Sunshine Matters

Following an extensive intent to negotiate process, I am pleased to announce the appointment of our new Canadian public relations agency, LMA Communications Inc. effective September 1, 2011.

“VISIT FLORIDA is committed to working with best-in-class partners,” said Will Seccombe, Chief Marketing Officer for VISIT FLORIDA. “We are pleased to welcome LMA to the VISIT FLORIDA team and look forward to working with them to promote the Sunshine State in Canada.” Continue reading »

VISIT FLORIDA’s 2011 spring advertising campaign generated $177 in incremental traveler spending in Florida for every $1 in advertising spend.

VISIT FLORIDA once again contracted with Strategic Marketing and Research, Inc.  to determine the Return on Investment from the “Your Florida Side” domestic advertising campaign.

The campaign, now in its second year,  used the proven “Your Florida Side” creative and utilized an increased budget quite efficiently.  The result was a significant increase in advertising recall – from 35 percent to 52 percent.  Beyond just the efficient media buy, the creative continued to receive excellent ratings from consumers.  The campaign communicates key messages and motivates consumers to take action.  The ratings of this campaign place it among the top 10 percent of destination campaigns that Strategic Marketing and Research, Inc.  has measured. Continue reading »

For months now I have been touting the benefits of joining the Power of Travel Coalition.

The Power of Travel Coalition is the grassroots army of the American travel community.  The Coalition seeks to amplify the voices of millions of travel employees with a vested interest in rewarding leaders who champion our industry and advocating for policies that promote travel to and within the United States.

I am pleased to announce that Florida’s participation in the Power of Travel Coalition has reached 50,000.  That is a great milestone, but with nearly one million Floridians directly employed by tourism, we can definitely increase our numbers. Continue reading »

234 pounds of food donated to Second Harvest, 47 pints of blood given, 80 cell phones contributed to Cell Phone for Soldiers, 6 pounds of pop tabs provided.

$338 contributed for Susan G. Komen for the Cure, $6,695 pledged towards the United Way Campaign, $127 made for the North Florida Rotary Youth Camp and $2,353 raised for the Christmas Connection.

The common theme: Giving back.  How much of a difference can you make in your community?  I’m guessing a BIG one. Continue reading »