|
|
|
|
        |
   |
 |
|
Home Media ST. PETERSBURG/CLEARWATER AREA CVB CONSOLIDATES SALES & FILM DEPARTMENTS, ADDS TECHNOLOGY/MARKETING POSITION CLEARWATER, FL (October 1998) -- In an effort to maximize local industry involvement and remain at the forefront in the travel trade, the St. Petersburg/Clearwater Area Convention & Visitors Bureau consolidated its sales and film departments and will add a technology marketing director. The new structure will allow for expanded sales activities, generate more direct interaction from the local tourism industry and create a more effective staffing situation. The Bureau is charged with increasing tourism and its economic benefits to Pinellas County as well as increasing tourism-related employment. "Consolidation will allow the Bureau to deal directly with local industry members to help determine our marketing goals and plans," said Carole Ketterhagen, CVB executive director. "We now have a closer relationship which will allow for better monitoring and expansion of our ‘in-kind’ participation program." Area tourism industry members now have the opportunity to join the Bureau on several committees including: Tour & Travel, Meetings & Conventions, Public Relations and Hospitality Education. In the past, the CVB contracted with a private, not-for-profit corporation called Discover Florida’s Suncoast for all direct sales staffing. The Bureau’s film commission was also a separate, contracted entity. The separation forced the Bureau to use multiple office supplies, support staffs, computer systems and payment methods. "Consolidating provides significant economies of scale and creates a seamless workflow between departments," Ketterhagen added. "This will allow for technological advancement we must have. The latest database management and marketing systems demand a coordinated effort." In the Bureau’s new organizational structure, former DFS convention sales director Andy Bergeron will head the meetings and convention sales department; former DFS tour and travel sales director Nancy Foster will lead the tour and travel sales department; Jennifer Parrimore continues as film commissioner; and a technology marketing director will be hired. Bergeron, a 39-year veteran in the meetings industry, directs an expanded convention sales program that will include three sales managers who focus on specific segments of the meetings market. An area of rapid growth, the business, meetings and convention segment of the industry accounted for 23.4 percent of all overnight visitors to Pinellas County in 1997. The St. Petersburg/Clearwater Area CVB has pioneered a system whereby planners deliver meeting specifications to the Bureau, who then assign the meeting a code number and send the RFP to only those hotels that meet the planner’s specifications. When the proposals have been received, the Bureau sends them to the meeting planner as a package along with a meeting planner kit from the responding hotels. Planners receive only bids that meet their criteria and the Bureau organizes the request. The CVB also offers a full-service meetings services department and can assist the meeting planner with almost every aspect of putting on a conference. Foster, in her 20th year in St. Petersburg/Clearwater area tourism, is pioneering new strategies with the tour and travel sales department. The department has recently added sales manager Linda Lewis and assistant Cham Bowers, who assist with trade shows and travel agent familiarization trips. The Bureau has organized several new committees to promote active participation by all facets of the local tourism industry. Co-chaired by seasoned area representatives, the committees include: a Travel Agent Advisory Council/Education Committee, Attraction & Cultural Marketing, Motorcoach & Niche Marketing, Long Range Planning, Condo Marketing, Domestic Marketing, International Marketing, and a Tour & Travel committee. Foster has expanded the Bureau’s Travel Agent Discount Directory, developed an analysis of multi-lingual properties in the area, and is working to build stronger relationships with receptive operators and wholesalers through partnership opportunities. The team has increased its attendance at tradeshows and is working on innovative programs to entice niche markets. The St. Petersburg/Clearwater Area is the leading destination on Florida’s Gulf coast, drawing more than 4.4 million overnight visitors annually. The area is best known for 35 miles of spectacular beaches, two of which are rated among the top 10 in the United States, and record-breaking sunshine. A variety of attractions, world-class museums, sporting activities and nature-related experiences are also readily available. To receive a St. Petersburg/Clearwater Area Visitor Guide or make a room reservation for the area, call 1-800-345-6710. For more information, call 727-464-7200. |
|
Copyright ©1999 St. Petersburg/Clearwater Area CVB. All rights reserved. |
||
| Copyright | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use |