Meeting News - June 16, 2008 - (Page 28) CVBs With U.S. Group Numbers Down, Orlando Sets Marketing Trail Ablaze New promotional campaign, ‘Where Creative Minds Meet,’ emphasizes destination’s event creativity know-how Orlando—Domestic tourism numbers just released by the Orlando/ Orange County Convention & Visitors Bureau show that the destination suffered a 4.5-percent drop in meeting groups in 2007, a sign that U.S. companies are scaling back meetings and business travel as the economic crunch deepens. The results exclude international visitation, the numbers for which are still being tallied for late-summer release. Last year, Orlando logged on its books 3.78 million meeting attendees who came from within the country, nearly 177,000 less than in 2006. In overall business travel, the city welcomed 10.57 million visitors, or 0.5 percent less than in 2006. “The majority of the drop in [meetings attendees] was in the corporate small meetings sectors and not in large and citywide groups,” bureau president and CEO Gary Sain told MeetingNews.“It’s a direct reflection of the economy over the last six months. Companies are cutting back ment this year. “There’s no question the overall meetings industry could very well shrink this year,” said Sain. “We can’t control the size of the [meetings] pie, but we can try and control our share of the pie.” “Orlando, Where Creative Minds Meet.” From June 10-17, the invitationonly roadshow, which reportedly cost nearly $1 million to produce, visited Washington, DC; Chicago; and New York City, drawing about 250 planners to a converted art gallery space at each stop. They experienced Orlando’s latest and greatest. The “Creative Minds” campaign focuses on creative and imaginative meetings and event options the destination offers to planners—symbolic of Disney’s 85-year creative legacy and its presence in Orlando. “Orlando was built on creativity,” said Sain.“We have world-class infrastructure, but we cannot rest on our laurels. We need to stay hungry and competitive.” —William Ng —Gary Sain, pres. & CEO, Orlando/Orange County CVB, on the drop in the destination’s domestic group visitors of “It’s a direct reflectionlast the economy over the six months. ” on meetings and sending fewer attendees, and I think every destination is seeing that.” Orlando’s chief also cautioned that the market is facing retrench- Sain said the bureau is aggressively promoting to win business against the sagging economy, led by Orlando’s first-ever roadshow this month and the new branding campaign Washington County, OR, Declares Itself Ripe for Corporate Group Business Region of 727 square miles in northwestern part of state a wine and golf destination, companion piece to Portland New York—Oregon’s Washington County is courting small corporate groups of 50 to 300 attendees, and one of its big hooks is wine tourism. According to wine expert Marlene Rossman, president of Irvine, CAbased Manhattan Wine Seminars LLC (which conducts wine education for corporate groups and organizations), and a consultant to the University of California at Irvine for corporate wine studies, Oregon wine production exploded from about 120 wineries in 1999 to more than 350 in 2007. Oregon has the third largest number of wineries in the U.S., said Rossman, behind California and Washington. Its climate is perfect for the making of pinot noir, and the aromas of good burgundy—cherries and plums with hints of anise, clove, and cinnamon—can be found in Oregon’s pinot noirs, she noted. Boasting 16 wineries—some of which have meeting space, like David Hill Vineyards & Winery’s 4,300-sf event room in Forest Grove, OR—Washington County considers itself the gateway to Oregon’s wine country. “We look at ourselves as a pre- or post-meetings destination for Portland groups,” said Sylke Neal-Finnegan, of the Washington County Visitors Association, during a visit to MeetingNews’ New York office. The region’s wineries, she said, are suited to pre- and postmeeting wine tours. While the area has only one large meetings hotel—the Embassy Suites Portland – Washington Square, which has the adjacent 18-hole RedTail Golf Course—it has a bevy of smaller hotels, inns, and bed and breakfasts. Many of them conversions of pioneer homes, they can host small groups from 50 to 300 attendees, said Neal-Finnegan. “We have 5,000 guest rooms countywide, in a 727-square-mile area, and 13 golf venues with manageable greens fees,” she said. Among the higher-profile golf venues are the Reserve Vineyards and Golf Club in Aloha, OR, and Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club in North Plains, OR. The Reserve has two 18-hole courses, one designed by Bob Cupp, who was also behind Pumpkin Ridge’s Ghost Creek and Witch Hollow courses. Witch Hollow hosted the 1997 and 2003 U.S. Women’s Open. The Pacific Northwest’s famous outdoors are also touted by the CVB. Tucked inside Beaverton, OR—the home of sports equipment giant Nike—is the 220-acre Tualatin Hills Nature Park, with nearly five miles of walking and biking trails. “We are also a big sports destination,” said Neal-Finnegan. “We recently added a dedicated group salesperson, and we are now courting corporate groups. We are going after the Midwest and West Coast markets, as well as western Canada and Europe.” r —WN www.meetingnews.com Beran Vineyards specializes in pinot noir, producing fewer than 1,000 cases of internationally recognized wine per year. 28 MeetingNews June 16, 2008 http://www.meetingnews.com
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