EMT Express - September 11, 2008
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Welcome to EMT Express, providing bi-weekly news and tips for the people who market Minnesota tourism.
- Summer Tourism Was Stable, Though Not Stellar
- Explore Minnesota Tourism’s Interactive Marketing Efforts Honored by Peers
- Explore Minnesota on Display at MSP
- Travel Marketing Award Nominations Accepted
- Can the Arts Help Your Community Thrive?
- Mashed Potato Wrestler Wins 3rd Title
- State Meetings and Conferences at Resorts
- New Leads from Travel Trade Marketing
- Fall Group & Packaged Travel Meeting
- Electronic Marketing Tip
- Funding for Tourism Research and Education: Carlson Chair Proposals Due Oct 3
- One-Stop Travel Planning Now Online for Voyageurs National Park
Summer Tourism Was Stable, Though Not Stellar
Travel in Minnesota continued at close to normal levels this summer, though tourism-related businesses faced some unusual challenges this year. Concerned about the economy, budget-conscious consumers are not spending money in the same ways they have in the past and that is having an impact on lodging accommodations and other businesses that benefit from tourist dollars.
Overall, people took fewer trips, stayed fewer nights, traveled closer to home, and spent less money while on their trips, according to Explore Minnesota Tourism, the state’s tourism promotion office.
At many Minnesota lodging businesses, including hotels, resorts and campgrounds, occupancy this summer was down somewhat from last summer, reflecting a national trend. Lodging revenues for the year to date appear to be up a bit, although they declined somewhat during the summer.
"Tourism continues to be a stable part of the Minnesota economy, and most lodging businesses are reporting positive financial health," says John Edman, director of Explore Minnesota Tourism. "During my own family vacation at a Minnesota resort this summer, it was interesting to see that most of the other guests there were visiting from other states, in spite of the gas prices."
Many lodging businesses and destinations reported a strong summer season, drawing guests who chose a Minnesota vacation over a longer-distance destination, and retaining many repeat customers who return every summer. Favorable exchange rates continued to draw travelers from Canada. Cool weather got things off to a slow start at Minnesota State Parks early in the season, but park visits rebounded with the warm, sunny weather of July and August. The Minneapolis-St. Paul area got an end-of-the season boost when the Republican National Convention filled 16,000 hotels rooms last week.
Tourism businesses have a moderate outlook for the fall travel season, with most expecting to have an average season. As they did this summer, consumers will continue to take leisure trips, but their low level of confidence in the economy will influence travel spending until the economy improves.
For more information, visit http://industry.exploreminnesota.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/summary-of-summer-2008-business-survey1.pdf.
Explore Minnesota Tourism’s Interactive Marketing Efforts Honored by Peers
Explore Minnesota Tourism has received the National Council of State Tourism Directors (NCSTD) 2008 Mercury Award for film/audio visual for its My Favorite Minnesota™ videos, which are posted on exploreminnesota.com/myfavoriteminnesota. The NCSTD is an industry council of the Travel Industry Association of America (TIA). The awards were presented during the closing ceremony of TIA’s annual Educational Seminar for Tourism Organizations.
These videos are part of the My Favorite Minnesota™ campaign, which is based on insider advice from those who have traveled in Minnesota. Utilizing the campaign theme of "Who knows more about having fun in Minnesota than Minnesotans?" travelers are invited to share their favorite places to go and things to do in Minnesota by creating lists at www.exploreminnesota.com, the state’s official travel Web site.
"It is truly an honor to be recognized with this award," said Explore Minnesota Tourism Director John Edman. "We were seeking to be innovative in the ways in which we inform travelers about all the opportunities there are for travel in Minnesota. This is the fourth Mercury Award Minnesota has received in the last five years. It is gratifying for our team to be recognized by our peers for excellence in state tourism marketing."
Explore Minnesota on Display at MSP
Seventy-one scenic Minnesota photographs welcomed visitors for the Republican National Convention at the Minneapolis-St. Paul (MSP) airport, thanks to a new partnership between Explore Minnesota Tourism (EMT) and the MSP Airport Foundation.
The Republican National Convention was the impetus to dress up the airport concourses with Minnesota imagery. However, the photographs from EMT Staff Photographer Paul Stafford, will be displayed for at least a year. They may become a permanent display that moves throughout the Humphrey terminal and possibly the Lindbergh terminal as well.
The photos have been enlarged into 4×3 foot and 3×2 foot dimensions, mounted and lit. They are initially being displayed in Concourse C and the main retail space of the Humphrey terminal. The photos will be moved around throughout the year as space is required for other needs. Additional signage attributes the photos to EMT, along with our logo, web address and contact information.
Explore Minnesota Tourism will realize over $500,000 in in-kind media value for our legislative match requirements through this partnership.
Travel Marketing Award Nominations Accepted
Nominations are currently being accepted for the 2008 Tourism Marketing Awards, presented by Explore Minnesota Tourism. The Awards are intended to recognize significant achievement in the promotion of travel and tourism into and throughout the State of Minnesota. The awards are given annually at the Minnesota Conference on Tourism and will be presented on Wednesday, January 28, 2009, at the Northland Inn in Brooklyn Park.
Competitive Awards are presented each year to tourism businesses and organizations for outstanding tourism advertising projects and promotions. Competitive awards are presented in several categories, based on various media efforts.
Special Recognition Awards are presented to individuals and organizations in recognition of major and lasting contributions to the promotion of the Minnesota travel product or dedication to and development of the Minnesota travel industry. As such, these awards may or may not be presented annually, but rather are dependent upon the caliber of, and supporting information for, the respective nominee.
Nomination forms must be submitted by Friday, November 21, 2008. For more information, or a copy of the guidelines, contact Dave Bergman at 888-563-7777, 218-681-0997 or david.bergman@state.mn.us.
Guidelines can also be accessed at http://industry.exploreminnesota.com/travel-marketing-award-guidelines/.
Can the Arts Help Your Community Thrive?
The Minnesota State Arts Board and Minnesota’s eleven regional arts councils want to hear your opinions about needs and resources in your community, and how the arts can help your community thrive. Your response will help ensure that the services that are provided over the next several years are valuable to all Minnesotans.
Please follow the link to http://www.theimprovegroup.com/surveys/mnarts.htm to take this survey.
Complete the survey by Friday, October 3, 2008, to enter a prize drawing with cash prizes and gift certificates valued from $100 to $500!
This survey is being managed by an independent research firm, the Improve Group, to keep your responses anonymous and confidential. Contact Susan at the Improve Group with any questions at 877-467-7847 or e-mail susanm@theimprovegroup.com.
Mashed Potato Wrestler Wins 3rd Title
Steve O’Gratin, a.k.a Steve Barone of our advertising agency Clarity Coverdale Fury, has defended his title as the Mashed Potato Champion of the Universe at Barnesville’s Potato Days.
Steve O’Gratin captured the inaugural MPWF (Mashed Potato Wrestling Federation) title in 2006 while filming the Events and Festivals webisode for Explore Minnesota Tourism. The hilarious web video generated buzz both online and off, and attracted travelers to www.exploreminnesota.com. The video has also been viewed over 750,000 times on Youtube and has been featured on CNN and garnered the attention of The New York Times.
See Steve’s webisode on www.exploreminnesota.com at My Favorite Minnesota
http://www.exploreminnesota.com/myfavoriteminnesota/list.aspx?list=26598.
For more information on the sport of mashed potato wrestling, visit www.mashedpotatowrestling.com.
State Meetings and Conferences at Resorts
Recently, Matt Kramer, Chief of Staff to Governor Pawlenty, sent a message to all state agencies, reminding them of the process that allows them to hold state meetings and conferences at resorts. The intent of his memo is to clarify that there is no overall ban on holding state meetings or conferences at resorts. The decision to hold meetings at any location should be determined by each agency based on budget and need. Agencies are encouraged to seek bids when making a meeting location decision that includes overnight accommodations, and consider resorts on an equal basis with other meeting options.
New Leads from Travel Trade Marketing
View the group tour leads from the August 2008 International Motorcoach Strategic Alliance Meeting on the Travel Trade Marketing Leads page of the industry website:
www.industry.exploreminnesota.com/trade-marketing/group-tour
Fall Group & Packaged Travel Meeting
Come to the Best Western Dakota Ridge Hotel, 3450 Washington Dr, in Eagan on Thursday, October 2 from 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. The fall Explore Minnesota Tourism group tour & packaged travel meeting is free and open to all Minnesota industry interested in promoting their destination and services to this market. We’ll cover the many shared marketing opportunities for 2009, results of new group tour studies, introduce new group and packaged features on exploreminnesota.com, and more. The ever popular "Ask the Operator" session will include professionals in the fields of bank travel, tour product development, and student & youth travel, so be sure to bring your questions.
To register, call Sandy Karnowski at 651-297-4015, 800-657-3600, or e-mail sandy.karnowski@state.mn.us. Stay to network and have lunch on your own next door at Al Bakers Restaurant. Meetings for the upcoming American Bus Association (ABA) booth sponsorship and the 2009 Heartland Travel Showcase will follow at the hotel.
ABA questions? Contact Chris Van Meter, 651-297-2121, chris.vanmeter@state.mn.us.
Electronic Marketing Tip
Did you know that you can "reuse" old events? Once the dates are set for the following year, access your event information using the extranet and make your updates. It saves time and typing! The Explore Minnesota database is the information source for the Journey travel planning service and for exploreminnesota.com. Listings can be updated online by going to http://extranet.exploreminnesota.com and entering your unique login id and password. For more information, contact Kim Fitzgerald at kim.fitzgerald@state.mn.us.
Funding for Tourism Research and Education: Carlson Chair Proposals Due Oct 3
Do you need financial resources to support travel, tourism and hospitality-related education or research projects in Minnesota? If you’re an individual or non-profit organization, look to the Carlson Chair for funds that can support you!
The fund supports projects ranging from $1,000-$50,000 and seeks opportunities that address a statewide need and/or have statewide impact in Minnesota, address unmet and/or urgent needs, leverage other resources, cash or in-kind, and contribute to a self-sustaining opportunity. While not every opportunity will address all four principles, those that do will receive a higher consideration. Similarly, projects that leverage other resources and utilize University resources (faculty, staff, students) will receive priority.
Apply by noon, October 3. See details at http://www.tourism.umn.edu/about/carlsonchair.html.
One-Stop Travel Planning Now Online for Voyageurs National Park
Destination Voyageurs National Park (DVNP) has launched a new, all-inclusive Web site for Voyageurs National Park and the surrounding northeastern Minnesota communities.
The Web site, www.destinationvoyageursnationalpark.com brings to life the sights and sounds of the Voyageurs National Park experience and offers links to destination marketing organizations for the communities. Voyageurs National Park is Minnesota’s only National Park. The Web site allows visitors to discover the endless beauty of the park through audio and visual elements.
If you’ve received this newsletter from a friend and wish to subscribe yourself please subscribe at EMT Express Subscriptions.
If you have an article you wish to submit for consideration, please contact: Colleen Tollefson, 651/297-2635, 800/657-3637.
Posted: September 11th, 2008
