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There’s an App for That, Visit Philly Rocks and Pantone Could Do Better

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Huh? Pantone’s 2021 Color of the Year is kinda like the dull gray sweats we’ve been wearing throughout 2020 work-from-home and quarantine.

OK, so they picked two colors. Alongside “Ultimate Gray 17-5104” there’s “Illuminating 13-0647” for counter balance. But, it’s a rather sickly yellow hand-picked by color and branding experts. Truthfully, does this inspire anyone?

For over 20 years, Pantone’s Color of the Year has influenced product development and purchasing decisions in multiple industries, including fashion, home furnishings, and industrial design, as well as product packaging and graphic design…Pantone’s color experts at Pantone Color Institute comb the world looking for new color influences.

Pantone says, “A marriage of color conveying a message of strength and hopefulness that is both enduring and uplifting.”

Meh. Comments welcome.

Visit Philadelphia has launched a marketing effort to support the economic recovery and growth of Black- and Brown-owned businesses.

“Black- and Brown-owned businesses are vital to the fabric of Philadelphia, and we want to make it easy for everyone to find them and shop at them during the holidays and into 2021 — whether that’s online or in person,” said Jeff Guaracino, president & CEO.

“People want to be part of our region’s economic recovery, and one way they can do that is by buying gifts from these vital businesses found in more than 35 neighborhoods and towns throughout our region.”

The initiative kicks off the holiday season with the Love + Grit Sweepstakes, gifting one winner with distinctive items and experiences from Black-owned businesses that will gain increased exposure.

Steal this idea for your community? Read about the highlights of the integrated campaign encompassing advertising, website, SEO, videos, influencer marketing, PR, and marketing toolkit. More details here.

Exposure alert! When Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam and his wife tested positive for Covid-19 in September, because they had an alert working on their phones, notifications went out to members of staff.

Did you know? About 150 million Americans can get free, state-sponsored pop-up alerts from local health authorities when they’ve personally spent time near someone who later tested positive for the coronavirus. The alerts use (anonymous) bluetooth software built into iPhones by Apple (screen shots below) and Android phones by detecting when devices are in close contact with each other.

The Washington Post reports as of Dec. 10, the following support coronavirus exposure alerts are active. For instructions, click on the link which takes you to a website or in settings (no app needed) from local health authorities:

Canada is all set with Covid Alert. In the works:

Vaccination cards will be issued to everyone getting Covid-19 vaccine, health officials say. CNN reports, “The Department of Defense released the first images of a Covid-19 vaccination record card.” Read more here.

People, Places, Jobs…and Beer in Baltimore

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Al Hutchinson, president & CEO, Visit Baltimore

Budget cuts had forced Visit Baltimore to pause its Education and Training Foundation, threatening the Diversity Apprenticeship Program.

Now, Guinness Open Gate Brewery (the US-based home of blonde lager and a Maryland visitor experience since 2018) is making a one million dollar commitment to its home via the Guinness Gives Back Baltimore Community Fund that includes fully funding the DMO’s program for the next year, with plans to support it for five years.

Visit Baltimore will facilitate the end goal of creating 10 or more hospitality career pathways with a focus on Baltimore’s Black community.

The 600-hour paid apprenticeship aims at employment by Visit Baltimore or a partner organization by promoting career interest in the hospitality and craft beer industries among minority students. In a partnership with SearchWide Global, apprentices shadow at Visit Baltimore, Guinness Open Gate Brewery and another local tourism entity in a three-part immersive learning experience. Applications are currently open; eligible candidates must be 21 years of age or older. Read more here.

Branson/Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce & Convention and Visitors Bureau has hired Jason Outman as its next president and CEO, effective mid-January 2021. Outman, who succeeds Jeff Seifried, comes from Experience Columbia SC which he joined in 2010, serving as executive director since 2014.

Discover Kalamazoo has appointed Jane Ghosh as president & CEO. A long-time Kalamazoo area resident, Ghosh comes from outside the industry. She brings three decades of experience leading marketing at Johnson & Johnson and The Kellogg Company and as GM manager and executive director at Ferrara Candy Company. Ghosh succeeds Greg Ayers, who resigned in April after 12 years at the helm.

Sedona Chamber of Commerce & Tourism Bureau announced Candace Carr Strauss will join as president/CEO in February 2021. She is currently CEO of the Big Sky Chamber of Commerce & Visit Big Sky in Montana. She replaces Jennifer Wesselhoff who left for a similar role in Park City, Utah.

Paul Beirnes is the newly appointed deputy director of tourism for Naples, Marco Island and Everglades CVB. Beirnes joins the team at Florida’s Paradise Coast with over 30 years of destination marketing experience that includes leadership roles at the likes of Hilton Worldwide, Visit Orlando and Disney.

Heather Brown is named as the interim executive director of Lake of the Ozarks CVB. Following seven years with the DMO, she left the Missouri organization five years ago while serving as director of member services. Tim Jacobsen, former executive director, recently took a position with Fort Smith Advertising and Promotions Commission in Arkansas.

Technology and travel leader Scott Garner has been appointed chief revenue officer at Journera, the real-time data exchange platform for creating more seamless travel. He was most recently chief commercial officer at ADARA, and was previously in executive roles at United Airlines and Orbitz Worldwide. Read the announcement here.

At Expedia Group Media Solutions headquarters in Seattle, Wendy Olson Killion is promoted to Global Senior Vice President and General Manager. Her thoughts: “This next year will be focused on helping to reignite the spirit of travel and MeSo that 2020 has tried to stomp out.I look forward to continuing to push our platform to aid the industry and our partners into recovery. I will work to be a worthy leader of an amazing team who has pushed through and persevered.”

Eric J. Lund, former president & CEO of Visit Estes Park for 12 years, takes on a role as VP – tourism development at the historic Stanley Hotel of “The Shining” fame. Prior to his Colorado days, Lund was previously with San Diego Tourism Authority.

Chelsea McCready departs her role as VP-Research & Market Analysis at Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp. after more than a decade. She joins CoStar Group/STR as director of hospitality market analytics, Southeast.

Deb Hickok, president and CEO of Explore Fairbanks, is stepping down in June 2021 following 20 years in the job. Prior to joining Explore Fairbanks, Hickok served at the Bucks County CVB, Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau and the Pennsylvania Department of Commerce/Division of Tourism.

From U.S. Travel Association: “Congrats to our own President and CEO, Roger Dow, and EVP of Public Affairs and Policy, Tori Barnes, for being recognized by @thehill for your relentless efforts amid this incredibly challenging year. It has never been more important for the travel industry’s voice to be heard.”

Brad Dean, CEO of Discover Puerto Rico, has been appointed Vice Chair of the U.S. Travel & Tourism Advisory Board for a two-year term. The 27-member group currently chaired by Kurt Ekert, president & CEO of CWT (formerly Carlson Wagonlit Travel), is the advisory body to the secretary of commerce on matters relating to the travel and tourism industry in the United States. The deputy assistant secretary for travel and tourism serves as the board’s executive director. Other DMO members are: Liz Fitzsimmons, managing director, Maryland Office of Tourism and Film; David Gilbert, president & CEO, Destination Cleveland and Greater Cleveland Sports Commission; Debbie Johnson, director, Arizona Office of Tourism.

The U.S. Travel Association has named Richard Peterson, president & CEO of U.S. Cultural & Heritage Marketing Council to the National Council of Attractions and Experiences (NCAE) Board of Advisors. Peterson is also currently serving as director-at-large at U.S. Travel Association.

Brand USA has announced two new members and one reappointed member of the 2021 board of directors.

  • Noel Irwin Hentschel, chairman and CEO, American Tours International, LLC (reappointed, representing the travel distribution sector)
  • Kristen Esposito, principal, Esposito Global Partners (newly appointed, representing the small business/retail sector)
  • Keiko Matsudo Orrall, executive director, Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism (newly appointed, representing one of two seats for an official of a state tourism office)

Brand USA Board Chair: Kyle Edmiston, president & CEO, Lake Charles/Southwest Louisiana Convention & Visitors Bureau

Brand USA Vice Chairs: Paul Brown, co-founder & CEO of Inspire Brands and Mark Hoplamazian, president & CEO, Hyatt Hotels Corporation

Treasurer: Alice Norsworthy, chief marketing officer, Universal Parks & Resorts

Additional Members: Todd Davidson, CEO, Travel Oregon; Dean Kantaras, owner and managing attorney, K. Dean Kantaras, P.A.; Donald Moore, Sr. VP of business rental sales & global corporate accounts, Enterprise Holdings, Inc.; Tom O’Toole, associate dean for executive education and clinical professor of marketing, Northwestern University.

In Memoriam: Marion “Butch” Fox, president/CEO at Jeff Davis Parish Economic Development, Tourism and Chamber of Commerce since 2007. She had worked in the industry for 30+ years serving at several CVBs, Louisiana Office of Tourism, Louisiana Office of Economic Development, and most recently had been active with Louisiana Travel Association and Louisiana Association of Convention & Visitors Bureaus.

In Memoriam: Charlotte Bell, CEO, Tourism Association of Canada since 2015, based in Ottawa.

Sacramento, Calif.-based advertising agency Mering has agreed to be acquired by Columbus, Ohio-based ad agency TSY (The Shipyard) Enterprises Inc. Mering clients include Visit California; San Diego Tourism Authority; KSL Resorts; Monarch Beach Resort; Mammoth Lakes Tourism, Merlin Entertainments, (Legoland); Wine Institute; California Grown; and Visit Napa Valley. >> Open positions are: Designer in Columbus, Ohio and Sr. Copywriter in Newport Beach, CA.

JOBS

President & CEO — Michigan Economic Development Corporation, Lansing (new, deadline 1/15/2021)

VP Marketing — Visit Florida, Tallahassee (new)

President & CEO — Visit Orlando

President & CEO — Destination B.C., Vancouver

President & CEO — Destination Madison

President — Oklahoma City Convention & Visitors Bureau

President & CEO — Visit Greenville SC

Chief Sales & Marketing Officer — Bermuda Tourism Authority, NYC

Sr. VP, Multicultural & Community Development — Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau

Director of Sales — Little Rock Convention & Visitors Bureau

Public Relations Manager — Destination Cleveland

CEO, Lake Superior Community Partnership, Marquette, MI

Director of Research & Market Intelligence AND Tourism Partnership Manager — Virginia Tourism Corporation, Richmond

Marketing Manager — Tulsa Regional Tourism

PR & Communications Manager AND Finance & HR Manager — Visit SLO CAL, San Luis Obispo, CA

Deputy Director of Marketing — Okaloosa County, Fort Walton Beach, FL

Communications & Marketing Manager — Watkins Glen Area Chamber of Commerce, NY

User Experience Designer — NYC & Company

Business Analyst — Visit Grand Junction, CO

Manager, Paid Media — Discover The Palm Beaches, West Palm Beach, FL

Content Coordinator — Visit Philadelphia

CVB Communications Coordinator — City of Grapevine, TX

CVB Sales Consultant — City of Plano, TX

CVB Marketing Specialist — Geary County, Junction City, KS

Executive Director — Douglas County Travel & Tourism, GA

Executive Director — Visit St. Mary’s, Leonardtown, MD

Convention & Tourism Rep — Virginia Beach Convention & Visitors Bureau

Tourism Director — Muskogee Tourism Authority, OK

Marketing Coordinator, Santa Monica Travel & Tourism, CA

Marketing Coordinator — Lake George Regional Chamber of Commerce, NY

Sr. Media Analyst — Net Conversion, Orlando

Product Manager AND Production Coordinator — Simpleview, Tucson

VP – Global Field Marketing — Hard Rock International, Davie, FL

VP Sales & Marketing — The Broadmoor, Colorado Springs, CO

Sr. VP Customer Marketing — Ontrak, Inc., NYC

Director of Partner Services — Huddle Up Group, Phoenix

Program Development Manager — Panorama Travel Solutions (a Wyndham Destinations Company), NYC

Chief Experience Officer — Brightline Trains, Miami

Sr. Communication & Marketing Rep, Aviation — Port of Oakland, CA

Director of Tourism — Six Flags, Valencia, CA

Director Sales & Marketing — Legends (Illuminarium Experience), Atlanta

Marketing Manager — Legends (Sky View Observatory), Seattle

Digital Marketing Manager — SoFi Stadium and Hollywood Park, Los Angeles

Vice President, Marketing Social Media — Audible, Newark, NJ

Content Marketing Manager — Cuvée, Denver

Marketing Automation Manager, Corporate — Hornblower Cruises, NYC

Director of Marketing — TurnKey Vacation Rentals, Angel Fire, NM

Copywriter — Development Counsellors International, NYC

Director, LATAM Field Marketing — Twilio, Remote USA

Content Business Development Manager — Twitter, San Francisco

Digital Marketing Lead, Partnerships — Facebook, San Francisco

NYC-based Peloton plans to add 1,600 employees across member support, sales, people, field operations, and other corporate functions, from business leaders to managers in Plano, TX, quadrupling its footprint at that location.

Is Time Running Out for Hotels? Elvis + the Vaccine, Weekly News Roundup

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American Hotel & Lodging Association has conducted a survey of hotel industry owners, operators, and employees from Nov. 10-13, 2020, with more than 1,200 respondents.

Key findings:

  • More than 2/3 of hotels (71%) report they will only be able to last six more months at current projected revenue and occupancy levels absent any further relief
  • One-third (34%) say they can only last one to three more months
  • 63% of hotels have less than half of their typical, pre-crisis staff working full time
  • 82% of hotel owners say they’ve been unable to obtain additional debt relief from their lenders beyond 2020
  • 59% of hotel owners are in danger of foreclosure by their commercial real estate debt lenders, a 10% increase since September
  • 52% of respondents stated their hotel(s) will close without additional aid

A national consumer survey commissioned by AHLA shows that 72% of Americans said they were unlikely to travel for Thanksgiving and 69% were unlikely to travel for Christmas.

Meantime, Bethesda-based Pebblebrook Hotel Trust is partnering with six other hospitality companies to bring 120 hotels with 22,000 keys under a new umbrella called the Curator Hotel & Resort Collection.

In addition to independent lifestyle hotels and resorts either owned or operated by Pebblebrook, the group includes Houston-based Benchmark Global Hospitality; Atlanta-based Davidson Hotels & Resorts; Seattle-based Noble House Hotels & Resorts; Portland, Oregon-based Provenance Hotels; Springboard Hospitality and Viceroy Hotels & Resorts, both out of Southern California. Jon Bortz, founder, chair & CEO says independent hotels can retain individuality rather than following a uniform brand standard. Curator will take care of participating hotels’ vendor negotiations, share business intelligence reporting and insights to improve operations and reduce costs, and will feature the hotels on its website.

Kansas City Kansas Convention and Visitors Bureau announced that the organization has changed its name to Visit Kansas City Kansas. The visual rebrand was designed by REACTOR, a local marketing and creative studio. “While our identity has changed, our mission remains the same – to generate economic growth in Kansas City, Kansas through tourism,” said Alan Carr, executive director.

North Myrtle Beach Chamber of Commerce, Convention and Visitors Bureau has taken on a new name: Destination NMB. President and CEO Cheryl Kilday said the new name and logo is a good way to distinguish themselves from the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce, while maintaining an amicable partnership.

A comment about virtual business meetings from Steve Paganelli, CDME, Head of Destination Marketing Americas, Tripadvisor in response to this 1990 United Airlines commercial (below):

“To all the naysayers who suggest that travel — particularly business travel and meetings & conventions will never be the same, we need only refer to the recent past or the way we conclude every virtual conference or Zoom call: ‘Great job; can’t wait until we can be back together in-person.’

In my estimation, business travel will be slow to return due to budgets and a misplaced belief that seeing someone through a screen can suffice for in-person interaction. As we’re all learning first-hand, that’s not the case. Virtual conferences will spur increased interest in being there in-person and I predict we’ll see higher attendance than pre-pandemic in 3-5 years as more delegates who weren’t able to attend previously get exposed virtually and through hybrid formats, and then push to be present in-person.

Mr. Gates teases one key reason at the end of this interview: New relationships don’t get initiated or forged virtually.” Note: Bill Gates predicts that 50% of business travel will disappear.

Replace “fax” with “email” in the script of this United Airlines ad from 30 years ago, and you’ve got mid-pandemic 2020. What do you think?

Tripadvisor will launch a subscription service, Tripadvisor Plus, in the coming months, giving members access to deals and perks on “tens of thousands of hotels” and 400,000-plus attractions. “Think of it as a travel club,” CEO Steve Kaufer told CNBC. 

Tripadvisor says businesses that use its free Travel Safe tool (see Q&A with Todd Skelton, Tripadvisor) , which highlights health and safety information, saw a 16% increase in user engagement with their listings.

Read more: In partnership with Phocuswright, Tripadvisor has published a whitepaper, “2020 A Year in Travel: Charting the Travel Industry’s Path to Recovery.”

Qantas Airways is planning to require future international passengers to have a Covid-19 vaccination before they fly, said CEO Alan Joyce in an interview. On Australian television, he indicated that Qantas had discussed the idea with other airlines globally. “It’s going to be a common theme across the board,” he said.

Reuters: screenshot

China has another idea. Speaking at the virtual G20 Leaders’ Summit last week, President Xi Jinping appealed to world leaders to create a globally-accepted COVID-19 health-tracking system to enable the resumption of trade and travel. China is using a QR code -based health screening system that operates on Alipay and WeChat. It stores a passenger’s health and travel history to issue a traffic-light-colored QR code – green, yellow or red – that indicates that individual’s freedom to move around with access to public places. “According to an analysis by The New York Times, China’s QR code system, which stores health and travel data, appears to share information with the police,” reports The Independent in the U.K.

Affordable transatlantic carrier Norwegian Air has filed for bankruptcy. Reuters reports, “Growing rapidly to become Europe’s third-largest low-cost airline and the biggest foreign carrier serving New York and other major U.S. cities, Norwegian’s debt and liabilities stood at $7.4 billion at the end of September.”

Brightline Train will add a Disney World stop. The station would connect South Florida to Orlando’s largest attraction, including Disney’s four theme parks, two water parks and more than 25 hotels. No timeline for completion was given.

Did you know? To set an example for people to get the polio vaccine in 1956, health authorities had Elvis Presley take it. (These days, it might take many different influencers appealing to niche audiences all at the same time. Who would you suggest?)

Backstage at CBS Studio 50, before an airing of The Ed Sullivan Show, NYC Commissioner of Health Leona Baumgartner, right, holds the arm of Elvis while Assistant Commissioner Harold Fuerst administers the polio vaccine to the king of rock ‘n’ roll. The story is told on the website of NYC Department of Records & Information Services. — National Endowment for the Humanities

eTourism Summit On-Demand, People in the News & Jobs

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In case you missed it — Watch on-demand videos from Week One at eTourism Summit in October, featuring conversations and presentations by people you know:

  • Sarah Quinlan, Carolantic Fund (Keynote)
  • Josh Collins, Entrada Insights (formerly Streetsense)
  • Leah Chandler, Discover Puerto Rico
  • Zeek Coleman, Visit Savannah
  • Jay Kinghorn, Entrada Insights
  • Mitch Whitten, Visit Fort Worth
  • Gathan Borden, VisitLEX
  • Justin Bresler, Visit Denver
  • Laura Libbey, Miles Partnership
  • Staci Mellman, Visit Florida
  • Erin Francis-Cummings, Destination Analysts
  • Andria Godfrey, Longwoods International
  • Brian London, London Tourism Publications
  • Adam Sacks, Tourism Economics
  • Brian Solis, Salesforce (Keynote)

President & CEO Rachel Sacco, Experience Scottsdale, is promoting leadership and community support. #MaskUpScottsdale

Matt Skallerud, president of Pink Travel, was live onstage at the 2nd Annual Connect THRIVE Summit, interviewing leaders and influencers for Gay Florida Travel.

Congratulations to the winners of the 2020 Readers’ Choice awards for “Tenacity in Travel” from Groups Today. Really great stuff from: Universal Studios Orlando, HTTA.US, Elkhart County (IN) CVB, Virginia Beach CVB, National Veterans Memorial and Museum, Guides Association of New York City, Yankee Trails, American Bus Association/ Women in Buses Council, Travel With Barb, TravelAdvocates.

Congrats to Wesley Polk Lucas, senior communications manager, for being named 2020 Employee of the Year at Visit Frisco.

Danielle Logan Reinas, executive director of Wagstaff Media & Marketing, has established DKR Media & Marketing based in West Palm Beach and specializing in travel and hospitality.

Natalie Alvanez, CDME, director of marketing at Winchester Mystery House in San Jose, takes on a new role as marketing & communications director at Donor Network West, focused on the importance of organ donation. Natalie’s 15 years in tourism included Visit Oakland, Tri-Valley Convention & Visitors Bureau, and Amtrak.

Kristina Heney has been named EVP/CMO for Hornblower Group in NYC. She joins from Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group, where she served for five years. She was SVP marketing & revenue management for the Madison Square Garden Company for 15 years prior.

Stephen Ekstrom has been named chief strategy officer at The Tourism Academy, the Fort. Lauderdale organization that connects 175,000 professionals, industry suppliers and association leaders to quality education on-demand. He joins following a decade as founder of Relate Strategy Group, specializing in tourism representation and travel trade marketing, prior to which he was DOS&M at Ripley’s Believe It Or Not.

Santa Fe is looking for a firm that can publicize and promote the New Mexico capital, founded as a Spanish colony in 1610, as an arts center and cultural tourism destination.

JOBS

(See last week’s listings as well)

President & CEO — Visit Orlando

VP Marketing — Visit Florida

President — Oklahoma City Convention & Visitors Bureau

President & CEO — Destination Madison

President & CEO — Branson/Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce

President & CEO — Sedona Chamber of Commerce & Tourism Bureau

VP Human Resources — Destination Cleveland

VP Finance — Destination Cleveland

Executive VP & Chief Sales Officer — San Francisco Travel Association

Executive Director — Silicon Valley Central Chamber of Commerce, CA

President & CEO — Greater Fairbanks Chamber of Commerce, AK

Executive Director — Visit Annapolis & Anne Arundel County, MD

Executive Director — Fort Smith Advertising & Promotion Commission, AK

President & CEO — Atascadero Chamber of Commerce, CA

President & CEO — Greater Haverhill Chamber of Commerce, MA

Chief Sales & Marketing Officer — Bermuda Tourism Authority, NYC

Director of Research & Market Intelligence — Virginia Tourism Corporation

Senior Director, Corporate Partnerships — Experience Columbus, OH

Marketing Manager — Experience Columbus, OH

Social Media Manager— Experience Columbus, OH

VP Sales — Visit Corpus Christi

Operations Manager — Explore Georgia, Atlanta

Public Relations Manager — West Virginia Tourism Office

Director of Convention Development — Visit El Paso

National Sales Manager — Discover Denton, TX

Director of Sales — Little Rock Convention & Visitors Bureau

Marketing Rep / Mid-Atlantic Region — Visit St Pete Clearwater

Director of Marketing Communications — Monterey County Convention & Visitors Bureau, CA

PR & Communications Manager — Visit SLO CAL, San Luis Obispo, CA

Manager, Social Media — Discover the Palm Beaches

Digital Communications Manager — Visit York County, Rock Hill, SC

User Experience Designer — NYC & Company

Business Development Manager — Lee County, Fort Meyers, FL

Tourism Director — Bath County, Warm Springs, VA

Senior Marketing & Communications Manager — City of South Padre Island, TX

Marketing Specialist — Daytona Beach Area Convention and Visitors Bureau

Director of Tourism — Greater Starkville Development Partnership, Starkville, MS

Digital Marketing Manager — Visit Central Oregon, Sunriver, OR

CVB Marketing Specialist — Geary County, Junction City, KS

VP – Marketing & Communications — National Landing Business Improvement District, Arlington, VA

Parks and Recreation Public Relations Manager — State of Utah

Sales & Marketing Director AND Marketing & Admin Assistant — Visit Durango, CO

Digital Manager — Hocking Hills Tourism Association, Logan, OH

Communications & Digital Content Associate — Fredericksburg Convention & Visitor Bureau, TX

Small Meetings & Events Sales Manager — River Parishes Tourist Commission, LaPlace, LA

Social Media & Digital Marketing Coordinator — Colorado Parks & Wildlife, Denver

Tourism Program Specialist — West Virginia Division of Parks & Recreation, Charleston, WV

Director of Sales & Marketing — Greater Columbus Convention Center, OH

Sales Manager — Midlands Authority for Conventions, Sports & Tourism, Columbia, SC

Communications Coordinator — San Diego Tourism Authority

Tourism & Marketing Communications Intern — Cambridge Office for Tourism, MA

Senior Director Marketing & PR — Jamestown/Yorkstown Foundation, Williamsburg, VA

Director of Social Media — University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Director of Communications — Cornell University, Ithaca, NY

Marketing Manager, Sports & Entertainment — Aramark, Philadelphia

Marketing Manager — Winchester Mystery House, San Jose

Communications Specialist — Oakland Museum of California

Director of Marketing & Communications — Girls Scouts of Greater Los Angeles

Director of Marketing & Communications — Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, NYC

Brand Marketing Manager, Travelocity — Expedia, Austin

PR Account Director (NYC) AND PR Account Supervisor (Austin) — MMGY NJF

Senior Media Manager — MMGY, Overland Park, KS

Product Manager — Simpleview, Tucson

VP Marketing —G/O Media, NYC

Digital Marketing Specialist — Relic Agency, Provo, UT

Head of Marketing Planning & Insights, Google Workspace — Google, San Francisco

Director of Product Marketing — Google, San Francisco

Manager, Branding & Content — Google, NYC

Global Scaled Programs Marketing Manager, YouTube Ads — San Bruno, CA

Content Strategy & Programming Lead, Instagram — Facebook, NYC

Head of Facebook App Brands and Strategic Marketing Insights — Facebook, San Francisco

Digital Marketing Lead, Partnerships — Facebook, Menlo Park, CA

Senior Social Producer — Apple, Cupertino, CA

Marketing Manager — Amazon Services LLC, Seattle

Senior Manager, Public Affairs Communications-West Coast — Door Dash, San Francisco

Director of Marketing — Arizona Biltmore Resort Waldorf Astoria, Phoenix

Content Marketing Manager — Cuvee, Denver

Manager, Marketing Communications — Oklahoma Restaurant Association, Oklahoma City

Aviation Senior Marketing & Communications — Port of Oakland, CA

Assistant Digital Marketing Manager — San Jose International Airport, CA

Account Executive, Destination Product Development — Royal Caribbean, Miami

Prediction: We’re Going to See a Flood of Marketing Predictions for 2021 & More News

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December normally delivers all those trend prediction articles. One thing is for sure…there’s going to be more of them than ever. Brace yourself, because one of the first predictions is *more email* Aargh.

Expect More eMail

The 2021 predictions have begun.

Your inbox is going to grow in 2021, says Forrester Research…by a lot. A new report indicates that marketing message volume will increase by 40% next year as brands try to develop direct relationships with customers, hold onto customers, and drive purchases—especially in the wake of Google’s third-party cookie moves and Apple’s planned changes. Read “Predictions 2021: B2C Marketing.”

Right Now, We’re Limping

“And we can’t bring back America until we get business travel, meetings and events and international travel [going]. Right now, we’re limping on leisure travel, which is good but not great. But we need the other three pieces, and I think he can help us there.” — Roger Dow

Travel Weekly interviewed U.S. Travel Association President & CEO Roger Dow on whether the new Biden Administration will be good for the travel and tourism industry.

In a word, “Yes.” Roger also explains the concept of a tax credit for travel; liability protection for corporate travel; rapid, reliable, affordable Covid testing; opening borders; a stimulus package for DMOs and more. Read the conversation “On the Record” here.

In the latest weekly survey, Longwoods International reports 53% are not planning any travel during the holiday season, up from 48% a month ago.

Brand USA Says Bye-Bye to WTM and ITB

During Brand USA’s recent Travel Week Europe, a B2B event conducted online, Tom Garzilli, CMO, said it is likely to withdraw for good from participation in the World Travel Market in London and ITB in Berlin.


“Big global trade shows like WTM and ITB for US tourism are just not as efficient and not as necessary,” said Garzilli. “A lot of money gets spent on those things that we would like to see spent in the market, with tour operators, with consumers, driving business.” Like many of its private sector partners, Brand USA has suffered from a decline in funding levels.

Dining In Is Out

Chicago re-enters lockdown with a new “stay-at-home” advisory. With indoor dining allowed only at tables within 8′ of an open window, it’s an unsustainable strategy as temperatures drop. San Francisco, Baltimore, and New York City are among major cities tightening up Covid-19 dining restrictions once again. New Mexico and Oregon permit restaurant takeout and delivery only.

GrubHub and The Greg Hill Foundation’s Restaurant Strong Fund has launched a $2 million Restaurant Winterization Grant program for independent restaurants in NYC, Philadelphia, Boston, and Chicago. The initiative will provide $10,000 for eligible restaurants with five or fewer locations which apply by Nov. 21, 2020. Read more here.

Entertainment Information

Ticketmaster is working on a plan that uses smart phones to verify whether customers have been vaccinated or tested for Covid, according to Billboard. The process would involve fans using the Ticketmaster app in partnership with medical information firms and vaccine and testing distributors. Fans would be required to either verify their vaccination status or prove they have tested negative for coronavirus within 72 hours prior to a concert date.  

Name That Park

Home to four national parks and 42 state parks, Colorado wants help from the public to nominate a location and a name for a new state park to meet demand for outdoor spaces. “Our outdoor state parks, along with other public lands in Colorado, continue to see record visitation,” said Dan Prenzlow, director of Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Nominations must meet certain criteria, which can be viewed in detail here.

Fancy moving and taking your job with you? If you’re a remote worker looking for a fresh start, Northwest Arkansas will pay you $10,000 to relocate there — and they’ll throw a free mountain bike into the deal. Similar to initiatives in Kansas, Vermont, Maine and Oklahoma, Arkansas is looking to boost its economy and reverse falling population trends by paying remote workers to move there. The Life Works Here initiative from Northwest Arkansas Council will give you $10,000 if you relocate. To qualify, you must be a non-Arkansas US resident at least 24 years old and be fully employed. You also must sign a rental lease or purchase a house. 

California Coronavirus Clamp Down and West Coast Worries

Some 94% of California’s population of nearly 40 million is moving back to the most restrictive level of Covid-19 guidelines due to a rapid uptick in cases, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced on Monday.

Disneyland and California Adventure are expected to stay closed through “at least the end of the first fiscal quarter,” Christine McCarthy, Disney’s senior executive vice president and chief financial officer, said on the company’s 4th Q. earnings call last week. That means March 31, 2021. California won’t allow theme parks to reopen until the county in which they’re located reaches yellow tier, the least restrictive of the state’s reopening guidelines. Even then, theme parks can only reopen at 25% capacity under the COVID-19 health and safety guidelines.

The governors of California, Oregon and Washington issued a joint coronavirus travel advisory on Friday urging people arriving to any of the three states to self-quarantine for 14 days. The West Coast states also advised people to avoid non-essential out-of-state travel.

Keeping Quiet in Vancouver

Destination B.C. has pressed pause, suspending all paid advertising and marketing for two weeks through Nov. 23. The Vancouver-based DMO said it hopes the decision to temporarily cease marketing the province will prevent the need for further travel restrictions. Destination B.C. added travel alert banners detailing the health order to its website and suggested all partner organizations and businesses should include messaging that B.C. residents should avoid non-essential travel to from and within Metro Vancouver.

Atlas Obscura Partnering with Nissan


The first installment of Rogue Routes, a five-part series of drive-in shows at unique locations around the country, kicked off this past weekend. Auto Mode was held in a field in Alliance, Nebraska, using Carhenge, the incredible art installation, as the backdrop.

The program was hosted by AO co-founder and USA Memory Champion Josh Foer, featuring a presentation by groundbreaking mixed media artist Swoon, followed by a rock concert by the genre-bending LA band Chicano Batman. Ariel Azoff, Head of Partnerships at Atlas Obscura says, “Rogue Routes is designed to be a way for people to experience wonder together, safely, at a time when we are forced to be distant from one another. It’s a program designed for the age of COVID-19, not in spite of it, because these days, having shared experiences is more meaningful than ever before.”

“Everyone Wants to Be in Their Mother’s Arms”

That’s quite a tagline for an airline. Remember now-bankrupt WOW Air? Turn that logo upside down and you get MOM Air. A new Icelandic airline looking to launch in March 2021 is all about Covid-free flights and a double-pronged mission: super-cheap flights for consumers and gender equality for staff. MOM Air says, “All in-flight services will be optional. Whether it’s food, reading material on board, charging for electronics, nets, luggage space, toilet paper, hand soap, choice of seats…” Routes are planned to connect Reykjavik to the USA (NYC, Boston, Wash., D.C), Toronto and European capitals.

The website reads like a joke.

Initial media reaction is that the whole thing is a marketing ploy. What do you think? An invitation-only press conference is planned for Nov. 18 following cancellation of an earlier one. (Clearly, they need help with the English-language website copy.)

Gone: Gemütlichkeit and Glühwein  

Despite being outdoor events, Europe’s famous traditional Christmas markets are being cancelled country-by-county. Among them, Germany‘s Nuremberg Christkindlesmarkt, dating back to 1628, was canceled for the first time since World War II. Austria has recently seen a sharp increase in new daily cases of coronavirus and the country is extending its complete lockdown through at least December 6. Meanwhile, 360tourist.net is doing virtual visits like this one of Charlottenburg Palace Christmas market in Berlin.

Staff

Laurie Jo Miller Farr, Editor
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