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FAMILY TRAVEL SPOTLIGHT LA CVB) wants arrival and departure time, date, preferred accommodations, and story angle, “Requests for cruise information, according to Sarah Scoltock (Holland America Line, PR Manager),“is rarely a problem, but the more details on deadlines and specifics makes it easier to quickly provide information. I am often targeting specific demographics and/or geographical areas for different tours, so it helps if I’m sent information on the writer’s outlets’ demographics, circulation, etc., and how it connects with our typical guest demographics. It’s tough when a writer doesn’t understand that we must evaluate requests from a business prospective. We aren’t being mean, but are looking for the greatest value in relationships for both parties.” Tourism reps, including Nancy Hamilton (Communications Director/Lee County, FL V&CB) occasionally encounter irresponsible writers, or worse. She recalls receiving a last-minute request from a documentary producer asking for assistance with a travel film. “After helping with accommodations, scouting, interviews, b-roll filming, etc., the film crew left our area. Later, we discovered we had hosted a man on Michigan’s Most Wanted list for parole violation and criminal sexual conduct in Ontario. We are now assisting with an international criminal investigation.” A “Request for Media Assistance” form, available online, is required by the Long Island CVB & Sports Commission. “When asked for complimentary accommodations,” Kristen Matejka (Director of Marketing & Communications) says, “It helps to secure same if I know the hotel will be mentioned in the article, if the writer is on assignment, and when the article will run. We appreciated a writer who came with a clear idea about her angle, and did some research beforehand so it was easy to give her information, recommendations, directions, complimentary admissions, and contacts for her trip since she was focused. Later, we received a thank you note and a copy of the story. Our worst experience was with a writer who came to write a story on kayaking and requested all sorts of extravagant amenities. She didn’t have a clear direction, and didn’t give us the courtesy of a reply from her in my attempts to follow up.” Southwest Airlines PR Rep Ashley Rogers likes “when writers do a little research before calling, state the information needed, who they want to interview, and have a specific deadline. I’m happy to TRAVELWORLD MAGAZINE / 10.2 MAR.APR
fill gaps in information, but a lot of basic information is on our web site. “I love it when travel writers utilize a GPS unit during their visit,” says Joel Cliff (Media Relations Mgr/PA Dutch C&VB). “The amount of time it saves us in preparing for their visit is significant, and thus can be spent on more productive tasks.” Dee Grossman (Exec. director/Tuscarawas County C&VB, Ohio) dislikes when a writer calls, asks for specific information and needs it NOW. “We love to help, but sometimes our schedule doesn’t allow for immediate turn around. And as our budgets and staff continue to shrink, this will become more problematic as time goes on. One of the best writers we’ve worked with sent us a lead-time of one week, was pleasant to work with, and sent a thank you note. Negative experiences aren’t the norm, but one occurred on an all expense paid FAM tour for writers and photojournalists. We took them everywhere, put them in a nice hotel and paid for meals. The photographer sent us two pictures he had taken along with a bill if we wanted to use the photo!” Brenda Krainik (Director of Marketing, Green Bay C&VB, WIS) needs to know “the publication, topic, audience, and if the information will be used in multiple stories. I can then choose the most pertinent venues to visit, and sometimes the type of story determines the type of hotel I supply. My best experience was with a writer who made the trek from California to Wisconsin, journeyed throughout the state visiting the best steakhouses, admiring the countryside, and researched the opportunities for small aircraft pilots to land at our airports. His topics were diverse and, in the end, he used all the information he gathered in three different stories. From a small CVB/s perspective, it was a very worthwhile FAM trip to host.” Arline Zatz is the award-winning author of Best Hikes With Children in New Jersey (The Mountaineers); 30 Bicycle Tours in New Jersey (Backcountry); New Jersey’s Special Places (WW Norton); New Jersey’s Great Gardens and Arboretums (WW Norton); 100 Years of Volunteer Wildlife Law Enforcement in New Jersey (NJ Division of Fish and Wildlife); and Horsing Around in New Jersey (Rutgers University Press). Her features and photographs appear nationally in newspapers and magazines. She can be reached via web site: funtravels.com.