P E O P L E

Visit Casper has appointed Darren Rudloff as interim CEO. He had served as CEO of Visit Cheyenne for 20-plus years. Last year, Visit Casper contracted with his firm, Rudloff Solutions, on the development of a tourism master plan for Natrona County.

Louisville Tourism has promoted Stacey Yates to Chief Marketing Officer, a newly created position. She joined the organization in 2005 as Vice President of Marketing & Communications.

Candice Gibson has accepted a new position as Director, Brand & Marketing at Destination Vancouver. She joined the organization in 2002.

Michael D. Munn is now Community Engagement Liaison at Greater Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau. He joins from the Boston Convention Marketing Center where for 16+ years he served as Chief of Staff/Director of Business Development.

Visit San Antonio welcomes Janise Solitaire as the new Communications Manager. Founder of Create Culture Media LLC, she developed the city’s digital community resource, Black Focus Magazine.

Visit Mesa announces the promotion of Kimberly Scarborough to the role of Manager-Visitor Marketing. She joined the DMO in 2021.

Also at Visit Mesa, Zoey Shircel takes on the role of Associate Manager-Media Relations, having served on the communications team for two years.

San Diego Tourism Authority has announced the appointment of Kali Knaack, an experienced events manager, as Director of Events.

Meet Chicago Northwest has selected Amy Walgren as Partnership and Service Manager and Mark Bickler as a Sales Account Executive. Walgren’s background includes marketing roles at Walt Disney Resorts and Legoland Discovery Center. Bickler was previously with McCormick Place, Choose Chicago, and Freeman.

In California, Marciana Yeater, is the newest addition to Monterey County Convention & Visitors Bureau, joining the team as Marketing Coordinator. She is a recent college graduate.

Helen Marano is joining Longwoods International as Senior Vice President. Founder of the consultancy Marano Perspectives, she has previously served as Executive Vice President of the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) as well as over a decade as Director of the National Travel and Tourism Office of the United States.

Maria Pane has joined Miles Partnership as Media Coordinator. She joins from Butler County Convention & Visitors Bureau in Pennsylvania, where she was Digital Marketing Coordinator.

Katherine Peterson is the new Senior Social Media Manager at Paradise Advertising & Marketing. She had recently been with Discover Long Island.

Clare Robinson has been promoted to Projects Manager at Longwoods International. She joined the company as a Research Analyst following grad school in 2020.

Jennifer McKone is departing as the Social Media and Digital Marketing Manager at Experience Scottsdale following two years’ service. She is continuing her content work at Cloth & Flame, a Phoenix-based events company.

Kiana Lee is now with Herrmann Global as Director of Operations. She joins the firm’s leadership team following a national program director role with The Foundation for Financial Education.

R F P s

Washington State Department of Commerce is soliciting proposals from nonprofit organizations to develop an online “Tourism Academy.” The academy will provide DMOs, rural communities, tribal nations and tourism/hospitality-related small businesses in Washington State with the technical assistance, training, education and mentorship needed to recover and rebuild tourism-dependent economies. Deadline: Aug. 5, 2022.

The City of Kirkland, WA has issued an RFP to solicit proposals from qualified consultants to design, create, execute, manage, and report on a digital marketing and promotion strategy for Explore Kirkland. Details at visitkirklandwa.com, job no. 43-22-CMO. Deadline 2 p.m. PT on Aug. 15, 2022.

The Board of County Commissioners, Walton County, Florida, through the Walton County Tourist Development Council is seeking proposals from experienced and qualified public relations firms to develop and execute a national PR strategy to support the marketing of Walton County in Northwest Florida to consumer and travel trade in key U.S. markets. Contact: Purchasing Manager waljames@co.walton.fl.us / Deadline 3:30 p.m. ET on Aug. 18, 2022.

Southeast Tourism Society (STS) is seeking proposals from partner destinations to host two annual educational and networking events. Potential host destinations should pay particular attention to requested support from the host city and host state. The deadlines for submissions are indicated below:

• STS Domestic Showcase – Open dates for Winter 2024 and Winter 2025 – Submission deadline of August 15, 2022. Details for RFP
• STS Connections – Open dates for Fall 2023, Fall 2024, and Fall 2025 – Submission deadline of August 15, 2022.  Details for RFP

P L A C E S

Denver, Cincinnati, Nashville, Wash DC/Baltimore, Pasadena, Edmonton and Orlando didn’t make the cut. FIFA has named 16 North American cities in as hosts for the 2026 World Cup, June 8 through July 3, 2026.

EAST: Toronto (BMO Field); Boston (Gillette Stadium, Foxborough); Philadelphia (Lincoln Financial Field); Miami (Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens); and New York/New Jersey (MetLife Stadium.)

CENTRAL: Kansas City (Arrowhead Stadum); Dallas (AT&T Stadium); Atlanta (Mercedes Benz Stadium); Houston (NRG Stadium); Monterrey, Mexico (Estadio BBVA); Mexico City (Estadio Azteca).

WEST: Vancouver (BC Place); Seattle (Lumen Field); San Francisco (Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara); Los Angeles (SoFi Stadium, Inglewood); and Guadalajara, Mexico (Estadio Akron).

As part of the campaign “Your Massachusetts,” the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism (Executive Director Keiko Matsudo Orrall pictured left) has released several sample itineraries for regional travelers.partnered with ThinkArgus to release the Massachusetts Sports Trail, a curated thematic itinerary highlighting sports in the Bay State. Greater Boston, of course, has championship sports teams and Western Massachusetts celebrates the birthplace of two popular American sports—basketball and volleyball. Plus lots more nuggets of sports-related info: “Rich in sports history, it should be no surprise that sneaker companies Converse, New Balance, Puma, Reebok, and Saucony have headquarters in Massachusetts.” A mix of digital, radio, TV, and out-of-home ads are running through September 2022 in New York City, Albany NY, Burlington VT, Hartford CT, Portland ME, and Providence RI plus 160 regional Amtrak trains, 500 NYC taxis in and inside Grand Central Terminal.

Nevada will be the first state to have cannabis-infused food in lounges. The state has established regulations for the licensing and operation of cannabis consumption lounges, which are expected to begin opening by the end of the year or early next year. Although recreational cannabis use in Nevada has been legal since 2017, the state has only allowed for consumption at private residences. 

Experience Columbus has a new Accessibility Guide. The DMO consulted with Dr. Rosemarie Rossetti, a prominent disability inclusion expert, sho is a manual wheelchair user and an Experience Columbus ambassador. The guide provides details for mobility, vision, hearing, and cognition for a growing list of 20+ restaurants, hotels, and transportation options, reviewed and vetted by experts.

Seventy-seven neighborhoods…Choose Chicago has created a new locally focused campaign to encourage Chicagoans to explore around town. “Welcome to our Neighborhoods” was developed with the City of Chicago and agency partner FCB Chicago. The campaign is displayed primarily in-app and on mobile plus billboards and banners in-market through September.

The World’s 50 Best Restaurants have been crowned and only three in the USA made the list in 2022, two in New York City and one in the San Francisco Bay Area. See numbers 51-100 for another three in New York City, two in San Francisco, and one in Chicago.

Inflation paints a picture at America’s largest art museum, fourth-most visited in the world. The Metropolitan Museum of Art on Fifth Avenue, NYC, has increased its admission price from $25 to $30. Concessions are seniors $22 and students $17, and “pay as you wish” for New York State residents and students living in or attending school in New York, New Jersey, or Connecticut. Admission is free for members, patrons, and children under age 12. 

Got gas? The new, free 60-page 2022 California Road Trips Guide is out. Eight “Dream Drive” itineraries showcase sustainability and responsible travel throughout the Golden State. Each catchy-themed drive (Wine to Waves, SoCal Splurge, and Geek Guide, for example) is paired with a customized Spotify playlist.

MMGY NJF is now working with Visit SLO CAL in San Luis Obispo, a destination on California’s Central Coast halfway between San Francisco and Los Angeles. The PR agency also works with Visit California.

TURNER PR, a Fahlgren Mortine company, has picked up Tennessee Department of Tourist Development from July 1. The agency has also added Australia and Indiana to its roster of destination clients.

Maryland Department of Commerce Office of Tourism & Film has renewed Marriner Marketing Communications, an insights-driven branding and activation agency, as its Agency of Record following proposals from prospective vendors. Liz Fitzsimmons, Managing Director of the Office of Tourism & Film said, “Continuing our partnership with Marriner is unquestionably in the best interest of Maryland’s tourism industry.” Coming off a five-year relationship, the agency’s new five-year contract runs through June 2027. According to a press release, the state’s “Open” campaign in 2019 generated 123,000 incremental visitors from 53,500 incremental trips and $45.4 million in direct spending from incremental visitors resulting in $6.2 million in tax revenue. Overall, the campaign’s ROI was 31:1. 

The proposed Frontier merger with Spirit is off. Instead, JetBlue is acquiring Spirit for $3.8 billion. If approved, the merger creates the fifth-largest airline in the U.S., a low-cost challenger brand.

New Zealand has opened its borders for the first time since March 2020. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern described the final stage of reopening as an “enormous moment.”