News from the Syracuse Convention & Visitors Bureau

The Syracuse Convention & Visitors Bureau (SCVB), an accredited destination marketing organization in Syracuse, N.Y., is Onondaga County’s official marketing organization for tourism related economic development leading the production of over $776 million in direct visitor spending annually. For more information, visit www.VisitSyracuse.org.

Sales

• SCVB Vice President of Sales and Services Tracey Kegebein officially accepted the 2010 NYS Hospitality & Tourism Association’s (NYSH&TA) Tourism Executive of the Year Award at the 2010 Stars of the Industry Gala Awards & Banquet at the Crowne Plaza in Albany in early March. The Sheraton Syracuse University Hotel & Conference Center also earned a 2010 Stars of the Industry award; NYSH&TA’s Good Earthkeeping Award. Several members of the SCVB team, Greater Syracuse Chamber of Commerce, and Sheraton Syracuse University Hotel & Conference Center attended the gala event to help celebrate the outstanding honors achieved by the Syracuse tourism industry. The Stars of the Industry awards program honors employees of the hotels, motels and tourism-related businesses throughout the state who best represent the quality service and spirit of the tourism and hospitality industry.

Members of the Syracuse Convention & Visitors Bureau, Greater Syracuse Chamber of Commerce and Sheraton Syracuse University Hotel & Conference Center celebrate at the 2010 Stars of the Industry Gala Awards & Banquet.

Look Who Has Been to Syracuse

• The SCVB organized a sales forum at the Renaissance Syracuse Hotel in early March. The goal of the event was to unite Syracuse-area hotel and convention partners to ultimately enhance future Syracuse site visits for meeting and convention planners/clients.
• The SCVB will be hosting a luncheon for the faculty and staff of the Golisano Children’s Hospital in April. This event will help the SCVB to find more business for the Syracuse area through the support of local residents who belong to organizations that hold annual meetings and conventions.

Services Report

• All 220 participants were impressed with the challenge and beauty of the courses at Highland Forest Park. Photo courtesy of Susan Light.

  Over 220 people, representing 30 states including New York, participated in the 2010 PowerSox U.S. National Snowshoe Championships held at beautiful Highland Forest Park in early March. The SCVB provided a variety of services to the sporting event including staffed hospitality and registration tables and media relations.
• The SCVB played an integral role in making the NCAA® Northeast Regional Championships a success in Syracuse. In fact, SCVB Vice President of Sales and Services Tracey Kegebein served as the local organizing committee chair and a member of a transition team for the Championship games. Besides providing leadership, the SCVB provided a number of services including volunteer recruitment, staffed hospitality tables throughout the city and an airport welcome for incoming fans. The SCVB also recruited knowledgeable community members to serve as volunteers at the Carrier Dome and throughout Armory Square to serve as resources for basketball fans looking for information on parking, transportation, dining, and more. The SCVB also worked closely with The Post-Standard and NCAA® officials to produce a special edition of the Syracuse Visitor Guide for NCAA® fans in town.

SCVB Sales Team On the Road

• L to R Linda Natoli, Oncenter Complex; Shannon Columbi, Smith Bucklin; and Katie Nielsen, SCVB; discuss meeting and convention opportunities in Syracuse during the networking event.

  Tracey Kegebein, SCVB, and Sean O’Key, Oncenter Complex, traveled to Washington D.C. to attend the Association of Convention Sales and Marketing Executives (ACME) Conference. The conference provided educational and networking opportunities for destinations. During the conference, Tracey became president of ACME.
• The SCVB sales team along with representatives of the Oncenter Complex traveled to Chicago to meet with meeting planners at Smith Bucklin, an association management company that helps associations plan their meetings. The SCVB hosted an informal meet and greet for attending meeting planners. This was the first time the SCVB has visited Smith Bucklin and it proved to be a very successful way to create new business for Syracuse.

Marketing & Media Relations

• All eyes in Ottawa, ON were on Skaneateles in late February. (Well, all the eyes that were watching /A\ TV, Ottawa’s number one morning news program.) The morning show hosted a complimentary wedding for a Canadian couple that was performed live on the morning news program. The happy newlywed couple was surprised with a complimentary honeymoon at the luxurious Mirbeau Inn & Spa valued at $1,500. Video footage of the resort, as well as the village of Skaneateles played throughout the four-hour long broadcast. The SCVB would like to thank Mirbeau Inn & Spa for their desire to participate in this fantastic opportunity, as well as for providing a generous giveaway. The SCVB traveled back to Ottawa in late March to participate in another live segment on the morning news program and discussed reasons to visit Syracuse, Skaneateles and Central New York.

• Onondaga County Legislator Judy Tassone shares her passion for the Central New York region with the group.

  Onondaga County’s Deputy County Executive Bill Fisher speaks to the group about his understanding of the importance of the county’s tourism industry.

  VisitSyracuse.org continues to be a popular resource. In the month of February, there were over 10,510 visitors to the Web site. The bureau’s social media family continues to grow with over 5,380 Facebook fans and over 730 Twitter followers as of early March.
• The SCVB and NYS Hospitality and Tourism Associaition recently hosted the Syracuse Legislative Idea Exchange at the Holiday Inn Carrier Circle. About 30 industry partners and several elected officials attended. Attendees enjoyed a 25 minute video produced by the SCVB showcasing the importance of tourism to local industry employees. The event was a great opportunity for Syracuse-area tourism partners to share their ideas with one another, as well as let local officials know how important the tourism industry is to Central New York.

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