Goals: Clearly state your marketing goals. What did you strive to achieve using this piece or program?On the heels of successfully hosting Super Bowl LV, Visit Tampa Bay created their largest campaign ever to let meeting planners know they could confidently host large events in Tampa Bay. Visit Tampa Bay proactively focused on recovering meetings and convention travel with big investments in marketing campaigns, new staffing additions, increased flexibility and dedicated communications to meetings looking to relocate. From the moment visitors arrive in the destination, health and safety measures are paramount. Tampa International Airport, now ranked #1 in the U.S. by J.D. Power, also ranked as one of the most hygienic airports. Additionally, the Tampa Convention Center recently achieved Global Biorisk Advisory Council® (GBAC) STAR™ accreditation, the gold standard from the worldwide cleaning industry association, for its cleaning and disinfection protocols. With increased safety measures at partner hotels, attractions and open-air experiences, Tampa Bay was poised to safely and responsibly welcome business goers with open arms. Using headlines like “Florida’s Most Success Stories” and “Meet Confidently,” Tampa Bay launched a large-scale integrated marketing campaign. The campaign talked about exciting upgrades to the Tampa Convention Center, new hotel openings, like the new JW Marriott Tampa Water Street, and MICHELIN Guide-recognized restaurants. Visit Tampa Bay also launched a Hybrid Meeting Grant to incentivize face-to-face meetings by offsetting additional technical costs for a hybrid experience. Partnering with several key associations and publication groups, Visit Tampa Bay’s message to confidently gather could be seen in print ads, digital banners, e-newsletters, custom emails, social media and sponsored content. Tampa Bay was also among the first to identify marketing needs associated with the pandemic. Video of safety measures was produced at the Tampa Convention Center and hotel partner safety protocols were collated on TampaMeetings.com.

Results: Which of your original goals did you achieve and how? How did you measure the effectiveness of the piece or campaign? Entrants should provide quantifiable results of their tactics or campaigns. (for example, click through rates or ad equivalency)Tampa Bay’s openness to new business and high standards of safety set by the Tampa Convention Center and Tampa International Airport, and exciting new developments, attracted several high-profile events. In 2021, WrestleMania 37 relocated from Los Angeles to Tampa Bay, the American Academy of Dermatology Association relocated from New York (they will be returning to Tampa Bay in 2023), and Connect Marketplace relocated to Tampa Bay – facilitating 65,000 face-to-face meetings during the show with more than 3,000 attendees. Then Tampa Bay added the prestigious U.S. Travel Association Spring Meeting and Destinations International CEO Summit. In March 2021, U.S. Travel Association and Destinations International meeting was so successful, they created a video during their event, demonstrating the ability to meet safely. The Hybrid Meeting Grant was applied by U.S. Travel Association, and several other events, to offset technology expenses, and in return, Visit Tampa Bay received additional brand exposure through sponsorship packages. In January 2022, Visit Tampa Bay also welcomed VISIT FLORIDA Huddle and 300 of their delegates, including representatives from Florida destinations, attractions and hotel properties, as well as tour operators and wholesalers from key international markets, like Canada and the U.K. In addition, over 50 international travel journalists attended and participated in a FAM tour, showcasing the best of Tampa Bay.

Budget: Please include total budget vs. total actual cost. How much revenue has the piece or campaign generated and how does this compare to your goal? What was the return on investment?The marketing campaign budget for media running November 2021-June 2022 was $285K. The campaign delivered a total of 6.12M+?digital impressions and over 94.7K clicks to TampaMeetings.com, generating a campaign CTR of 1.55%. Including print circulation, the overall impressions totaled 6.68M+.

Objective(s): What problems did the sales, marketing & guest satisfaction, or revenue optimization technology aim to solve?

Innovative use of technology: The extent to which new directions are charted or old challenges are resolved by using the technology in a new way.

Implementation & creativity: How was the technology implemented so that it was easy to use, solved a manpower problem, streamlined a function, or fueled recovery?

Results & Evaluation: How did the technology move the department or business forward to achieve goals, revenue or otherwise?

Goal: How did you demonstrate that you are committed to advancing diversity in your organization through your marketing?

Initiatives: Describe the promotion. What was your organization’s message and how does it foster diversity? How was the target audience channel developed/pursued?

Results: Please describe how your organization was purposeful in advancing diversity through this initiative. Please describe the metrics you used to judge success. What were the forecasted and actual outcomes described in your Key Performance Indicators (KPI)? What impact did the initiative have on your organization and for your customers?

Entry TitleVisit Tampa Bay welcomes meetings with their “Meet Confidently” campaign and brings the city back to life

DivisionAdvertising - Consumer/Group Sales/Travel Trade

CategoryAdvertising