The mission of the NCSTD is to leverage the collective strength of state tourism offices to influence public policy, and to provide leadership and the forum for information sharing and education on issues impacting tourism.
Volume VI, Issue 2: February 2008
WACKER NAMED KEYNOTE SPEAKER FOR ESTO 2008
World renowned futurist Watts Wacker describes himself as a twenty-first century alchemist as well as… "a cross between James Brown and the unknown comic, (the hardest working nobody in the business.)" His vision has allowed him to help the world's top corporations and organizations navigate the sea of change that is taking hold in the new millennium. "Once Upon the 21st Century" is the title of his keynote address which will highlight social and economic trends, powerful new marketing tactics and the art of storytelling. Build the future you want to pursue; nothing should be left to chance. You must be at ESTO 2008 to acquire these strategic tools. Click here to get registration information. To learn more about our keynote speaker visit http://www.firstmatter.com.
Back to Top
SOUTH DAKOTA NAMES NEW DIRECTOR
Melissa Bump has been named the new Director of Tourism, according to Richard Benda, Secretary, Department of Tourism and State Development. Bump has been with the Office of Tourism for 12 years, most currently serving as the Visitor and Industry Relations Manager. Bump has been responsible for overseeing the Interstate Information Centers, Great Events Campaign, Million Dollar Challenge Program, Hospitality Program, Tribal Tourism, and the Cooperative Marketing Programs.
TIA'S "CALL TO ACTION" TO PUT TOURISM ON NATIONAL AGENDA
TIA President and CEO Roger Dow recently sent an urgent call to action to TIA members, noting that, "Despite travel's importance, the presidential candidates have yet to address the issue in a meaningful way. Declining overseas visitation, long lines, congestion and outdated air tracking systems have taken their toll on travelers, our economy and America's image abroad." America needs a travel candidate.
TIA is urging its members to write to the presidential candidates to remind them of the benefits of travel and urge them to focus on fixing the nation's broken travel system. TIA members are being urged to write letters to their editors, call local talk radio shows and urge friends and colleagues in the travel industry to get engaged to help make travel a priority in the presidential debate. The action kit includes issue talking points, a sample letter to the candidates and mailing addresses of presidential contenders.
Download the action kit at: http://www.tia.org/govtaffairs/index.html.
MARCH 7th DEADLINE IS APPROACHING FAST
Have you submitted your nominations for the 2008 State Tourism Director of the Year Award and the Trotter Special Service Award? The process begins with a nomination. A colleague is counting on you to "throw their name in the hat." Don't let them down! Details on the nominating process can be found at the following links:
- http://www.tia.org/Councils/NCSTD/awards_tourism_director.html
- http://www.tia.org/Councils/NCSTD/awards_trotter.html
Nominations may be submitted by mail, fax or email and must be received by close of business March 7, 2008. Good Luck!
2008 MERCURY AWARDS COMPETITON NOW OPEN
You can't win unless you enter!! As a winner, your organization will be setting the standard of excellence for future state and territory marketing /promotions programs. Receive a prestigious industry award given by your peers for showcasing your marketing and promotional innovation, creativity, and overall excellence. Submitting an entry to the NCSTD Mercury Awards establishes your place among the industry's best, winning catapults you to being an industry leader. Get you entire team involved in the process, share this information with your state and regional colleagues to guarantee that your state covers all areas and put forth its best effort.
You can access the guidelines and entry form at http://www.tia.org/Councils/NCSTD/awards_mercury.html.
Friday, May 9 th is the deadline.
NATIONAL COUNCIL OF ATTRACTIONS PREVIEWS NEW RESEARCH PRODUCT
During a meeting in Miami mid-February, the Board of Directors of TIA’s National Council of Attractions (NCA) engaged in testing the National Attractions Barometer. Developed in partnership with The George Washington University's Department of Tourism and Hospitality Management, the Barometer will serve as a go to source for domestic tourist attraction performance. TIA member and non-member attractions will record their own monthly attendance data online and, in exchange, retrieve aggregate attendance data from other anonymous participating attractions by attraction type and subtype, region, and state over a chosen period of time. The National Attractions Barometer is expected to launch in Spring 2008. For more information, contact NCA@tia.org.
STATESIDE WANTS TO HEAR FROM YOU
StateSide is the official e-newsletter of the National Council of State Tourism Directors (NCSTD). We want this monthly newsletter to be your source of best practices and relevant information for you and your staff. We want to hear from you with state relevant and unique news that is occurring inside your states. We want to be included on your media list. Please share any information with us that would be interesting to your state tourism colleagues. Here are some suggestions of information sources that might help us:
- Best practices in your marketing/promotional efforts.
- News contained in a state office press releases.
- Best practices in management and operations techniques.
- Any promotions/people movement within your organization.
- Copies of state newsletters regardless of publication frequency.
Our deadline is the 15th of each month. StateSide articles are usually 150 words or less. Let us know what you think by sending your comments, suggestions, and ideas for future editions to James Brown at jbrown@tia.org.
For a comprehensive listing of upcoming state and regional tourism conferences, industry meetings, conventions, and trade shows, check out TIA's online Meetings Calendar.
© 2008 Travel Industry Association. All rights reserved.
*******************************************************************************
UPCOMING 2008 TIA EVENTS
ESTO 2008
Bonita Springs, Florida
August 23-26, 2008 - Celebrate 25 years of ESTO. Save the date!
2008 Discover America Pavilions - Cost-effective alternatives to participate in Madrid, Milan, Berlin and more.
TravelCom 08
Chicago, Illinois
April 8-10, 2008
National Tourism Week
May 10-18, 2008
"Discover Great American Traditions"
International Pow Wow
Las Vegas, Nevada
May 31 - June 4, 2008
Travel Leadership Summit
Washington, DC
September 24-25, 2008
TIA members receive discounts on specific courses and certification programs offered by the George Washington University. To learn more, click here.
StateSide is the official e-newsletter of the National Council of State Tourism Directors (NCSTD), an industry council of the Travel Industry Association (TIA). StateSide is a benefit of your NCSTD membership within TIA, produced by its National Councils Department.
The NCSTD is comprised of the tourism directors of the 50 states, the U.S. territories and the District of Columbia. For more information on NCSTD programs and activities, visit http://www.tia.org/councils/ncstd/index.html. Please direct comments or suggestions to James Brown, Director of State Relations at ncstd@tia.org or 202.408.8422.
For information on TIA programs and activities, visit www.tia.org.
Travel Industry Association
1100 New York Avenue, NW, Suite 450W
Washington, DC 20005
202.408.8422
202.408.1255 fax
Please click here if you no longer want to receive Stateside.