When the “Orlando Makes Me Smile” international advertising campaign was unveiled in 2009 by the Orlando/Orange County Convention & Visitors Bureau, its relative shelf life was unknown. While the campaign used traditional tactics — print and broadcast advertising, direct marketing and promotions — it also made a huge push into social media, which proved to be quite an innovation. And a great way to extend the Orlando brand to the nexus between real life and the digital world.

That effort materialized as 67 Days of Smiles, a one-of-a-kind promotion that lasted from August through November of last year. Kyle Post and Stacey Doornbos, two longtime friends from New York City, beat hundreds of applicants to win the prize — spending 67 days, the length of time estimated to experience all the attractions in the destination, exploring Orlando’s entertainment options. They experienced a marathon of theme park, cultural and attraction visits and then shared their daily adventures with a global audience via a blog, Facebook, Flickr, TripAdvisor, Twitter and YouTube, as well as traditional media interviews. The program generated worldwide publicity with an advertising equivalency of $3 million, approximately 30 times its overall budget.

In 2010, "smile ambassadors" Post and Doornbos are back for more. Much more. The pair recently took off on a nearly six-month global journey as the hosts of Orlando’s World Smile Search. The adventure seeks to locate 67 smiling people who will win a vacation to the destination. Winners will gather in Orlando for World Smile Day on Oct. 1 to attempt to set a record for the most people smiling at the same time for the Guinness World Records.

Melissa Rycroft of The Bachelor and Joey Fatone of *NSYNC and Dancing with the Stars joined Post and Doornbos in April at New York City’s Madison Square Park to launch Orlando’s World Smile Search. Hundreds of fans stopped by the event to enter the contest, and four people won on the spot. Some future winners will be selected from stories or videos of people telling how Orlando makes them smile, submitted at www.VisitOrlando.com/smile. Others will be chosen by Post and Doornbos themselves, as they visit cities throughout North America and Europe through Sept. 6 — including Chicago, London, Toronto and Miami — to encourage smile-story submissions.

“I love watching people smile when they talk about Orlando, whether they have ever been here or not,” says Gary Sain, president and CEO of the Orlando/Orange County CVB. “Orlando smiles are created by unique and distinctive experiences that cannot be duplicated anywhere else on the planet. We thought it would be fun for people to share what it is about the destination that personally brings that smile to their face and then bring people from around the world together to share an authentic Orlando-smile experience.”

Part of that sharing includes raising $16,750, the amount needed to provide 67 corrective surgeries for children with cleft lips and palates through The Smile Train. The global nonprofit organization is the leading charity funding cleft surgery for children from poor families. In its 10-year history, The Smile Train has helped more than 580,000 kids.

“We are thrilled to be part of such a fun and worthwhile campaign,” comments DeLois Greenwood, vice president of The Smile Train. “We are so grateful to the Orlando/Orange County CVB for supporting us. So many people take for granted the simple act of smiling — something the children that we help are unable to do. For only $250 and in less than 45 minutes, Smile Train truly gives children a second chance at life.”

For those who want to follow Post and Doornbos as they award vacations and spread the Orlando smile message, check for updates on Twitter.com/SmileSearch and Facebook.com/VisitOrlando. You can also get your friends and family involved with Orlando’s World Smile Search by going to www.VisitOrlando.com/smile, where they can submit their smile story or video, and even make a donation to The Smile Train. Orlando-area residents are invited to attend World Smile Day on Oct. 1 for the record-breaking attempt.

Editor's note: To learn more about how Orlando markets the destination to global leisure and business travelers, go to www.VisitOrlando.com/cvb.

Local restaurants such as The Capital Grille have caught the attention of visitors.

Orlando restaurants play a starring role in attracting visitors to the region.

One of the many cascading effects of Central Florida’s robust travel and tourism industry has been an abundance of dining options available for both regional residents and global visitors. Though it took Orlando three decades to develop the culinary depth the destination now displays, it is timely and duly noted.

On any given evening, guests can dine at exclusive national restaurant brands such as Morton’s The Steakhouse, Ruth’s Chris Steak House and The Capital Grille. Unique establishments that can only be found in Orlando — like The Ravenous Pig and The Vines Grille & Wine Bar — entertain crowds of hungry foodies. There’s even a neighborhood just north of downtown Orlando, “Mills 50,” with more than a dozen Vietnamese restaurants and numerous Asian specialty grocery stores selling everything from tea to live fish.

The connection between tourism and dining has long been a mutually beneficial relationship in Orlando. Along with the opening of theme parks, attractions and resort hotels, a skilled workforce of chefs and kitchen support staff was employed to run the numerous on- and off-site restaurants that were built to cater to leisure and business travelers.

Over time, visitation increased dramatically to the destination and a diverse influx of additional residents — from across the United States as well as throughout the world — began to call Central Florida home. More restaurants, from corporate chains to local culinary establishments, opened to meet this demand. International eateries also soared during this period, serving cuisine from just about anywhere on the planet. The resulting Orlando dining infrastructure is impressive by any standard.

“Orlando has evolved into a true culinary hot spot, with award-winning restaurants and celebrity chefs that serve guests from across the globe,” says Gary C. Sain, president and CEO of the Orlando/Orange County Convention & Visitors Bureau. “Yet, sometimes the perception, especially among business travelers, is that the destination only offers family-style buffets and fast food. We want to make sure visitors also know that Orlando provides plenty of fine-dining options as well.”

When Orlando recently landed NPE2012 and NPE2015, the next two industry tradeshows produced by SPI: The Plastics Trade Association, it was a major win for the destination. However, one concern initially expressed by the tradeshow’s executive committee during the negotiations was the perception that Orlando lacked a variety of high-end restaurants to satisfy the projected 60,000 attendees and exhibitors during each event. Faced with this challenge, an innovative approach was used to immediately dispel this misperception. Former Orlando Sentinel food critic and now blogger Scott Joseph was dispatched with Orlando/Orange County CVB staff to Chicago and spoke directly with committee members. Joseph quickly convinced the committee that Orlando was, indeed, a true culinary destination, with the eateries, awards and master sommeliers to prove it.

In fact, with restaurant-centric areas like Pointe Orlando on International Drive and Restaurant Row on Sand Lake Road — both within close proximity to the Orange County Convention Center — the destination has greatly increased its appeal to meeting attendees, because dining is the top entertainment activity among this group. Getting this message across to corporate executives, who generally make the final decision in many organizations regarding where an event is held, has become a priority for the Orlando/Orange County CVB in its efforts to secure more tradeshows and conventions.

“A strong overall dining component and, in particular, fine dining, is crucial for Orlando in being able to book a disproportionate share of these large shows like NPE2012,” Sain contends. “We have a truly great culinary story to tell, and that’s why we’re currently leveraging some of our convention advertising resources to make sure it connects and resonates with the executive audience.”

With Orlando-based Darden Restaurants’ portfolio now including two fine-dining concepts, as well as Ruth’s Hospitality Group also calling the region home, the culinary evidence is stacking up. Add to the menu the literally thousands of unique local bistros, resort restaurants and the international cuisine that is available across the destination, and Orlando is a great location to share a meeting and a meal.

September's Savor and Save

One of the best ways for visitors and locals to sample the depth and diversity of the destination’s culinary offerings is during Orlando Magical Dining Month in September. In its fifth year, the dining promotion features Central Florida restaurants that present a special prix-fixe three-course menu throughout the month. The 75 restaurants that participated in the 2009 promotion donated $1 to the Arnold Palmer Medical Center Foundation for each Magical Dining meal purchased, raising nearly $16,000. Visit www.OrlandoMagicalDining.com for highlights of this past year’s program.

Editor's note: To learn more about how Orlando markets the destination to global leisure and business travelers, go to www.VisitOrlando.com/cvb.

The International Pow Wow 2010, taking place in Orlando at the Orange County Convention Center on May 15-19, is anything but a run-of-the-mill tradeshow.

The marathon five-day business meeting and networking session brings together approximately 5,000 professionals and media from 70 countries that represent the global travel trade. It might not be destination’s largest gathering, but the show collects international buyers and sellers under one roof, making it one of the most influential. And the deals do flow — more than $3.5 billion in future domestic travel business is typically booked during Pow Wow. It also provides Orlando, which last hosted the event in 2006, with a prime opportunity to showcase the destination to an international audience.

While the U.S. Travel Association produces the annual Pow Wow show, the Orlando/Orange County Convention & Visitors Bureau and VISIT FLORIDA play the role of both host and destination guide to attendees and media.

“We’re extremely excited about the return of the International Pow Wow to Orlando this year,” comments Gary Sain, president and CEO of the Orlando/Orange County CVB. “The show itself is one of the industry’s premier events, with billions of dollars of global travel business literally being carved out in just a few days. And as the Pow Wow host, we’ll help make sure attendees are thoroughly inspired by the Orlando experience and help make them brand ambassadors for the destination.”

A series of high-profile evening events presented by three of Orlando's world-class resorts — Disney,  Universal and SeaWorld® Orlando — offers Pow Wow delegates ideal networking time and a chance to sample some of the newer local products and experiences firsthand. Since many attractions and rides have opened since Pow Wow was last held in town, those events serve as a not-so-subtle reminder to keep the destination top-of-mind for international customers.

Additionally, the Orlando/Orange County CVB produces a series of sightseeing tours for attendees and separate activities for the media that is present during Pow Wow. The half-day outings typically focus on a specific aspect of the destination that might not get as much attention as the theme parks and attractions, such as shopping, dining, outdoor adventure, downtown Orlando, or arts and cultural events. This is particularly important for international journalists who may not be aware or as familiar with some of Orlando’s less traditional entertainment options.

“Our theme park partners, the Orange County Convention Center and VISIT FLORIDA have ensured that Pow Wow attendees will be treated to the very best that the destination offers to business and leisure travelers,” says Sain. “Between Orlando’s fun but productive business environment and some of the international travel legislation that was recently passed, I am hopeful Pow Wow will generate the level of enthusiasm and excitement the buyers and sellers are expecting.”

Congress’ recent passing of the Travel Promotion Act, and President Obama’s subsequent signing of the bill into law several days later, will likely be a topic of conversation. The legislation includes funding for a public-private domestic travel promotions program, as well as efforts to better communicate domestic security policies to foreign visitors. The U.S. travel industry has generally been in favor of the bill because it's anticipated to attract an additional 1.6 million international visitors to the United States and create more than $4 billion in annual consumer spending. If anything, Pow Wow 2010 will reinforce the bill’s intent and help gauge the presumed favorable response from the international travel community.

Editor's note: To learn more about how Orlando markets the destination to global leisure and business travelers, go to www.VisitOrlando.com/cvb.

Spring finds Orlando in seasonal transition — not quite tropical but with plenty of warm temperatures and sunny skies, especially as compared to the rest of the country.

Beautiful weather aside, a pair of recent industry professional studies suggests business and leisure travel to the destination is beginning to recover. Both the meeting planner and travel trade groups that were polled in separate surveys ranked Orlando as the top location to book travel to this year.

According to the METROPOLL XIII survey, corporate and association meeting planners across the United States named Orlando as the overall convention site of choice for a host of compelling reasons. The survey also found that more planners intend to hold a meeting in Orlando than any other North American location during the next three years. The biannual study, conducted by Gerard Murphy & Associates since 1983, polls a large sample of industry professionals to determine the way major meeting destinations are selected, as well as the perceptions or reputations of each. The survey covered 40 cities, including Atlanta, Chicago, Las Vegas, San Diego, San Francisco and Washington, D.C.

Among the additional rankings for Orlando: first overall as a convention destination; the No. 1 destination among corporate meeting planners; in the top 10 on 15 out of 25 travel destination attributes; first for 15 of the 21 convention center attributes.

“It’s rewarding and quite an honor to be recognized by nationwide meeting professionals with such high marks and praise,” comments Gary Sain, president and CEO of the Orlando/Orange County Convention & Visitors Bureau. “Our entire meetings community has come together and worked tirelessly for many years to earn the respect and trust as a top meetings destination. This recognition of our efforts, along with [those of] our incredible hotel partners, the Orange County Convention Center team and the rest of the destination service providers, in delivering the highest-quality meetings experience at a good value, is validation that we are making a positive, discernible difference in the meetings industry.”

Of the more than 60 total attributes covered in the METROPOLL survey, Orlando received the most top rankings regarding the Orange County Convention Center and its related services. These included convention center reputation, easy-to-work-with labor crews, Internet and audiovisual facilities, banquet and food service, access to nearby hotels, sufficient exhibit space, reasonable exhibit setup and service costs, and adequate seating for large sessions.

Plus, industry perceptions of leisure travel — what made Orlando famous to begin with — hasn’t gone unnoticed. After seven years at the No. 2 slot, Orlando was ranked as the top domestic destination being booked, according to the annual Travel Leaders Survey. More than 500 leaders, owners, managers and industry experts were polled throughout the United States during the final weeks of 2009 regarding travel trends for the upcoming year. Las Vegas previously held the top ranking from 2003 though 2009.

“[Orlando’s] landing at number one shows the remarkable resiliency [and] strength in family-oriented destinations,” says Roger E. Block, president of Travel Leaders Franchise Group. “Overall bookings are starting to trend higher, optimism is definitely on the rise and a significant number of leisure travelers are taking advantage of current hotel prices and ‘trading up’ to more luxurious accommodations, which are all good signs.”
While forecasts for visitation during 2010 vary, these industry research insights bode well for Orlando. At the very least, travel professionals are thinking about, and discussing, Orlando’s positive qualities with colleagues and, more importantly, clients. And that’s always a good thing.

Editor’s note: To learn more about the way Orlando markets the destination to global meeting, convention and trade show groups, go to www.VisitOrlando.com/cvb.

“Plastics.”

Ever since Mr. McGuire uttered that single word in the 1967 film “The Graduate,” the world has never been quite the same. Think about it. The plastics industry is everywhere, literally. Cups. Computers. Cars. And now Orlando.

NPE2012 and NPE2015, the next two installments of a mega plastics tradeshow, will take place at the Orange County Convention Center. The show is a tri-annual event produced by SPI: The Plastics Trade Association. More than 64,000 industry representatives registered for NPE2006 and 44,000 visitors were estimated to have attended NPE2009.

Overnight, NPE has become the destination’s second-largest tradeshow, outsized only by the International Homebuilders’ Show, which drew 92,000 attendees during the 2008 event in Orlando. Yet, what makes this an even bigger deal is that the international exposition has been held at McCormick Place in Chicago since 1971. Nearly 40 years later, Orlando has the opportunity to become NPE’s new home for many decades to come.

Bringing the tradeshow to Orlando was a true team effort between the Orlando/Orange County Convention & Visitors and the convention center, with additional support from the Metro Orlando Economic Development Commission and the Central Florida Hospitality & Lodging Association, as well as community leaders including Orange County Major Richard Crotty and county commissioner Tiffany Moore Russell. The combined regional economic impact for the 2012 and 2015 tradeshows is projected to be approximately $200 million, based on projected attendance and spending figures.

“Landing NPE is an outstanding opportunity for the destination, and it is a strong validation of the value and service we provide to meetings and conventions,” comments Gary Sain, president and CEO of the Orlando/Orange County CVB. “While other cities in our competitive set, like Atlanta, Chicago and Las Vegas, each have their own unique strengths, Orlando’s cost-saving opportunities, innovative offerings and continued commitment to high levels of service won out.”

The reduction in expenses for both attendees and exhibitors — a subsequent study revealed the move could save the plastics industry nearly $20 million — was one of the prime motivators for the switch. From on-site hauling and labor expenses to travel and lodging, Orlando proved to be a great value for the tradeshow’s attendees and exhibitors.

Other factors were in play, too. The convention center, the second-largest convention facility in the country, was a key element in being able to provide the functional assets that were required for the NPE’s enormous exhibit space and electrical needs; NPE is the largest tradeshow based on weight density and power drawn by equipment operating on the floor. The destination’s selection of hotels that are available at a wide range of price points, with nearly 11,000 rooms within walking distance of the convention center, was another asset that worked in Orlando’s favor.

“Orlando also was the clear winner with customer service,” says William Carteaux, president and CEO of SPI. “At the end of the day, Team Orlando won the bid because of its team and community effort, professionalism, dedication to service, partnership mindset — we’re not just a customer — and innovative spirit. Orlando truly made the discernible difference.”

With the win of the plastics show, Orlando is seemingly on a roll. The thinking, apparently, now is that if a large, well-established tradeshow is motivated enough to leave a destination after almost four decades, why can’t others? In early December, for instance, Lucasfilm Ltd. announced it was holding the 2010 Star Wars Celebration V event at the convention center, another first for Orlando. Attendance for the Star Wars Celebration has fluctuated between 12,000 and 29,000 visitors since its inception in 1999.

Those are just two recent examples of the conventions and tradeshows that have been secured by the Orlando/Orange County CVB convention Sales team, in partnership with the convention center. During 2009, more than 1.4 million future attendees, with a $1.5 billion in economic impact to the regional community, were booked into the destination by the Orlando/Orange County CVB. With these ongoing victories, maybe the force really is in Orlando.

Editor’s note: To learn more about how Orlando markets the destination to global meeting, convention and tradeshow groups, visit www.orlandoinfo.com/cvb.

Orlando rolls out a new sales approach to attract citywide conventions.

Agile has become the popular description for organizations that successfully navigate and respond to both positive and negative market forces. The reference is especially applicable for groups within the business travel industry that have adapted their sales and marketing strategies to deal with the declining attendee visitation Orlando is currently experiencing.

With attendance at the Orange County Convention Center down 15 percent through September, compared to the same period last year, the opportunity to improve this performance has never been more critical.

In response, the Orlando/Orange County Conventions & Visitors Bureau recently announced a multifaceted vision for a new meetings and conventions sales approach that is designed to expand its sales reach and deliver enhanced value and partnership to customers and the industry at large. “Roadmap 2010” involves a series of changes beginning in late 2009 to impact future sales efforts.

Those changes include:

* Promoting Tammi Runzler from vice president, convention sales and services, to senior vice president, convention sales and services, to oversee the organization’s worldwide meeting, convention and trade show sales.

* Creating a senior vice president of strategic sales and industry relations position, located in Washington, D.C., or Chicago, responsible for long-term citywide sales and industry relations with key strategic partners.

* Hiring longtime Marriott sales director Ken Barnett as director, corporate accounts development. The position is focused on new citywide corporate business development and enhanced visibility within this overall market.

* Partnering with the Orange County Convention Center on an integrated citywide sales force pilot program to streamline client interfacing with the destination and to support increased convention business development for the convention center and the destination.

* Developing an industry white paper on the future direction of the meetings industry, as a result of recent economic and political pressures, with insights into the changing attitudes of meetings’ professionals.

* Producing an annual educational series of seminars designed for meetings professionals.

“We’re reinventing how we sell and service the convention district as it expands with new hotel and entertainment offerings, and as the global meetings and conventions industry continues to rapidly evolve,” comments Gary Sain, president and CEO of the Orlando CVB. “Our ‘Roadmap’ allows us to more fully capitalize on all sales opportunities while delivering our clients the best value and service available anywhere in the country.”

Runzler will colead the integrated sales teams with Yulita Osuba, senior director, sales and marketing, for the Orange County Convention Center. The combined sales force includes 10 account managers from the Orlando CVB and seven from the convention center, making it one of the largest destination sales forces in the country focused on citywide conventions. The integrated sales force has its offices at the convention center.

The move streamlines the proposal process, enhances communications and reduces duplicative efforts, as well as provides a central location for planning and servicing meetings, conventions and trade shows. This shared vision and mutual cooperation with community and industry partners is a good example of the destination working together in real time to rebuild and expand Orlando’s citywide convention business.

“The new structure allows us to work faster, smarter and more efficiently,” says Tom Ackert, executive director of the Orange County Convention Center. “This combined ‘dream team’ is something planners have asked for, and we’re thrilled to now have the capability to more effectively cross-sell our products and services.”

While the convention sales force aggressively pursues future bookings, the marketing strategy to engage relevant audiences has shifted to keep pace. Reaching meeting planners in a variety of industries — such as medical, insurance, sports, technology and retail — is still the focus. Yet, another segment has joined the mix — C-level executives, those who make the definitive “go” or “no-go” decision on the location of a meeting. A campaign targeting C-level executives on the value and affordability of business travel to Orlando is currently under way.

Rather than continuing with the same plan and expecting different results, the Orlando CVB, along with its partnership with the Orange County Convention Center, is adjusting to the realities of the current economy. With the newly integrated sales force and additional marketing push, Orlando is well positioned to win a disproportionate share of domestic meetings and conventions.

Editor’s note: To learn more about the way Orlando markets the destination to global meeting, convention and trade show groups, visit www.orlandoinfo.com/cvb.

A new study underscores the way business travel generates “profit” for companies that make the investment.

The past year has been understandably hard on the tourism and travel industry, both locally in Central Florida and domestically across the country. Within the leisure travel space, economic uncertainty — combined with consumers’ limited access to credit lines and their high unemployment rates — has forced many American families to cancel or curtail vacation plans.

This was a somewhat foreseeable result of the national and subsequent global recession. What was not initially clear was the way business travel would be affected by events, perceptions and changing attitudes.

Call it the “AIG effect.” Call it politics. Call it perception. Or call it media scrutiny. But business travel made headlines this year, and much of it concerned its relative value in the wake of the financial sector’s near collapse. Should companies spend money, taxpayer subsidized or not, to send employees to face-to-face meetings, conventions and trade shows held in cities throughout the country?

Some in the debate have been especially critical of locations perceived as leisure destinations, mainly Las Vegas and Orlando. The controversy reached a peak when it was suggested during the spring that numerous federal government agencies were prohibiting travel to certain destinations. Again, Las Vegas and Orlando.

With many industry leaders increasingly being forced to defend business travel, which represents a sizable chunk of the local economy in many destinations, including Orlando, a study to quantify its value was commissioned by the U.S. Travel Association. The research brief, entitled “The Return on Investment of U.S. Business Travel,” prepared by Oxford Economics USA, underscored the direct revenues that business meetings generate.

Big revenues.

According to the study, for every dollar a company spends on business travel, it receives an average of $12.50 in increased revenue and $3.80 in new profits. The results of this collective analysis show a robust and irrefutable relationship between a company’s investment in business travel — including internal meetings, trade shows, conferences, incentive trips and sales — and its profitability.

“Locally, more than 400,000 jobs are supported by the travel industry, with $30 billion of visitor spending impacting the Orlando community, of which $6 billion is contributed by business travel,” says Gary Sain, president and CEO of the Orlando/Orange County Convention & Visitors Bureau Inc. “However, until now there has never been a study demonstrating the clear correlation between business travel and profitability.”

The study also highlighted the tangible, negative consequences that directly affect the bottom line of organizations that tightly restrict travel.

Curbing business travel can actually reduce a company’s profits for years. The average American business would forfeit 17 percent of its profits in the first year of eliminating business travel, and would take more than three years for profits to recover. Both executives and business travelers estimated that 28 percent of current business would be lost without in-person meetings.

Among the study’s other chief findings:

• More than half of business travelers stated that 5 to 20 percent of their company’s new customers had come as the result of trade show participation.
• Executives stated that in order to achieve the same effect as incentive travel, an employee’s total base compensation would need to be increased by 8.5 percent.
• Executives and business travelers estimate that in-person meetings convert roughly 40 percent of prospective customers to new customers, compared to 16 percent without such meetings.
• A $1 million increase in government travel spending will increase government worker productivity, and therefore output, between $4.6 million and $6.3 million.

“If we don’t use the facts to tell our story, it could mean not only the loss of meetings for our destination, but jobs too,” says Sain. “This is especially important to Orlando because the recently expanded meetings and convention infrastructure, like some of the new hotel properties, require meeting attendees to keep our economy moving. Meeting face to face is a critical economic stimulus, both nationally and locally.”

Despite some of these challenges, the Orlando CVB has been successful at booking meetings into the destination: 44 future conventions and shows were recently confirmed at the Orange County Convention Center. These shows, which were booked from March through June of this year, represent an estimated 478,000 attendees with an approximate economic impact of more than $569 million.

Although 2010 is predicted to be a continued struggle for business travel, as the global economy begins to stabilize, Orlando is intent on snagging a disproportionate share of meetings and conventions.

Editor’s note: To learn more about the way business travel assists in revenue generation, visit www.orlandoinfo.com/cvb.

Think the sale of Orlando as a travel destination merely happens without a plan?

Think again.

Consider the work of the Orlando/Orange County Convention & Visitors Bureau Inc., which globally brands and markets Orlando as the premier leisure and business travel destination.A lot has happened during the 25 years since the Orlando CVB opened its doors in 1984. The destination welcomed 48.9 million visitors in 2008 — an increase of 0.3 percent over 2007 — who generated approximately $30 billion in annual regional economic impact. And tourism is now Central Florida’s top employer and economic engine, with one in four residents working directly or indirectly in the industry, with total annual earnings of $17 billion.

Indeed, the Orlando CVB takes its mission seriously as the brand ambassador of the destination. The organization, a Section 501(c)(6) trade association with more than 1,200 members, is governed by a board of directors that includes representatives from the tourism industry, local community organizations, Orange County and the city of Orlando. In addition to its sales and marketing functions that focus on increasing domestic and international travel to the destination, the Orlando CVB has taken a leadership role in community involvement, such as actively promoting Orlando’s arts and cultural assets.

Domestic Leisure Marketing

During 2008, more than 35.3 million domestic leisure travelers headed to Orlando, representing 72 percent of total visitation. The Orlando CVB has developed separate marketing programs and advertising campaigns that not only reach the target leisure audience of families, but also develop newer markets such as seniors, girlfriend getaways and couples.

An example is the current Orlando Makes Me Smile campaign, which debuted earlier this year. The brand-retail effort captures the emotional connection and relationship fostering associated with an Orlando vacation. This fall, the campaign is reaching consumers through two complementary elements: Orlando Free-for-Fall and 67 Days of Smiles. Orlando Free-for-Fall provides visitors with a wide range of “Buy One, Get One Free” deals at www.VisitOrlando.com/FallDeals. Meanwhile, the 67 Days of Smiles promotion recently selected two people, longtime friends Kyle Post and Stacey Doornbos of New York City, to experience Orlando’s more than 100 attractions and then share their daily adventures with a global audience via social media outlets like Facebook and Twitter, as well as news interviews.

Meetings and Conventions Marketing

While Orlando is duly noted as the top-ranked family vacation destination, what may be less known is that it’s also a major player for meetings, conventions and trade shows. With Orlando competing directly only with Las Vegas and Chicago, more than 10.2 million business travelers — or 21 percent of total visitation — arrived here during 2008. A marketing campaign, called Where Creative Minds Meet, was created last year by the Orlando CVB, tapping into creativity as a way to set the destination apart from its competitors. The effort positions Orlando’s new and existing infrastructure, distinctive dining and shopping options, as well as its uniquely creative atmosphere as being influenced by the innovative spirit of the destination.

With the economic downturn continuing in 2009, some corporations, associations and government groups have canceled their meetings in Orlando and other destinations, whether based on actual budget constraints or public perceptions regarding travel. The Orlando CVB is now including additional messaging within the Where Creative Minds Meet campaign that also positions Orlando as an affordable and accessible location to hold a meeting or convention.

International Marketing

The 3.4 million international guests that traveled to Orlando in 2008, a 7 percent slice of overall visitor volume, are highly prized because they tend to spend more on average than U.S. residents while on vacation. Though the United Kingdom leads with 959,000 visitors, followed closely by Canada at 940,000, travelers arrive in Orlando from all over the globe. This includes Germany, Japan and especially Latin American countries like Argentina, Brazil, Mexico and Colombia.

The Orlando CVB maintains pressure on these markets throughout the year. Cooperative marketing efforts were launched earlier this year in the United Kingdom and Canada, including television advertising partnerships and publicity programs. Extra attention is also being paid to Latin America during 2009. An integrated mix of co-op advertising programs, promotions, in-country consumer publicity, trade show presence, press trips, media missions and travel agent training is being utilized to drive visitation from Argentina, Brazil, Colombia and Mexico.

Editor’s note: To learn more about the way the destination is globally marketed to domestic and international travelers, visit www.orlandoinfo.com/cvb.

The Orlando/Orange County CVB keeps up the pressure to book more medical meetings. The outlook is healthy.

On Sept. 18, 2008, the Orlando/Orange County Convention & Visitors Bureau Inc. hosted more than 100 community and business leaders at the inaugural Orlando Medical Meetings & Tourism Summit. It was the first such local forum on ways to market Central Florida as the leading medical meetings destination.

During the summit, a consensus was reached to focus on building a brand platform as well as developing an overall plan to pull in an even greater share of medical meetings.

Good timing.

As the Orlando/Orange County CVB begins to gain momentum on some of the initiatives set forth by the summit a year ago, other factors are stacking up in the destination’s favor. According to a recent study conducted by the Healthcare Convention & Exhibitors Association, Orlando hosted more medical meetings in 2008 than any other domestic destination — 225 meetings, representing 173,000 attendees and providing $111 million in visitor spending. Additionally, while the recent economic downturn has seen a decrease in Orlando meetings by certain segments, like corporate and government, medical groups remain mostly unaffected.

“Medical meetings continue to remain a strong market for Orlando, considering the weakened economy and the stepped-up competition from other destinations,” says Gary Sain, president and CEO of the Orlando CVB. “We’re ramping up our efforts to capture a disproportional share of these meetings while taking advantage of the opportunities we are being afforded due to some of the destination’s new and upcoming medical assets.”

The Orlando CVB has begun to implement some of the initiatives discussed at the summit and provided by subsequent feedback from attendees. It recently deployed two regional convention sales representatives to focus solely on the pharmaceutical and medical meetings market, a first for the organization. Branding collateral has been developed with assistance from the marketing professionals who represent Orlando’s medical community. And several familiarization tours of the destination, known in the travel industry as “FAMs,” have been set up specifically for groups of medical meeting planners.

Additionally, key medical meeting professionals will convene for the Orlando CVB’s inaugural Medical Advisory Board meeting Oct. 22-24. Planners were selected for this two-year commitment to help position Orlando as the ideal destination for the medical meetings. The event will provide them an opportunity to brainstorm with other planners during breakout sessions that will focus on some of the challenges in today’s meeting climate.

“The Medical Advisory Board is a great opportunity to hear from industry professionals on how to make Orlando even more appealing for medical meetings, short and long term,” explains Sain. “Combined with our branding program and directsales plan, we’re certainly on the right path to leverage our assets and hopefully book more meetings.”

Of course, no discussion about medical meetings in Orlando could take place without acknowledging the current medical community, as well as the upcoming research facilities that will be located at Lake Nona. Orlando’s existing network of highly regarded hospitals and clinics, such as Florida Hospital and Orlando Health, has long been a draw for key medical groups. And the more than 150 biotechnology and life science companies that call Orlando home also increase the destination’s appeal to meeting planners.

Nothing, however, has quite prepared the destination for the potential increase of medical meeting bookings more than the opening of the Lake Nona Science and Technology Park, also known as the “medical city.” Located in southeast Orange County, the 600-acre complex will offer education, research and treatment facilities. Tenants will include the Burnham Institute for Medical Research, the University of Central Florida College of Medicine, the University of Florida research facility, the Orlando VA Medical Center, the Nemours Children’s Hospital and Research Campus, and the M.D. Anderson Orlando Cancer Research Institute.

While the medical city’s infrastructure continues to take shape, its mere potential, as well as the destination’s ongoing sales and marketing efforts, suggest an even healthier future for medical meetings in Orlando.

To learn more about Orlando’s 2009 destination branding and marketing programs, visit www.orlandoinfo.com/cvb.