 February 2008
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Tim Fennell Steps Down as Chairman of the Board» Upcoming Spring Mixer » Upcoming Annual Meeting » Sales Update » Marketing Update » PR Update » Industry News & Member Spotlight » Put the San Diego North CVB to Work for You » Welcome Aboard! » Fast Facts - Travel Industry Tidbits » Bureau Contacts
Tim Fennell Steps Down as Chairman of the Board 
Our sincere thanks go to Tim Fennell, CEO of the Del Mar Fairgrounds, for serving as Chairman of the San Diego North Board of Directors for the past four years. After more than a decade of service on the board, Tim assumed the chairmanship in 2004 and brought his unique blend of insight, creativity and humor to the position. During his tenure as chairman, the Bureau evolved in many ways: room night bookings grew by more than 51%, total visitor spending generated by the Bureau grew by more than 8%, and the City of San Diego created a Tourism Marketing District, which will increase the revenue of the Bureau by more than 200% for FY08-09. We welcome Tim’s continued involvement as he serves on the Board of Directors as the Immediate Past Chairman.
We look forward to reaching new heights as we welcome our new Chairman of the Board, Robert Rauch, General Manager/Partner of the Homewood Suites Del Mar and Hilton Garden Inn Del Mar. Bob has been on the Board of Directors for nearly a decade and has been very instrumental in the creation of the Tourism Marketing District by the City of San Diego.
«back to top Upcoming Spring Mixer Don’t miss the Spring Mixer presented by the San Diego North CVB and the Rancho Bernardo Inn. 
Come enjoy the Aragon Ballroom, which overlooks the lush landscape and beautifully remodeled pool and spa - all part of the recently completed $25 million enhancement and expansion project.Where: Rancho Bernardo Inn at the Aragon Ballroom Address: 17550 Bernardo Oaks Drive When: Wed., March 12, 2008 Time: 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. Cost: $20 in advance - must be received in our office by 3/10/2008; $30 at the door To RSVP, download and complete the attached RSVP form. Tabletop exhibits and door prize donation opportunities are available to members. To participate, contact Debbie Mirageas, office manager, at dmirageas@sandiegonorth.com or call 760-745-4741. «back to top Upcoming Annual Meeting The San Diego North CVB Annual Meeting is scheduled for Thursday, May 1, 2008. Please join us as we present our new and expanded marketing initiatives, as well as gain insights into the latest travel trends. The 2008 Annual Meeting will be held from 7:45 to 10:00 a.m. at The Grand Del Mar, 5200 Grand Del Mar Way, San Diego, CA 92130. Admission is $35; public officials and press are complimentary. Please complete our RSVP form and send it to Debbie Mirageas, office manager, at dmirageas@sandiegonorth.com or fax to 760-745-4796. «back to top Sales Update Sales Report: Dec. 2007 & Jan. 2008
Bureau Participates in CalSAE Seasonal Spectacular 
The Bureau, along with nine co-op partners, attended the California Society of Association Executives (CalSAE) trade show on December 5, 2007 in Sacramento, CA. The show concluded with 106 planners visiting the Bureau's booth, resulting in nine RFPs and 23 leads for the co-op team. Stephanie Colby-Aburto, the Bureau's director of sales, and Yolanda Hartley, the Bureau's sales manager, attended the show with co-op partners from the Hilton Garden Inn Carlsbad, Lake San Marcos Resort, Sheraton Carlsbad Resort, La Jolla Shores Hotel, DoubleTree Golf Resort, Hilton San Diego/Del Mar, Pala Mesa Resort, Homewood Suites Del Mar, and Pala Casino Spa & Resort.
New Co-op Trade Show Opportunity Just Added - ASAE San Diego, Aug. 16-19, 2008 American Society for Association Executives is the nation's premier association industry event gathering over 3,700 of the most power association decision makers from around the country. Gain exposure to key association executives with 50% of attendees are CEO's and 40% are senior level executives of their organizations. FY07-08 Co-op Trade Show Opportunities Co-op trade shows with the San Diego North CVB are a great opportunity for you to create additional exposure for your business in a cost-effective, productive, and highly visible manner! For more information, contact Donna Alfsen, sales coordinator, or any member of the San Diego North CVB sales team at 760-603-1690, or email sales@sandiegonorth.com. View the trade show profiles. Get the FY07-08 co-op trade shows sign up form. «back to top Marketing Update 
Co-op Advertising Opportunity - Condé Nast Traveler June 2008Reach an upscale audience and leverage your advertising dollars by participating in the San Diego North destination page in the June 2008 issue of Condé Nast Traveler. We are featuring ads as small as 1/8 page for less than $2,000. Together, we will create a unified voice and collectively reach more visitors. For deadline and more information, click here. To reserve your space, please contact Shawn Fisher, Program Manager, CCP, (800) 799-7373 x156, shawnf@certifiedfolder.com. 
2008 San Diego North Travel Planning Guide Now AvailableThe 2008 San Diego North Travel Planning Guide, a 176-page resource for the leisure travel and meeting and convention industry, is now available from the San Diego North Convention & Visitors Bureau. Designed to provide planning tools for both the leisure visitor and business traveler, the comprehensive guide features detailed information on the coastal, valley, mountain and desert areas of the 2,000 square-mile San Diego North region. Featuring essential travel planning details while offering a valuable insider's perspective, the user-friendly guide provides an overview of each of the 19 communities within the region including color photos and vivid descriptions of the region's accommodations, attractions, activities, and amenities. "Insider tips and itinerary ideas such as the best places to stargaze, hike, or discover hidden beaches along the San Diego North coastline add a valuable, customized and memorable experience for visitors," said Cami Mattson, president and chief executive officer of the San Diego North CVB. To obtain a copy, contact Krista Wampler, marketing coordinator, at kwampler@sandiegonorth.com or 760-745-4741. 
Bureau Distributes Golf Themed Consumer ePostcardThe Bureau's marketing department distributed its Spring ePostcard in February to its opt-in consumer database. The ePostcard, which highlighted the U.S. Open in June achieved a read rate of nearly 30%. The ePostcard provides the Bureau with an additional means to keep connected with its opt-in newsletter subscribers. With stunning, large photography of popular attractions and sweeping landscapes within the San Diego North region, the ePostcard is designed as a reinforcement tool to remind subscribers of the beauty and uniqueness of the region. Subscribe to the opt-in newsletter and see what San Diego North consumers are receiving from the Bureau on a regular basis. View the Spring ePostcard. Promotion Opportunities for ARES Members Hot Deals - Members who are contracted through ARES can post Hot Deals promotions that may be promoted in the next issue of the Bureau's opt-in consumer newsletter, Getaway Highlights. In addition, the Hot Deals listing will link from the San Diego North CVB Web site, which generated traffic of more than 229,000 unique users during FY06-07. Dynamic Packaging - The Bureau's Web site can now feature any combination of attraction tickets with any contracted hotels and distribute it as a packaged product through ARES' dynamic packaging capabilities. This feature provides additional discounts and offers complete customization to the consumer. For information on ARES services, go to the ARES web site or call 1-800-828-0868. «back to top PR Update PR Highlights 
Los Angeles Times (circulation: 1,253,849) - a one-page hotel review featuring The Grand Del Mar ran on 12/16/07. Smart Meetings (circulation: 30,323) - a 6-page story featuring San Diego North ran in the December issue. PR Opportunities The Public Relations Department is currently gathering information for What's New for spring and summer 2008. If you have a story idea that you would like us to consider pitching, please contact Hilary Townsend at htownsend@sandiegonorth.com or call 760-745-4741. We will be targeting both short and long lead media with pitches on upcoming exhibits, renovations/expansions, restaurants, attractions, events and themed San Diego North story ideas. Public Relations Tip: Add htownsend@sandiegonorth.com to your distribution list on all newsworthy topics to ensure the Bureau has the most up-to-date information to optimize media exposure opportunities. «back to top Industry News & Member Spotlight Industry News The 2007 San Diego County Fair "Salute to Heroes" held at the Del Mar Fairgrounds was honored with 32 awards during the annual Western Fairs Association Convention. Taking top honors in the featured category of Cultural Marketing, the Fair received the highest award for the Hispanic marketing of the 2007 Fair. 
Harrah's Rincon Casino & Resort has completed an extensive remodel of the original hotel, The Garden Tower. The new design includes contemporary new furniture, carpeting and wall coverings and the addition of plasma televisions. Each of the 17 pool level rooms now include private patios, with sunken outdoor spas in all pool level suites. The pool area surrounding the Garden Tower has been redesigned to include two new spas, four private cabanas and new fire pits in a lush garden setting.Member Spotlight 
The Marine Room raised $4,941 for Aquatic Adventures, a non-profit organization that educates urban youth about science, the ocean and nature. Raised during the restaurant's popular High Tide Breakfasts, the money raised will send approximately 500 students aboard a research vessel for a day of scientific seafaring exploration. 
The California Welcome Center in Oceanside celebrated its "One Millionth Visitor" in January with a special awards ceremony featuring the winning couple visiting from York, Nebraska. The couple received a seven night stay at the new Wyndham Beach Resort in Oceanside and tickets to several area attractions. «back to top Put the San Diego North CVB to Work For You Promotion Opportunities for ARES Members Hot Deals - Members who are contracted through ARES can post Hot Deals promotions that may be promoted in the next issue of the Bureau's opt-in consumer newsletter, Getaway Highlights. In addition, the Hot Deals listing will link from the San Diego North CVB Web site, which generated traffic of more than 229,000 unique users during FY06-07. Dynamic Packaging - The Bureau's Web site can now feature any combination of attraction tickets with any contracted hotels and distribute it as a packaged product through ARES' dynamic packaging capabilities. This feature provides additional discounts and offers complete customization to the consumer. For information on ARES services, go to the ARES web site or call 1-800-828-0868. FY07-08 Co-op Trade Show Opportunities Co-op trade shows with the San Diego North CVB are a great opportunity for you to create additional exposure for your business in a cost-effective, productive, and highly visible manner! For more information, contact Donna Alfsen, sales coordinator, or any member of the San Diego North CVB sales team at 760-603-1690, or email sales@sandiegonorth.com. View the trade show profiles. Get the FY07-08 co-op trade shows sign up form. «back to top Welcome Aboard! We are proud to announce the following organizations that have joined as new members of the San Diego North CVB: Motel Mediteran 2336 S. Escondido Blvd. Escondido, CA 92025 Phone: 760-743-2300 Fax: 760-743-2300x14 www.motelmed.net Come visit Escondido's newly furnished, newly renovated and most luxurious independent motel offering affordable prices for business and vacation travelers. Ask about our jacuzzi suites. Come see us today! Residence Inn by Marriott 3603 Ocean Ranch Blvd. Oceanside, CA 92056 Phone: 760-722-9600 Fax: 760-722-9699 www.residenceinnoceanside.com Brand new, Residence Inn by Marriott in Oceanside is a unique hotel for a unique part of California, blending stylish modern luxuries. «back to top Fast Facts - Travel Industry Tidbits Don't Fear Traveler Review Sites - Use Them To Increase Market Share As our vocabularies have become peppered with words like Google, YouTube, TripAdvisor and "del.icio.us", a sea change has occurred in hospitality marketing, writes Greg Leddy, Managing Director of Ferri & Partners in the latest issue of Caribbean Hotel and Restaurant Buyer's Guide. Not only has the playing field been leveled for many small- and medium-size hotels, but marketing has been turned on its head as the consumer has taken charge. The driving force behind all this is the phenomena called "Social Media" or "Social Networking", the countless blogs, chatrooms, hotel rating sites, podcasts, etc. that now allow consumers to share their experiences and opinions with fellow travelers worldwide. In using every form of media, including text, video, photos and audio, sometimes all together, social networking is giving a worldwide platform to the most powerful and credible form of communication - word-of-mouth. Although once thought by many to only be used by kids for watching funny videos and chatting with their friends online, social media has developed into a phenomena that is here to stay. And it will continue to evolve to include more mature and affluent audiences. Just witness Travelocity's recent introduction of a new tool that allows travelers to sort through tens of thousands of hotel reviews to find relevant information about families, solo women travelers, travelers with disabilities, travelers with pets, etc. Social media has given the traveler a distinct and very loud voice. Obviously, these empowered consumers have the potential to inflict incredible damage on a hotel's reputation. But if you look at social media from an entirely different perspective, you can see that it also can be a tool to enhance and protect your business. For one, hotel reviews can be far more positive than negative. In fact, a Texas A&M study involving TripAdvsor users concludes that "online travel review writers are mostly motivated by a concern for other consumers and helping a travel service provider." The study indicates that "venting negative feelings or receiving rewards for postings are not seen as important motives." For more information on this article click here. «back to top Bureau Contacts Cami Mattson, President and CEO Barbara Bovee, Director of Marketing and Operations Stephanie Colby-Aburto, Director of Sales Debbie Mirageas, Office Manager Hilary Townsend, Public Relations Manager «back to top If you feel you've received this message in error, or if you no longer wish to receive news and special offers please contact Krista Wampler at kwampler@sandiegonorth.com to be removed from this list. |