|
CONGRATULATIONS TO CORAL GABLES MAYOR DON SLESNICK FOR BEING SELECTED BY THE SISTER CITIES COORDINATING COUNCIL AS THE RECIPIENT OF THE 2008 MIAMI-DADE COUNTY INTERNATIONAL CITIZEN OF THE YEAR AWARD The GMCVB extends congratulations to Coral Gables Mayor Don Slesnick for being selected as the recipient of the 2008 Miami-Dade County International Citizen of the Year Award. Mayor Slesnick was selected for this prestigious award for his numerous contributions to promote international goodwill in Miami-Dade County. During his tenure as Mayor of Coral Gables, Slesnick has been a strong proponent of fostering international ties with other regions through the City's Sister Cities program with Aix-en-Provence, France; Cartagena, Colombia; Granada, Spain; La Antigua, Guatemala; Province of Pisa, Italy; and Quito, Ecuador. Mayor Slesnick will be recognized by Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Alvarez at an upcoming ceremony to take place on March 20 at the Port of Miami. GMCVB PRESIDENT & CEO TO ATTEND THE TRAVEL INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION (TIA) POLICY COUNCIL MEETING IN WASHINGTON, D.C. MARCH 12-13, 2008 William Talbert, III, CDME, President & CEO of the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau will be attending the TIA Policy Council Meeting in Washington, D.C. on March 12-13, 2008. The TIA Policy Council consists of state tourism directors, Convention and Visitor Bureau chief executives and government affairs representatives of the leading corporations in the travel community. This group defines the public policy priorities and the position taken on complex policy matters for the entire industry. The Policy Council holds two in-person meetings annually as well as monthly conference calls with its members and Washington representatives of the broader travel community. Built on the foundation established by the Discover America Partnership, the Policy Council is expanding TIA's role on domestic travel issues, energy and the environment, and critical economic issues. GMCVB ASSISTS TWO NATIONAL MAGAZINES WITH MIAMI BEACH COVER SHOOTS . The April edition of Passport Magazine, the leading Gay and Lesbian travel magazine, features a cover photo and a 10-page spread of glorious photos of Swimwear 2008 photographed in sun drenched pools around Miami Beach by photographer Dennis Dean. The April Swimsuit edition of Out Magazine (circulation: 190,700) features a cover photo with the theme "One Night in Miami" along with 14 pages of bathing suit clad men in and around the Raleigh Hotel's historic swimming pool photographed by Nino Munoz. Miami Beach's reputation as a sophisticated sun-and-fun capital is as strong as ever. #1 SEATRADE CRUISE SHIPPING CONVENTION SET FOR MARCH 10-13th AT THE MIAMI BEACH CONVENTION CENTER Greater Miami and the Beaches welcomes Seatrade Cruise Shipping Convention, taking place March 10-13, 2008 at the Miami Beach Convention Center. Seatrade is the largest international exhibition and conference serving the cruise industry, bringing top players in the industry together to network, purchase products and services, and discuss the state of the industry. Seatrade features nearly 1,000 exhibitors and more than 10,000 attendees from 118 countries. The cruise industry is growing at a pace last seen around the turn of the millennium, with orders for more than 37 cruise liners valued at more than $22 billion set for delivery by 2012. The Port of Miami is enjoying record passenger growth, due in part to the arrival of new, larger vessels and the variety of cruise options offered by the Port of Miami. Miami is proud of its reputation as the "Cruise Capital of the World". GMCVB'S TOURISM SALES KICKS OFF THE SUMMER FESTIVAL SEASON IN FLORIDA. GMCVB Tourism Sales staff will be selling Greater Miami and the Beaches in Jacksonville and Orlando March 10-14, 2008 to kick off our 5th annual Summer Festival Season sales efforts. Staff will sell the destination as a drive market promoting the "In Your Own Backyard" concept. Staff will also conduct sales calls with more than 30 travel agencies including the AAA Travel Clubs. GMCVB'S CONVENTION SALES RETURNS FROM LIMRA (LIFE INSURANCE MARKETING AND RESEARCH ASSOCIATION) CONFERENCE GMCVB Convention Sales was present at this year's Life Insurance Marketing and Research Association (LIMRA) Annual Distribution Conference. The two-day conference, held February 27-29, 2008 in San Antonio, Texas, attracted 330 attendees from the nation's leading insurance firms, including ING, AIG, Prudential, State Farm, Allstate, Guardian, and Lincoln Financial. Six potential leads were uncovered for Miami. 17th ANNUAL GMCVB H.O.T. CHALLENGE GOLF TOURNAMENT TO TAKE PLACE MAY 9, 2008 AT DORAL RESORT & SPA The 17th Annual H.O.T. Challenge Golf Tournament will be held Friday, May 9, 2008 at the Doral Golf Resort & Spa. The Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau (GMCVB) organizes this annual Hospitality Open Golf Tournament (H.O.T.) to fund scholarships for men and women of African heritage who have committed to working in the local visitor industry upon graduation. The tournament provides a great opportunity to enjoy the renowned golf courses at The Doral Golf Resort & Spa and mingle with golfers of all skill levels - all for a good cause. We need many more sponsors to make our goal! So far the following sponsors have stepped up onto the green: GOLD SPONSORS ($2,500) Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce SILVER SPONSORS ($1,500) Associated Printing BNY Mellon Dolphin Stadium Drug Free Youth In Town (DFYIT) Four Seasons Hotel Miami Turkel Wyndham Miami Airport BRONZE SPONSORS ($500) A & S Financial Services American Coach Lines Travel Inn Civic Center The highly anticipated annual H.O.T. Challenge Online Auction will be coming soon! Bid for fabulous getaway trips, spa packages, dinners at popular Miami restaurants, plane tickets, antiques and collectibles, and so much more! All proceeds from the H.O.T. Challenge benefit the Visitor Industry Council's (VIC) African Heritage Scholarship Fund. The VIC is a not-for-profit organization that was established in 1991 by the GMCVB to increase and expand the participation of students of African heritage in Miami-Dade County's visitor industry. For more information, visit www.VICMiami.org. GMCVB'S MEDIA RELATIONS HOSTS LATIN MEDIA FAMILIARIZATION (FAM) TOUR GMCVB Media Relations will host a group of Latin journalists visiting Miami March 11-14, 2008. Through a partnership with Hertz, the writers will be experiencing Hertz rental vehicles as well as Miami accommodations, dining and general attractions. Media participants include: El Tiempo newspaper, Colombia (800,000 daily), Revista Automovil, Mexico (circulation: 125,000) La Nacion newspaper, Argentina (circulation: 500,000) and Reforma newspaper, Mexico (circulation: 300,000). TICKETS AVAILABLE FOR MICCOSUKEE TRIBE OF INDIANS OF FLORIDA CORAL GABLES WINE AND FOOD FESTIVAL ON MARCH 27, 2008 Tickets are selling quickly for the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida Coral Gables Wine and Food Festival scheduled for March 27, 2008. Last year the wine and food extravaganza completely sold out so don't miss your chance to attend this year! Sample world-class cuisine from over 30 of Coral Gables' top restaurants complimented with fine wine and spirits while enjoying live music in beautiful Downtown Coral Gables. The exclusive VIP Reception Lounge will be held from 5:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. and the street festival will follow from 7 p.m. - 9 p.m. New this year is the spectacular Casino Gaming Lounge that will entertain and give patrons a chance to win exciting prizes. Crown Wine & Spirits is the exclusive festival retailer and will be offering deep discounts on all event featured wines. HOSPITALITY INSTITUTE JOB FAIR TO TAKE PLACE ON MARCH 13, 2008 AT GREATER BETHEL CHURCH. Inner city outreach organizations are bringing people from their programs to the new Hospitality Institute at Greater Bethel Church for introductory training into the world of hospitality. http://del.icio.us/postTake advantage of this unique opportunity to help the local community while helping your business. Advertise your hospitality or service industry job openings at the Hospitality Institute Job Fair at Greater Bethel AME Church on Thursday, March 13, 2008 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Bring your jobs to the people and help connect the inner city with the business community. Greater Bethel AME Church is located at: 245 NW 8th Street, Miami, Florida 33136. Participating Sponsors: Veterans Employment Transition Services (VETS), The City of Miami OMNI/Parkwest CRA, Camillus House, Carrfour, Lotus House, Hilton Hotels, Doubletree Grand Hotel, Miami Dade College, and Greater Bethel Church. GMCVB MEMBER DISCOUNT FOR WORLD GOLF CHAMPIONSHIPS CA TAKING PLACE AT DORAL GOLF RESORT & SPA MARCH 18-23, 2008. One of the top sporting events in the country, the World Golf Championships - 2008 CA Championship, will take place March 18-23, 2008 at the Doral Golf Resort & Spa. Six-time defending champion Tiger Woods and the world's best golfers including Sergio Garcia, Phil Mickelson, and Camilo Villegas, will battle the legendary Blue Monster golf course. For being a member of the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau, discounted tickets are available to you! Weekly ticket packages are 10% off the regular price to members. GMCVB'S MEDIA RELATIONS AND TOURISM SALES SELL MIAMI IN SOUTH AMERICA GMCVB Tourism Sales and Media Relations will partner with LAN airlines to conduct a sales/media mission with various Miami members, March 10-14, 2008. Staff recently conducted educational seminars with top travel agents and travel professionals as well as top travel and trade media interviews in Santiago, Chile; Buenos Aires, Argentina; and Montevideo, Uruguay. An average of 150 travel professionals were in attendance at each of these events. GMCVB'S MEDIA RELATIONS ASSISTS NEW YORK-BASED FREELANCE WRITER GMCVB Media Relations assisted freelance writer Wendy Paris in Miami March 8-10, 2008 researching for various national publications and websites including" Portfolio.com (Visitors Per Month: 541,167); New York Times (circulation: 1.2 million); Salon.com (Visitors Per Month: 1.2 million); Plum magazine (circulation: 50,000); Pregnancy magazine (circulation: 300,000); and Jewish Living magazine (circulation: 100,000). Story angles will include Miami's booming art scene and traveling with an infant, among others. GMCVB'S MEDIA RELATIONS ASSISTS CANADIAN TRAVEL WRITER GMCVB Media Relations assisted travel writer Rick Millikan in town on March 1, 2008 working on a cruise story for Senior Living magazine (circulation: 40,000) featuring Miami as a pre/post cruise destination. Mr. Millikan is a regular contributor to Coastal Reporter (circulation: 16,000), Senior Today (circulation: 18,000), and The Vancouver Province Sunday edition (circulation: 197,000). Once published in Senior Living magazine, Mr. Millikan will post the cruise story on several popular online travel sites such as the ultra-popular Travellady.com (8 million visits) and also seek placement in other Canadian publications.
|
