Travel Planning Signature Series helps meeting planners with events on The Beaches of Fort Myers & Sanibel

Contacts:
Jackie MacKay (407) 814-0014 or (407) 496-1770
Nancy Hamilton (239) 338-3500

Innovative new marketing program features new Web site, vacation guide to assist meeting planners

LEE COUNTY, FL – In what may be the first approach of its kind in the meetings industry, the Lee County Visitor & Convention Bureau (VCB) has embarked on a Travel Planning Signature Series program that customizes marketing tools to facilitate meeting planners' needs and help them increase attendance to their events at the destination.

To create the program, the VCB, which promotes vacations and meetings on The Beaches of Fort Myers & Sanibel along the Gulf of Mexico in southwest Florida, conducted an extensive vacation planning tools study. It was designed to gain a better understanding of what consumers seek from information sources at various points in their decision-making process so that the VCB could optimize its vacation planning materials by linking content to changing consumer expectations during the decision-making cycle.

Results of the study, combined with feedback from meeting planners, helped the VCB create marketing materials that planners can use to do their jobs, including enticing visitation to the area for their meetings. Delivering what meeting attendees need is the key to successful attendance-building.

"One size doesn't fit all," said D.T. Minich, CDME, VCB executive director, in recently unveiling the new Web site and vacation guide as the launch elements of his destination's new Travel Planning Signature Series. "Our research clearly shows that visitors go through predictable planning stages, so we've designed a program to help fulfill meeting planners' needs. That includes assisting potential attendees in deciding whether to attend the meeting and what to do while on-site."

In response to its research findings, the VCB has created a robust mix of marketing materials that comprise the Travel Planning Signature Series, some of which meeting planners can use to meet their attendees' needs for destination information. The cornerstones of the program are a just-unveiled Web site and a vacation guide that mirrors traditional travel guidebooks found at bookstores, complete with insider tips; best bets; an illustrated timeline of the area's history; a glossary of key terms related to the destination; a subject index; suggestions for one-day mix-and-match vacation days; and even day trips to the nearby destinations of Sarasota, Naples, the Everglades and Key West.

The unique new vacation guide is the 14th guidebook written by Juliette Reynolds, a 15-year veteran of travel writing who researched The Beaches of Fort Myers & Sanibel book for 3½ years. At 5¼ by 8¼ inches, her 154-page digest-size guide is easily transportable as a trip planning resource.

Critical to meeting planners is a version of the new vacation guide that eliminates accommodations information and advertising so that planners can utilize the guide as a way to promote the destination to their atendees and entice meeting attendance. The VCB can provide planners with a supply of printed vacation guides at no charge, if they request them at www.FortMyersSanibelMeetings.com. An electronic version of the same vacation guide also is available to planners on the Web site.

"We've received repeated requests from meeting planners for marketing materials that do not include accommodations information or advertising," said Minich. "So we're one of the first destinations to produce a version of our vacation guide to meet that demand. We've been sensitive to the needs of planners who already have selected one or more host hotels and need to fill their room block."

In addition to the Web site and vacation guide, the Travel Planning Signature Series features two other marketing tools that the VCB is offering meeting planners to assist them in selling the destination to potential attendees. A destination overview brochure is a more general information piece that helps sell the destination to undecided attendees, and the VCB's official newspaper called Tradewinds also can be used to target attendees who haven't heard of the area or who haven't yet decided about their meeting attendance. Additionally, a special meeting planner version of Tradewinds is available to planners who wish to sign up to receive periodic updates about the destination, including hotel information, air service, spouse programs, team-building activities and more.

The new Web site, which includes an enhanced section for meeting planners, is designed to assist potential attendees in learning about the destination and in planning their trip once they've decided to participate in a meeting on The Beaches of Fort Myers & Sanibel.

One final element of the destination's customized program is a Paradise.calm e-newsletter, which is distributed periodically to past visitors who request it. At no charge, the VCB can customize this e-newsletter for a specific meeting to help drive attendance to the event.

The Lee County VCB repeatedly has been recognized for its innovative marketing programs for The Beaches of Fort Myers & Sanibel, including two prestigious Destiny Awards from the Travel Industry Association of America, one for a best destination marketing program and the other for an overall marketing campaign. In addition, the destination has been honored with 32 gold and 20 silver ADDYs on the local level, nine gold and nine silver ADDYs on the district level; one platinum, six gold, 21 silver and nine bronze awards from HSMAI; 22 Flagler awards; and one Webby award since 1998.

Meeting planners who need a supply of any of the Travel Planning Signature Series marketing materials can call toll-free (800) 237-6444 or www.FortMyersSanibelMeetings.com.

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EDITOR'S NOTE: The Beaches of Fort Myers & Sanibel include: Sanibel & Captiva islands, Fort Myers Beach, Fort Myers, Bonita Springs & Estero, Cape Coral, Pine Island, Boca Grande & Outer islands, North Fort Myers, Lehigh Acres. Images are available upon request.