Syracuse Convention & Visitors Bureau

Making Connections at the Media Marketplace

The Syracuse Convention & Visitors Bureau joined more than a dozen destinations from throughout New York state for an evening of networking with travel media and tourism executives at the I Love NY Summer Media Marketplace held in Manhattan. Carol Eaton, vice president of marketing, represented Syracuse and had the opportunity to share details about the area's incredible assets for summer travel with more than 20 members of the travel media community. The SCVB is currently coordinating Onondaga County familiarization tours for several journalists thanks to connections made at the event. I Love NY will organize a similar event in July to promote the state's fall travel opportunities and the SCVB plans to participate.

Carol Eaton (left), SCVB vice president of marketing, shares updates regarding Syracuse's ever changing tourism landscape with Cristyne Nicholas, chair of the New York State Tourism Advisory Council, and Gavin Landry, executive director of tourism of Empire State Development.

 

Cross-Border Connections

The first quarter of 2013 included a successful infiltration of the Greater Ottawa, Ontario media marketplace and blogosphere by the SCVB and several of its industry partners. Here's a look at some of the proactive activities that took place with our friends north of the border.

Advertising campaign - The SCVB coordinated an integrated advertising campaign in the Ottawa Citizen that featured five full-page advertisements and online banner advertisements on the newspaper's website. Each full-page spread offered a message of Sleep, Play, Shop, Stay to the Ontario community encouraging visitation to Syracuse. The SCVB thanks industry partners: Destiny USA, Pole Position Raceway, The MOST, Ramada Inn, Holiday Inn Express & Suites, Candlewood Suites-Syracuse Airport, Maplewood Inn, Hampton Inn Syracuse North, and the Crowne Plaza for their participation. If you are interested in showcasing your visitor-friendly business in a future advertising campaign, contact SCVB Vice President of Marketing Carol Eaton at CEaton@VisitSyracuse.org.

Tradeshows - The SCVB participated in two tradeshows targeting the leisure travel market at the Ottawa Convention Centre. In March, the SCVB partnered with the Maplewood Inn, High Peaks Hospitality and Destiny USA at the Travel & Vacation Show, and in April, the SCVB teamed up with Destiny USA to promote the Greater Syracuse area at the Ottawa Women's Show.

Travel Media - The SCVB collaborated with a variety of media outlets representing Ottawa, Ontario in the first quarter resulting in media coverage for the destination in Ottawa at Home magazine, Ottawa Parenting Times, the Ottawa Citizen, OttawaMommyMagazine.ca and more. The SCVB is currently finalizing details on several upcoming FAM tours with Ottawa travel media. To view the articles, go to the Media section at www.VisitSyracuse.org.

From left, Heidi Hackett, High Peaks Hospitality; Linda Woodrow, SCVB; and Karen Lieu, Maplewood Inn, speak with more than 1,000 Canadians interested in Syracuse and Onondaga County at the Travel & Vacation Show in Ottawa.

Selling Syracuse on the Road

Members of the SCVB team are on the road this spring participating in educational opportunities and sales missions, making fresh connections, and securing new business, in Albany, Niagara Falls, Louisville, KY, and Washington, DC. Some of the organizations staff are engaging with include Convention Sales Professionals International; Destination Marketing Association International - Destinations Showcase; Empire State Society of Association Executives - Meetings Institute; National Association of Sports Commissions - Sports Event Symposium; NYS Destination Marketing Organization - "I Love New York" Meetings Celebration & Reception; and NYS Travel & Vacation Association – 2013 Empire State Tourism Conference.

The Syracuse Convention & Visitors Bureau is Onondaga County's accredited marketing organization for tourism related economic development leading the production of over $765 million in direct visitor spending annually. For more information, visit www.VisitSyracuse.org.