TRAVEL WISCONSIN NEWS

October 4, 2004

In this issue:

Top Stories

Travel News Briefs

Travel Wisconsin News Features

TOP STORIES

Wisconsin Welcome: Keeping Wisconsin's Customer Service Top in the Midwest

The inaugural class of Wisconsin Welcome trainers just completed the first "train the trainer" session in September. Now, they are ready to conduct workshops for front-line travel and hospitality employees, some of which are scheduled to begin in November. The Department of Tourism partnered with the state's Technical College System to develop this new statewide customer service-training program designed for hospitality employees working at smaller and mid-size businesses.

The goal of Wisconsin Welcome is to offer travelers a higher level of customer service and professionalism by sharpening hospitality skills, showing employees how to deliver customer service, solving problems for business owners and conducting themselves as ambassadors not only for their employer, but also for their community and state.

The September "train the trainer" classes included staff members from various Convention & Visitor Bureaus and select technical colleges. Future "train the trainer" sessions are available Nov. 8 and in early 2005. These trainers are then prepared to conduct sessions for front line workers at chamber and CVB offices, local schools, or other locations convenient for business owners and their employees.

Wisconsin Welcome consists of a simple curriculum that can be taught to front line tourism employees in a day or two. Workshop topics focus on exceptional customer service, problem solving, professionalism, understanding what travelers want, telephone etiquette, and other skills that add value to a traveler's experience. Employees who complete the training would earn certificates and pins attesting to their achievement, or similar recognition.

For more information about Wisconsin Welcome and to sign up for "train the trainer" classes, call or email Molly Delaney at 608-266-2345.

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New! Partner with the Department at Select Consumer Shows 

The Department's Consumer Show program is excited to offer a new partnership opportunity to the industry. For a nominal fee, destination marketing organizations can now exhibit at the Department's consumer sport show booth on weekend dates (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday) at five key trade shows. These five show dates and markets have been highly successful for the Department and provide an opportunity to place travel materials in front of thousands of customers in key markets without having to make the financial and logistical investment of attending the entire show. Partnering organizations are asked to pay $100 per day and the Department will pay for all exhibit and show costs not to include the shipping and travel expenses incurred by the organization. Inquire soon to ensure your choice of show and date.

Partnering opportunities are available at the following shows:

Chicago Sport Show  January 14, 15, 16 
Indianapolis Sport Show  February 18, 19,20, 25, 26,27 
Madison Fishing Expo  February 25, 26,27 
Milwaukee Sport Show  March 11, 12, 13, 18,19,20 
Minneapolis Sport Show  April 1, 2, 3

Contact David Spiegelberg at 262-279-6856 for more details and specific partnering criteria.  View the Department's 2004-05 consumer show schedule. 

*Summer events (EAA AirVenture, Ducks Unlimited, and State Fair) remain open to the industry for participation at no cost.

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Register to Attend the First Wisconsin Arts Congress 

The Wisconsin Assembly For Local Arts, along with the Wisconsin Arts Board, has scheduled the first ever Wisconsin Arts Congress for October 12 in Madison. This full day event will give arts advocates, along with businesspeople, educators, elected officials and planners, an opportunity to develop a cohesive and comprehensive approach to maximizing arts involvement in all aspects of Wisconsin life including business, education, government and leisure. The conference offers keynote speakers, workshops and seminars plus an opportunity to network with other artists, arts organizations, volunteers, businesspeople, educators, elected officials, planners, and communities. Fee for the day is $75. Register online at visitmadison.com/registration.

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Wisconsin Bike Summit Scheduled for October 

The Bicycle Federation of Wisconsin is hosting the 2004 Wisconsin State Pedestrian and Bicycle Summit at UW-Stevens Point. This is the state's premier educational and networking event for transportation professionals, advocates, elected officials, and citizens who want to live in bicycle and pedestrian friendly environments. Among the many panel discussions, sessions will include Bike Planning in Seasonal Recreational Areas, the State of Mountain Biking in Wisconsin, Economic Impacts of Bicycling, and Building Multi-jurisdictional Trails. For more information and to register for the conference, visit www.bfw.org.

WISCONSIN IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Here are some recent media highlights of Wisconsin's travel and hospitality industry brought to you by the Communications team:

  • The "Where in Wisconsin is Jessica Doyle" program kicked off with a news conference aboard the S/V Denis Sullivan last month resulting in stories broadcast on Milwaukee's WTMJ-TV, WVTV and WNOV-FM radio. The first week of the game, over 500 kids submitted answers. In addition, 38 newspapers, a radio station, and one TV station will carry the weekly clues. 

  • Golf Wisconsin closed out its first season with a September women's clinic in Milwaukee that drew 50 participants and major media coverage from Fox 6, WISN radio and Journal Sentinel's Gary D'Amato. 

  • In national newspapers, the Washington Post did a feature story on the Ice Age Trail highlighting Wisconsin stops along the trail including the Dalles of the St. Croix River, Kettle Moraine, Horicon Marsh, Holy Hill, Devil's Lake and Mill Bluff. In other national news, New York Daily News showcased favorite Lake Superior trips with information and images supplied by the Department's PR agency. 

  • National magazine coverage hit all corners of the state in the last few weeks. Endless Vacations featured an article on Door County written by Patricia Fettig. House on the Rock, the National Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame and the Milwaukee Art Museum scored big in a recent issue of Arthur Frommer's Budget Travel Magazine. 

  • The Badger State's fall colors garnered news coverage on WLS-TV in Chicago, as well as WMTV and WISC in Madison and WREX in Rockford. Regional print stories on fall travel in Wisconsin appeared in the St. Louis Post Dispatch, Appleton Post Crescent, Manitowoc Daily Herald, Chicago's Daily Southtown, Kenosha Daily News and the Lee Newspaper chain. Vacations magazine fall color story utilized state photos and information. 

  • A media event arranged by the Department and Boelter+Lincoln at a Packers pre-season game netted a nice article about the Lambeau Field experience in the Wisconsin State Journal. 

  • Door County received online exposure with images supplied by the Department on Sandra Scott's "Trips and Journeys" Web site. 

  • Finally, the Communications staff helped arrange a live BBC interview with organizers of the U.S. Watermelon Seed Spitting and Eating Championships.

 

Travel News Briefs

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See the Department's Fall Campaign Online 

The Department of Tourism's expanded fall marketing campaign is in full swing. Samples of print ads and television spots are available online for you to view. Check it out! 

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National Endowment for the Humanities Grants Available 

The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) is offering challenge grants to help institutions and organizations secure long-term improvements in and support for their humanities programs and resources. Museums, public libraries, and historical sites all qualify for this challenge grant. Deadlines for 2004 are just around the corner. For guidelines, click here. 

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New Faces in the Department 

LuAnn Stibb just joined the Department as a Tourism Information Assistant in the Madison Call Center in June. She was most recently employed at the State Personnel Commission. Julie Tracy, a long-time limited term employee in the Wisconsin Travel Information Center - Beloit, has recently been hired as a permanent Tourism Information Assistant. Valeria Davis also joined the Department in August as the newest member of the Communications team. She was most recently employed as a reporter for the Wisconsin State Journal.

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Deck the Executive Residence with Tourism Ornaments 

One of the holiday trees at the Executive Residence will be devoted to Wisconsin's travel and hospitality industry. If you have an ornament that reflects your area or destination and have one to donate, contact Molly Delaney in the Secretary's Office. Ornaments used on the tree will receive a listing in the brochure. Questions? Call Molly Delaney at 608-266-2345.

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Amtrak® Promotion Making Fall Color Touring More Accessible 

This fall, travelers can purchase a "Wisconsin Stopover Ticket" from Amtrak®, which allows them to disembark the train as many times as they like. This provides a unique opportunity to see the autumn sights in a variety of Wisconsin towns between Chicago and Minneapolis. The "Wisconsin Stopover Ticket" is on sale now and is good for travel on the Empire Builder and Hiawatha Service trains from September 7 through December 16, 2004. Wisconsin stops include Milwaukee, Wisconsin Dells, Columbus, Portage, Tomah and La Crosse. Ticket price is $75 each way. For more information, visit www.amtrak.com or call 800-USA-RAIL.

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JEM Grants Generate Estimated $27 Million in 2004 

Joint Effort Marketing (JEM) projects awarded in fiscal year 2004 (July 2003- June 2004) are expected to generate an estimated $27 million in traveler spending for Wisconsin communities. Fifty projects were funded in 2004 and received $1.15 million in grants from the Department. View or print a list of funded projects. 

The program continues to offer the state a large return on the investment by producing considerable tourism spending, creating employment opportunities and generating tax revenues. To be funded, projects must demonstrate that they will generate an increase in visitors and make a positive economic impact in the local area. The advertising plan must be consistent with the current statewide marketing plan and target markets beyond the local area.

To take advantage of the JEM program or for more information, contact Abbie Hill at 608/261-6272. Application materials are also available online.

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Travelwisconsin.com Continues to be a "Hit" 

Knowledgeable Internet users are still logging onto travelwisconsin.com in record numbers this year. In the first six months of the year, user sessions rose 16.5 percent over the same time last year. The success of the site has much to do with its robust nature and the participation of Wisconsin's travel and hospitality industry, which provides much of the dynamic content.

Research from Travel Industry Association of America (TIA) shows that travelers researching their options online have grown 500 percent in six year. The Department is taking advantage of this trend by providing customers with electronic versions of publications including the Wisconsin Official Travel Guide and the Fall Sampler. The electronic guides also saves taxpayer dollars. Since placing the e-guide on the site in April, around 12,000 people have accessed the guide, saving the department $38,000 in printing and mailing the guide to these same customers.

Another new initiative to travelwisconsin.com this year included a special 'Golf Wisconsin' micro-site to build off the presence of the PGA Championship. The Department is currently working on expanding content on popular travel activities including biking, birding, RVing and camping.

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WACVB Fall Conference Scheduled for Nov 11-12 

There's still time to register for the WACVB Fall Conference at RacineNearly 200 tourism industry representatives will gather at the Racine Marriott November 11 and 12, 2004 for the tenth annual Wisconsin Fall Tourism Convention to learn ways to stay competitive in today's tourism economy.  For more information on the fall convention, visit www.escapetowisconsin.com/fallconvention.

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Upcoming Tourism Council and Committee Meetings

Tourism Council Meeting 

Oct 15, 10:00 am to 2:00pm 

Department of Tourism Offices in the First Floor Conference Room

 

Marketing Committee 

October 27, 10:00am to 2:00pm 

Department of Tourism Offices

 

Meetings and Conventions Committee 

October 29, 12:00 to 2:00pm 

Department of Tourism Offices

Media Leads

  • A new publication that is exclusively Wisconsin sports just hit the newsstands. Inside Wisconsin Sports magazine premiered in September and monthly issues will start in December. The publication will be available by subscription and at grocery stores and bookstores around the state. Editorial materials and story ideas can be sent to Christine McFadzen, RB Publishing, 2901 International Lane, Suite 200, Madison, WI 53704.

  • Scotland golf travel writer David J. Whyte welcomes invitations to golf destinations throughout North America. He is a regular contributor to Golf Links, Golf Monthly, Golf Digest, Golf Journal and other publications in the UK, Europe, and North America. He's also contributed to several books including 500 World's Greatest Golf Holes. Contact him at 23 Parkhill Place, Kittiemuir DD8 4TA Scotland, 44 1575 574515, djwhyte@sol.co.uk.

  • Shoreline Creations Ltd., publisher of Group Tour Magazine, has announced a new publication that will offer travel news updates, itineraries, and articles on destinations and attractions with a student focus. Published three times a year, Student Group Tour Magazine will premiere January 2005 with an initial circulation of 15,000 educators, youth group leaders, and group travel professionals. Each issue will feature a regional format for easy reference. For more information, visit www.GroupTour.com. Send releases to 2465 112th Ave, Holland, MI 49424 or e-mail aris@grouptour.com.

MARKETING TIPS: Reaching Reporters Via E-Mail

Just as e-mail has become routine in business communication, it has also become an accepted way for many journalists to receive PR materials. However, effective e-mail releases and pitches can't just be electronic versions of the standard documents. Here are some tips on how to maximize your chances for success with journalists through e-mail.

Sell it in your subject line. This is your first, and in some cases, only chance to pique a reporter's interest. Make your subject line brief, catchy and to the point. (Five words or less is ideal, since that is what most e-mail programs display in the in-box.)

Put contact info at the end. In all forms of e-communications, it is crucial to get to the point as quickly as possible. Put anything that gets in the way of the headline and lead to the end of the release.

Keep the lead to two sentences - or less. The same rule of thumb applies here - get to your point right away. Anything more than two sentences will lose them.

Write less formally. E-mail is a very personal medium. Therefore, pitch letters and releases should be casual and conversational.

Make it short. Ideally your release shouldn't fill more than one screen. You can always link to your website for more information.

Use bullets. Bullets, subheads and paragraph headings make for easy scanning…and thus improve the chances for pick-up.

Don't use attachments. The reporter is already online, so make it easy for them to follow up. Include your e-mail address, a link to your Web site and a phone number.

Don't send it to the entire address book. Your "to" line should just show the person receiving the e-mail, not the entire list.

Don't alert the spam filters. Many media outlets use standard spam filters. While their filtering criteria may differ somewhat, certain key words and phrases will trip the alerts in virtually all of them. Avoid excessive capitalization; exclamation points; HTML backgrounds or embedded graphics; multiple "cc:" names; and toll-free numbers.

As always, it is advisable to customize your pitch letters and releases for each specific media target. For more suggestions on how to make your e-mail pitch letters and releases more effective, visit http://wyliecomm.com/.

Technology Tips: Well Designed Landing Pages Translate To Higher Conversions

 As Web usage continues to increase, more organizations are investing in elaborate online sweepstakes, Web site banner ads and "e-blast" promotional offers. However, smart e-marketers know that the success of these efforts often lies as much in the design and content of their back-end "landing pages" as in the graphic appeal or offer on the initial banner or page. Unfortunately, landing pages (the screen a user "lands" on after clicking on a banner ad or promotional offer) are often created as an afterthought - and it shows. More often than not, they fail to convert page visits into actual contest entries or brochure orders - the bottom-line statistics by which most online promotions are evaluated.

Here are a few suggestions for marketers looking to increase those conversion rates by developing well-organized and visually compelling landing sites.

Start with the Landing Page 

Remember that getting visitors to the landing page and converting their visit to entries is the ultimate goal of any program, so consider starting the creative process with the landing site. No one would start creating ads for a product before it is even created, so why develop ways to promote a page before it exists? Once it is designed, then move on to creating integrated banner ads and direct e-mail campaigns to support it.

A recent Wisconsin Department of Tourism's direct e-mailing aimed at converting mailing-address only consumers into e-newsletter subscribers illustrates the effectiveness of this approach. Using the chance to win a Tundra Lodge getaway package as an incentive, the Department developed the mailing and landing pages simultaneously, using clean, simple layout and "woodsy" graphic design to reflect the prize. Thanks to this cohesive, integrated design approach, more than 80 percent of the users who reached the landing page clicked through and signed up.

Keep it Simple, Stupid 

One of the most common mistakes in designing landing pages takes place when e-marketers see it as a way to bombard the audience with additional information about their products and services. Keep it simple. Reiterate the offer that attracted the audience in the first place and give them the opportunity to register. Additional information and links to the home page can be offered on the "Thank You" page once the visitors have had the opportunity to act on the offer.

 

Consider Tailored Landing Pages

It is common to create tailored banner ads when reaching out to multiple audiences, but what about creating tailored landing pages? Individual landing pages for different audiences have a number of advantages over having just one blanket landing page. As mentioned before, landing pages and banner ads should work together, incorporating a common look and theme. As different banner ads are tailored to the audience, so should the destination that ad is taking them to. Another advantage of multiple landing pages is their ability to help marketers track which audiences are responding to the offer, helping to tailor future promotions and media vehicle choices.

Well planned and designed landing pages take a little work, but can be the difference between gaining a customer and turning off your audience with wasted clicks.

Travel Tracker: Retiring Baby Boomers 

The next generation of retiring 60 year olds will be vastly different in their leisure pursuits than the previous generation. Two recent papers examine this active group of retirees, their favorite activities and preferences.

National Recreation & Park Association Research 

In the October 2002 issue of Parks and Recreation (National Recreation & Park Association) an article by Jeffrey Ziegler "Recreating retirement: How will baby boomers reshape leisure in their 60s?"1 states that some social scientists and leisure professionals say that the 76 million Americans born between 1946 and 1964 (Wisconsin is home to 1.6 million boomers) will be more appropriately known not as boomers, but as "zoomers" as they pass 60 years of age and alter society's concept of retirement. The article goes on to state that boomers view retirement as only a "mid-life" event. A survey conducted by Del Webb Communities and the Morrison Institute of Public Policy found that boomers moving into planned retirement communities intend to work part-time, change careers or start new businesses. They may be more logically ready to recreate than to retire.

At a time when boomers were entering elementary school, President John Kennedy initiated the President's Council on Physical Fitness. "Phy. Ed." and recreation became a part of the school curriculum and boomers will remain dedicated to health, wellness and exercise. Mr. Ziegler states that Boomers will reinvent, on their own terms, what being a 65-year-old means.

Boomers work hard, play hard and spend hard, and enjoy the outdoors, which can be seen by the popularity of parks, green spaces and trail systems. This is evident in the 2002-2003 In Market Study conducted by the Department of Tourism. When asked to list the primary reason(s) for choosing a particular destination, outdoor activities ranked in the top three responses for Wisconsin's baby boomers. Boomer-aged homebuyers, when looking at retirement communities, favor those with trails for walking, hiking, biking and now, in-line skating and rock climbing are being added to their list of favorite outdoor activities.

Boomers are fixated with all things youthful and according to this article; they indicate that they feel 10 years younger than their chronological age. They will attempt to separate themselves from any signs or symbols that connect them to being old, activities such as bridge, bingo, or shuffleboard. Boomers will maintain their interest in arts and entertainment however, in a format different from their parents. Music has played a large part in the lives of all generations; ballroom dancing was a way of life for the World War II and Korean War generation but not for the boomer generation. Boomers have been concertgoers since their teenage years and could possibly view ballroom or square dancing as "senior citizen" types of recreation. As long as the likes of Mick Jagger, Bob Dylan and Paul McCartney can get on stage, boomers will fill the arena seats.

Yankelovich MONITOR® Perspective on Boomers 

The Nautilus Group (a health/fitness company) commissioned a paper by Yankelovich Partners, Inc. entitled Yankelovich MONITOR® Perspective on Boomers (May 2002)2. According to this paper, boomers have re-written the rules for living at each life stage they encountered. They are leaving the traditional image of "middle age" in the dust, participating in activities deemed inappropriate for their age. Boomers define middle age, on average, at 67. More Boomers indicate "staying active as a major challenge facing most people over age 55 today." Over three-fourths of the boomers feel the need to get more pleasure out of life and 60% think there is too much emphasis on accomplishment and not enough on pleasure for its own sake.

According to Yankelovich, boomers are not content with simple R&R - 67% would welcome more novelty and change in their lives. A variety of sports are extremely or very desirable as vacation activities among boomers. These activities include getting exercise, hiking & outdoor adventure, participation in water sports, snorkeling/scuba diving, whitewater rafting, a hotel that offers health and wellness programs, bicycling, snow skiing, golf, mountain biking, snowboarding, and playing tennis. Finding the time to participate in these activities will prove difficult since many are still contending with children, grandchildren caring for elderly relatives and work.

TV viewing has decreased but continues to command more of their time than radio or print vehicles. Internet usage, on the other hand, has risen and logging on is a daily behavior for 61% of online boomers. Four in ten shop for produces and services online and about one-third purchase online.

This article concludes that boomers are likely to be attracted to leisure pursuits that coincides with their basic goals: reinforcing their sense of themselves as youthful individuals, exploring their own creativity, experimenting with new experiences, giving themselves permission to "chill," and forgetting some obligations without guilt. _________________________________________

1. For the complete article, visit http://www.nrpa.org/, October 2002 issue of P&R.

2.  To see a copy of the complete paper by Yankelovich Partners, visit  http://www.nautilusgroup.com/pressroom/index.asp

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