BuckeyeLine

Mark Your Calendar for Spring Town Hall Meetings

The Ohio Office of Tourism will be on the road again in March and April for five regional Town Hall Meetings to provide Ohio’s Tourism Industry with an update on the Office of Tourism’s status and provide vital information on new and ongoing partnership marketing opportunities. On the agenda:

    •    An update on the Ohio Office of Tourism from State Tourism Director Amir Eylon
    •    Information on marketing programs to help extend your marketing dollars
    •    A sneak peek at elements of the 2012 integrated marketing campaign
    •    Q & A with the Office of Tourism leadership

Feel free to bring your laptop to try these programs firsthand.

We are still finalizing dates and locations. Watch for a Special BuckeyeLine later this month with final details for 2012 Spring 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.

Central region
Wednesday, March 14
1 – 4 p.m.
Location: Creekside Conference and Event Center, 700 Creekside Plaza, Gahanna, OH 43230
Hosted by Gahanna Convention and Visitors Bureau
RSVP by Wednesday, March 8

Northwest Region
Wednesday, March 28
1 – 4 p.m.
Location: Alexandria’s, 132 E. Crawford St., Findlay, OH 45840
Hosted by: Findlay/Hancock County
RSVP by Thursday, March 22

Southwest Region
Thursday, March 29
1 - 4 p.m.
Location: Dayton Convention Center, 22 E. Fifth St., Dayton, OH 45402 [Rooms 302-303]
Hosted by: Dayton/Montgomery County CVB
RSVP by Thursday, March 23

Northeast Region**
Tuesday, April 3
1 – 4 p.m.
Gervasi Vineyards, 1700 55th St. NE, Canton, OH 44721
Hosted by: Canton/Stark County CVB
RSVP by Wednesday, March 28

**Before the NE Town Hall Meeting, ‘Adventures in NE Ohio’ will offer a luncheon (11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.) for anyone wishing to learn more about their regional tourism group. For more info or to RSVP, email info@adventuresinnortheastohio.com

Southeast Region
Wednesday, April 11
9 a.m. – Noon
Adena Mansion & Gardens, 847 Adena Rd., Chillicothe, OH 45601
Hosted by: Ross-Chillicothe Convention & Visitors Bureau
RSVP by Thursday, April 5

The Ohio Office of Tourism will be on the road again in March and April for five regional Town Hall Meetings to provide Ohio’s Tourism Industry with an update on the Office of Tourism’s status and provide vital information on new and ongoing partnership marketing opportunities. On the agenda:
    •    An update on the Ohio Office of Tourism from State Tourism Director Amir Eylon
    •    Information on marketing programs to help extend your marketing dollars
    •    A sneak peek at elements of the 2012 integrated marketing campaign
    •    Q & A with the Office of Tourism leadership
Feel free to bring your laptop to try these programs firsthand.
We are still finalizing dates and locations. Watch for a Special BuckeyeLine later this month with final details for 2012 Spring 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.
Southwest OR Central region
Wednesday, March 14
Location: TBD

Northwest Region
Wednesday, March 28
1 – 4 p.m.
Location: tbd
Hosted by: Findlay/Hancock County
RSVP: Thursday, March 22

Southwest OR Central region
March 29, 2012
Location: TBD

Northeast Region
Tuesday, April 3
1 – 4 p.m.
Gervasi Vineyards, 1700 55th St. NE, Canton, OH 44721
Hosted by: Canton/Stark County CVB
RSVP by Wednesday, March 28

Southeast Region
Wednesday, April 11
9 a.m. – Noon
Adena Mansion & Gardens, 847 Adena Rd., Chillicothe, OH 45601
Hosted by: Ross-Chillicothe Convention & Visitors Bureau
RSVP by Thursday, April 5

Help Promote Ohio’s LEGO KidsFest Facebook Contest!

The Ohio Office of Tourism is excited to announce a new non-traditional partnership with LEGO KidsFest, and media partner, Cincinnati Enquirer (Cincinnati.com), to host a consumer “Build Your Best Ohio-themed LEGO Creation” contest. Deadline for entries is March 7, so encourage your social media followers to get busy building!

This is a terrific opportunity for Ohio’s Tourism Industry to promote a unique building, structure, mascot, monument, etc. from your area. Visitors to the Ohio Tourism Facebook page will be voting on the entrants’ creations so you can help generate votes for entries from your area as well. There are two age categories (little kid – ages 5-12; big kid – 13 and older).

The grand prize winner will receive a Weekend Getaway to Cincinnati, including tickets to the March 23 Very Important Kids (VIP) preview event and entry into that evening’s session, an overnight stay at the Hyatt Downtown Cincinnati and a four-pack of tickets to area attractions (Cincinnati Museum Center, Cincinnati Art Museum and Cincinnati Zoo).

Visit www.Facebook.com/DiscoverOhio for contest rules.

2012 Spring/Summer Calendar of Events Available

The Ohio Office of Tourism is pleased to announce availability of the new 2012 Spring/Summer Ohio Calendar of Events. Along with the new calendars, we are continuing with the distribution plan for bulk quantities of the calendars. Initial bulk orders will be limited to one box (100 quantity) of calendars until 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 2012 Spring/Summer Ohio Calendar of Events can be ordered online.

Bloggers, Websites Add Opportunities to NYC Media Mission

What a difference a year makes! Last year’s visit to New York was a juggernaut journey through ice, rain, sleet and snow. This year brought temperatures in the 40s and a wide diversity of media outlets interested in hearing about Ohio’s outstanding tourism experiences. Our Jan. 25-26 visit yielded informative meetings with Grandparents.com; Arthur Frommer’s Budget Travel; DailyCandy; O, The Oprah Magazine; Food & Wine, Saveur; Ladies’ Home Journal; and Travel + Leisure. We also will be following up with two publications that had scheduling changes -- Parenting magazine and NY City Mama (blogger).

Tourism Office public relations manager, Tammy Brown, has been sharing some tips from these meetings on the Ohio Tourism Industry Facebook group so be sure to take a look to see what publications are seeking for the coming year. While our media contacts often have connections to Ohio, this year, we met with at least three people who were unfamiliar with the Buckeye State and very surprised to hear about all Ohio has to offer travelers, so we definitely made some new inroads!

Many thanks to everyone in the Ohio Tourism Industry who expressed interest in joining us for this annual mission. And special thanks to the six partners who were able to join us: Lexi Hotchkiss, Positively Cleveland; Karen Raymore, Hocking Hills; Robin Innes, Cedar Point; Julie Calvert, Cincinnati USA; Jennifer Burns, Warren Co. CVB; and Scott Peacock, Experience Columbus. This group did a fantastic job of carrying the flag for ALL of Ohio’s tourism experiences.

New Look to BuckeyeLine!

Coinciding with the New Year, we are ushering in a fresh new look for BuckeyeLine! The top of both the e-mail and BuckeyeLine.com now proudly display the Ohio Tourism Industry in action, as well as, partnerships and Ohio Tourism Office programs. These photos will be changed periodically to show the latest ventures of Ohio's Tourism Industry.

As you capture photos of your team, your co-workers, peers or partners doing what they do to make a difference for Ohio and our industry, we invite you to share them with us for consideration in future BuckeyeLine editions. Please feel free to share your photos on the Ohio Tourism Industry Facebook Group and/or email them to joe.giessler@development.ohio.gov.

2012 Travel Publications to Arrive in Mid-February

The 2011 Ohio Travel Planner (400,000 qty.) and 2011-12 Fall/Winter Ohio Calendar of Events (50,000 qty.) have all been distributed through bulk and consumer request networks. The Office of Tourism is now referring anyone who requests a 2011 publication to the online versions available on DiscoverOhio.com. The 2012 Ohio Travel Guide (formerly known as Travel Planner) and 2012 Spring/Summer Ohio Calendar of Events will be available in mid-February 2012. Thank you to everyone in the industry who made Ohio tourism publications available in your welcome centers, CVB offices, hotels, State Parks, etc. We appreciate your assistance to get valuable Ohio travel information into the hands of consumers!

Seeking “Music-Themed” Ohio Travel Packages

In honor of the 2012 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony being held in Cleveland in April and World Choir Games in Cincinnati in July, we are seeking music-themed travel packages from across the state to feature on the Discover Ohio Facebook “Ohio Travel Packages” tab from February through April. This is a space where we list premium Ohio travel packages with a link back to the appropriate industry website(s) so consumers can purchase packages quickly and easily.

Do you have a music-themed package that includes an overnight stay with at least one off-property experience? If so, please send the details, including website, where the package will be available for purchase, one (1) photo that best represents the package experience, and your contact information via email to prinfo@development.ohio.gov using the subject line: Music Package by Thursday, Jan. 12.

Be sure to check out the current Ohio Travel Packages featured on Facebook.

What’s New in 2012?

Help us, help you! The Ohio Tourism Public Relations office wants to help you promote your destination, attraction, lodging facility, restaurant, etc. in 2012. We are asking for information on What’s New in 2012? Please let us know about any new attraction or exhibit openings coming up in the next year, milestone anniversaries, major consumer events, or any unique or interesting new tourism opportunities in your area. If you’re interested in getting the word out about your new tourism product, please email your “New in 2012” information to the Public Relations Office at prinfo@development.ohio.gov by Jan. 17. Please be sure to include “New in 2012” in the subject line.

Seeking “Music-Themed” Ohio Travel Packages

In honor of the 2012 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony being held in Cleveland in April and World Choir Games in Cincinnati in July, we are seeking music-themed travel packages from across the state to feature on the Discover Ohio Facebook “Ohio Travel Packages” tab from February through April. This is a space where we list premium Ohio travel packages with a link back to the appropriate industry website(s) so consumers can purchase packages quickly and easily.

Do you have a music-themed package that includes an overnight stay with at least one off property experience? If so, please send the details including website where the package will be available for purchase, one (1) photo that best represents the package experience, and your contact information via email to prinfo@development.ohio.gov using the subject line: Music Package by Monday, Jan. 9.

Be sure to check out the current Ohio Travel Packages featured on Facebook.

Ohio Tourism blitzes DC Media!

Many thanks to everyone who provided us with new and upcoming tourism experiences to share with editors and writers in Washington, D.C., November 15-16! This was our first DC media mission, and we found the experience very rewarding and successful.

We shared Ohio’s stories with eight different media outlets including: The Beacon Newspapers (aimed at people 50+), AARP.org, National Geographic Traveler magazine, American Heritage magazine, the Washington Post, U.S. News & World Report, Preservation magazine and WUSA 9 (CBS) Television. While we were in Washington, DC, a writer for Battlefield Journal was in Cincinnati for a conference, so we were able to coordinate a briefing and tour of some Ohio sites with Mark Holbrook, Ohio Historical Society, and Pat Homan, President of Cincinnati’s Civil War Roundtable. Thank you Mark, Pat, and both Julie Calvert and Ali Hobbs, from Cincinnati USA, for your efforts and time to help us make the most of this opportunity!

We had a fantastic group of industry members representing and sharing Ohio’s stories in and around the capitol city including: Bev Rose, Dayton/Montgomery County CVB; Dee Grossman, Tuscarawas County CVB; Scott Peacock, Experience Columbus; Lexi Hotchkiss, Cleveland Plus; and Larry Fletcher, Lake Erie Shores & Islands. Thank you all for making the trip and for your cooperative spirits in talking about ALL of Ohio. The feedback from media outlets was better than we could have imagined – we learned a lot about the writers and changes in their respective publications that will help us hone future pitches and story ideas. Please feel free to contact Tammy Brown (tamara.brown@development.ohio.gov) if you have questions or think you may have something to pitch to any of these media outlets.

NYC Media Mission set for Jan. 24-26, 2012

Ohio’s next tourism media mission has been scheduled for Jan. 25-26 with travel to the Big Apple on the 24^th. Please contact Tammy Brown (tamara.brown@development.ohio.gov) if you are interested in participating in this mission to talk with national media outlets. As always, there is no cost to join a media mission – just your cost for travel, lodging, ground transportation, meals, etc. We have a limited number of slots available.

Even if you can’t participate, we want to hear about your new attractions and exhibit openings, major restaurants (good chef hook), etc. Our strength on these meetings is our diversity or product and number of great new thanks happening, so please help us to enrich our story by sharing what’s happening in 2012-2013 in your area. Thank you!

Scene in Ohio Takes Center Stage

Ohio tourism’s new “Scene in Ohio” website was launched to the public on Nov. 9, and it’s already making a name for itself! The site attracted more than 241 media clips with an audience topping 150,975,000. In the first few weeks, we have already logged more than 7,000 site visits, 35,434 total page views and an average time on the site of 4.23 minutes. And we have received 85 emails from consumers suggesting movie and television sites and On-Screen Ohioans to be added to Scene in Ohio.

If you haven’t already, we encourage you to take a look at the site and send us your tourism-related locations that have been featured in movies and on television. Have a Hollywood celebrity that was born in your area? We want to hear about those too! Perhaps most importantly, we need your assistance in building additional itineraries that include Scene in Ohio sites.

As you build new itineraries that include sites Scene in Ohio, please include the key word sceneinohio (one word) at the bottom of your itinerary description so it will be pulled into the new website. We look forward to having fun with Scene in Ohio as new movies and shows are released providing us with timely story angles to promote the site and, most importantly, Ohio’s outstanding tourism experiences!

Division Re-launches Ohio Consumer eNewsletter

We are excited to announce the first new issue of Ohio’s monthly consumer eNewsletter, “Ohio… Too Much Fun for Just One Day,” was sent out Oct. 6 to 213,924 subscribers.

A big congratulations to Aimee Rupert who facilitated a complete overhaul of the eNewsletter! Each monthly issue now includes: three timely/seasonal events from the Buckeye Database, a featured photo or video from the Ohio Tourism Flickr or YouTube channel respectively, a timely/seasonal piece from the DiscoverOhio.com content rotator, a DiscoveringOhio.com blog post or a new consumer content piece (i.e. Autumn Adventures, Scene in Ohio, etc.) Essentially, this adds one more tool to our toolbox to help us engage consumers and introduce them to Ohio’s amazing travel experiences through existing content and social media channels.

Our next goal is to grow the current subscriber list, so we ask your assistance through social media, your eNewsletters, etc. to help spread the word (and link) for consumers to sign on for great Ohio travel ideas the first week of each month. Remember, we could be featuring YOUR experiences! Click here to sign up for future issues of the consumer eNewsletter.

Click here to see the October consumer e-newsletter.

Presentations from Ohio Conference on Tourism

The Ohio Conference on Tourism seemingly provided truck-loads of information to digest and integrate into our organizations, programs and campaigns. To help refresh your memory and share with staff, some PowerPoint presentations from the Ohio Conference on Tourism have been made available for download.

Click here to download Amir’s State of the Industry presentation

Click here to view Mo Sherifdeen’s social media presentation – Taking Engagement from Ordinary to Wow


Note: Due to proprietary rules, not all presentations are available for distribution

Ohio Industry Set for Washington, D.C., Media Mission

A group of seven Ohio tourism industry members will participate in meetings with Washington, D.C.-area media on November 15-16 during our upcoming media mission. Participants include: Bev Rose, Dayton/Montgomery County CVB; Lexi Hotchkiss, Positively Cleveland; Scott Peacock, Experience Columbus; Dee Grossman, Tuscarawas County CVB; Larry Fletcher, Lake Erie Shores & Islands; Leslie Holbrook, Fahlgren Mortine PR; and Tamara Brown, Ohio Tourism Division.

We will be meeting with writers and editors representing National Geographic Traveler, Beacon Newspapers, U.S. News & World Report, AARP and more. As always, this group will do our best to represent the entire state, so if you have a story or topic you want to send along, please email Tamara Brown at tamara.brown@development.ohio.gov.

NYC Media Mission in Planning Mode

As discussed in our Town Hall Meetings earlier this fall, the Division Public Relations Office is currently planning our annual media mission to New York, NY, in January. We are looking for 3-4 Ohio tourism industry members with national story opportunities to join us. And, if you know of any dates we should avoid for the New York mission (due to Ohio industry conflicts or big events in New York), we would appreciate your input on those as well.

Please contact Tamara Brown, at tamara.brown@development.ohio.gov or 614-466-8591, to discuss participation or pass along industry event dates in January. Thank you!

New Ohio Tourism Partnership Opportunities Available

As members of the tourism industry, we all have the same end goal of increasing visitor attendance at destinations and events throughout Ohio. The Division’s number one tactic in increasing visitor spending to the state is partnership. By working together, we can leverage resources effectively and drive more business to your front door!

The Ohio Tourism Partnership Opportunities Booklet, now available for download, is designed to help provide opportunities for collaboration as you develop your marketing plans for next year. A majority of these programs are FREE! For those that require additional investment, the majority is subsidized by the Division’s marketing resources in order to provide a range of opportunities for all budgets.

If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact Pat Barker at 614-995-4233 or pat.barker@development.ohio.gov.

Still Time to Register for Ohio Conference on Tourism

There is still time to register for the premiere annual conference for members of the Ohio Tourism Industry. The Ohio Conference on Tourism will be held Oct. 26-28 at Kalahari Resort & Convention Center in Sandusky, Ohio. Click here to register or for more information about this valuable event.

Watch this video for more detail on what to expect at this year’s Ohio Conference on Tourism!
 

This three-day conference will feature top-notch speakers from throughout the country who are experts in tourism, marketing and social media. Some of the speakers include:

• Berkeley Young – president of Young Strategies, Inc., 20 years of travel/tourism research, marketing, management, speaking and retail experience. Young specializes in destination research, planning and strategy. 
• Robert Kriegel – New York Times and Business Week bestselling author commentator and NPR’s Marketplace Program Pioneer in sports psychology. He has taught at Stanford’s Executive Management program and is regarded one of the country’s leading authorities on change and innovation.
• Geoff Freeman – Executive VP of Public Affairs and Strategy Development for the U.S. Travel Association. He is responsible for driving the travel industry’s response to the latest challenges and seeks to position travel as a critical asset to the country, American business, and the traveling public. 
• Mo Sherifdeen – oversees digital brand strategy for Travel Oregon. Currently serves as managing editor of digital content and is responsible for the day-to-day execution of digital programs including email, SEP/SEM and social media.
• Click here for the full list of speakers at the conference.

In addition to keynote speakers, there will be a bevy of valuable seminars and workshops. Some of the workshops include social media strategies, sales vs. marketing, dealing with online travel agencies, the state of Ohio’s travel industry and many more. Click here for the full list.

This is an opportunity you cannot pass up! Click here to sign up now for the Ohio Conference on Tourism.

Wrap up of Fall Town Hall Meetings

The Division recently completed another successful round of Fall Town Hall meetings in five regional locations throughout Ohio. These free meetings provided us an opportunity to share with you the latest updates from the Ohio Tourism Division including trends and marketing strategy for 2012, and we unveiled our 2012 co-operative marketing opportunities.

The meetings were attended by hundreds of members from Ohio’s tourism industry. The feedback from these sessions has been extremely positive. Please feel free to send us your comments and feedback on what you liked and/or what you think we can do better next year.

If you were unable to attend a meeting but would like to find out about the 2012 opportunities, you can download our 2012 Partnership Opportunities Guide by visiting www.DiscoverOhio.com/industry. If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact Pat Barker at 614-995-4233 or pat.barker@development.ohio.gov.

“Too Much Fun” Mobile Tour Wraps Up Successful Year!

The Ohio Tourism Division’s 2011 “Too Much Fun” Mobile Tour has completed another successful season generating excitement about Ohio with the help and sponsorship of 16 partner destinations and attractions. The tour vehicle – a Honda Element wrapped with images of Ohio and the “hi” graphic – our amazing Brand Ambassadors and partners promoted Ohio during visits to 14 events/cities in our primary feeder markets within surrounding states, including Pittsburgh and Chicago, as well as in Ohio. 

Visitors to the “Too Much Fun” mobile booth responded positively to the prize wheel, text-to-win campaign, “hi” photo opportunity and Speedway gas giveaway. They loaded up on literature and listened with interest as the partners and Brand Ambassadors promoted Ohio’s awesome tourism destinations.

A special thank you to the dozens of industry partners who donated prizes for our prize  wheel!

We are thrilled with the results for the 2011 Mobile Tour:
•    Generated more than 300,000 on-site impressions
•    Accumulated more than 6,500 Text-to-Win entries
•    Delivered more than 5,300 leads by way of Register-To-Win participants
•    Achieved more than 4,250,000 vehicle impressions