HEATHER FRAME, CONVENTION SERVICES MANAGER MICHELLE MENDELSON, SALES COORDINATOR JOHN LYNCH, DIRECTOR OF SALES AND ENTERTAINMENT JOY SAMANIEGO, HOUSING MANAGER GREATER WILDWOODS TOURISM IMPROVEMENT AND DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY ABOUT: The Greater Wildwoods Tourism Improvement and Development Authority (GWTIDA) was formed in 1993 by three municipalities known as the Wildwoods: The Borough of Wildwood Crest, The City of Wildwood, and the City of North Wildwood. As the umbrella destination marketing organization (DMO), the mission of GWTIDA is to develop the destination brand “The Wildwoods” and to plan and promote the island to a target audience of multi-generational families, families with children, and couples. GWTIDA also serves as the operations and marketing arm of the Wildwoods Convention Center on behalf of the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority (NJSEA), the owners of the Wildwoods Convention Center. Additionally, GWTIDA funds and assists over 160-special events, festivals and concerts held throughout the island to enhance the visitor experience and extend the tourism season. The island boomed in the post-World War II era of the 1950s and ‘60s. With post-war prosperity, growing families and a rise in vacations by car, treks to the Jersey Shore became a family tradition. And one of the favorite destinations was the Wildwoods By-The-Sea. Springing from the demand of beach-goers, lodging, dining and entertainment options exploded across the island. It became known as the 'Doo Wop' Capital of the World having the largest collection of mid-century architecture in the country. Today, the Wildwoods five-mile stretch of white sand beaches remain free for beach-goers and the two and a half-mile boardwalk is packed end-to-end with shops, eateries, waterparks, entertainment and amusement piers, flashing arcades and carnival games. RESOURCES & GUIDES The Wildwoods understands that, especially now, it is important to stay in contact with visitors, organizations, and meeting planners to provide up-to-date information regarding how the Wildwoods are responding to the current crisis. The regularly distributed Wildwoods newsletter is one of the many outlets 46 Mayz June2020
being used to communicate with visitors, as well as to stay topof-mind as the ideal local resort destination to visit once traveling is permitted. The Wildwoods’ and the Wildwoods Convention Center’s social media pages also have become an outlet to communicate directly with visitors and groups regarding how the Wildwoods are handling the current crisis, answer any and all questions and used as an outlet to provide positivity, too, by sharing guests’ pictures and videos of the Wildwoods over the years. The Wildwoods tourism website - WildwoodsNJ.com - now has a COVID-19 tab that appears when you first visit the website providing up-to-date news and information. EMPLOYEES & CLIENTS Our skilled team at the Wildwoods Convention Center is ready to host all events when the time is right. We are abiding by both state and federal regulations advising safe of distancing between all attendees, which also is reflected in seating arrangements. We have implemented advanced sanitization protocols including setting up sanitizing stations in key traffic areas throughout the building. Also, one designated employee has been assigned to sanitize the high traffic areas throughout the building, including door handles, window ledges and other highly populated area. Before and after all events, our professional cleaning team will deep clean the areas with commercial grade disinfecting materials and restock all hand sanitizer stations. Our team will maintain this during the event, as well, to assure guests feel safe and comfortable, and afterward conduct the same level of deep cleaning immediately following the event. LOOKING AHEAD Looking to the near future, projections indicate that many will be hesitant to travel long distances initially, and will be looking for resort destinations and meeting venues closer to home to spend their time and host their events. Ideally situated between three major U.S. cities - New York City, Philadelphia, and Washington, DC - the Wildwoods serve as the perfect drive-to location for regional meetings and events. Our state-of-the-art Wildwoods Convention Center offers 260,000-square feet of flexible meeting space, including a