ROCHESTER CVB WINS TOURISM MARKETING AWARD FOR DIRECT MAIL BOX

ROCHESTER, MINN. (January 23, 2008) –The Rochester Convention & Visitors Bureau was recognized at the 2008 Minnesota Conference on Tourism with a Travel Marketing Award of Merit for its 2007 direct mail campaign.  Explore Minnesota Tourism presented the award to the RCVB on January 23, 2008 at the Alltel Center in Mankato, Minn.

     The Minnesota Travel Marketing Awards are given annually to recognize exceptional achievements in travel promotion, public relations, and advertising.  The RCVB submitted a direct mail campaign that was sent to new prospective accounts that would produce a minimum of $250,000 in potential spending for the city of Rochester.  The campaign focused on accounts within the core market segments of medicine, military, education, agriculture, amateur sports and religion.

     The piece highlighted the city’s many travel accommodations and grabbed viewers’ attention with three stacks of fake money, emphasizing the thousands of dollars planners could save by meeting in Rochester. The mailing was developed by Ellingsen Brady Advertising of Milwaukee, Wis. and printed by The Printery of New Berlin, Wis.

     “The direct mail box was a creative way of sparking interest for what Rochester has to offer,” said Brad Jones, executive director of the RCVB.  “It caught the attention of potential customers, and opened the door for our sales teams to make the most of those opportunities.”

     The direct mailing was part of the RCVB’s Rah Rah Rochester campaign to attract new tourism and convention dollars from outside the city and state.  It helped the RCVB generate 23 leads, representing 37,300 potential visitors to the city.  To date, eight events have been booked as a result of the relationships formed from the piece, representing 11,500 room nights and $2.6 million in direct spending. 

     The RCVB set unprecedented highs for tourism in 2007, including a record-breaking 100,000 group room nights.  Nearly 60 percent of its 2007 bookings were new to Rochester and 29 were new national events for Rochester’s hospitality community.

            The Rochester Convention & Visitors Bureau is the official marketing agency for the city of Rochester, responsible for destination sales and marketing efforts.   The RCVB works to encourage conventions, meetings, sporting events and business travel to Rochester and provides travel-planning support for the patients of Mayo Clinic.   The Convention & Visitors Bureau offers comprehensive information about lodging, dining, special events, activities and local attractions.