 June 2006
» 2007 Travel Planning and Conference Guide» Spring Membership Orientation » Sales Update » Marketing Update » Industry News & Member Spotlight » Put the San Diego North CVB to Work for You » Stories from the Watercooler » Welcome Aboard! » Fast Facts - Travel Industry Tidbits » Bureau Contacts Get Ready for the 2007 San Diego North Travel Planning & Conference Guide 
To insure your free listing in the 2007 Travel Planning and Conference Guide, please make sure your accounting department has processed your 2006-2007 membership investment. These invoices were mailed out in April.Update your FREE member listing - By now you should have received a proof for your editorial listings. If you have not already done so, please make sure to note any changes to your information and return them to the Bureau as soon as possible. Please note: you need to sign and send back the listing even if there are no changes needed. Take advantage of advertising for the 2007 Guide now - Representatives from San Diego Magazine will contact you separately to renew your advertisement for the 2007 Guide. The 2007 San Diego North Travel Planning and Conference Guide is the primary marketing tool of the San Diego North CVB. It is distributed to meeting planners, travel planners, travel agents, the press, and leisure inquiries. Over 40,000 guides were published for 2006 distribution. According to the Bureau's most recent inquiry conversion survey, the guide influenced over 69% of the people to come to San Diego North and 72% of those who visited brought the guide with them. For questions about your membership investment or free listing in the 2007 Guide, contact: Stacy Kadrich at skadrich@sandiegonorth.com or call 760-745-4741. For information about advertising space in the 2007 Guide, contact San Diego Magazine: Cyndi Price, 760-519-9991, cynthiap@sandiegomag.com; or Marchelle Crumes, 619-342-5184; mcrumes@sandiegomag.com . « back to top Member Events Spring Membership Orientation The Bureau's Membership Orientation meeting took place on May 24 and provided members with an overview of Bureau benefits available to them. Designed for both new and existing members, the session covered how to use these benefits to maximize exposure and promote business to their own organizations. Thank you to those who attended and to the Radisson Rancho Bernardo, for sponsoring the event location and breakfast. For an outline of the meeting's content, click here. The next Orientation meeting is planned for fall. More details will be available in the upcoming issues of the eBulletin. «back to top Sales Update Sales Report : April - May 2006
Bureau hosts 2006 Spring Showcase/FAM Trip 
Eleven meeting planners from around the country and San Diego attended the San Diego North CVB 2006 Spring Showcase tour in mid-May. The three-day tour which began on May 17 has so far generated seven leads. The event highlighted 22 Bureau members, including several of the most luxurious resorts and renowned attractions in La Jolla, Carlsbad, Del Mar, Escondido, Rancho Bernardo and Rancho Santa Fe. For more information on how to participate in future tours, please contact our sales department by calling 760-603-1690, or email
sales@sandiegonorth.com.
Bureau Welcomes New Sales CoordinatorYolanda Hartley, sales coordinator, is the newest member of the bureau's sales team. Hartley brings over 15 years of hospitality experience in administration, sales, event planning and management. Yolanda is married and lives in Vista with her husband Rene and their daughter, Anna, 4. She's thrilled to be part of the sales team and looks forward to promoting our exciting San Diego North destination. The 06-07 Co-op Trade Show Opportunities Are Now Available Co-op trade shows with the SD 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 Yolanda Hartley, sales coordinator, or any member of the San Diego North CVB sales team at 760-603-1690, or email sales@sandiegonorth.com. The trade show profiles are available by clicking here. For a listing of the 06-07 co-op trade shows and sign up form, click here. «back to top Marketing Update April Getaway Highlights The most recent issue of the Bureau's consumer eNewsletter, Getaway Highlights, was distributed in mid-April and has so far received a 37.5% read rate and 13% click rate among its readers. Getaway Highlights is distributed strictly to opt-in subscribers on a quarterly basis. It features updates on area events, the latest specials for accommodations and attraction tickets, as well as links to the San Diego North Web site and ARES online booking engine. To view a copy of the latest issue, click here. «back to top Industry News & Member Spotlight Industry News 
Grand Pacific Palisades Resort's penthouses were recently honored nationally by the American Resort Development Association as one of only four 2006 interior design award finalists in the new resort unit category.The La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club received the Gold Medallion Award for Best Recreation/Club in San Diego. Selected by members of the San Diego County Chapter of the California Restaurant Association based on creativity, dining and overall accomplishments, 2006 marks the first year this category was included in the list of awards. The Marine Room was recognized by the readers of the San Diego Union-Tribune as the "People's Choice" for Best Restaurant in San Diego for the seventh time in the last eight years. Member Spotlight 
The Barona Cultural Center and Museum will exhibit "Ancient Spirits Speak: The Native People of San Diego" now through the beginning of October in Terminal 2 at the San Diego International Airport. Displaying a rare collection of ancient artifacts from local indigenous cultures, the exhibit provides a rare glimpse at the history of these tribes. 
"Wonders of Water," a new immersive, waterplay experience at the Birch Aquarium at Scripps will debut this month. Visitors can create rapids, canals, dams and islands while learning the concepts of erosion, water flow and ocean currents in three new interactive stations.«back to top Put the San Diego North CVB to Work For You Public Relations Opportunity During the next month, the public relations department will be gathering information for inclusion in the following summer press release. If you have information that would fit this topic, please submit your information to Hilary Townsend, public relations manager, at htownsend@sandiegonorth.com. Spooky Happenings in San Diego North Submission deadline: June 26, 2006 This press release will focus on unique ways to enjoy Halloween in San Diego North. Some ideas might include special events, haunted houses, spooky places to visit, local ghost stories/personalities, and pumpkin festivals. Promotion Opportunities for ARES Members Hot Deals - Members who are contracted through ARES can post Hot Deals promotions 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 over 175,000 unique users in 2005. 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' new dynamic packaging capabilities. This new feature provides additional discounts and offers complete customization to the consumer. For information on ARES services click here, or call 1-800-828-0868. The 06-07 Co-op Trade Show Opportunities Are Now Available Co-op trade shows with the SD 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 Yolanda Hartley, sales coordinator, or any member of the San Diego North CVB sales team at 760-603-1690, or email sales@sandiegonorth.com. The trade show profiles are available by clicking here. For a listing of the 06-07 co-op trade shows and sign up form, click here. Keep It North and Reap the Benefits The Bureau offers assistance to area hotels and its displaced groups by providing alternative accommodations/meetings space through the Keep It North referral program. Keep It North is designed to keep business within the area and among members. To participate, members simply submit a referral to the sales team and also become eligible for a chance to win a trip to Las Vegas, Utah, Phoenix, Cabo San Lucas or other rewards. For information about the program and to download submission forms, click here. «back to top Stories from the Watercooler Bureau members receive recognition for efforts within the community 
James Farley, a Bureau executive board member, was one of the winners for a water-friendly landscape competition. The Olivenhain Municipal Water District hosted the contest, which is in its third year. The contest honors homeowners who underwent home makeovers while supporting conservation. Farley's landscape includes a collection of 850 plant species native to California. Joni Miringoff, group sales/event director of the Flower Fields at Carlsbad Ranch, was selected as the Carlsbad Citizen of the Year. Miringoff is recognized for heading up the organization of ArtSplash, the annual Carlsbad chalk art festival, for the past four years. The Carlsbad City Council votes annually for two Citizens of the Year who have served or improved the city in some manner that year. «back to top Welcome Aboard! We are proud to announce the following organizations which have joined as new members of the San Diego North CVB: Advanced Reservation Systems, Inc. (ARES) 1059 First Avenue San Diego, CA 92101 Phone: 619-238-0900 / Toll Free: 800-828-0868 / Fax: 619-374-2085 www.aresdirect.com ARES provides industry leading reservations and ticketing technology to destination marketing organizations, major attractions, travel marketers, and hotels. Escondido Country Club 1800 Country Club Lane Escondido, CA 92026 Phone: 760-743-3301 / Fax: 760-743-1749 www.escondidocc.com login: escondidog; password: guest The Escondido Country Club is a private country club with public meeting spaces that can accommodate up to 250 guests. The Club offers excellent guest service, expertly prepared cuisine, complimentary self-parking and customized events. L.A. Fairchild Boutique and L.A. Fairchild Denim Bar 2029 & 2021 San Elijo Avenue Cardiff, CA 92007 Phone: 760-487-1277 / Fax: 760-487-1088 www.lafairchild.com L.A. Fairchild Boutique specializes in women's clothing, shoes and accessories. L.A. Fairchild Denim Bar has a vast array of men's and women's denim as well as men's clothing. «back to top Fast Facts - Travel Industry Tidbits Tips to Create a Dominant Hotel Web Site - Many hoteliers agree that the only way to really measure the effectiveness of their hotel Web site is to track the number of reservations being generated from it. - More visitors to your site doesn't necessarily mean more reservations; you must consider WSO, or Web site optimization, to help convert lookers into bookers. - Perhaps the most difficult undertaking is to make people understand that their attractive Web sites may be a marketing failure because they lack the sales tools to produce reservations: well-written selling text, technically acceptable photography, an easily understood navigation scheme, researched and carefully chosen search terms/phrases, workable Meta Tags, and a good link strategy. - For suggestions on nine ways to help ensure your site will capture a greater share of online reservations, click here. Online activities and purchasing behavior vary based on type of traveler - While more online travelers still use online travel agencies than buy direct, the use of a particular channel depends on the type of purchase, traveler, and destination. - Consumers are more likely to use an intermediary for combination purchases than supplier sites (3 in 10 travelers typically buy travel online from online travel agencies, vs. 1 in 10 who buy direct from suppliers). - However, consumer behavior changes as they use supplier sites more often than online travel agencies to purchase individual components of their trips. - Online travelers purchasing direct from suppliers are significantly more likely to stay at luxury accommodations than purchasers on online travel agencies (39% vs 30%) - For more information on this article, click here and select April 17th press release. Study: Consumer Travel Planning Preferences Vary Across Generations - According to Compete Inc., the average 18-24 year-old traveler will visit an average of 1.7 online agencies when looking for travel, the highest of any generational segment. - Seniors ages 65+ prefer to book directly with airlines and hotels. Nearly 80% of online flights booked by seniors are done at supplier sites, vs. 72% for 25-34 year olds. 68% of hotels booked by seniors are at supplier sites, vs. 58% for the 25-34 age group. - Baby Boomers view an average of 36 pages of travel content when researching online, 15% more than young travelers and 25% more than seniors. Of the travel content viewed by this group, over 70% takes place on agency, hotel supplier and airline carrier Web sites. - 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 Click Here to be removed from this list. |