Let me start with a special shout-out and thanks for those who contributed to the success of our annual Governor’s Conference on Tourism!

It is fair to conclude the conference was a great success. Many people have contributed in many ways to make the annual event run smoothly; to feature timely and interesting presentations; and to provide a great atmosphere for discussion and networking.

I’d like to extend congratulations to all of the tourism award recipients and our Hall of Fame inductee, Johnny Morris. Your contributions to the tourism industry are rightfully acknowledged and we’re grateful for all you do – and have done – for this important industry in Missouri. We are honored to work alongside you as we continue to make Missouri one of the leading destinations in the U.S.

I owe much gratitude to the MDT site-selection team of Barb Glover and Lori Simms for selecting the Renaissance at the

Whether you work at a CVB or at an agency, you likely receive a steady stream of calls and emails from media partners offering all

manner of proposals to help you reach your target audience. Often it can be a

challenge to evaluate proposals, especially when they offer a variety of elements. When contemplating which opportunities are the best fit for you, here are some of the main considerations to investigate: Request Written Proposals

Phone calls, webinars and face-to-face meetings are all terrific for introductions and general capability presentations, but when it comes to evaluating or committing to media opportunities, be sure to request the full details in writing so you make notes and ask questions about a specific proposal and not in the context of things that may be possible. Focus on the Details

Whether it’s about the size and composition of an audience, the timeline for the media execution, the costs and the data that support it, be sure to ask all of your questions and get all of the answers. It’s ultimately this information which serves as the basis for your analysis. Remember the Goal

Does the opportunity reach your target audience and fit in with your strategy? How you will determine

The Monthly Newsletter of the Missouri Division of Tourism

The Travel VanH&L Partners

Your guests might be finished for the next few months, but there’s no rest for the weary tourism marketer. The off season is a great time to re-evaluate and refocus in order to bring in even more

business through your

online marketing efforts next year.

Polish your paid search. Pausing paid-search campaigns is a great option for any business that experiences seasonal ebbs and flows in its search traffic. Consider scaling back so you can save your budget for when it’s realistically going to offer returns -- just make sure you give your campaigns plenty of time to ramp back up before peak season. This is an ideal time to complete a comprehensive keyword audit to inform your budget going forward.

Another way to capitalize on paid search during the off season involves going after a different audience. “Staycations” are on the rise -- adjusted keywords, reworded ad copy and use of geo-targeting can help you reach people looking for things to do in their own backyards.

Perform site maintenance. Not the most attractive agenda item, but certainly an important one. A professional-looking website with an impeccable user experience can make the difference when travelers are choosing between you and your competitor. Update your imagery. Check for broken links and other technical errors. Eliminate useless and redundant content and redirect any outdated links. Review your analytics to identify -- and resolve -- potential roadblocks to your traffic.Although these are considerations you should be making regularly throughout the year, now that you

Director’s Message

SteadyRainDigital Clarity

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October/November 2014

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Nov. 10-13, 2014TEAMS ConferenceLas Vegas, Nev.

Jan. 10-13, 2015ABA MarketplaceSt. Louis, Mo.

Jan. 18-22, 2015Travel ExchangeNew Orleans, La.

March 13-22, 2015South by Southwest (SXSW)Austin, Texas

April 14-16, 2015African American Travel ConferenceMerrillville, Ind.

May 5-6, 2015Missouri Bank Travel ExchangeKansas City, Mo.

May 30-June 3, 2015IPWOrlando, Fla.

June 7-9, 2015MACVB Annual ConferenceLake of the Ozarks, Mo.

Coming Events

success? Also, you’ll want to ensure all the elements of the opportunity enhance what you are trying to accomplish; if there are portions of the package you don’t want, like or need, then ask to replace them. This is the time to focus on partnership with the vendor. It’s in their best interest to make the execution a success, so don’t set it up to fail by accepting packages that aren’t completely in line with your objectives. Evaluate the Audience

Determine how much of a premium the vendor is asking for. The harder

the audience is to reach, the more expensive it will be to reach them. There may be fewer people who take multiple leisure trips a year, but it might be worth increased costs to reach them. Calculate the Value

Evaluate cost-per-thousand for any given opportunity and compare it to what you are currently paying for other properties in the same medium. For example, if you’re offered a radio package including online banners and event sponsorship with signage and tickets, but the most valuable portion of the package is radio; then compare the cost-per-thousand to

what you are paying for radio spots in the same market. Create the Right Message

The final step in any opportunity is confirming you have the right message and marketing to support the media execution. You may have found the right audience, but do you have the right message to deliver to them? Whether it’s television, radio, out-of-home or digital, you may need to create custom messaging or custom sizing as you discover how nuanced the media opportunity is. Finding the audience is only half the job; now that you have found them … what are you telling them?

have a bit more free time on your hands, you can give them extra attention and make sure you’re not missing any opportunities to improve your guests’ online experiences.

Go mobile. If you don’t have a mobile site yet, well, what are you waiting for? More and more people are viewing the Internet on smartphones and other mobile devices -- especially when looking for information while far from home. Give your guests-on-the-go something exciting to come back to next season by developing a mobile site or even a mobile app while things are slow.

Stay social. Stay visible by developing a content plan to keep fans engaged year-round. Build hype by curating content shared by previous guests, offering exclusive deals and encouraging early booking for peak-season events.

Focus on SEO. Perhaps the most important thing to keep in mind: while there may be an off season for your tourism business, search engine ranking never takes a holiday. Neglecting this aspect of your business could hurt your rankings later in the year, when it really counts. Use this time to fine-tune your keyword list, build links and create evergreen content.

The Travel VanContinued

Digital Clarity Continued

We strongly encourage you to join more than 200 of your industry colleagues who have attended free eLearningUniversity online marketing webinars presented by some of the leading experts in tourism marketing. The Missouri Division of Tourism has underwritten this opportunity for you or any member of your tourism community to reap the

benefits of this exceptional educational program. Click here to obtain a username and password and register, then go to www.elearningu.com and choose your first marketing course. Using the coupon code VisitMO allows you free access any time (24/7) to more than 70 recorded courses and participation in a live webinar every Thursday from 1-2 p.m.

MDT Offers Industry Online Learning Opportunity

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Airport as the venue. Thanks to the hotel staff for their professional excellence in taking care of our needs and for providing high- quality catering to include the fabulous ice carvings at our awards banquet.

Kudos to the MDT Steering Committee and partners with the St. Louis CVC and the Gateway PGA for the pre-event Forest Park and Museums tours and the Fourth Annual Missouri Golf Day. Both were well attended and well- received.

Also, I owe a major thank you to all sponsors – including our tradeshow exhibitors – for their generosity and interest in the conference. A special thank-you goes to SteadyRain for hosting an unforgettable and creative welcome reception at The Pageant. This event will be hard to top.

Special thanks to the MDT staff, including our St. Louis Welcome Center professionals, for assisting in registering participants, interacting with them and answering questions, organizing various aspects of the conference, to include catering, logistics and accommodations. Cyndi Morris Sapp, Pam Ebbinghaus, David Parkhurst, Brittney Mormann, Mary Oberreither and Tracy Johnson are gratefully acknowledged.

Ben Yarnell, Barbara Brueggeman, Scott McCullough and Stephen Foutes were very helpful with original ideas, photography and coordination with audio visual presentations, public relations, scriptwriting and overall logistics of the run of show. Dee Ann McKinney, Dan Lennon, Kelly Gettinger, Lori Simms, and Andrea Sporcic monitored and facilitated workshops and provided overall strategic advice on the steering

committee.

Our creative team of H&L Partners designed the logo, program booklet, and worked with the MDT team (and our partners at the Department of Economic Development) to enhance the conference website. I hope you agree the contents of the website succeeded in building a logical structure with user-friendly registration procedures. If you disagree, please let us know and we will work to improve the process.

On behalf of all conference organizers and attendees, a special thanks is owed to the speakers who joined us this year. We will know if

they are meeting your expectations once after-event surveys are completed and results compiled. Be sure to give us your honest assessment, because this conference “takes a village” to organize and run effectively. If we are not meeting your professional needs, we need to adjust future events.

Finally, a big thank-you to our attendees. We appreciate your participation, helpful input and being a part of many fruitful discussions and professional interactions. We look forward to seeing you next October at Lodge of Four Seasons at the Lake of the Ozarks.

Director’s Message Continued

Got a news item for us to include next month? Send details and contact info to: Mary.Oberreither@ded.mo.gov