The Great Idea Gallery: Three We Love

Giving Back Versus Going Big

In years past, the Visit Greater Palm Springs trade show booth brought a taste of the region’s mid-century architecture and aesthetics via a replica house façade. Returning to the trade show circuit post-pandemic, the CVB decided to give back vs. going big.

With a scaled down booth, those funds are instead being directed to give back to local organizations: Find Food Bank and the Greater Palm Springs Tourism Foundation with a donation of $10,000 each to support local families and students in need. In addition, for every lead generated during IMEX and through year-end means an additional $100 donation is made by Visit Greater Palm Springs. Nice one, Visit Greater Palm Springs!

Last week at IMEX, the DMO shared the experience with eight destination partners:

• BMW Performance Center West
• Palm Springs Convention Center
• The Westin Mission Hills Golf Resort & Spa
• JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort & Spa
• Omni Rancho Las Palmas Resort & Spa
• Margaritaville Palm Springs
• Miramonte Resort & Spa
• Renaissance Esmeralda Resort & Spa

Scott White, president and CEO, Visit Greater Palm Springs told The Travel Vertical, “Greater Palm Springs takes great pride in the tourism community and the hospitality the destination offers visitors, and we realized there was another opportunity to give back and support our industry and local community that was so deeply impacted by the pandemic. So, when it came time to return to IMEX, we made the conscious decision to go big in spirit but to scale down our booth, which allowed us to reallocate the budget to our local FIND Food Bank and the Greater Palm Springs Tourism Foundation. It’s really just a continuation of our commitment to our community. At IMEX, it was a fantastic week, reconnecting with and meeting new colleagues, buyers and suppliers who were very supportive of the initiative.”

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Simplified Branding. Like Dunkin’ Donuts.

In Florida, the Lee County Visitors and Convention Bureau has a new marketing tagline. The DMO is retiring “The Beaches of Fort Myers and Sanibel,” which served its purpose for about two decades. The new branding is “Fort Myers – Islands, Beaches & Neighborhoods.”

And as for the new slogan, it’s simple too. Just four words: “It’s a good day.” 

“Tamara Pigott, the bureau’s executive director, likened the name change to Dunkin’ Donuts’ decision to drop ‘Donuts’ from its title a few years ago. She pointed out that Fort Myers is the name visitors see on roadway signs — and at airport gates — when they travel to the county,” reported the Fort Myers News-Press.

“We look at Fort Myers as a simpler version of what we’re doing, and the term we’re using is Fort Myers – islands, beaches, and neighborhoods,” said Pigott.

Actually, there was a great deal of work over two years that went into determining the foundational pillars and strategy that go into the rebrand.

Stewart Colovin, executive vice president of global brand strategy for MMGY Global, said that simplifying the name made sense for many reasons. One of those reasons? Fort Myers, he said, is the “front door” to Lee County, providing access to everything that’s inside of it.

The new website, visitfortmyers.com, launches on Dec. 9 and the good day campaign begins on Jan. 10.

Check out the new county brand in this document. All 89 pages are presented beautifully with A+ readability.

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Digital Assist for a Meetings Comeback

Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board has an exclusive partnership with CLEAR and Co.Protect, supplier of branded PPE for sports leagues, companies & communities.

The objective of CLEAR Health Pass+ is to offer clients exclusive access to preferred pricing for the Health Pass program— a simple and streamlined way to verify attendees’ vaccine and testing status. Also, the destination provides on-site testing for meetings and conventions and at-home testing kits for attendees and international travelers to return home safely.

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