Sunshine Matters

VISIT FLORIDA and 16 of our Industry Partners traveled to New York City earlier this week to share the Florida warmth with more than 40 top New York journalists, including Travel and Leisure, Frommer’s and Connexions Magazine.  For three hours, attendees escaped the freezing NY weather to enjoy vibrant Florida-inspired decor, while waitstaff in beach attire served Florida specialty drinks and hors d’oeuvers, including mini key lime pies.

In conjunction with the theme of the event, “So Many Ways to #LoveFL,” Partners shared why their destination is unique and lovable.  VISIT FLORIDA also highlighted our popular vacation planning tool, the Florida Beach Finder, and provided a sneak peek at the soon-to-be-launched Florida Attraction Finder.

To emphasize these topics, Partner’s social media content was showcased on a live #LoveFL feed projected for all attendees to view throughout the evening.  Projected along another wall, VISIT FLORIDA provided media the opportunity to tune their personality preferences to find their perfect Florida beaches and attractions.

As a fun and educational feature, VISIT FLORIDA Strategic Partner SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment provided an element of surprise with four special guests – Ruckus the american alligator, Henry the screech owl, Addie the laughing kookaburra, and Mila the two-toed sloth.

To add even more excitement to this event, VISIT FLORIDA hosted a drawing to give away seven individual press trips offered by the participating Partners.  These trips provide the winning media a chance to customize their itinerary with the destination Partners based on their interests and editorial calendars.  The results will allow the industry to sustain awareness in market and strengthen our collective storytelling through the media.  A big thank you to JetBlue who generously provided airline tickets to support these press trips.

Thank you as well to our 16 Partners whose participation made this year’s reception a huge success.  Together, VISIT FLORIDA and our Partners brought the program’s theme to life, sharing the depth and diversity of stories waiting to be discovered throughout the Sunshine State and showcasing exactly why there are “So Many Ways to #LoveFL.”