Sunshine Matters

This weekend kicks off the start of VISIT FLORIDA’s third consecutive year as a partner with Mazda and Dempsey Racing in the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series.  And we’re kicking it off in a big way with two VISIT FLORIDA-themed cars competing in the 50th Anniversary of the fabled Rolex 24 At Daytona for team owner and driver Patrick Dempsey.  The two-car team includes the  No. 40 VISITFLORIDA.com/Share a Little Sunshine car and the  No. 41 FishingCapital.com/Bass 2 Billfish car.

“Dempsey Racing expanded to a two-car operation in 2010 and VISIT FLORIDA has been with us from practically the start,” said team owner and driver Patrick Dempsey, the popular television and film actor who has also raced at professional levels for the last six years. “Mazda actually first introduced us to VISIT FLORIDA, they have a very unique partnership that works so well at so many levels, and we couldn’t be happier than to grow this relationship to the next level.”

Another exciting announcement came earlier today during a press conference with GRAND-AM and VISIT FLORIDA at Daytona International Speedway to announce that VISITFLORIDA.com has been named the presenting sponsor of the inaugural North American Endurance Championship.  This special three-race competition begins with this weekend’s Rolex 24 At Daytona, followed by the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen on July 1 and concludes when the endurance championship winners will be honored on the Victory Podium at the Super Weekend at the Brickyard at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on July 27.

“This inaugural championship is an exciting addition to the Rolex Series season and now we have a great presenting sponsor to make the package complete,” said GRAND-AM CEO Ed Bennett. “We obviously have a nice fit here, with VISITFLORIDA.COM. The state of Florida is home to the Rolex 24, Daytona Beach is the birthplace of GRAND-AM and our corporate headquarters – and Florida is a great tourism destination. People who visit Florida usually have one thing in common: they fall in love with it and keep coming back. The same thing applies for people who check out GRAND-AM.”

“Partnering with GRAND-AM as presenting sponsor of this new championship is a terrific way to share our passion for Florida fun with race fans around the country,” said Chris Thompson, VISIT FLORIDA President and CEO. “And I can’t think of a better way to kick it off than here at the famed World Center of Speed for the 50th Anniversary of the Rolex 24 Hours At Daytona.”

Be sure to check out the live Rolex 24 At Daytona coverage this weekend on SPEED Channel.  Coverage begins at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday and picks up again at 9:00 a.m. on Sunday.  You can also watch live steaming coverage, as well as up-to-the-minute timing and scoring, during the 24 hour race online at SPEED.com.  Here are some Twitter feeds you might enjoy, too: @GoDempseyRacing, @Rolex24Hours, @RolexSeries, @SPEED, @DISupdates and, of course, @VISITFLORIDA.

2012 Tourism Day Street Party, image courtesy of WTXL-TV

The numbers are in on the 2012 Florida Tourism Day at the Capitol and this year’s event was our largest ever.

On Wednesday, the Partnership for Florida’s Tourism and six other statewide organizations hosted the industry’s annual Florida Tourism Day.   The purpose of Tourism Day is to educate the legislature, media and Floridians about the importance of Florida’s tourism industry and the rationale for public funding.  It serves as a platform to let our lawmakers know just how crucial it is for them to support Florida’s No. 1 industry.

The day’s activities included a briefing by the CEOs of the participating organizations, speeches from Governor Scott and other government officials, legislative appointments by industry representatives at the Capitol and concluded with a street festival in downtown Tallahassee.  The key message of the day shared by tourism industry representatives was to urge state lawmakers to support Governor Scott’s recommendation of $34.9 million for VISIT FLORIDA’s tourism marketing efforts in 2012-2013. Read more of this post »

Today, President Obama gave tremendous visibility to the Florida tourism industry when he called for the development of a national travel and tourism strategy while speaking at Walt Disney World in Orlando.  In addition to the creation of an intra-agency task force on travel promotion strategies, the President called for improvements to the visa process, expanded the Global Entry Program and announced the appointment of new members to the Travel and Tourism Advisory Board.

I was privileged to be in attendance at today’s event and later sworn in as one of the 32 private sector CEOs to the Travel and Tourism Advisory Board tasked with advising the Secretary of Commerce on policies affecting the travel and tourism industry.  I look forward to serving on the board with my fellow tourism executives and to having the opportunity to work closely with Secretary Bryson over the next two years.

I commend the administration’s new initiatives, especially those efforts toward visa reform that will lessen the inconveniences international travelers experience when visiting the United States.  Making it easier for travelers from Brazil, China and other countries to visit the Sunshine State equates to increased tourism spending and more jobs for Floridians. Read more of this post »

In an effort to support its vision of establishing Florida as the No. 1 travel destination in the world, VISIT FLORIDA attended CES (the Consumer Electronics Show) for the first time. As the convergence of marketing and technology continues, Chief Marketing Officer, Will Seccombe, and I spent time learning and strategizing on how to connect with the consumer based on the future landscape presented at CES. Read more of this post »

In order to maximize the reach of the shared Florida brand, VISIT FLORIDA is committed to providing co-op opportunities in all our marketing efforts.  This focus on expanding Florida’s presence in front of consumers is facilitated by negotiating cost-effective advertising buys that are then offered to Partners through our Co-op Marketing Planner.  The planner includes nearly 300 advertising, sales, promotions and public relations options. We have expanded from a traditional print co-op model to new digital and social media co-ops, including Facebook, mobile, SEM and re-targeting co-ops, as well as hyper-targeted broadcast buys and a brand awareness co-op program on Google Networks. Read more of this post »