TRAVEL WISCONSIN NEWS
January 5, 2007
In this issue:
TOP STORIES
Holperin's Final Road Trip
A glance at the speedometer of the Department's state-owned Chrysler is a good indicator that Jim Holperin spent much of his years as Secretary on the road. Jim logged more than 122,000 miles during his time with Tourism. However, on January 3rd he will pack up his suitcase and make a final road trip back to his home in Eagle River. Governor Doyle announced Holperin's resignation in December. Spending more time with his family was the only consideration in his decision to leave the position with the Department or Tourism.
"Jim Holperin has been a great leader for the Department of Tourism and a key player in our effort to grow Wisconsin's economy," Governor Doyle said. "Even in difficult budget times, we've made it a priority to invest in, upgrade, and expand Wisconsin's tourism industry, and that has made an enormous difference."
Jim's tireless efforts to promote Wisconsin have left the tourism industry better than he found it. Department staff and many in the tourism industry will miss his leadership and dedication. An article in The Spooner Advocate does a nice job summing up Jim's commitment to Wisconsin's travel and hospitality industry. Read the article here.
As of this time, a new Secretary has not yet been announced by the Governor's Office. Deputy Secretary Sheree Dallas Branch will continue to oversee Department operations until a replacement is named.
Register
for 2007 Governor's Conference on Tourism
Online registration is now up and running for the March 4-6 Governor's Conference on Tourism at the Radisson Paper Valley Hotel in Appleton. Printed conference registration forms have been mailed or print one here. The deadline for Early Bird Registration is January 31.
This year's conference will emphasize the connection between tourism and the state's natural resources. Four keynote speakers, including Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., will present a full-range of topics ranging from sustainable tourism to customer service. Workshops will identify trends in eco-tourism and how the state might capitalize on this growing trend in travel and highlight the state's rich agricultural history and the potential of agri-tourism and cuisine-based marketing.
A number of lodging properties are available for overnight accommodations. See the list online or contact the Fox Cities Convention & Visitor Bureau at www.foxcities.org or 800/236-6338.
JEM Funding Changes on the Horizon
Beginning fiscal year 2008, applicants seeking funding in the events and sales promotion categories of the Joint Effort Marketing (JEM) program will be able to request a larger grant. The new limits are as follows:
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New Event, Existing Event and Sales Promotion projects can apply for up to $58,450 in JEM grant funding.
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One Time, One-of-a-Kind projects will be able to apply for up to $41,750 in JEM grant funding.
Destination Marketing grants will continue to be funded at a maximum amount of $40,000 ($10,000 per participating community). Applicants who choose to request larger grant amounts are required to finance larger matching contributions and demonstrate economic impact commensurate with the dollars requested. As a reminder, the state's fiscal year 2008 starts on July 1, 2007. Also, any applications received after May 1, 2007 will be reviewed in fiscal 2008.
Note: These increases depend upon official approval of Tourism's budget for FY2008. The rules governing the JEM program set award maximums for Sales Promotion, New, Existing and One Time event projects at a percentage of the joint effort marketing fiscal year budget. Any questions regarding the JEM program should go to Abbie Hill at 608-261-6272.
Adventures
in Culinary Tourism
The Department has partnered with Wisconsin Trails magazine to promote food-based travel in 2007. The magazine will write six editorials highlighting different culinary travel ideas around the state with a focus on local food. These editorials will be combined in six consecutive issues starting with January 2007 and then published into one volume to be distributed at the Welcome Centers. Read the first article about Madison's slow food movement that appeared in the January issue. The Department will develop print advertising to further brand Wisconsin as a culinary destination. See the first ad here.
In addition, the public relations team is writing a culinary release featuring cooking schools, top chefs, and some of the foods that Wisconsin's is best known for in the annual summer media kit. Welcome Centers are developing a special promotion called "Food Mood" that includes a "point of sale" piece that determines a traveler's mood and matches them with a local food and the place they can go to get it.
TRAVEL NEWS BRIEFS
Slight Delay for Travelwisconsin.com Launch
In order to adequately test the new site and provide sufficient time for Extranet partners to get acquainted with the new system, the launch for the redesigned travelwiscosnin.com has been delayed. Extranet partners can expect to see the new content management program released in mid-January and consumers can experience the new site online by end of the month. In the meantime, any Extranet or website questions should go to Linda Anderson or John Kuehl.
View the Department's Full Winter Campaign Online
The Department's winter ad campaign is already in full swing for the season. The television spots are available online in Quick Time and Windows Media Player to watch in their entirety. Newspaper and magazine print advertising are also available to view and download. The winter campaign incorporates flexibility in order to adjust advertising messages depending on snow conditions in the state. A campaign summary is also available online that details strategies, media placements, public relations tactics and online initiatives.
New Regions for Tourism Development Specialists
The Tourism Development Specialists regions have recently been re-mapped for improved efficiency. Kit Sorenson has added Marathon, Wood and Portage counties to his region. Will Christianson takes on responsibility for La Crosse and the Great River Road partnerships. Finally, Sarah Pischer will add Florence, Forest and Langlade counties to her roster. See the new map online.
"Where in Wisconsin" Featuring New Assortment of Cities This Spring
The Where in Wisconsin is Jessica? online game is in need of kid-friendly prizes from the following destinations on tap for the spring semester: Beloit, Boscobel, Dickeyville, Fort Atkinson, Lake Geneva, Lac du Flambeau, Mosinee, Prescott, Ripon, River Falls, Sun Prairie, West Bend, Washburn, Wauwatosa, and Wisconsin Dells. Prizes range from attraction passes for the student and their family to a basket of kid-friendly gifts from the area. If you have something to donate and enough for two winners, please contact Valeria Davis at 608-266-2147.
Chicago Media Marketplace Shows Off Wisconsin's Best
The November Chicago media event was a resounding success with 41 journalists in attendance including representatives from the Chicago Tribune, Daily Southtown, Chicago Sun Times, The Daily Herald and Journal & Topics newspapers; Time Out Chicago, North Shore, Ebony and Golf Chicago magazines; and, WFLD-TV Fox 32 and Univision radio. Several stories have already been secured as a result of the event. Based on the success of the event, future media marketplaces in L.A. or Minneapolis are being considered.
New Format for the Seasonal Event & Recreation Guides in the Works
The seasonal event and recreation guides are undergoing a makeover scheduled to debut sometime in 2008. One guide featuring the state's four seasons of activities and recreational opportunities will be published every other year. An "events" guide will be printed twice yearly. Separating the events into a stand-alone guide provides more opportunities to highlight special festivals, events and anniversaries through the use of sidebars and editorial features. Any questions about the state's tourism publications can be directed to Jim Bach at 608-266-1238.
Two Media Kits Scheduled for Updates
The Communications team has begun work on two media kits that will be distributed electronically to media outlets later this spring. The first is the 2007 Spring/Summer media kit, which will feature releases on religious pilgrimages, geological formations, gangster history, and top chefs/cooking schools. An update of the Meetings & Conventions media kit is also on tap and will feature releases on green meetings, golf, mixing work and pleasure and alternative meetings sites. If you have something that fits into one of these categories that you would like to be considered, please email Lisa Marshall with some brief information.
Upcoming Meetings
Governor's Council on Tourism: Wednesday, January 17 from 10am - 2pm. Department of Financial Institutions, 345 W. Washington Ave., 5th Floor Conference Room.
Marketing Committee Meeting: Wednesday, January 17 from 12:30pm - 3pm. Department of Financial Institutions, 345 W. Washington Ave., 5th Floor Conference Room.
Sports Marketing Committee Meeting: Wednesday, January 17 from 1pm - 3pm. Tourism Offices.
WISCONSIN IN THE SPOTLIGHT
Mark
DeCarlo, Big Wisconsin Fan
Mark DeCarlo, host of The Travel Channel's "Taste of America," is a big fan of all things Wisconsin including food and the UW-Badgers hockey team. DeCarlo and his team were in Wisconsin earlier this year filming a variety of segments to air in January. The January 6th show features chicken booyah and a Door County fish boil. A second show airing on January 16th will highlight morel mushroom hunting for a program that was shot in Green Bay.
"Mark is truly one of the nicest people you'll ever meet," said Communications Director Jerry Huffman. "He enjoys his time in Wisconsin and loves telling stories both about Wisconsin food and the folks in the travel industry."
"Taste of America" airs on The Travel Channel on Tuesday nights at 7:00 and 7:30pm.
Black Holocaust Museum in Black Diaspora Magazine
A wonderfully poignant feature on the Black Holocaust Museum graced the pages of the December issue of Black Diaspora. Our own Valeria Davis penned the article that came as a result of contacts made by Creative Marketing Resources during last year's New York City media event.
Golf Wisconsin License Plate Makes the News
WUWM (Milwaukee's NPR affiliate), Manitowoc's Herald Times Reporter, wispolitics.com, The Appleton Post Crescent, The Isthmus and Milwaukee TV stations, WISN and WITI, talked up the latest addition to the roster of specialty license plates that are available to Wisconsin vehicle owners. Seventy-five percent of the proceeds from the sale of the Golf Wisconsin license plate go towards supporting junior golf programs in cooperation with the Wisconsin PGA and the rest will be used by the Department of Tourism to promote the state as a golf destination. If you would like to order your very own Golf Wisconsin license plate, visit the DOT website for more information.
Deer Widows Gone Wild
The Department's pitch of spa and shopping girls getaways during deer hunting season received coverage on several Milwaukee morning news programs. Sheree Dallas Branch appeared on WITI-TV, while Boelter+Lincoln's Yanick Dahlhouse interviewed on WISN-TV.
Cheese Bowl I
Wisconsin's cheese industry received lots of media coverage in recent weeks as the competition between Wisconsin's and California's dairy industry heats up. Articles promoting Wisconsin's quality cheese products appeared in the Associated Press. The Department's Cheese Bowl I concept (currently undergoing planning) also landed on WISC-TV in Madison, WEAU-TV in Eau Claire, Milwaukee's WITI-TV and the Journal Sentinel.
Gem of a JEM
An article in the New York Times reviewed the Milwaukee Art Museum's Biedermeier exhibit, billed as the first major Biedermeier exhibition in North America and a recipient of a Joint Effort Marketing grant. The Milwaukee Art Museum was mentioned and director David Gordon quoted in a CNN.com article about how globalization and technology are changing the art world.
Articles from Recent Media Trips
Golf Punk magazine, a new high profile golf publication, ran a story on Brown Deer and Kohler golf courses in their September issue. The article was a result of a spring media trip coordinated by the Department of Tourism.
A recent media trip for four French journalists netted an article in the fall issue of Geo, a history magazine published in France. The article mentions La Crosse, Prairie du Chien and Trempeleau and details the journey of early French explorers into the once uncharted territory.
Prairie du Chien's quirky "Droppin' of the Carp" event was one of several Wisconsin New Year's Eve events featured in a Shepherd Express article titled, "Where to Pop the Cork." Read it here.
And the Award Goes to…
Ruth Goetz, former Tourism Development Specialist, received the 2006 WACVB Trailblazer Award for her role in promoting and advancing Wisconsin's tourism industry. Other recipients receiving awards at the November conference include Bayfield Chamber of Commerce & CVB for the Bayfield Fruit & Flower Orchards Marketing Campaign; Chippewa Valley CVB for Geocaching in the Chippewa Valley Campaign; Fox Cities CVB for the Wisconsin's Shopping Place Branding Campaign; Door County Visitors Bureau for the Explore the Door Video Podcast; and, Wisconsin Harbor Towns Association for Outstanding Partnership Initiative.
Creative Marketing Resources received the National Minority Supplier Development Council, Inc.'s highest award of "National Supplier of the Year" at their conference awards banquet in San Diego this fall. Creative Marketing Resources is the Department's advertising and public relations agency specializing in urban and minority marketing.
Golf Digest named Northern Bay Golf Resort "One of the Best New Courses Nationally" in their January issue. The 18-hole par 72 course was named the fourth best new public course in the nation with green fees over $75.
The Wisconsin Innkeepers Association (WIA) recognized several individuals in the hospitality industry at the Wisconsin Lodging Conference and Trade Show in October. Kirk Drusch, VP and General Manager of the Brookfield Suites Hotel & Convention Center, received the WIA 2006 Innkeeper of the Year Award.
The International Festival & Events Association (IFEA) recently honored the annual Holiday Folk Fair International with two awards in the association's annual awards competition. The event received the Silver Award for Best Educational Program and Bronze Award for Best Children's Programming.
MEDIA LEADS
Lois Friedland is looking for colorful multi-day, annual winter festivals in cold-weather locales. It's for her www.adventuretravel.about.com website and will remain on the site throughout the year.
Destination Fish, a new quarterly international fishing travel publication, launched in late 2006. Each edition will include features and departments of interest to anglers who enjoy traveling to destinations where family members can appreciate the ambiance and culture as well. Fishing lodges, resorts or destinations -- freshwater or saltwater - are encouraged to send their information and images to Kelly Braden, Associate Editor, at KJBraden1@aol.com.
TECHNOLOGY TIPS
4 Tips for Working with a Website Vendor
Note: This is the second article of a two-part Tech Tips series. The previous article "Four Tips for Choosing a Website Vendor" was published in the November 2006 Tech Tips.
Our last TWN article focused on choosing a good website vendor. This time, we'll discuss ways to help you work more efficiently with your new partner - in other words, how you can be a good client.
Please remember that your first project with any new vendor will always be your least efficient as far as time is concerned. Clients and vendors who have worked together over the years have built a level of trust with each other. They also have an understanding of their partner's communication structure that allows them to work more quickly than two organizations that have never completed a project together. It's wise to plan a little extra time for explaining things, and realizing you might have to go over a point again in the future.
1. Compile your resources.
You can work on this before you've even made a vendor selection. A good partner will want to get their hands on anything and everything you have that might be pertinent to a new website. There can never be too much information - printed materials, images, a b-roll catalog, and FTP passwords to your current site are all great starting points.
Also identify potential candidates that the vendor can contact and interview. This could be key stakeholders who can help explain your mission, background, or target audience from a unique perspective.
Any brand identity guidelines, such as logo or tagline usage rules, corporate fonts, color palettes, or manual of style preferences, is extremely valuable.
2. Mind the schedule.
Nothing is more useful to gauge project progression than a schedule. Tack it up where you'll see it every day. When a schedule is created, carefully review it to ensure you're able to hold up your end of the bargain. Do you need to sign off on a milestone on the 15th of next month? Verify you're not at a trade show or on vacation that week.
Make certain any presentations, which require your sign-off, include a period for revisions. This is a very common error in website scheduling. It's easy to plan a project schedule for a project that goes perfectly - unfortunately, there's no such thing as the perfect project.
Finally, don't be intimidated by Gantt charts. Gantt charts are a popular type of bar chart that illustrates a project schedule by comparing the duration of tasks against the progression of time. A dirty little secret of website project management is that Microsoft Project and its Gantt charts are much less useful tools than you'd expect. Microsoft Project is great for creating the initial schedule, but it's not ideal for managing smaller, nimble projects. If your vendor chooses to use a Gantt chart, be sure to orient yourself with it.
3. Don't reinvent the wheel.
There's seldom a need for customized application development if there is already software available that is built for the same task. Off-the-shelf software is almost always cheaper, more reliable/stable, more secure, and updated more frequently.
There are also standard web conventions that should be followed unless there is a compelling reason not to. For example, navigation is frequently in a column on the left and/or in a row at the top of the page. The designer building your site wants to use a wheel in the bottom right corner of the page because it will look "cool?" Wrong answer.
4. Beware of the impossible task.
Some programmers will block changes or ideas by claiming something is "too hard" or will take "too much time." They may disagree with the request, don't know how to perform the work or just not want to do it. Their technical abilities give them the perfect cover.
The best programmer I ever worked with said that anything is possible; it's just a question of resources. Since programmers are not typically the people you want making workflow or design decisions, you have a couple options:
Ask for specifics. There are certainly things which are prohibitively expensive, but hearing a task will "take too long" doesn't help you - get a ballpark range of hours, and more explanation. The answer you want to hear is, "We can do that, it will take about X amount of hours, and here are the reasons we think this isn't the best approach." Be prepared to dip your toe in the technical waters just a tiny bit. If you have access to an independent expert, get their opinion.
David Dickinson is the author of this two-part Tech Tips series on finding and working with a website vendor. Before joining Tourism, David project-managed dozens of websites for clients including Mattel, Rayovac, Target, and Trek. If you have questions about the article or need advice on finding and working with a website vendor, reach him at ddickinson@travelwisconsin.com.
MARKETING TIPS
Managing Your Crisis Before It Happens
Crisis management begins with preparation. While this statement may seem like an oxymoron, it's a time-tested approach. Companies that formulate a crisis communications plans before disaster strikes are much better off than those forced to make decisions that impact life and death (both human and organizational) while in the middle of the crisis.
The Wisconsin Department of Tourism is developing an overall crisis communications plan for the tourism industry, and sponsored a series of free crisis communications workshops around the state in late October and early November. Participants at those workshops learned some of the basic "dos and don'ts" of responding to a crisis response.
Information is instantaneous
We live in a world where information is relayed in minutes or even seconds after an event occurs. Cell phones (with cameras), personal video cameras, Internet news sites, blogs, and E-mail allow anyone to transmit information at any time. Lacking official and timely information from company sources, reporters facing strict deadlines may resort to other means to tell your story. Would you rather have an experienced company spokesperson speaking for you during a crisis, or a passerby seeking his or her 15 minutes of fame?
Here are a few key steps to use to jumpstart your crisis communications planning.
Step One: Brainstorm potential crises that could impact your business.
Some examples could be:
- An e-coli outbreak linked to your waterpark, pool or restaurant
- A natural gas explosion at your hotel or resort
- Important employee information stored on company computers is hacked into and identities stolen
- A fatal or near-fatal accident to an employee or customer on your premises
- A disaster taking place in a facility similar to yours in another state
Using key employees, develop a list of potential scenarios and corresponding response plans. Although there are a number of forms you can use to develop these scenarios and responses, all share the same elements: outlining the anticipated problem, its solutions and the protocol for specific operations communication flow. Additionally, you should develop pre-approved fact sheets and statements for the media (such as safety procedures employed by your organization).
Organizations should also consider whether it might need to temporarily operate from an off-site facility, and prepare the associated expenses. Finally, be sure a plan is in place for employees and customers to reach the crisis team leader at all times.
Step Two: Form a crisis management team, or CMT.
This team should be made of key decision-makers, such as top-level managers, and representatives of the legal, financial, human resources, and marketing or public relations departments. The CMT is charged with quickly assessing the crisis, ensuring that all procedures are followed, and directing all official response through a designating spokesperson and the release of official statements.
A contact sheet, containing names and phone numbers for all CMT members should be readily available to managers throughout your company. You wouldn't want to lose valuable time attempting to locate the home number of the company president on a Sunday night. Also, consider implementing a "call tree," with each person responsible for contacting the next person on the list when they receive a call announcing that the CMT has been mobilized. And, of course, have group e-mail lists for all CMT members.
Step Three: Develop a crisis communications plan.
It's important to recognize that your brainstorm session will not account for each and every scenario that could affect your company. Speed, accuracy and credibility are key to an effective response. Anticipate that the media will learn about the crisis minutes after it happens.
- Your media spokesperson should get to the media first.
- Gather all the facts.
- Don't embellish and don't be afraid to say 'I don't know.' But do take notes and be prepared with an answer at the next briefing, if at all possible.
- Show compassion, particularly if human life is impacted.
- Realize you are always "on the record." Stick with the facts and don't speculate.
- Correct mistakes as soon as you learn of them. If you misstate something, don't hesitate to correct it as soon as possible. Why impact your credibility or your company's credibility over a slip of the tongue?
Don't leave out physical considerations, such as a "war room" equipped with computers and phones for use by your CMT. You should also consider a location for news conferences and media briefings. Be prepared to handle media sessions at odd hours of the day. And don't forget your Web site for posting timely updates.
Step Four: Crisis Management Simulation.
Rehearse, rehearse, rehearse. Crisis management is serious business. You could face a crisis that severely impacts your company's financial well being, or even worse lead to loss of life. Why leave it all to chance? Also, set up a regular schedule--either annually or semi-annually--to review your plan and make sure your contact sheet has correct personnel/numbers, etc.
Crisis management is not an option. It's a must for any business that takes its commitment to its employees, customers, shareholders, and the general public seriously.