IdeaLink- September 2011

Halloween and Christmas Campaigns in the works

We're excited to share that – on the heels of last year’s successful launch of “A Lancaster County Christmas” -- we are launching a second holiday promotion for Halloween with a $115,000 electronic media campaign airing in the HLLY (Harrisburg-Lancaster-Lebanon-York) and Philadelphia markets from October 10-30.

This destination offers an abundance of family-friendly activities underscoring the fun of Halloween, along with a few scarier events for the more daring visitor! Building our image as a premier Halloween destination will, we believe, enable us to grow visitation during September and October each year. 

The TV campaign will be supported by a web presence touting “A Lancaster County Halloween”, to include events, promotions and great offers on overnight stays, as well as PR and social media vehicles to ensure an effective campaign. Among those e-tools will be our TravelGuide e-newsletter sent to 170,000 interested consumers, and a CouponClipper.com e-blast being sent next week to nearly 50,000 individuals in our key markets.

This will be the 2nd year for our “A Lancaster County Christmas” promotion and we will once again be supporting our efforts to brand Lancaster as a premier Christmas destination with a TV ad campaign, airing during November and December. Like the Halloween campaign, we will be investing $115,000 in this effort.

How you can help:

1. Please consider including our “Lancaster County Halloween” and “Lancaster County Christmas” logos and copy in your e-blasts and on your website. Click here to download both the graphics and the copy.

2. We are working hard to grow our already robust online events calendar with Halloween and Christmas/Holiday events. If you’re aware of events we haven’t included, please let us know or simply add it online. While our efforts surrounding promotion of “A Lancaster County Christmas” are based on the traditions of this destination, we continue to welcome visitors from all faiths and are eager to highlight events from all communities.

3. Please take a look at our web pages for A Lancaster County Halloween and A Lancaster County Christmas and let us know if we’ve missed anything. Contact Brian Evans, 391-6007.
 

U.S. travel outlook: Examining current industry trends

Dr. Suzanne Cook, U.S. Travel Association
As we head into autumn -- when nature begins its annual decline and braces itself for winter's cold -- the forecast for the travel industry reflects chillier days ahead as well. The retreating economy has experts warning of the risk of renewed recession amidst slowing GDP growth, stagnant job and payroll numbers, declining earnings, and near-anemic consumer confidence. Despite the gloomy outlook, the hotel industry's ongoing recovery seems relatively undeterred, while U.S. leisure travel also continues to increase, albeit slowly. As the seasons change, so do trends in travel-from post-9/11 aviation security to shifting consumer demographics to new mobile technology. More 
 

Fall schedule of [free] customer service training is now available

Back by popular demand, we will once again be offering our three customer service training programs and introducing one new program! Check the times and dates below, and be sure to email or call Cheryl Deaven with your RSVP, cdeaven@padutchcountry.com or 717-391-6002. Members are invited to participate for free; nonmembers are also welcome for a nominal fee of $25 per attendee. All programs are held in the PA Dutch CVB theatre, 501 Greenfield Road, Lancaster.

• “Basic Training – The Guest” offers the basics of customer service and reminds us that guests don’t ask for much…Customers just want to be treated like guests in your home.
  
  This session will be offered:
  Tuesday, November 1
  Registration: 1:00 pm - 1:30 pm
  Session: 1:30 pm - 4:00 pm 
   
• “The Difficult Guest – Understanding and Serving Difficult Customers” *
   Guests don’t start out wanting to be difficult. If they are identified early on and properly handled from the beginning, chances are that you can turn things around.
  * Pre-requisite for this seminar is “Basic Training – The Guest”.
  
  This session will be offered:
  Tuesday, November 8
  Registration: 1:00 pm - 1:30 pm
  Session: 1:30 pm - 4:00 pm
   
•  “Give ‘em the PICKLE!”
  Your business is not what you sell, it's who you serve. So...Give`em the PICKLE! PICKLES are those special or extra things you do to make people happy. The trick is figuring out what your customers want and then making sure they get it. That's the message behind the Give ’em the PICKLE seminar.
  
  This session will be offered:
  Tuesday, November 1
  Registration: 10:00 am - 10:30 am 
  Session: 10:30 am – Noon
  
  Monday, November 21
  Registration: 10:00 am - 10:30 am
  Session: 10:30 am - Noon

•  “What’s Your Pickle?”
  Once you have participated in “Give ‘em the PICKLE” you will want to learn more so you can define your Pickle. This session will help you learn to connect, anticipate, delight and inspire your customers 
  
  This session will be offered:
  Tuesday, November 8
  Registration: 10:00 am - 10:30 am 
  Session: 10:30 am – Noon
  
  Monday , November 21 
  Registration: 1:00 pm - 1:30pm 
  Session: 1:30 pm - 3:00 pm 
   

Lancaster County tourism in the news

Our communications staff works with our members to garner free publicity for Lancaster tourism in media outlets around the region, the country, and the globe. Below are just a few recent results of these efforts on behalf of our world-class travel destination, and you can see more in our monthly clip books here.

Through the end of July 2011, the PA Dutch CVB has realized nearly $7 million in domestic ad equivalency through our earned media (PR) efforts. Ad value is the amount it would cost to place an advertisement of equal size to the article in the publication.

“PA Dutch Country: 7 Fun Things to do in Lancaster County with Kids” 
MommyPoppins.com, 8/15/11

“Walk This Way: Why We Love to Stroll in West Chester, Lancaster” 
KeystoneEdge.com, 8/25/11

“Buchanan: Perhaps the right president at wrong time” (re. Wheatland) 
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 9/5/11

“Where Every Second Counts” (re. Natl. Watch & Clock Museum) 
New York Times, 9/9/11

“Fresh goodies on the Pennsylvania Dutch smorgasbord” (incl. several member properties)
Philadelphia Inquirer, 9/11/11

 

Members share PR tips in collegial roundtables

Last week, the Heritage Hotel – Lancaster generously hosted the PA Dutch CVB and approximately 35 of its members for a free set of PR Roundtables organized by the CVB and covering several core elements of public relations.

The roundtable format succeeded in encouraging an active exchange of thoughts, experiences, and questions among the attendees, each of whom seemed to take home at least a few nuggets of new information or actionable items.

This lively and beneficial interaction was expertly facilitated by a great panel of moderators, whom we sincerely thank for their time and efforts:
 

• Developing story ideas – Nancy Gates Antique Automobile Club of America Museum 
• Release/pitch writing – Amanda Eckinger, North Museum of Natural History & Science
• Press page development for your website – Lisa Horn, Kitchen Kettle Village
• Working with mommy bloggers – Bethany Alwan, Dutch Wonderland
• Building and maintaining a media list – Cathy Kornfield, Cathy Kornfield Co. and Cherry Crest Adventure Farm 

Be sure to keep an eye out for future educational opportunities. We value your membership, and look forward to continuing to support your efforts to help spread the word about your property and Lancaster County tourism. 
 

Help save our Amish neighbors!

Lancaster’s iconic Amish statues that greeted visitors and locals alike for years are in need of your help. These 12' statues were previously located right across the street from the PA Dutch CVB and our Visitors Center, which welcomes upward of 130,000 visitors per year. This beloved couple hopes to reside on the CVB grounds. We are seeking a sponsor to help cover the costs of refurbishing the statues and building a new foundation to make sure Lancaster remains their permanent home. If your business is interested in being a lifetime sponsor of these icons, please contact Dan LaFauci at dlafauci@padutchcountry.com or 717-391-6004. 

 

Congressional deficit reduction debate could adversely impact travel Industry

As the 12-member Congressional “supercommittee” works in Washington to find $1.2 trillion to $1.5 trillion in savings by November 23, the travel industry – while not a primary area of focus – could be touched by the debate in a variety of ways. The huge numbers needed could quite possibly lead policymakers to consider proposals to raise revenue and curb spending that would have a significant impact on all of us. U.S. Travel is monitoring developments closely and will activate the industry through the Power of Travel Coalition, if necessary, to mitigate initiatives that would unintentionally harm travel and adversely impact an industry that does so much to create jobs and improve our economy. If you have not already signed up for the Power of Travel Coalition, please consider doing so today. The Coalition seeks to amplify the voices of millions of travel employees with a vested interest in combating future assaults, rewarding leaders who champion our industry, and advocating for policies that promote travel to and within the United States. Listed below are a few areas where our industry is vulnerable:

The coming weeks will likely see efforts to find new money and cut spending in areas where policymakers perceive the least political risk. Roger Dow, president & CEO of US Travel, underscores that “It is our responsibility to stand firmly against efforts to balance the budget on the backs of travelers.”

We will keep you informed as developments warrant. 

 

Great Reads

• Cornell report details comprehensive "self-healing" service system
  Despite the best of intentions, every service organization experiences service failures. But the best service systems create plans to identify, correct, and prevent repeated failure. In a new report from the Cornell Center for Hospitality Research (CHR), two service researchers have developed a comprehensive model for a "self-healing" service system. "Designing a Self-Healing Service System: An Integrative Model," by Robert Ford and Michael Sturman is available at no charge from the CHR. More. 
   
• An infographic look at generational media use
  Here’s something to think about. How does your media use — everything from newspapers to radio to Facebook — compare to your parents? Your siblings? Your kids? Chances are how and when you spend time on each of these media is quite different. AdAge posted this interesting infographic that drives that point home with data from a study by Magid Generational Strategies on how different generations use various media throughout the day. More.
   
• 7 tips for growing your email list with sweepstakes
  Even seasoned email marketers who follow best practices for email list development, relevancy, and deliverability still lose about one-third of their subscribers annually due to bounces, unsubscribes, and spam complaints, according to the Email Experience Council. And the attrition rates are even higher for less vigilant marketers.
  
  Luckily, there are strategies proven to quickly acquire qualified subscribers and keep them longer. Among these include sweepstakes, contests, or other viral campaigns. But before you decide to run a sweepstakes strategy of your own, consider these 7 tips. More. 
   

You’re invited!

Join your tourism peers for some foot stompin' fun at the Harvest Moooon Square Dance

Don and Ginny Ranck, owners of Verdant View Farm B&B and Farmland Fun Tours at Verdant View, have extended an invitation to all members and their families to join them for the Harvest Moooon Square Dance, in celebration of the grand opening of their Silo Welcome Center. 

Enjoy a fun fall evening. Square dancing is optional, fun is not! Dave Kreider, a professional caller, will be on hand to help you learn the right moves, whether you're 10 or 110. Plus, the Farmland Fun wagon will be rolling through the fields throughout the evening. Light refreshments for a cool evening are included, like hot chocolate and hot apple cider, and even popcorn grown at Verdant View! The hay tunnel will also be open for the kids to explore.

The event will be held from 8-11 p.m. on Friday, October 14, in the Old Bank Barn at Verdant View Farm (on Route 741 just east of Strasburg Rail Road).

Admission is $10 for adults, $5 for children 16 and under; age 4 and under are free. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Paradise 300th Anniversary campaign.

You can RSVP in few different ways.  1) You can RSVP with your payment via PayPal at don@verdantview.com. 2) You can email you RSVP to ginny@verdantview.com or 3) Call 717-687-7353.

The Silo Welcome Center will be a "one stop spot" for guests to either check in for tours or overnight rooms. The grand opening will be Saturday, October 15 and the farm will be hosting a "Harvest Some Fun" Day. 
 

Enjoy photos from August and September Member Mixers 

Thanks to the generosity of our members, we had two wonderful Member Mixers in the past couple months. The first was held in August at Rumspringa Brewery & Mount Hope Wine Gallery in the Lancaster Beer & Wine Gallery, Bird-in-Hand, which offers craft-brewed beers, award-winning Mount Hope Wines, kitchenware and gourmet food items. Take a look at photos from the evening.

More recently, members gathered at Lancaster’s newest attraction, the Turkey Hill Experience, in Columbia, See photos of the evening, as members and guests learned how Turkey Hill ice cream is made, brainstorm their own flavor, and even milked a “cow”!

 

Industry news

• Ex-Pennsylvania Academy of Music building renamed Ware Center at Millersville University Lancaster.
  At a recent ceremony before a crowd of about 200, Millersville University President Francine McNairy announced the building will be named The Ware Center at Millersville University Lancaster, in honor of well-known local philanthropists Paul W. and Judy S. Ware.
  
  Paul Ware said it was his desire to support Lancaster city and county with a performing arts center that prompted his involvement with the former Pennsylvania Academy of Music. Ware was board chairman and the largest benefactor of the music school when it opened the $32 million building on Prince Street three years ago.
  
  "What Millersville is doing is really what we envisioned all along," Judy Ware said.
  
  The state, on the university's behalf, bought the building last year. Millersville University opened its downtown facility in July 2010. The university has since opened the building to the public for concerts, art exhibits, dance recitals, lectures, films and classes. More. 
   
• Congratulations to Michelle Rondinelli, Kitchen Kettle Village, and Mark Legenstein, Certified Carpet, both of whom are included on Central Penn Business Journal’s 2011 list of 40 of the region's most accomplished young leaders (Forty Under 40). Award recipients will be recognized for their commitment to business growth, professional excellence and their communities at a reception in Harrisburg next month.
   
• Lancaster Newspapers has announced the 11th Annual Readers Choice Award recipients. Congratulations to the dozens of PA Dutch CVB members who were recognized for their exemplary product or service! View the Readers’ Choice Awards supplement!
   
• Phil Wenger, Isaac’s Famous Grilled Sandwiches, will be inducted into the Central Penn Business Hall of Fame for his achievements in the business arena and our community, on November 7.
   
• Keystone Custom Homes will be recognized by the Central Penn Business Journal as a Business of the Year with 51-100 employees.
   
• PA Renaissance Faire will be recognized as a Business of the Year with 101 plus employees.
   

Questions or Comments?

Contact Janet Wall at jwall@padutchcountry.com, or 717-391-6005

Printer-Friendly Version of the September 2011 IdeaLink > (PDF file)

Spotlight

Rent you car from AVIS!

With locations in Lancaster County and Lancaster City, AVIS offers daily and weekly automobile rentals
Visit our website >