roundtable Leadership has made a lot of progress and is expected to begin the next phase in their process shortly. Once again, keep your eyes open for their next updates in the coming weeks regarding their work on a public-private funding model and the ongoing dialogue with the administration and other key legislative and Industry stakeholders. 

Moving ahead into spring, I am excited for the big unified push our Industry is about to undertake to tell the world about Ohio, and educate all of our stakeholders about what this great Industry means to our economy!

Safe Travels,

Amir

Ohio Tourism Month Participation Deadlines Fast Approaching!

With National Tourism Week coming up on May 8 – 16, 2010, the Ohio Tourism Division team has created an exciting mix of valuable partnership opportunities to kick-start Ohio’s summer travel season and help you promote your travel packages, deals, new attractions, one-of-a-kind events and festivals, lodging, unique restaurants and more. Some of these exciting opportunities have limits for number of participants and deadlines by which information can be submitted, so don’t delay – sign up today for free and low cost Ohio Tourism Month marketing opportunities!

• Too Much Fun-Mobile – A branded Honda Element (Too Much Fun-Mobile) and trailer will be traveling to events in Ohio and surrounding states this summer to increase awareness of Ohio’s outstanding tourism experiences. Co-op opportunities are available to get involved; for details and pricing, click here.

• FREE! Twitter Flash Sales – Ohio Tourism Industry members are invited to submit an exclusive travel package or deal (i.e., buy-one, get-one free) to be promoted and sold via Twitter in May. Deadline for submissions is Thursday, April 1. Limited to 31 Industry partners. Click here for details.

• FREE! Ohio and Contiguous State Media Blitz -- The Division is seeking good angles for news stories (one-of-a-kind or quirky destinations/attractions, major anniversaries, travel trends, etc.) that would be of interest to potential travelers and can be shared through radio, television, print and online media interviews in Ohio and contiguous states during May. For additional information, click here.

• Ohio Magazine Partnership – Advertising is available through Tuesday, March 30, in the May issue featuring a two-page “New in 2010: Ohio Tourism Month” editorial spread, a full-page Ohio Tourism ad on the back cover and featured editorial copy for advertisers on OhioMag.com. For more information, click here.

• FREE! Barnes & Noble Bookstores Promotion – Showcase your tourism entity at your local or nearby bookstore by offering up free travel information, event ideas, coupons, displays, etc. The Division will provide Ohio Tourism Month signage for in-store Ohio book displays while participating stores are scheduling a month-long series of events. Click here for a list of participating stores and details.

• FREE! myOhio Photo/Video Contest – Four Ohio Tourism Industry partners will have an opportunity to sponsor prize packages for a weekly myOhio contest in May. To learn more about this exciting opportunity, click here. The deadline for submissions is Thursday, April 15.

Last Chance to Order Economic Impact Studies

This Friday, March 12, is the deadline to order your 2009 county level economic impact study. The economic impact study provides you with an in-depth look at the impact tourism has on your community. Contact Eric Herzog for more information and pricing at eric.herzog@development.ohio.gov or (614) 466-0338.

Co-Op Advertising Deadlines Near

The Division has once again invested in a robust co-op advertising plan encompassing print, radio and online media. We know we are most successful when we’re working together in partnership. Deadlines for several co-op opportunities are coming up in March and April, including Crossings (Wednesday, March 31) and in-state and out-of-state radio co-ops (Friday, April 2). For more information on these and other co-op opportunities, please visit http://Industry.discoverohio.com/media/537/355.pdf or contact Joe Vargo at joe.vargo@development.ohio.gov or (614) 644-0786

2010 Ohio Travel Planner Now Available

The 2010 Ohio Travel Planner, Ohio's official travel guide, is now available for bulk distribution. Quantities of the Travel Planner and 2010 Spring/Summer Calendar of Events may be ordered online.

The free, full-color, 164-page, 2010 Ohio Travel Planner features more than 3,000 listings of attractions, recreation, shopping, dinning, visitor services and lodging, organized by the state’s five travel regions. Each regional listing section begins with a detail mapped. An electronic copy of the Travel Planner is available by clicking here, or click here for the spring/summer Calendar of Events.

Listings featured in the planner were created using data from the DiscoverOhio.com/Buckeye Database. All Ohio travel entities are invited to submit listings, free of charge, to the Buckeye Database to be included in future issues of the Travel Planner. Information also was supplied by the Ohio Bed and Breakfast Association, the Ohio Campground Owners Association, the Ohio Golf Course Owners Association, the Ohio Hotel and Lodging Association, the Ohio Restaurant Association, and the Ohio Wine Producers Association.

April 16 Deadline for 2010-11 F/W Calendar of Events

To have your Ohio event considered for inclusion in the printed 2010-11 Fall/Winter Ohio Calendar of Events (50,000 quantity printed), please submit/update your information in the DiscoverOhio.com/Buckeye database by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, April 16.

If your database entry is current, there is no need to re-submit. Please review your entries to ensure dates, times phone numbers, etc. are current and accurate. The calendar will cover events that take place between September 2010 and February 2011. Due to space limitations, not all events submitted and approved will appear in the printed calendar, however, all approved events will be available on DiscoverOhio.com.

Contact your Great Lakes Publishing representative for advertising opportunities in the calendar or contact Emily Vanuch, Great Lakes Publishing Advertising Coordinator, evanuch@ohiomagazine.com or (216) 377-3715. The advertising close date is Friday, May 21, 2010.

NEW! Mobile Web Development Partnership – DiscoverOhio.mobi

DiscoverOhio.com is going mobile and so can you! Are you sure you know the difference between a mobile enabled Web site and a .mobi Web site? If not, we encourage you to click on the link below to make sure you are as informed as possible. Once you know your mobile from your .mobi, check out a dynamic new partnership opportunity from the Ohio Tourism Division and ITI Marketing. The Division is working with ITI to create a .mobi site for DiscoverOhio.com and, as a result, you can take advantage of a variety of options from an enhanced listing for better visibility to a discounted price to create your own customized mobile Web pages or a full mobile Web site.

As the proportion of travelers using smart phones while traveling continues to grow exponentially, it is more important than ever to provide these consumers with a more mobile-friendly Web experience. Research shows that mobile Web users prefer easy access to detailed listing information over a rich graphic experience, so the Ohio Mobile Travel Guide will cut right to the chase. With a clean interface light on graphics, potential travelers will be able to find information about Ohio attractions, dining, lodging, events, etc. Pulling from the Buckeye Database, active listings on DiscoverOhio.com will have a presence on the mobile site. For details on the program and pricing, click here, or contact Franci Edgerly with ITI Marketing at franci@iti-marketing.com or (912) 267-1558.

Get Involved in Multicultural Tourism Day at Columbus Zoo and Zoombezi Bay – FREE!

Ohio Travel Industry members are invited to participate in “Multicultural Tourism Day at the Columbus Zoo and Zoombezi Bay” on Saturday, June 5. This is a free marketing opportunity aimed at exposing African-American consumers from Columbus and beyond to Ohio’s rich and varied array of travel experiences.

Industry participants will staff branded “Livin’ for the Weekend in Ohio” display tables located in an area where they will draw traffic from both the Zoo and Zoombezi Bay Waterpark. Multicultural Tourism Day also will be promoted across Ohio through radio stations, social media and African-American newspapers, and will entice a large audience with discount coupons for admission to the Zoo and Zoombezi Bay Waterpark. Industry members are invited to bring any information (brochures, literature, hand-outs, etc.) for their destination and are strongly encouraged to provide a trackable coupon or special offer to invite African-American consumers to their destination to measure success of this event.

Our research consistently shows that the African-American demographic in our target markets (Ohio and the surrounding states) have low recognition of Ohio’s travel experiences, but once they learn about them, they’re much more likely to visit. This is a great opportunity to tap into a multicultural audience who may not be aware of your tourism experience. For more information or to participate, please contact Joyce Brown at Singleton & Partners, Inc. at joyceb@singletonpartners.com or (216) 344-9966.

April, May Partner Days at 1-800-BUCKEYE

Schedule a day and time today to visit the 1-800-BUCKEYE Travel Counselors at the Teleperformance offices in Columbus. This is an opportunity for you make sure the counselors know what’s new in your area or why visitors would find your facility fun and exciting. You can have no better friends helping you promote your entity than these representatives who spend their days answering consumer calls and e-mails about Ohio tourism experiences. Partner Days will take place on Wednesdays at 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. during April and May. To participate in an upcoming Partner Days event, contact Eric Herzog at (614) 466-0338 or eric.herzog@development.ohio.gov to schedule your visit.

Heartland Travel Showcase a Great Success!

The Heartland Travel Showcase returned to the Buckeye State for its 25th anniversary, Feb. 19 – 21, and State Tourism Director Amir Eylon and Public Relations Coordinator Jessie Wagner were thrilled to be part of more than 120 Ohio delegates promoting our state to more than 130 tour companies.

The Heartland Travel Showcase event kicked off on Friday, Feb. 19 at COSI, where 700 attendees from Ohio, Michigan, Ontario, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, West Virginia, New York, Illinois, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa and Pennsylvania enjoyed a number of fun activities and a wide selection of foods from dozens of Ohio restaurants. Welcoming attendees were First Lady Frances Strickland, Jack Hanna and exotic animals from the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, and historical re-enactors from the Ohio Statehouse and Ohio Historical Society. Ohio had the largest delegation present. Many thanks to Experience Columbus for hosting this year’s event!

On Saturday, Feb. 20 and Sunday, Feb. 21, more than 100 Ohio booths welcomed tour operators from all over the country and pitched their experiential tours, hotel packages and group-friendly events.

As a result of all the partnerships and great teamwork from the Industry, the tour operators were able to leave Columbus with a strong awareness of Ohio’s group tour product and the Industry’s appreciation for their business. Congratulations to Ohio’s group tour delegates and sponsors for a successful Heartland Travel Showcase in Ohio!

Where in the World

March 1: Amir, Eric, Roger, Joe and Aimee at Town Hall Meeting in Mason
March 2: Amir at Experience Columbus Annual Meeting
March 3: Amir, Eric, Roger, Joe and Tammy at Town Hall Meeting in Cambridge
March 4: Amir at Cincinnati Annual Meeting
March 5: Amir, Eric, Joe, Tammy and Jessie at Town Hall Meeting in Akron
March 8: Amir, Eric, Joe and Tammy at Town Hall Meeting in Port Clinton
March 11: Amir, Eric, Joe and Tammy at Town Hall Meeting in Chillicothe
March 12: Amir speaking at Ohio Campground Owners Association Spring Conference in Columbus
March 31: Amir speaking at Butler County Visitors Bureau Partner Meeting

Full Speed Ahead!

Happy February from the Ohio Tourism Division! Can you believe it? We are already into the second month of the year, and things just keep getting more exciting here at the Division. Regardless of whether or not the groundhog saw his shadow, the spring/summer travel season is just around the corner for those of us in the Tourism Industry. As promised last month, we are geared up and ready to go!

In addition to the co-operative opportunities that we presented to the Industry last fall, our team has come up with a terrific plan to enhance the kick-off of our big spring/summer marketing push to drive visitors to Ohio! I am delighted to announce a new series of Town Hall meetings starting later this month that will provide you with several important opportunities and updates including:

• A current status update on the Tourism Division and its future;
• A presentation of NEW Ohio Tourism Month marketing and partnership opportunities;
• An overview of the NEW enhancements to DiscoverOhio.com, including the Buckeye Database submission process, and MyOhio;
• The rollout of a NEW partnership that will make it easy and affordable for your business/organization to begin engaging in mobile marketing; and
• Opportunities to ask questions, interact and engage with Ohio Tourism Division leadership and team members.

We are planning for a total of seven Town Hall meetings between Feb. 22 and mid-March. Please read the article in this issue of BuckeyeLine for the dates and locations nearest your place of business. This is a great opportunity to connect with your peers before our busiest leisure travel season begins.

On a sad note, I must share with you the news that our very own Assistant Director, Alicia Reece, will be leaving the Ohio Tourism Division to pursue the next chapter in her career of public service. During the past two and a half years, Alicia has proven herself an invaluable part of the Tourism Division and our Industry. She played important roles in the development and execution of our last two marketing campaigns, as well as the expansion of our multicultural marketing initiatives. Her warm personality, partnership skills and relentless drive to help us meet our goals and objectives will be missed. The good news is that we will always have her as an advocate and friend of this $39 billion Industry, and we thank her for all she has done to help us do an even better job of telling the world about Ohio. Alicia’s last day at the Division will be Friday, Feb. 12, 2010.

Moving forward, the Ohio Tourism Roundtable Leadership continues to make progress on your behalf regarding the future of marketing Ohio. Keep your eyes open for updates in the coming weeks regarding their work on a private/public model and ongoing dialogue with the administration and other key stakeholders. I am looking forward to a terrific month and to seeing all of you on the road in your own backyards!

Safe Travels,

Amir

Feb./March Town Halls to Provide New Marketing Opportunities, Important Updates

The Division is holding seven town hall meetings throughout the state to discuss important Division news, announcements and opportunities. The town hall meetings are must-attend events for Industry partners looking for new partnership and marketing opportunities and to engage one-on-one with the Tourism Division leadership and team members. Industry partners also are strongly encouraged to attend a town hall meeting to receive the most up-to-date information on the Division and its future.

Following are dates and locations for the town hall meetings. Please RSVP to Joy Doty (by dates indicated below) at joy.doty@development.ohio.gov and remember to indicate which session you plan to attend. We hope to see you at one of these events!

Central Ohio--Dublin
Monday, Feb. 22
1:00 – 4:00 p.m.
The Conference Center at OCLC
6565 Kilgour Place
Dublin, OH 43017
RSVP: Wednesday, Feb. 17

Western Ohio--Lima
Wednesday, Feb. 24
1:00 – 4:00 p.m.
City Club
144 S. Main St., 3rd Floor
Lima, OH 45801
RSVP: Friday, Feb. 19

Southwest Ohio--Mason
Monday, March 1
1:00 – 4:00 p.m.
Great Wolf Lodge
2501 Great Wolf Drive
Mason, OH 45040
RSVP: Tuesday, Feb. 23

Southeast Ohio--Cambridge
Wednesday, March 3
9:00 a.m. – Noon
Cambridge/Guernsey County Visitors and Convention Bureau
627 Wheeling Ave.
Cambridge, OH 43725
RSVP: Friday, Feb. 26

Northeast Ohio--Akron
Friday, March 5
1:00 – 4:00 p.m.
Akron/Summit Convention and Visitors Bureau
77 E. Mill St.
Akron, OH 44308
RSVP: Monday, March 1

Northwest Ohio--Port Clinton
Monday, March 8
1:00 – 4:00 p.m.
Ottawa County Convention and Visitors Bureau
770 S.E. Catawba Road
Port Clinton, OH 43452
RSVP: Wednesday, March 3

Southern Ohio--Chillicothe
Thursday, March 11
9:00 a.m. – Noon
The Pump House Center for the Arts
Enderlin Circle in Yoctangee Park
P.O. Box 1613
N. Mulberry St.
Chillicothe, OH 45601
RSVP: Monday, March 8

Co-Op Advertising Deadlines Fast Approaching

The Division has once again invested in a robust co-op advertising plan encompassing print, radio and online media. We know that we are most successful when we’re working together in partnership. Deadlines for several co-op opportunities are coming up in February and March, including AAA Motorist – Northeast Ohio and Pittsburgh (Thursday, Feb. 4), the regional newspaper insert through Madden Media (Friday, Feb. 19), Scholastic Parent and Child (Monday, March 8) and Crossings (Wednesday, March 31).

For more information on these and other co-op opportunities, please visit http://Industry.discoverohio.com/media/537/355.pdf or contact Joe Vargo at joe.vargo@development.ohio.gov or (614) 644-0786.

2009 Economic Impact Study Order Deadline Feb. 26

Time to your order your 2009 study is quickly running out. The last day to order a 2009 county level economic impact study is Friday, Feb. 26. The economic impact study assesses the economic impact of tourism for each county. In your report, you will receive the dollar amount of visitor spending, the number of jobs supported by tourism and the amount of taxes generated in your area, as well as other vital information. The reports are expected to be delivered in early May 2010. For additional information and a price quote, please contact Eric Herzog at eric.herzog@development.ohio.gov or (614) 466-0338.

Ohio Tourism Month Special Announcement Forthcoming

Please watch for a Special BuckeyeLine this month detailing Ohio Tourism Month marketing participation opportunities along with information on Multicultural Tourism Day. The Division is in the final stages of developing an Ohio Tourism Month strategy that will take us on the road, utilize social media and promote Ohio tourism packages and travel incentives in Ohio and surrounding states.

2010 S/S Ohio Calendar of Events Now Available

The new 2010 Spring/Summer Ohio Calendar of Events are in and making us all eager for spring, and bulk quantities of the calendar are available.

Initial bulk orders will be limited to one box (100 quantity) of calendars through mid-March to allow us sufficient time to fulfill a majority of consumer requests before resuming fulfillment of bulk orders.

Bulk quantities of the free 2010 Spring/Summer Ohio Calendar of Events can be ordered online. 

2010-11 F/W Calendar of Events Deadline April 16

To have your Ohio event considered for inclusion in the printed 2010-11 Fall/Winter Ohio Calendar of Events (50,000 quantity printed), please submit/update your information in the DiscoverOhio.com/Buckeye database by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, April 16.

If your database entry is current, there is no need to re-submit. Please review your entries to ensure dates, times, phone numbers, etc. are current and accurate. The calendar will cover events that take place between September 2010, and February 2011. Due to space limitations, not all events submitted and approved will appear in the printed calendar, however, all approved events will be available on DiscoverOhio.com.

If you’re interested in advertising opportunities in the calendar, please contact your advertising representative or Jillian LaManna, Great Lakes Publishing Advertising Coordinator, at jlamanna@ohiomagazine.com or (216) 377-3655.

New York Media Mission Rich with Opportunities

Ohio stormed the Big Apple media scene this year with representatives from six Tourism Industry partners including: Jennifer Burns, Warren County CVB; Lexi Robinson-Hotchkiss, Positively Cleveland; Scott Peacock, Experience Columbus; Susan Fryer, Greater Licking County CVB, Christy Eckstein, Ohio Grape Growers Council; Mary Szymkowiak, Dublin CVB; Ann Marcum, Fahlgren Mortine PR; and Tamara Brown, Ohio Tourism Division. Many thanks to this group for their outstanding promotion of the entire state!

This year, in addition to the travel-specific and women’s service publications we have targeted in the past, we added meetings with a couple of male-focused publications, in-flight magazines and a publication aimed at the very high-end traveler. We learned a lot about these “new” publications and became acquainted with some new contacts at publications we know and love. Our appointment schedule included: MyMidwest (in-flight magazine of Midwest Airlines), GO (in-flight magazine of Air Tran Airlines), Parents magazine, Budget Travel, Country Living, Maxim, Family Circle, Elite Traveler, American Baby, Field & Stream, Working Mother and Fodors.com.

It was encouraging to hear that the in-flight publications have some upcoming Ohio stories in their editorial calendars, and there were only a couple of contacts that were not at all familiar with the Buckeye State, so perhaps we’re making progress. We’ll be reaching out to partners for additional information and images as we follow up on our media contacts’ interests.

The accompanying picture is from our national media splash on The Today Show! It was worth braving the cold temperature and snow to shake Al Roker’s hand and get our O-H-I-O signage in front of a national audience. Al is just like some of the other media representatives we met on this mission – a person may move out of Ohio, but they are still Buckeyes at heart!

(Pictured from left to right: Jennifer Burns, Warren County CVB; Scott Peacock, Experience Columbus; Tammy Brown, Ohio Tourism Division; Christy Eckstein, Ohio Grape Industries Council; Ann Marcum, Fahlren Mortine Public Relations; Susan Fryer, Greater Licking County CVB; Lexi Robinson-Hotchkiss, Positively Cleveland)

DiscoverOhio.com Buckeye Database

On Jan. 7, the Division launched Phase I of our Web site User Enhancements project designed to provide database users with a better online experience. As some of you are aware, we have experienced some minor challenges with the Buckeye Database during this initial launch, and we thank you for your patience while we iron out any remaining issues. The following improvements will make it easier for Industry members to manage your listings.

After listening to user feedback on the Buckeye Database, we made several enhancements to this section of the Industry site to provide you with a streamlined process for entering and editing events and attraction information. These changes include:
• Manage Groups: Many of our partners have several staff members assigned to handle their listings. Our improved Manage Groups feature allows the person who creates and updates their entity’s listing to generate sub-accounts for others in their organization to also manage that information.
• Import/Export: Some Industry members enter information on numerous listings that can be used in places other than the DiscoverOhio.com/Buckeye Database. With the new Import/Export feature, users can export their listings, edit them outside the DiscoverOhio.com/Buckeye database and upload the information in a batch process.
• Auto Search Feature: This new feature alerts you if another attraction or event with the same name is already listed in the system, and will help reduce the number of duplicate listings on DiscoverOhio.com.

We also consolidated the majority of the required listing information into one tab on the submission form with expandable/collapsible boxes. These additional changes include:
• Streamlined hours of operation entry
• GPS location
• Improved text editor for descriptions
• Improved submission process
• Implementation of a terms of service agreement

We invite you to check out a video review of the enhanced submission form that includes tips on how to use the new tools. The video is available at http://Industry.discoverohio.com/media/5/335.swf.

The Division is excited to continue to roll out the new enhancements to both the consumer and Industry Web sites. We strive to offer you the best possible experience in managing your listings, while providing consumers with a visually attractive experience as they search for their next great Ohio getaway. If you have any questions or concerns regarding your experience with the enhanced Web site, please contact Eric Herzog at eric.herzog@development.ohio.gov or Roger Barker at roger.barker@development.ohio.gov.