BuckeyeLine

Don’t miss the Ohio Conference on Tourism Oct. 22-24!

It’s hard to believe it’s that time of year again – time to evaluate what worked and what didn’t from the past year’s marketing efforts and to plan and budget for next summer’s campaigns and promotions. To help you in these tasks, this year’s Ohio Conference on Tourism, “Tourism Energizes Ohio,” will provide information on new travel and marketing trends and practical methods to enhance your marketing effectiveness and stretch your marketing dollars.

Division Unveils New Marketing Partnership Opportunities

During September, the Ohio Tourism Division was on the road for a series of five Town Hall Meetings to roll out our new marketing partnership opportunities. We had wonderful two-way dialogue about the marketing partnership opportunities with nearly 300 Ohio Travel Industry members across the state. Thank you to everyone who turned out!

Division Offers Largest Ever Menu of Ad Co-Ops!

If you missed the town hall meetings last month, you can still find out about the broad range of ad co-ops the Division has put together for you. Combining reduced rates with targeted placements, participating in one of our co-ops can help you leverage your marketing dollars and reach pertinent audiences. All co-op ads will be in-market in May and/or June 2009, and include opportunities in radio, print and online. These ads represent the largest investment the Division has ever made in co-op advertising, at more than $819,000.

DiscoverOhio.com Launches New Autumn Adventures Web Section

The Ohio Tourism Division, in partnership with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, is making it easier than ever for fall travelers to find all the information they need to plan their Ohio getaways and autumn outings at DiscoverOhio.com!

Group Tour Itineraries Deadline Extended to Oct. 15

Convention & Visitor Bureau Group Tour Reminder: If you haven’t already submitted four new experiential group tour itineraries, please do so by Oct. 15 to be included in the 2009 tour promotions. We are seeking at least four group tour itineraries that target the student performance/educational and/or the senior/adult markets. The submission form is accessible online at http://discoverohio.com/edit/login.asp.

Once you log in, select “Itinerary Manager” to begin the process. The collection of itineraries will be used in multiple ways to assist tour planners with packaging Ohio trips, including the group tour section of DiscoverOhio.com (to be re-launched later this winter). For more information, contact Celeste at Celeste.Krolak@development.ohio.gov.

Watch for Publisher E-mail Confirming Spring/Summer Events for Calendar

If you submitted an event by the Sept. 5 deadline to be considered for the printed 2009 Spring/Summer Ohio Calendar of Events, the next step is for the publisher, Great Lakes Publishing, to contact you. You can expect an e-mail the week of Oct. 13 asking you to verify that your listing is accurate before it is printed in the Calendar. The e-mail will come from webmaster@glpublishing.com, and the subject line will be “2009 Ohio Spring/Summer Calendar of Events Verification.” If you do not respond to the audit, your listing may not be considered for inclusion in the printed calendar. If you do not receive an e-mail verification and you have submitted a listing for consideration, please contact Jenny at (216) 377-3653.

Division Publications Advertising Deadlines Upcoming

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

Advertising close dates:
2009 Spring/Summer Ohio Calendar of Events - Nov. 13, 2008
2009 Ohio Travel Planner – Nov. 20, 2008
2009-10 Fall/Winter Ohio Calendar of Events – May 21, 2009

SafeLite AutoGlass Partnership Ramps up for 2009

As we shared with you during our recent Town Hall meetings, the Ohio Tourism Division and Safelite AutoGlass have teamed up to create a coupon book containing money-saving or added-value tourism coupons redeemable at various travel destinations throughout Ohio. Now Ohio Travel industry members have the opportunity to reserve space in the coupon book for the 2009 calendar year.

2009 Marketing Assistance Program Guidelines Released, Dec. 1 is Phase I Deadline

The 2009 Marketing Assistance Program is ramping up for another year of helping Ohio tourism entities leverage their marketing dollars to reach new audiences. For those not familiar with MAP, it works essentially like a standard retail co-op. In exchange for businesses and attractions helping to extend the Ohio brand by using the Ohio State of Perfect Balance logo, the Division reimburses participants a percentage of eligible marketing expenses.

Tell us about your experience with the Buckeye Database

The Tourism Information Office is currently reviewing the functionality of the Buckeye Database; in doing so, we would like to ask the users of the Buckeye Database how their experience compares when using similar sites and features. Please take a few minutes to complete our survey so we can provide products and services the best fit your needs.

Take the Survey

Division Promotes Multicultural Tourism Campaign at National Baptist Convention

Assistant State Tourism Director Alicia Reece and Joyce Brown from Cleveland-based multicultural marketing agency Singleton & Partners were on hand at the National Baptist Convention to promote the Division’s multicultural tourism campaign. Governor Ted Strickland was one of the keynote speakers at the convention’s opening session of 10,000 attendees at the US Bank Arena in Cincinnati.

(Photo Caption--From Left to Right: Governor Ted Strickland; Dr. William Shaw, President of the Nation Baptist USA Convention; Alicia Reece, Assistant State Tourism Director; Dr. H.L. Harvey, Jr., Local Convention Chair)

Ohio Group Tour Reps Promote Ohio at SYTA

Celeste Krolak participated in the Student and Youth Travel Association’s annual conference "Steppin' Up Student Travel," Sept. 5-9 in San Antonio, Texas, with group tour representatives from Carousel Dinner Theatre, Clermont County CVB, Positively Cleveland, Experience Columbus, COSI, Great Wolf Lodge at Kings Island, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, Toledo Zoo and the Warren County CVB. More than 1,000 people attended the conference setting a new SYTA record. Celeste met with professional tour planners to promote unique educational and performance opportunities for school groups for 2009 and beyond. If you have any new student group tour info to share with tour planners, please contact Celeste or visit SYTA’s Web site.

Two Ohio Events Named in ABA Top 100!

Congratulations to The Dublin Irish Festival (July 31- Aug. 2) and the Piqua Heritage Festival (Sept. 5-7) for being named to the 2009 American Bus Association’s (ABA) Top 100 Events in North America. The Top 100 list is selected from among 524 events nominated by state and provincial tourism officials and convention and visitors bureaus. A 14-member selection committee of tour operators bases its picks on the events’ broad appeal, their accessibility to groups arriving by motor coach and other criteria. The full list of 2009 Top 100 Events is available at: www.buses.org/2009Top100.

Multicultural Tourism Campaign Re-cap

The Ohio Tourism Division and our multicultural marketing firm, Singleton & Partners, rolled out Ohio’s multicultural tourism advertising campaign in Cleveland and Cincinnati in June 2008.

Lieutenant Governor Lee Fisher, who also serves as Director of the Ohio Department of Development, joined Tourism Director Amir Eylon and Assistant Tourism Director Alicia Reece to introduce Ohio’s new multicultural television commercial (the first ever in the state) on June 9 at the House of Blues in Cleveland and co-sponsored by Positively Cleveland and the Greater Cleveland Partnership Commission of Economic Inclusion.

On June 12, Alicia and Singleton rolled out the campaign to a packed house on Fountain Square in Cincinnati where Mayor Mark Mallory greeted the crowd on a projection screen and showed his support for the “Livin’ for the Weekend in Ohio” campaign. The Division also announced a new partnership with Macy’s Music Festival and the Cincinnati Regional Tourism Network to promote multicultural tourism during the July festival.

Best Practices: Let LinkedIn Help You Market Your Business

In a time when social media sites are popping up left and right, it’s sometimes difficult to decide which is right for you and your company, if any. How do you sort through the hodgepodge and figure out what will work for you?

TechCorner: Google Business Solutions

As Google continues to grow and dominate the Web sphere, it also continues to release Web-based products that not only increase productivity but also simplify how your Web site interacts with Google. Some of our favorite applications are:

• Local Business Center- Create or edit a Google Maps business listing. Add hours of operation, photos and other details. This application is similar to your BUCKEYE Database listing.
• Analytics- Analyze your Web site traffic, create easy-to-use reports and track marketing campaigns.
• Webmaster Central and Web site Optimizer-Google helps you build sites that have increased visibility and effective content.
• Checkout- Create a shopping cart to sell your products online. Checkout features free order processing, increased sales potential and fraud protection.

If any of the above Google Business Solutions are of interest, you can find more information on these and additional products Google offers by visiting www.google.com/services.

Where in the World

Oct. 3: Alicia Reece speaking at the Ohio Commercial Airports Consortium, Columbus
Oct. 3: Amir speaking at the Ohio Association of Historical Societies & Museums at the Ohio Historical Society, Columbus
Oct. 6: Amir meeting with 2009 World Championship of American Football, Canton
Oct. 7: Amir speaking at the Event Development Forum in Holmes County Chamber of Commerce & Tourism Bureau
Oct. 10: Amir Eylon visiting the John & Annie Glenn Historic Site, New Concord
Oct. 14:  Celeste Krolak speaking at the Positively Cleveland Group Tour Meeting
Oct. 16: Amir speaking at the Loudonville Tourism Conference, Loudonville Public Library
Oct. 22-24: Amir, Alicia, Celeste, Tammy Brown, Aimee Zerla, Jessie Wagner, Joe Vargo and Eric Herzog attending Ohio Conference on Tourism; Canton
October 27-30 – Amir attending TIA Marketing Outlook Forump; Portland, Ore.