Sunshine Matters

VISIT FLORIDA’s 2013-2014 PR Media Missions & Receptions season has gotten off to a stellar start with a return to an emerging domestic market we haven’t visited in several years – Los Angeles.  Other new markets on this year’s schedule include Charlotte/Greensboro, Detroit and Cleveland/Cincinnati.  These four new markets were selected based on research showing the strength of their media assets and the benefit to Florida’s tourism industry of fostering increased media relations.  The PR team will also be returning to our traditionally successful markets of New York City and Washington, D.C.

Our return to Los Angeles last week was highlighted by a media reception at Hinoki & The Bird – one of LA’s newest and trendiest hotspots. The eight tourism Partners who joined VISIT FLORIDA for the media networking event were The Beaches of Fort Myers and Sanibel; Discover The Palm Beaches; The Florida Keys & Key West; Greater Fort Lauderdale; Naples, Marco Island and the Everglades; Salamander Grand Golf Resorts of Florida; Visit Tampa Bay and Visit Jacksonville.

In executing the media reception, a diverse representation of the regional media were pitched, including traditional publications, online influencers, broadcast outlets and location scouts for television franchises.  Overall, 24 media contacts attended the reception, including representatives and contributors from Association News, CBS Amazing Race, Gayot, OWN network, OUT Traveler magazine, Trekaroo and Variety magazine.  VISIT FLORIDA’s PR and Content team also met with editors during desk side appointments at the Los Angeles Times and AAA travel magazines.

Several key takeaways for our tourism industry will be helpful to keep in mind when crafting story pitches and reacting to media assists from the LA market:

• Unusual topics that are unknown to the general public are more likely to get the media’s attention than the obvious Florida facts and well-known vacation activities
• Uniquely Florida experiences will be well received as story ideas – examples include unusual festivals such as the Annual Sopchoppy Worm Gruntin’ Festival,  Art Palm Beach and the Lower Keys Underwater Music Festival
• Educating media on the geography of Florida should be related to road trip story ideas
• Media want to learn more about Florida assets that do not exist anywhere else, such as the Everglades
• Event listings are useful for running calendars in various outlets

A final note from our conversation with media: as the digital landscape continues to influence consumer engagement and the rise of the tablet plays a significant role in how travelers explore their options, a content sharing opportunity for DMOs includes images and video distribution.  Media are becoming more receptive to the idea of using original content, such as  the images DMOs are already creating for their own websites.  During media pitching and assists, offering up your images for use by the media can be a standard part of your pitching script.

Here’s a listing of the times for the rest of this year’s PR Media Missions & Receptions:

• Charlotte/Greensboro, NC media mission – week of November 18
• New York City media reception – February 25
• Washington, DC media mission – week of March 10
• Detroit, MI media mission – week of April 28
• Cleveland/Cincinnati, OH media mission – week of May 19

For more information about our PR programs, or to discuss story ideas that have a regional or statewide focus for pitching media, email me at kmorgan@VISITFLORIDA.org.