EMT Express - September 23, 2008

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EMT Express

Welcome to EMT Express, providing bi-weekly news and tips for the people who market Minnesota tourism.

August Inquiries

Total phone calls: 1,345
Counselor assisted: 954
Voicemail: 391
Mail & Electronic: 3,779
Website brochure requests: 1,720
August TIC Visitorship: 432,339

Magellan Award
Explore Minnesota Tourism and our ad agency Clarity, Coverdale, Fury have won a Travel Weekly -Magellan Award for the My Favorite Minnesota™ campaign. The Travel Weekly Magellan Awards honor a broad range of industry segments including Hotels and Resorts, Travel Destinations, Cruise Lines, Online Travel Services, Airlines and Airports, Travel Agents and Agencies, and Car Rental Companies.

The award was based on the new My Favorite Minnesota Web site, a banner ad, featuring Minnesota’s nightlife, a video on Minnesota festivals, which is posted on exploreminnesota.com, a fifteen-second TV commercial on camping in Minnesota and a USA Weekend print advertisement about the campaign.

This campaign will be featured in a September 2008 issue of Travel Weekly.

Reserve Ad Space Now for Winter Explorer
Having a display ad in the winter issue of the Minnesota Explorer travel newspaper is a great way to put your destination or business in the hands of those planning winter getaways. More than 450,000 copies of this issue will be distributed, beginning in November. The Explorer is published by Explore Minnesota Tourism in partnership with the Star Tribune, which sells advertising in the publication. Deadline for ad space is Tuesday, September 30, 2008. Reserve your ad space in the Minnesota Explorer now by calling the Star Tribune at 800-829-8742, ext. 7014 (or 612-673-7014 in the Twin Cities).

Deadline For 2009 Partnership Applications Coming Soon
As a reminder, 2009 partnership grant applications must be postmarked by Wednesday, October 1, 2008. Organizational Partnership grants up to $12,000 with a 60% community match are available to tourism promotion organizations for marketing their destination. In addition, grants up to $2,500 to Scenic Byway organizations are also available. Guidelines with more detail on eligibility criteria are on the industry website at: http://industry.exploreminnesota.com/grants.

For those organizations that submitted a pre-application for the Innovative Marketing Program, Regional Managers sent out feedback this week. The final application for this program must also be postmarked by Wednesday, October 1, 2008.

Feel free to contact your regional manager with any questions:
Southern Region - Dave Vogel - 888-975-6766
NorthcentralWest Region - Carol Altepeter, 888-629-6466 or
David Bergman - 888-563-7777
Metro Region - Gayle Junnila - 651-296-5205 or 800-657-3637
Northeast Region - Tim Campbell, 888-876-6784

Minnesota in the News
In follow-up to the U S Women’s Open at Interlachen, Dan Mirocha, "Inside the Ropes" columnist for Golfweek magazine, penned "Quiet, please signs not needed," due to the knowledgeable, polite and NICE spectators at the championship.

The August issue of Wind Surfing magazine carried, "Buffalo Bill’s Wild Wind Show," about the annual Windsurfing Regatta and Unvarnished Music Festival in Worthington.

Minnesota Heartland Annual Meeting and 2020 Vision Session
"Appreciating the past-planning for the future" is the theme for the 41st Minnesota Heartland Tourism Association’s upcoming annual meeting to be held on Thursday, October 9, 2008 at the Chase on the Lake, Walker, Minnesota. The meeting begins at 11:00 a.m. and will conclude at 3 pm.

The meeting will begin with a review of the Association’s activities during the past year as well as updates on the new Northwest and Central regions. A tour of the new Chase on the Lake Hotel will be a part of the morning’s activities! The Chase family began its business in 1894, and the history lives on in the beautiful new Chase on the Lake which opened in June.

John Edman, Director, Explore Minnesota Tourism, will be our featured guest. 2020 Vision, Creating Tourism for Tomorrow will be the theme of this session. What will tourism be like in your community in 2020? This session is designed not to present or suggest the answers, but to solicit your thoughts and ideas on the long-range growth of Minnesota tourism. Put on your glasses and help focus your 2020 Vision of Tourism for tomorrow.

Registration fee is $15/person and includes lunch. Please RSVP by October 3, 2008 to
Sandra.anderson@state.mn.us or call 888-629-6466

SMTA Announces Annual Tourism Awards
At the recent Southern Minnesota Tourism Association’s (SMTA) annual meeting there were four individuals who received awards.

The "You’ll Be Surprised Award", which is an award for a campaign that was especially innovative and resourceful in its promotion and implementation, was given to Nancy Kokesch of New Ulm. Nancy thought of and was the lead person for the "Shopping Opener" which was held the same weekend as the Deer Hunting Opener. Nancy partnered with the Minnesota Music Hall of Fame to add a exciting event to the "opener" when the Minnesota Music Hall of Fame inducted Prince, and since Prince was not able to attend, a double was garnered to ride through town in a black limo with one hand out the window, with a white glove on, waving to the people. This event brought national attention and media exposure to New Ulm.

Two SMTA Excellence in Service Awards were given to; Bonna Brenegan from the Albert Lea travel information center, for outstanding visitor service; Tim Besingi, of the University of Minnesota Extension Service was posthumously given the award for his work in researching and presenting tourism related information to SMTA at their meetings. The SMTA Volunteer of the Year award was presented to Kathy Silverthorn of the Red Wing VCB for her tireless work for the tourism industry in southern Minnesota.

Congratulations to all!

SMTA Elects Officers and Executive Board Members
The Southern Minnesota Tourism Association (SMTA) announced the election of a slate of officers and executive committee members recently. President for 2009 and 2010 will be Terry Sveine from the New Ulm Chamber and CVB; Vice-President will be Tom Watson from the Owatonna Chamber & Tourism. Serving three year terms on the SMTA executive committee will be: Stephanie Busiahn - Fairmont CVB, Andrea Swenson - Schwans Museum, Marshall, and Mick Myers - Pipestone Chamber & Tourism.

Build Customer Service Skills
Instructor training for the At Your Service: Working with Multicultural Customers program is scheduled for October 24, 2008. Instructors receive comprehensive training materials to deliver a half-day workshop that builds skills to identify and respond to customer needs, manage attitude and understand how culture affects the service experience. A one time purchase allows you to use the program for multiple trainings. Register online at www.tourism.umn.edu.

Minnesota Resort & Campground Association’s Fall Conference and Expo
The Grand Minnesota Tradition: Alive & Well
Attend the 2008 Minnesota Resort & Campground Association’s (MRCA) Fall Conference and Expo at Grand View Lodge in Nisswa, Sunday, October 19 through Tuesday, October 21, 2008, where the MRCA will celebrate "The Grand Minnesota Tradition: Alive & Well." For questions or registration material for the conference or to exhibit please contact Ashley Folsom at 651-778-2400 or ashley@hospitalitymn.com.

Now in Production
Two features are currently shooting in the Twin Cities metro area. Oscar winning filmmakers Joel & Ethan Coen have come home with "A Serious Man" and McKnight Fellowship finalist Matt Osterman is directing his script "Phasma Ex Machina". If there are filmmakers working in your community please contact Christopher Grap at the Minnesota Film & TV Board at 651-645-3600 or chris@mnfilmtv.org. We’re happy to promote good, creative work being done in Minnesota.

Photo Help Needed
The MN Film & TV Board is looking for some specific photography to help producers pitch a feature to be shot in Minnesota. If you have any photos of the following please send them to Christopher Grap at chris@mnfilmtv.org:

  • Some sort of old-time cramped-wooden-shelf sporting goods store.
  • Back deck of sporting goods store, hopefully right on a lake/river.
  • Snow-covered countryside (posing as a snowmobile racing course).
  • A bar/tavern with snowmobiles parked outside.

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 23rd, 2008

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