December 2007 UPDATE Newsletter

MTCVB PARTNERS

MTCVB "Holiday Happening"
Rancho Valle Milagro will host our "Holiday Happening," Thursday, Dec. 13 from 5-8 p.m. You and your guests are invited to help celebrate the season at this relaxing evening of live music, sumptuous food, and many good friends. Singer-saxophonist, Denise McCreary will set the mood with her sultry vocals and sizzling sounds, while Blue House Catering will tantalize everyone's taste buds with an assortment of savory appetizers and holiday treats, accompanied by a cash bar by Professional Bartenders Unlimited. Just for fun, guests will have the opportunity to create their own holiday momento "flip book," courtesy of Flipt Out! Mobile Flipbook Studio. Rancho Valle Milagro is a 21-acre, Mediterranean-style, equestrian estate and special-event venue, located off E. Speedway Blvd., one block east of Houghton Rd. For more information, or to RSVP, click here.  

Become an Official Tucson Ambassador
Classes are available for the 2008 Tucson Ambassadors Program (TAP). This nationwide certification program is designed for hospitality employees who interact directly with visitors, but all who work in Tucson tourism are welcome. The program emphasizes customer-service training and Tucson tourism knowledge; it includes pre-class reading, workbook exercises, a half-day class, and an open-book examination. Participants who complete the program earn the Certified Tourism Ambassador^TM (CTA) designation (i.e., John Smith, CTA). The 2008 TAP class schedule and other information is available at www.TucsonAmbassadors.org, or by phoning MTCVB Partner Development at (520) 624-1817 ext. 187.

Gem Show Guide
The Tucson Gem, Mineral & Fossil Showcase Guide is due for release January 18. The guide is a co-production of the Creative Services and Convention Services divisions. Individual copies of the guide will be available to gem show visitors at the Tucson Visitor Center and at major show locations. Complete show listings can be found on the gem show page at the MTCVB website, http://www.visittucson.org/.

Help for Wildfire Evacuees  
Metropolitan Tucson hotels and resorts offered help to victims of Southern California's wildfires between October 24 and November 6. About a dozen Tucson-area properties offered discounts to guests who were evacuated or who had lost their homes. Tucson's efforts were organized by the MTCVB as part of a statewide campaign launched by hospitality executives and organizations, including the Valley Hotel and Resort Association, Greater Phoenix Convention & Visitors Bureau, Scottsdale Convention & Visitors Bureau, Tempe Convention & Visitors Bureau.

MTCVB Logo Library
Our website offers a selection of MTCVB company logos that your clients and colleagues can download just like they would download photos.  To view the logos, click here; or go to the Image Gallery at www.visitTucson.org, and click on #16 in Photo Tours. If you need a logo emailed to someone and do not wish to use the do-it-yourself service, you can request assistance from MTCVB Creative Services, at (520) 770-2173.  

I-10 Widening Alert
Work currently is in progress on widening I-10 from Prince Road to 29th Street. The three-year project is scheduled for summer 2007-spring 2010. For details and updates, call the hotline at (520) 327-6444, 1-877-961-1010, or click here.  

New Partners & Anniversaries
Find out which partners are celebrating anniversaries with the MTCVB and get to know those who recently have joined. For the latest partner news, visit the MTCVB New Partners & Anniversaries page at http://www.visittucson.org/, or click here.  

SALES, MARKETING & PR

Website Page Maps Nonstop Arrivals
The AirTucson.com map is now on our MTCVB website, www.visitTucson.org. The map, which is updated weekly with current times for nonstop flights arriving in Tucson, frames our "Nonstop Flight Map" page.

Send Us Your Hot Rates
The MTCVB has partnered with other convention and visitors bureaus across the country to create the website, www.CVBHotRates.com. This website is a no-charge opportunity for MTCVB lodging partners who want to fill rooms. All you have to do is post your hotel room availability on this highly visible and aggressively marketed website. To participate, list your best room rates and availability, meeting-layouts, and hotel images-at no charge. You will be alerted by email when an RFP is submitted. With this win-win format, meeting planners get the best rates, and our partners sell their inventory. For more information, call Robin Bryant, 1-361-249-5647.

Get Your Passport at the Pump
The Tucson Attractions Passport is now on sale at 18 Catalina Mart locations around Tucson. The local convenience store/gas station is the latest distribution point for the passport, which also can be purchased at the Tucson Visitor Center and online at www.TucsonAttractions.com. A list of all distribution locations can be found on the KOLD-TV Channel 13 website by clicking on the Tucson Attractions Passport banner. A promotional spot announcing the increased distribution points is running on KOLD-TV Channel 13; an additional spot, designed to drive traffic to participating shopping malls, is scheduled to run early this month. The Tucson Attractions Passport is a 56-page booklet offering more than $400 in savings at 47 of Tucson and Southern Arizona attractions, museums, and shopping establishments.

Holiday Hotel Savings
Our hotel and resort partners are offering surprisingly low rates through the end of the month as part of our annual Holiday Tucson Super Savers campaign. All month, Tucsonans can save big on rooms for out-of-town guests; and December is a great month for locals to pamper themselves at a neighborhood hotel or luxury resort. Guests who book their stay through www.tucsonsupersavers.com receive up to 50 percent off high-season rates. For more information, including a listing of participating MTCVB partner hotels, click here. 

Denver Media Mission
The Public Relations division will promote Tucson in Denver at an Arizona Office of Tourism media event, December 6. Freelance and publication-associated travel writers are expected to join travel-industry representatives from Tucson and other Arizona destinations for Southwestern-style appetizers during an informal reception and information exchange. Writers from the Denver Post, Colorado Avid Golfer, and other lifestyle publications are scheduled to attend and learn more about Arizona destinations.

Showcasing Tucson in Chicago
The Convention Sales division and two hotel partners will represent Tucson at the Association Forum's annual Holiday Showcase, December 11. Holiday Showcase is Chicago's number one exhibition for business services and meeting sites, offering planners and industry decision-makers from the Midwest a one-stop opportunity to meet with meeting-services suppliers. In 2006, more than 2,000 qualified buyers were on the show floor that featured more than 450 booths and more than 700 different companies.

MEXICO MARKETING

New Requirements for Mexico Travel
With the international border only 60 miles south of Tucson, group tours to Mexican vacation spots, such as Nogales and Rocky Point, are a popular Tucson travel product. New requirements for travelers wishing to visit Mexico will impact this Tucson tourism market. Beginning January 31, 2008, U.S. and Canadian citizens will need to present either a compliant document-such as a government-issued photo identification card or a driver's license-plus proof of citizenship-such as a birth certificate-when traveling by land or sea. Sometime after the summer of 2008, new requirements will be implemented for U.S. citizens entering the United States (sea or land ports of entry) to have a U.S. passport. More information on the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative is available from the U.S. Department of State
and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. 

TUCSON FILM OFFICE 

Governor's Film Commission Public Forum on Film Incentives
Tucson film industry supporters will have an opportunity to share comments and ask questions that may help increase the effectiveness of Arizona's tax incentive program for filmmakers. The Governor's Film and Television Commission has called for an open, public meeting to hear comments regarding the Arizona Motion Picture Tax Incentive program and its administration by the Arizona Department of Commerce. Representatives from the Department of Commerce will present overviews of the recent legislative changes to the tax incentive program. The meeting takes place Monday, Dec. 3 at 2 p.m., at the Capitol Annex, 1700 W. Washington St., Third Floor Conference Room, Phoenix. For more information, visit the Tucson Film Office incentives page and the Department of Commerce incentives page.

Sundance, Slamdance, and South by Southwest
The Tucson Film Office is readying for winter marketing opportunities. Staff will exhibit at the Slamdance Film Festival, which coincides with the Sundance Film Festival in mid-January, and make the most of their presence at both festivals in Park City, Utah. Also, for the fourth year in a row, staff will exhibit at the South by Southwest Film Festival and Conference, which takes place in February in Austin, Texas. Independent film makers account for 70 percent of the films made in the U.S. and much of the feature film production in Southern Arizona.

OPPORTUNITIES 

Public Forum on Arizona Film Incentives
Monday, Dec. 3, 2 p.m. at Capitol Annex, 1700 W. Washington St., Third Floor Conference Room, Phoenix, AZ. Public is invited to voice comments and ask questions that may help increase the effectiveness of Arizona's Motion Picture Tax Incentive program and its administration by the Arizona Department of Commerce. Sponsored by the Arizona Governor's Film and Television Commission.  

First  Tuesday: News from Governor's Tucson Office 
Tuesday, Dec. 4, 11:45 a.m. -1 p.m., Arizona Inn. Kristin Almquist, Director, Governor Janet
Napolitano's Southern Arizona Office. Sponsored by: Southern Arizona Lodging & Resort Association (SALARA). For details, or to RSVP, click here.

Interactive Marketing Strategy Workshop
Thursday, Dec. 13, 1-4 p.m. in Room 113, Cochise College, Benson Campus. Arizona Tourism University presents "How to Develop an Interactive Marketing Strategy" workshop that covers website basics, online advertising, email campaigns, search engine optimization (SEO), measuring campaigns, and best practices and useful interactive marketing tips, as well as various trends. To register, contact Sarah Martins at smartins@azot.gov, or by phone at (602) 364-3687.

MTCVB "Holiday Happening"
Thursday, Dec. 13, 5-7 p.m. at Rancho Valle Milagro. Food, live entertainment and dancing, with vocals and saxaphone by Denise McCreary. Blue House Catering will showcase a generous and creative assortment of savory appetizers and holiday sweets.  Cash bar. For details, or to RSVP, click here.

First Tuesday: Rio Nuevo & "New Urbanist" Neighborhoods
Tuesday, Jan. 8, 11:45 a.m.-1 p.m., Arizona Inn. Featuring Tom Wuelpern, President, Rammed Earth Development. Sponsored by: Bruce Perish, Realtor/Realty Executives. For details, or to RSVP, click here.

Educational Seminar: Moving Beyond YouTube and Viral Video                                                               Thursday, Jan. 10, 8:15 -9:30 a.m. at Tucson Osteopathic Medical Foundation Conference Center and sponsored by Bits On The Wire, Inc. For more information, or to RSVP, click here. 

First Tuesday: Achieving Turnaround at UApresents
Tuesday, Feb. 5, 11:45 a.m.-1 p.m., Arizona Inn. Featuring Natalie Bohnet, Executive Director, UApresents. Sponsored by: The Choice Care Agency, Inc. For details, or to RSVP, click here.

Partner Orientation & Refresher
Wednesday, Feb. 13, 8:30-10 a.m., MTCVB Conference Room, 100 S. Church Ave. Free orientation for partners, both new and old. Agenda includes overview of current MTCVB department activities, explanation of partner benefits, and tips on making the most of partnership. To RSVP, or for more information, click here.

BUREAU DRAWER

Holiday Shopping
Find unique, fun, and totally Tucson gifts--ranging from T-shirts, key chains, and books to Cheri's Prickly Pear products--at the Tucson Visitor Center. The center is located in colorful La Placita Village, within walking distance of the Tucson Convention Center and most of the historic downtown area. Hours are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.

Welcome New Staff
Traci Smith has joined the MTCVB as an Administrative Assistant. She will divide her time between the Convention Services and Sports Development divisions. Most recently, Smith coordinated group reservations at Loews Ventana Canyon Resort. Debra DuBois has joined the Convention Sales team as an Administrative Assistant. Martha Ortega is the newest member of the Visitor Information Center team. Ortega speaks both English and Spanish, and brings extensive customer service experience to the position of assisting callers interested in visiting Tucson. Patti Manzano has been hired as Administrative Assistant for the Mexico Marketing division. Manzano, who is bilingual, has 11 years customer service/administrative experience, most recently serving as an Executive Assistant at Raytheon. 

Arizona Tourism Statistics
The Research and Statistics section of Arizona Office of Tourism's business-to-business website has been updated to include statewide tourism statistics in these areas: gross sales for July-September 2007; lodging performance for September 2007; third-quarter, local visitor-information center visitation numbers; and third-quarter Painted Cliffs Welcome Center numbers. Information is available under Research and Statistics and www.azot.gov.