Lee VCB enhances its marketing mission

In keeping with a national trend in which destination marketing organizations are migrating from a marketing to a management role, the Lee County Visitor & Convention Bureau is fostering product development initiatives for The Beaches of Fort Myers & Sanibel. The VCB markets the areas internationally as leisure and meetings destinations.

Through the use of year-round themed promotions supported with aggressive advertising programs and a new initiative to foster package development throughout the destination, the VCB hopes to rally the local tourism industry to package existing offerings in a more compelling and competitive manner, as well as create new products that meet marketplace demands and respond to overall travel trends.

"As competition for leisure time grows increasingly diverse and complex, our organization is taking on more and more of a product development role in order to stay ahead of the curve in the marketplace, particularly in today's challenging economy," said Suya Davenport, VCB executive director.

Ms. Davenport said she and her staff anticipated future economic challenges in spring 2008 when planning for the VCB's 2008-2009 fiscal year marketing programs that began on Oct. 1. The team already had instituted its first annual Islands FallFest promotion last fall to entice visitation during the traditionally slower visitation months of September through mid-November.

Islands FallFest 2008 was so well received that the VCB marketing team created a year-round schedule of promotions as part of this fiscal year's marketing plan to achieve a similar impact — give the industry major rallying points throughout

the year by which to build compelling product to drive greater visitation in times of need. The resulting Summer Sanctuary and Islands FallFest 2009 promotions are supported by nearly $1 million in advertising or about 28 percent of the VCB's advertising budget for the fiscal year. This includes newspaper inserts, radio and Internet advertisements, brochures, direct mail, and added-value media promotions.

Early results of the annual promotions are encouraging, according to Ms. Davenport. Islands Fallfest 2008 drove total Web site visits of 13,829, more than 105,000 page views, and an average of nine minutes, 46 seconds on the promotional site.

The Spring Training promotion, which just ended, was equally encouraging. The Boston Red Sox booked 970 vacation packages and more than 1,200 room nights this season; and the Minnesota Twins sold 125 tickets through vacation packages, nearly double what was sold for the 2008 season.

Ms. Davenport predicts even greater success for this year's Summer Sanctuary and Islands FallFest promotions, since the VCB is hosting complimentary educational workshops for industry constituents in May and June to assist hoteliers, attraction managers and event organizers in packaging destination products for the two promotions, each of which is supported with significant marketing dollars.