Gov. Jay Inslee opened the WTA 3rd Annual Washington Tourism Alliance Summit and Day in Olympiaon March 12, 2013, speaking to over 200 tourism industry representatives at the event. You can watch his presentation here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJA3-LtujI8&feature=player_embedded
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The gracious folks from the Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater Visitor and Convention Bureau have assembled the ultimate Thurston County experience that is sure to leave you smiling with your thumb held high in the air.
Visit the WTA Bidding for Good page to learn more and to place a bid today!
Enjoy a Thurston County Thumbs-Up Experience! Auction package includes:
Executive Director Update
April 12, 2012
Summit 2012
You remember my last newsletter stated “it’s all about the Summit”, and that was true! The second annual WTA Summit was held last week at the Seattle Hilton & Conference Center and was attended by over 400 people! It was a great day for the WTA!
Guest presenters included Roger Dow, USTA and Caroline Beteta from Brand USA, it was great to get the update on what is happening at the national level and how USTA is bringing awareness on the value of tourism to the United States.
Speaking on behalf of the WTA was George Sharp, Marketing Committee Chair; Andy Olsen, Long Term Funding/Advocacy Chair; and myself. The event came off without a hitch. We must recognize the terrific staff of the Seattle Hilton Airport Complex and thank Frank Welton, General Manager, for his overwhelming support. Also a special thanks to Brianna Mark, Joanie Pop, and Laura Brackenridge and Kara Moreno for registration and venue management. Find out what WTA has been doing and where we are going, by viewing the presentations. All three WTA presentations are now posted on the www.watourismalliance.com website for those that missed the event.
We were so fortunate to start the festivities with a magnificent (and sold out!) reception at The Museum of Flight the night prior. Besides being a breathtaking location, McCormick and Schmick’s pulled out all the stops for us with fabulous food. The entertainment was a blast from the past with flight attendants (stewardess then) in uniforms from the 40s and 50s. We were entertained by Sweet Swing and all this could not have been possible without the tremendous efforts of Meagan McGuire from the museum, who managed the entire event including the sponsorship of our transportation, Shuttle Express, and the generous sponsorship from Squaxin Island Tourism, Suquamish Clearwater Resort & Casino, Tulalip Resort Casino Spa and Northwest Tribal Tourism. This event will be tough to beat, but we are already working on an idea!
A survey for attendees will be going out soon, and I will report back the findings.
Official Visitors’ Guide
Have you had the opportunity to see the new Guide? They are amazing! Yes, I said they because while there is only one guide, there are three covers!! WLA, WTA and SagaCity Publishing have created a Visitors Guide that is second to none. The three organizations participated on an Editorial Board and collaborated on the content and design of the publication. With regional maps, insider tips and contact information for an array of standout local businesses and attractions, the 2012 edition will help the first-time traveler and the seasoned Washington visitor make the transition from inspiration to itinerary. This guide will be hitting 65,000 homes in the Portland and Seattle area for all subscribers of Portland monthly and Seattle Met Magazine. In the next few days. It will also be featured at visitor centers in Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Texas, Washington and Vancouver, BC, and prominently displayed on newsstands and at checkout counters at Barnes & Noble, QFC and Whole Foods. And of course the Guide can also be ordered through the www.ExperienceWa.com website or can be viewed electronically from your computer, mobile device or iPad. Do take a look. I know you will be very impressed.
Committee Reports
Marketing
The big news here is our first co-op ad is being released soon targeting the Portland and Vancouver Canada marketplace.
Also the Marketing Committee has a call to action. Chris Murphy, our social media sub committee chair is requesting the following: While the social media sub-committee employs software to amalgamate recently published content, if you have an upcoming event or piece of news that you would like the WTA to consider for publishing, we would love for you to send us a press release along with any photography you would like to have featured. If you do not have a press release drafted, a web address at which more information can be found will be very helpful. Please email these materials to Chrism@seabrookwa.com using the subject “WTA Social Media.” Chris will ensure that the information provided is distributed to the appropriate team member within the social media sub-committee.
Membership
During the Summit we had a membership raffle which brought in 38 referrals and many new members. Thanks to the efforts of the membership committee and all the donated baskets, the WTA raised almost $1700!
Summit & Events
Besides pulling off an amazing Summit, this committee has also organized an incredible fundraising opportunity for the WTA. They (again, a special thank you to Meagan McGuire, Lenny Zilz and Silvia Reed) have created an on line auction site through www.Biddingforgood.com, and we will be offering member’s packages for auction through out the year. Please check out the current offering of our Bellingham/San Juan Escapes, and don’t forget to bid on it while you are in there. www.biddingforgood.com/wta
Long Term Funding/Advocacy
The LTF Committee will continue to refine the proposed draft of our long term funding model. Our goal is to have a final draft with stakeholder buy in around 3rd quarter of this year.
Web Committee
The Web Committee created a sub-committee to review the future direction of the ExperienceWa.com website. They met last week and are moving forward with a plan.
PR/Communications
Thanks to David Blandford and team for having great press coverage of the Summit and the media coverage afterwards. We also want to thank Marcus Carney from the Tacoma Regional CVB for assisting us in our Tweeting during the event. The coverage was amazing!
If you are interested in volunteering for any of these committees, submit this volunteer application and we will reach out to you.
As you consider your membership renewal, I want to be sure that you know how we are spending your investment dollars.
Our expenses average $31,000 a month. A third of those expenses are related to the maintenance of the www.experiencewa.com website, another third is devoted to the call center operation and various business expenses (such as legal fees, postage, office supplies, etc.) and a third pays two staff salaries and the part-time salary for administrative and bookkeeping help. As you know, we do not have an office nor do we pay any benefits. I hope you would agree-we are watching your dollars!
Suzanne Fletcher
Executive Director, WTA
www.watourismalliance.com
info@watourismalliance.com
2012 Summit Information
Thank you for attending the 2012 WTA Summit on April 5, 2012 at the Hilton Airport Complex!
For a copy of the Executive Director PowerPoint Presentation, click below:
WTA Summit Presentation
For a copy of the attendee list, click below:
Summit Attendees 2012
Please complete our survey:
Survey
Washington Tourism Alliance Launches First Online Fundraiser
Win an All-Inclusive Trip to Bellingham and Friday Harbor
SEATTLE – The Washington Tourism Alliance (WTA) announced its first online auction at today’s second annual tourism summit. WTA will auction off three weekend packages to Bellingham and the San Juan Islands during the month of April. Each all-inclusive vacation package includes meals, accommodations, and adventures for two people, May 5-7, 2012. All proceeds from this auction support WTA and its mission to advocate, promote, develop and sustain the economic well-being of Washington State’s tourism Industry.
“We’re excited to begin a series of online auction packages that will showcase the diversity of our state while raising funds for the WTA,” said Suzanne Fletcher, WTA Executive Director. “The Bellingham-San Juan package is our first offering.”
Each Bellingham-San Juan Island getaway package is valued at $1,200. They includes an overnight stay and gaming at the Silver Reef Spa-Casino-Hotel; a four-course dinner with wine at Anthony’s Restaurant at Squalicum Harbor; tickets to the Upfront Theatre (live improv theater founded by Ryan Stiles); breakfast at Silver Reef Spa-Casino-Hotel; San Juan Cruises narrated whale watching tour (and lunch) from Bellingham to Friday Harbor; a three-hour zip-lining tour; overnight stay at Friday Harbor House or Lakedale Resort; three course dinner at BLUFF restaurant; breakfast at Friday Harbor House or Lakedale Resort; ferry ride via Washington State Ferry to Anacortes; and a Bellair shuttle back to Bellingham. Winners will also receive a special gift basket of locally made food and sundries (including items from Birchwood Botanicals, Chocolate Necessities, Hammerhead Whole Bean Coffee, and Scratch Desserts). More details can be found here: www.biddingforgood.com/wta.
WTA has developed this mutually beneficial online auction program to support the Washington tourism industry while highlighting destinations across the state. This program includes vacation packages that highlight accommodations, attractions, dining services and experiences that demonstrate the unique qualities of respective regions. The packages will be auctioned off online to the highest bidder to support WTA. During the auction period, each region and its package elements will be highlighted on BiddingforGood.com, which boasts an audience of some 260,000 shoppers worldwide. In addition, the packages will be promoted through WTA’s social media resources, including WTA’s website, Facebook page and Twitter feed, as well as e-mailed to WTA’s mailing list.
For more information, contact Meagan McGuire at (206) 768-7104 or via email at MMcGuire@museumofflight.org.
About the Washington Tourism Alliance
The Washington Tourism Alliance (WTA) is a 501[c]6 organization established by industry stakeholders with the sole mission of sustaining Washington State destination tourism marketing. The WTA procures and administers funds for state destination tourism marketing activities and creates and implements a strategic statewide destination marketing plan. www.watourismalliance.com.
SEATTLE –Washington Tourism Alliance (WTA) announced today the release of the 2012 official Washington State Visitors’ Guide. The guide is produced through a strategic partnership with WTA, the Washington Lodging Association (WLA) and SagaCity Media Inc.
The new print guide is linked to www.experiencewa.com, the official state tourism web site. The goal of the publishing partners is to strengthen these two critical marketing platforms and help expand the benefits of tourism throughout our state.
The 2012 edition marks the 13th annual publication of the guide. This year, with increased demand, circulation has been increased to 375,000 copies, with readership of nearly one million. Some 65,000 copies will be direct mailed to Seattle Met and Portland Monthly magazine subscribers, and other copies will be featured at visitor centers in Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Texas, Washington State and Vancouver, B.C. The guide will also be prominently displayed on newsstands and checkout counters at Barnes & Noble, QFC and Whole Foods.
Prospective travelers will be able to read and order copies of the visitors’ guide online at www.experiencewa.com and www.StayinWashington.com, the WLA’s consumer web site. Travelers will also be able to access versions of the guide that are optimized for iPads, android tablets and smart phones.
The 2012 official Washington State Visitors Guide features regional maps, insider travel trips, itinerary suggestions and contact information for an array of standout local businesses and attractions. This year’s guide features three unique covers to underscore the beauty and breadth of Washington State visitor experiences.
Washington State Visitors’ Guide Cover Artwork
About the Washington Tourism Alliance
The WTA is a 501[c]6 organization with a mission to advocate, promote, develop and sustain the economic well being of the Washington tourism industry. The WTA was established by industry stakeholders with the sole mission of sustaining Washington State destination tourism marketing. The WTA procures and administers funds for state destination tourism marketing activities and creates and implements a strategic statewide destination marketing plan. Visit www.watourismalliance.com to learn more.
About the Washington Lodging Association
The Washington Lodging Association (WLA) is the trade and professional association for Washington State’s lodging industry. Founded in 1920, it is dedicated to strengthening the hospitality industry by working towards a favorable legislative and regulatory environment, providing valuable programming and services to its members, and by promoting Washington as a tourist destination.
About SagaCity Media Inc.
SagaCity Media Inc is a multimedia company that publishes more than two dozen editorial and custom magazines in the Pacific Northwest and the Mountain West. With its proprietary titles and its projects for outside clients, SagaCity provides an authorative voice that fosters community and sets ambitious standards in industries ranging from tourism to bridal to golf. The creative development and delivery of quality content are also propelling growth in SagaCity’s evolving digital media business.
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There are only 9 days left for early pricing – for both members and non-members!
WHAT: 2nd Annual Summit
WHEN: Thursday, April 5, 2012, 7:00 am – 3:30 pm
WHERE: Hilton Seattle Airport
Registration fees prior to March 29:
$75 WTA members
$100 non-members
Registration fees starting March 30:
$95 WTA members
$120 non-members
A special thank you to PSAV for our Audio Visual Service at the Summit!
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Extra Opportunity!
Join other summit attendees for networking over appetizers and cocktails, as we see old friends and meet new ones to salute the Tourism industry in Washington state.
Shuttle Express will provide transportation between the Hilton and Museum of Flight.
WHAT: Summit Opening Reception
WHEN: Wednesday, April 4, 2012, 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
WHERE: The Museum of Flight
Cost: $15.00 per person
Thank you to our Reception sponsors: Squaxin Island Tourism, Port Madison Enterprises (Suquamish Tribe), Tulalip Resort Casino Spa and Northwest Tribal Tourism.
STATE TOURISM SUMMIT ANNOUNCED
Washington Tourism Alliance Convenes Industry to Discuss the Future of State Tourism Marketing
SEATTLE– The Washington Tourism Alliance (WTA) will host its second, statewide Tourism Summit in Seattle on April 5 to present its accomplishments and to engage the tourism industry in its future direction. Industry stakeholders are encouraged to register for the summit.
One year after Governor Gregoire’s announcement that the state tourism office would close, the WTA will convene tourism professionals from all corners of the state. Attendees will represent destination marketing organizations, hotels, visitor attractions, tour and transportation companies, restaurants, retail establishments, meeting venues and other private and public sector organizations. (more…)
