MARCH 08, 2016 T R AV E L COUNCIL THE FOUNDERS HALL CHARLES TOWNE LANDING S TAT E H I S T O R I C S I T E Power OF COLLABORATION Enhancing Your Brand T H A N K Y O U T O O U R S E R V I C E P R O V I D E R S V E NUE: AU D I O /VI SUA L: P H OTO G R A P H Y: FOUNDERS HALL AV CONNECTIONS ROBBIN KNIGHT DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY
TRAVEL COUNCIL MARCH 08, 2016 FOUNDERS HALL CHARLES TOWNE LANDING STATE HISTORIC SITE AGENDA I. Welcome...Michael Tall Travel Council Chairman Charlestowne Hotels, Inc. II. A Founders Hall Welcome...Julie Ann Oldham Venue Sales Manager Lowcountry Park Venues III. Marketing Recap...Catherine Dority Director of Marketing IV. The Power of Collaboration Enhancing Your Brand Through Strategic Partnerships...Molly Caughman Director of Media Relations Rhett Outten Marketing Manager Croghan s Jewel Box Steve Palmer Partner The Indigo Road Restaurant Group Eric Monteiro Director of Marketing Belmond Charleston Place Hotel John LaVerne Owner Bulldog Tours V. Charleston Illumination Project...Linn Lesesne Vice-Chairperson, Board of Governors Charming Inns, Circa 1886 Restaurant and Kitchen 208 VI. Investor Relations Report...Andy Rankin Director of Investor Relations VII. Raffle & Adjourn...Michael Tall MARK YOUR CALENDAR NEXT TRAVEL COUNCIL MEETING MAY 10, 2016 MIDDLETON PLACE The Charleston Area Convention & Visitors Bureau unifies and leads the local travel industry in marketing the Charleston area as an individual, incentive and group destination to both the domestic and international markets.
ABOUT THE VENUE Located in Charles Towne Landing {the birthplace of South Carolina} Founders Hall offers modern style and amenities in a unique natural habitat. This Gold Level Leed Certified venue can host up to 235 guests in the Great Hall while small meetings and retreats enjoy the intimate accommodations of the lounge and private courtyard. A full catering kitchen, flat screen televisions, large screened porch with oversize fireplace and complimentary onsite guest parking make this the ultimate venue for corporate functions. The other three members of the Lowcountry Park Venues family include the Legare Waring House also located in Charles Towne Landing as well as the Cooper River Room and the Sweetgrass Pavilion at Memorial Waterfront Park in Mount Pleasant. lowcountryparkvenues.com
EXECUTIVE CHARLESTON ILLUMINATION PROJECT The City of Charleston began a year-long project to further strengthen relationships between the citizens and police by recognizing the importance of both Public Safety and Individual Rights. The Charleston Police Fund is sponsoring this project in an effort to involve all citizens in Charleston s communities. The Illumination Project will host 95-minute Listening Sessions for the public to share hopes and concerns, plus suggestions for action - recognizing the importance of safeguarding individual rights and preserving public safety. The listening sessions are a forum for every citizen to be heard and will be held at the Greek Orthodox Church at 30 Race Street on March 8, 15, 29, April 12, 26, and May 10. Others will be scheduled in West Ashley and James Island (see below). Attendants must register and space is limited so early registration is important. TO REGISTER, visit charlestonpolicefund.org and click on the Illumination Project Banner or call 843.747.3669. LISTENING SESSION SCHEDULE Greek Orthodox Church Hellenic Center, 30 Race Street March 8, 15, 29, April 12, 26, 4:00 and 6:15 pm St Andrews Middle School, 721 Wappoo Road April 14, Thursday, 4:30 and 6:30 pm James Island Charter School, 1000 Fort Johnson Road April 19, Tuesday 4:00 and 6:15 pm PUBLICATIONS EXPLORECHARLESTON.COM SPRING ADVERTISING OPPORTUNITIES We have a few spaces left for last minute advertising promotions if you need a boost in the months of April, May and June. Lodging partners might be interested in our new Package Sponsorship program that has produced some terrific click through results! Information will be sent via email in the next two weeks, or contact an Account Representative for details. Andy Rankin arankin@explorecharleston.com Sandy Nivens snivens@explorecharleston.com Martha Bratton mbratton@explorecharleston.com William Howle whowle@explorecharleston.com CHARLESTON AREA SPORTS COMMISSION MARCH MADNESS RETURNS TO NORTH CHARLESTON COLISEUM IN 2017 It s official! The Colonial Athletic Association recently reached an agreement with the Charleston Area Sports Commission, North Charleston Coliseum and the College of Charleston to conduct their 2017, 2018 and 2019 CAA Men s Basketball Championships at the Coliseum. The first tournament event will be held in Charleston on March 3-6, 2017. Future dates are March 2-5, 2018, and March 8-11, 2019. An Economic Impact Analysis showed this 2015 marquee collegiate event to have an estimated economic impact of over $4.4 million. Over 2,200 room nights were directly tracked in Baltimore City and the arena had a total attendance for four days of 8,745 people. Visiting schools will include: Delaware, Drexel, Elon, Hofstra, James Madison, UNC-W, Northeastern, Towson and William & Mary. For information, contact Kathleen Cartland at kcartland@explorecharleston.com.
SALES TRADESHOW SCHEDULE SHINE : Sales, Hospitality, Industry, Networking & Education Jennifer Aiken will be in WinstonSalem, NC attending Travel South Domestic, March 6-9. Summer/Fall 2016 classes register today by mailing milleronthego@gmail.com. All classes are complimentary for Travel Council members. Angie Day will attend American Society of Association Executives Great Ideas Roundtable in Denver, CO, March 16-17. SHINE I Core Selling Skills for Hotels Chris Hendrix will be attending MPI Carolinas Chapter in Spartanburg, SC, March 17-18 and South Carolina Society of Association Executives monthly meeting in Columbia, SC, March 24. July 5, 12, & 19, 2016 SHINE II Advanced Selling Skills for Hotels and Hospitality Partners August 2, 9 & 16, 2016 SHINE for Leadership and Accountability August 30, 2016 SHINE Core Selling Skills for Hospitality Partners September 6, 13, & 20, 2016 SHINE for Event Managers November 1 & 8, 2016 TRAVEL + LEISURE IMAGE 1 Total Likes: 25,300 Total Comments: 763 MARKETING TIME INC CHARLESTON INSTAGRAM TAKEOVER: FEBRUARY 2016 SOUTHERN LIVING IMAGE 5 Total Likes: 7,950 Total Comments: 220 The Charleston Instagram takeover that was featured on Southern Living, Travel + Leisure, Coastal Living, and Food & Wine during the month of February was incredibly successful generating over 250K likes and 7,000 plus comments! The images and post copy really resonated with each brand s engaged Instagram audiences and started a social conversation. Overall each takeover was a massive success increasing awareness, excitement and interest surrounding Charleston and the @ExploreCharleston Instagram handle. 16 COSTAL LIVING IMAGE 2 Total Likes: 2,977 Total Comments: 85 7 FOOD & WINE IMAGE 4 Total Likes: 10,400 Total Comments: 171 TOTAL COMMENTS: 7,192 TOTAL LIKES: 254,595 22 TOTAL IMAGES POSTED: 27 VISITOR SERVICES 28 VISITOR NUMBERS FOR FEBRUARY 2016: 31,130 (across our four area visitor centers) TICKETS SOLD: 6,286 LOWCOUNTRY RESERVATION SERVICES (LRS) ROOMS BOOKED FEBRUARY 2016: 135 Roomnights For questions about any of our area Visitor Centers, please contact Walter McCants, wmccants@explorecharleston.com or 843.958.3621.
MEDIA RELATIONS Magnolia Plantation and Gardens was featured in the article The Camellia Man in Southern Living (circulation: 2,841,331). Stars, Charleston Wine + Food Festival, Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, Artisan Meat Share, Palmetto Brewing Company, Charleston Fashion Week, and the Historic Charleston Foundation were mentioned in the article 6 Reasons You Must Visit This Southern Hotspot Stat on brit.co (unique monthly visitors: 1,595,468). Fort Sumter National Monument, Tides Folly Beach, Wild Dunes Resort, The Vendue, and Spoleto Festival USA were mentioned in the article Five Destinations for a Zika-Free Babymoon on travelandleisure.com (unique monthly visitors: 1,654,836). Peninsula Grill, Queen St. Grocery, Charleston City Market, Prohibition, White Point Gardens, FIG, Angel Oak, Folly Beach, Waterfront Park, Jestine s Kitchen and Fort Sumter National Monument were mentioned in the article Charleston Trip on afar.com (unique monthly visitors: 241,923). The Restoration, Two Meeting Street Inn, Kings Courtyard Inn, Planters Inn, Belmond Charleston Place, Zero George, Fulton Lane Inn, The Vendue and John Rutledge House were named the Best Hotels in Charleston on foodandwine.com (unique monthly visitors: 2,663,713). French Quarter Inn was named among the Top-Rated Hotels in the U.S. and the World on yahoo.com/travel (unique monthly visitors: 153,179,384). QUOTE OF THE MONTH It s easy to understand what consistently attracts travelers to the South Carolina harbor city: bright painted houses, streets lined with gnarled oaks and jasmine trees, countless art galleries, and award- winning restaurants serving Lowcounrty cuisine. travelandleisure.com (monthly visitors: 1,754,714).