If this is how you react when your team places well in a ranking, consider joining us on Thursday, June 13 at 2 p.m. EST as we reveal the behind-the-scenes process that goes into developing some of the most important rankings in economic development!

DCI has brought together two Forbes editors who regularly work on city and state rankings, Kurt Badenhausen (Best Places for Business & Careers, Best States for Business) and Morgan Brennan (America’s Coolest Cities), for a webinar on Thursday, June 13^th at 2:00 p.m. EST. They will share their methodologies in detail, what they look for when devising a ranking topic and their advice on improving a community’s standing over time. We’ll also invite questions from the audience to ensure you walk away with a better understanding of how the system works.

Feel free to register below and we’ll send you the full link for the webinar!

In reality, Chattanooga is the first American city to offer gig-a-second Internet speeds (1,000 megabits per second), which has been made available to every home and business across a 600-square-mile service area since 2010. It’s also a mid-sized city with a metro population of more than half a million. Given the ironic juxtaposition between the movie Chattanooga and the real Chattanooga, we wanted to set the record straight while having some fun with our outreach to reporters.

Our strategy was simple – write a brief email pitch (two sentences to be exact) that asks moviegoers to keep an eye out for “inaccurate depictions” of Chattanooga, with a couple of fun “Fact vs. Fiction” factoids, then send this message to every major national tech, trade and entertainment reporter.

The result? The pitch went out on Thursday, May 9 and within hours major tech outlets such as Business Insider, PC Magazine, San Francisco Chronicle and CNET picked up the story. That same evening the folks at Atlantic Cities posted an article calling the move a “Genius ‘Iron Man 3’ PR Tie-In of the Day: Chattanooga Wants to Remind You Its Internet is Awesome.” By Friday evening, the story had gone viral with more than 200 media having published, mentioned or shared on social channels a variant of the story, according to Google News, including Forbes.com and Yahoo! Movie Talk blog. A spokesperson from the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce was also invited to write a post on the topic on Wired.com’s “Innovation Insights” blog.

While other economic development organizations might not have a major movie to piggyback on, there are a few key takeaways on what you can do if there’s a misperception about your city being told in the national (or even quite frankly local) limelight.

• Short, Sweet and Fast Is the Way to Go – Reporters are pitched stories continuously every day. If you have a newsworthy bit of information, grab the reporters’ interest using three sentences or less. They are more apt to read it and respond if an email doesn’t overwhelm them right when they open it. In addition, if you have a timely hook, like we had with the movie, it’s best to get the information out as soon as possible. The turnaround of our pitch and when the articles started rolling in was less than three hours.
• Keep it Lighthearted – People in economic development are some of the biggest champions for a community. A downside to this passion though is that when something negative is said about that place in the mainstream media, community representatives can take it personally and become overly defensive. In this instance, we understood that Iron Man 3 is a movie and that scenes and many elements of the movie are meant to be fictional. The approach and tone we took in our pitch wasn’t meant to blast Iron Man. It was more about educating the general public by keeping the tone lighthearted and simple.
• With Stories Like This, Your Pitch Can Become the Story – Attention-grabbing stories like the “Chattanooga vs. Iron Man” headline have very short lead times. Interested media that want to run the story have to jump on it fast, which could mean that they might very well decide to run your pitch, word for word, as the main story. For example Business Insider, PC Magazine, CNET and Atlantic Cities all ran parts or most of the email pitch that was sent.
• Economic Development Stories Can Be Fun – DCI’s favorite takeaway from this experience is that it shows economic development stories can be fun, and don’t always have to be about plant expansions, investment announcements and business incentives (though these stories are of course important to us, our clients and corporate executives with site selection responsibilities). By staying creative, keeping an eye out for mainstream trends and jumping on opportunities to be profiled alongside a major brand or franchise like Iron Man 3, you can help yield quick, fun and positive media results.

Can you think of any other examples where a city, state or region has successfully leveraged tie-ins with major movies or other mainstream brands to garner PR results?

Congratulations to Florida’s “Team Volusia” for developing an exceedingly clever, dimensional direct mail campaign.

Earlier today I received a small mailing package. When I first opened it, I wondered aloud: Why is someone sending me a Five Hour Energy, the dietary supplement that comes in a colorful, 2 oz shot bottles?

Upon closer inspection, I saw that the bottle actually promoted the “Volusia Solution, A Potent Location Solution For Manufacturers.”  The bottle when on to promote a “Proven Productivity Formula” that:

• Lowers Costs
• Increases Profits
• Offers A New Florida Life That Makes Your Bottom Line Feel Great!

Congrats to Keith Norden and his team on a great promotion for Volusia County.

What advice would you give to a recent graduate now entering the tourism industry?

This was a question I recently asked a group of eleven professional tourism marketers.

Check out the slideshow below, which offers some terrific counsel to the newcomers to the tourism marketing profession.

We’ve also included a downloadable PDF to the right. By all means, feel free to share this with any individuals entering the world of tourism marketing.

We hope these tips are helpful as they begin their career in the profession.

And feel free to join the conversation by leaving your own advice below in the comments section of our blog or using the hashtag #tourismadvice on Twitter.

Rolando Aedo, Executive Vice President/CMO, Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau  “My tip…. Which is also my internal mantra…  is a slight twist on the classic 4 Ps of marketing (product, price, placement and promotion)… my version does start with Product, but is followed by Passion, Players (your internal team) and Partnerships (external team). This is my recipe for success…..” Karyl Leigh Barnes, Executive Vice President/Partner, Development Counsellors International Years in Tourism: 15 “Engage. Take every opportunity to ask colleagues – whether employees at a DMO, destination marketing partners, tour operators, travel agents, meeting planners, media – about what challenges they are facing and what professional accomplishments make them the most proud. You’ll expand both your depth of knowledge abut the industry and learn about opportunities you might like to pursue in the future.” Lynn Carpenter, Vice President of Marketing, Visit California Years in Tourism: 20+ “Advice #1 – Follow your heart – even if it leads you down uncertain paths Advice #2 – Surround yourself with great people that you admire – they will always “raise your game” Advice #3 – Never stop learning – There are lessons in every project you will undertake make sure you are aware of those key learnings Advice #4 – Do your best – when you try hard it’s contagious and others around you do the same” Cody Chomiak, Director of Marketing, Tourism Winnipeg Years in Tourism: 2.5 “Never stop learning and growing, be humble, be nimble, be positive, network-network-network, always remember who your customers are, give 110% in all things big or small, find what your passion is and channel it every single day.” Chris Gahl, Vice President of Marketing & Communications, Visit Indy Years in Tourism: 11 “Many young marketing professionals tout social media-marketing experience. And while this is important, and certainly a key tool for your communications toolbox, having the ability to pull out and use ‘old school’ tools like speech writing, media relations, event planning, and promotional marketing are just as important to demonstrate and tout on a resume or portfolio.” Heather LeMoine, Marketing Manager, North Dakota Department of Commerce, Tourism Division Years in Tourism: 7 “Let research be your guide in marketing strategy. Through research we have better understanding of brand, markets, visitation, traffic and effective advertising. Ask questions and dig into the data. Also, be mindful of your personal social media channels and how you are represented. The most respected professionals are those marketers who live the brand beyond the 8-to-5.” Sam Ross, Executive Director, Visit Carlsbad Years in Tourism: 15 “My advice would be to go work for a large CVB to observe and learn all facets of tourism industry. Then you’ll have the knowledge needed to move in a specific direction; whether it’s PR, social or traditional marketing. You may find that sales is more to your liking which could lead you into travel industry sales or hotel/convention sales. Or perhaps operations and administration fits your goals and personality better than other parts of the business. Bottom line is… large CVBs give you more opportunities to do more things that can translate later to medium/smaller DMOs and a long career in the tourism.” Megan Smith, Commissioner of Tourism & Marketing, Vermont Tourism Years in Tourism: 38 “Try to get into a job with a good training program with obvious upward mobility.  Tourism, whether in the hospitality business or in a Destination Marketing Organization, is about hard work and finding a mentor to show you the way.  Both tracks are very rewarding careers where the possibilities are endless. Work hard and play hard!” Seth Spillman, Director of Marketing & Communications, Oklahoma City Convention and Visitors Bureau Years in Tourism: 1.5 “Travel as much as possible. Nothing helps you see your own destination through the eyes of a traveler better than being a traveler yourself and understanding the challenges.” Witt Tuttell, Director of Tourism Marketing, North Carolina Division of Tourism, Film & Sports Development Years in Tourism: 24 “Make an effort to really get to know as many people in the industry as possible. Get to know them on a personal level. They have so much knowledge and have already experienced nearly every problem or challenge that you will ever face. This is a social business and having social relationships with people in the industry will bring you more opportunity and assistance than you could ever imagine. I still regularly run into the very first person I ever met in the travel industry. She helped me get my first travel industry job and I helped her get her most recent one.” David West, Vice President of Marketing, Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau Years in Tourism: 17 “Don’t ever give up on the thirst to learn more. Those who constantly strive to learn more from better understanding of research; to monitoring industry trends and behavior;  to constantly asking yourself the question, what does this mean and why, will carry you far in advancing your career in tourism marketing.  It is not that you have to have an answer for everything at that moment, it is that you have the enthusiasm and desire to find out. Whether you are part of destination management, attraction industry, hotel industry, or a service provider (Ad / Pr agency) constantly learning more about your craft and this industry will show that you know what you are talking about and that you can contribute to its growth because you understand where we (tourism industry) are and where we need to go.”

Over the past ten years, Kristin’s career has spanned politics, finance, marketing, public relations and economic development. For the past seven years, Kristin has been responsible for industrial recruitment and business development for Cleveland County. Under her leadership, the Cleveland County Economic Development Partnership has announced more than 40 successful project locations and expansions, totaling more than $4.7 billion in new capital investment and 2,600 new jobs.

Kristin assisted in developing a 142-acre Foothills Commerce Center, working with local officials with the City of Shelby, Cleveland County and the Golden Leaf Foundation’s Community Assistance Program on collaboratively funding a 100,000-square-foot shell building in the park. In 2012, Kristin and her team recruited a German solar component manufacturer, Schletter, Inc., that purchased the Foothills Commerce Center for its U.S. headquarters. With 305 new jobs, this is one of the largest job-creation projects for Cleveland County that has been announced in the last 15 years.

In 2010, Kristin and her team recruited one of the largest manufacturing projects announced in the State of North Carolina that year: Clearwater Paper Corporation. Clearwater Paper has invested over $280,000,000 into their project which will create 280 new jobs.

What have you learned so far in your career? You’re only as good as the team you have behind you. In economic development, teamwork and collaboration mean everything.

What’s the most overlooked issue facing economic development? Providing great customer service has become a lost art. It should be a priority even in the economic development profession. We serve many ‘customers’ in economic development; whether it be the site selection consultant, the client or existing companies in our own communities, and when we provide that level of care to them it can be very impactful.

Where do you see yourself in five years? I don’t think I can answer that. I can hardly forecast what I’ll be doing five days from now, let alone five years from now!

Kristin graduated from North Carolina State University, receiving her Bachelor’s degree in political science. She is currently the Chair of the Charlotte Regional Partnership’s Economic Advisory Council, which is comprised of economic development leadership from the 16 County Charlotte Region. Kristin has served and continues to serve on a variety of boards and associations including the North Carolina State University Industrial Extension Services Advisory Board of Directors, Cleveland County Manufacturer’s Roundtable, Cleveland County YMCA Board of Directors and United Way Board of Directors. She is actively involved in the North Carolina Economic Developer’s Association, as well as the International Economic Development Council.

Cleveland County Economic Development Partnership

The Cleveland County Economic Development Partnership works to actively recruit new industry and create in Cleveland County a healthy and diverse environment for existing, expanding, and new businesses, as well as increase job opportunities. To this end, the Partnership works to promote the county as a single economic entity, provides information and services to communities and businesses, and works in a complementary manner with local and regional economic development programs. For more information, visit www.ccedp.com

Kentucky for Kentucky’s website includes an online store and all the reasons Kentucky kicks ass.

Kentucky is an awesome state. I can verify this statement because I grew up there, went to school there (Go Norse!) and met my husband there. And while I don’t live there anymore, Kentucky will always be my home.

As I travel for work and life, I always run into people from Kentucky. It’s so refreshing to hear their passion for the Bluegrass State even if they are like me and don’t live there anymore. And true to our spirit, we typically can find a way we are connected whether it’s through family or friends – talk about six degrees of Kentucky separation. It’s just one more thing to love about my state.

I’m not the only one who has a purebred fascination with Kentucky and an interest in seeing the state continue to thrive. Case in point: recently, a grassroots marketing campaign for the state has gone viral.

Known as Kentucky for Kentucky, the campaign was started by two creative advertising professionals who want the state to replace its current slogan Unbridled Spirit with a new one – “Kentucky Kicks Ass.”

The group has created a five-minute online video, an online store where people can purchase branded t-shirts and a whole content marketing plan dedicated to promoting Kentucky people, places and products. And they are doing it in an edgier way than we typically see in marketing places.

Just check out this copy they’ve included on the About Us page:

Kentuckians have been influencing and creating American and world culture for a long time. We were the first to sing Happy Friday, fry chicken, and slap high-fives. We invented bourbon, bluegrass music, and the mother-freaking Kentucky Derby. We made cool cooler by birthing Clooney, Depp, and Hunter S. Thompson. We pushed the What-Are-Ladies-For-And-Good-At envelope with Loretta Lynn, all the Judds, and Diane Sawyer. We redefined sport with Ali, Sea Biscuit, and Rondo. We invented the gas mask, people.

We are the real deal.  We are Kentucky.

Talk about a website with a voice. It makes me want to high five my friends and say “Hell yeah. Seriously, we rock.”

Since the campaign’s launch, national media outlets including NPR, L.A. Times, Ad Age and Mashable have written stories about the guerrilla marketing strategy.

While tourism and economic development officials in the state haven’t embraced the Kentucky Kicks Ass slogan, and most likely won’t for official branding purposes, I do think it was wise of them to bring the brains behind the grassroots campaign in for more discussions – even if at first, they were hesitant about the message this new campaign promoted.

As we have seen time and time again, one of the key strategies with an ambassador program is to ensure that relationships are nurtured with the people who are most passionate about your brand.

I’m proud that my state didn’t just turn its back on the campaign. State officials acknowledged it and are letting it remain a grassroots effort. Smart move Kentucky, that’s why you kick ass in my book.

And after watching the video, can I just say that I totally want those dudes to be my friends?

Kentucky Kicks Ass – Rebranding Kentucky from Kentucky for Kentucky on Vimeo.

With the GJEP, Kelly develops and oversees the programs that enhance the community, while collaborating with state economic development officials to promote economic development throughout Colorado. Kelly works to assist out-of-town companies with expansion and/or relocation, and maintains relationships with local businesses to support their expansion needs.

Kelly was recognized by the Economic Development Council of Colorado as Rookie of the Year in 2011, and has grown her reputation as an economic development expert throughout the state. This award was given in large part due to Kelly’s vision and execution of a complete redesign of the GJEP’s marketing and communication strategy, the keystone of which was a new website. That website was awarded an IEDC award in 2010 for the best general purpose website for populations of 25,000 to 225,000.

Kelly joined GJEP in 2008 as the Business Development Manager. In the three years Kelly held this position, she worked with numerous businesses both local and external. In this time, Kelly revamped the marketing and communication efforts, worked on local business expansions and attractions and rebranded the organization. As Executive Director, GJEP has since increased its investors, assisted more local businesses and launched new programs and community outreach committees.

What have you learned so far in your career? I have learned that relationships matter more than I ever would have thought.  People are good, they want to help and they want to be engaged. I have learned that while I may not know all of the answers, it is very likely I know someone who does.  A powerful network is the most valuable thing I have.

What’s the most overlooked issue facing economic development? In my opinion, it is that the typical standards by which we measure success and jobs are changing.  As a result of the recession, businesses have learned to do more with less. Economic development practitioners need to be more flexible and adapt to the changing economic conditions.

Where do you see yourself in five years? This is a hard question. I hope in five years I continue to be challenged in my career.  I hope to continue to be working with an incredible team to diversify and strengthen my local economy.  I hope to continue to be blessed with a loving and supportive family. I hope to see myself in a position that brings positive change to the place that I live, and I strive to make the world a better place each and every day.

Kelly serves on numerous committees and boards locally and throughout the state of Colorado to educate and promote economic development. Prior to living in Grand Junction, Kelly worked for the City of Denver Parks & Recreation Department. Kelly has also worked for the City of Chicago in the Department of Cultural Affairs and the Mayor’s Office of Special Events. Kelly holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from Knox College and a paralegal degree from Loyola University in Chicago.

Grand Junction Economic Partnership

The Grand Junction Economic Partnership is a private non-profit incorporated organization and the official economic development agency of the Grand Junction area. This partnership represents the cities of Grand Junction and Fruita, the Town of Palisade and Mesa County and works with businesses looking to expand or relocate to the Grand Junction area. For more information, visit www.gjep.org.

Amber is responsible for domestic and international lead development and business recruitment. Under Amber’s leadership, the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber assisted in recruiting companies that brought more than 3,000 jobs to Oklahoma City in the past five years.

In 2010, Amber was a team leader for the group that recruited Boeing to transfer 550 jobs from Long Beach, Calif. to Oklahoma City in 2010. Other companies that she has recruited include FMC Technologies, Continental Resources, Cellu Tissue (now known as Clearwater Paper Corp.), AAA and Blue Cross Blue Shield.

Additionally, Amber oversaw the development of an alternative energy economic report that currently drives the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber’s alternative energy economic development efforts. Amber used the report to develop the competitive market position of Oklahoma City for the development of the wind energy, solar energy, biofuels and compressed natural gas.

What have you learned so far in your career? Tenacity and that economic development is a team sport. There are two fundamental elements that have always been involved in my work over the last several years.  It’s the need to remain tenacious and the joy (and occasional challenge) of working within a team.  Regardless of the type of project, whether it is a major business recruitment to our region or working with an existing industry, it always takes a unified team to get the job done and one must continue to pursue the goal despite the hurdles that will inevitably arise.

What’s the most overlooked issue facing economic development? I wish I had a crystal ball and could predict the future challenges of this field, but as I look at the issues today I believe our profession is profoundly aware of the workforce issues our nation will face, and the challenges of product development within our varying communities.  However, something I feel we as a greater profession may be overlooking is a growing movement for stricter scrutiny of incentives.  It will be interesting to see how states and communities compete in the future for business relocations.

Where do you see yourself in five years? I’m blessed to work with a great team of professionals and friends, as well as for a community that I am so excited to be a part of.  I sincerely hope that I will continue to be in a position to make a difference in Oklahoma City!

Prior to joining the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber, Amber served as the business development manager for the Oklahoma Department of Commerce.  She has 12 years of experience in community and economic development in numerous roles with the Oklahoma Department of Commerce and communities within the state. She maintains membership in several professional and leadership organizations, including Oklahoma Economic Development Council, International Economic Development Council and CoreNet Global. Amber is also involved in charitable organizations in the Greater Oklahoma City area, including Infant Crisis Service, YMCA of Greater Oklahoma City and the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma.

Amber graduated with a Bachelor’s in mass communications and advertising from Northeastern State University.  She is also a graduate of the University of Oklahoma’s Economic Development Institute.

Greater Oklahoma City Chamber

The Greater Oklahoma City Chamber works closely with business and community leaders to accomplish the work that is driving Oklahoma City forward. For more than a century, the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber has been the voice of business and the visionary organization in Oklahoma City, representing businesses of all sizes and industries in Oklahoma City’s 10-county region. For more information, visit www.okcchamber.com.

Six DCIers headed to the Rockaways in Queens to learn how our team could help the community with its tourism efforts after Hurricane Sandy.

It was sunny and nearly 80 degrees in New York – perfect beach weather – when six DCI teammates headed to the Rockaways in Queens. They were on a mission to help the Queens Economic Development Corporation identify, package and market the area’s top tourism experiences for summer.

The wake of Hurricane Sandy had left this beach community devastated. Homes had been lost, business destroyed and the boardwalk disappeared. Yet as our DCI team toured the peninsula and met with local business and cultural leaders, it was clear that the residents of the Rockaways were resilient. Construction was underway, festivals were being planned, businesses were preparing to reopen and everyone was eager to ensure a solid summer tourism season. Destination marketing – that’s where we could help!

The DCI team had assembled as part of a “DCI Cares” initiative, a program established by the firm back in 2011, which encourages staff to identify “give-back” opportunities within their local community. If at least five staff gather together to participate in a “DCI Cares” project, DCI provides a paid day-off for the staff to implement the project.

Given the proximity to our head office and some of our staff’s personal ties to the Rockaways, it wasn’t hard to recruit a team for this initiative.

“At DCI we always talk about our passion for places, but nothing compares to my passion for my hometown,” said Alexa Naas, account coordinator at DCI whose home in the Rockaways sustained extensive damage during the storm. “Sandy affected everyone here and this DCI Cares project allows me to help my hometown make a tourism comeback.”

During National Travel and Tourism Week (May 4-May 12, 2013) the DCI team will start developing a marketing blueprint, replete with a strategy, themelines and marketing tactics for the community to roll-out with the reopening of its boardwalk, scheduled for the end of May.

“In this business – tourism and economic development – we have many opportunities to aid communities and destination marketing organizations. But when our team came to me with this specific idea – the chance to leverage our experience in place marketing to give back right here in New York – it was a no brainer,” said Andrew Levine, president of DCI.

Levine added, “And quite honestly, we can’t think of a better way to celebrate National Travel and Tourism Week than by helping a community get back on its feet.”

The Team (In the Order They Appear Above)

Megan McHale, assistant account executive, identified the opportunity. Megan grew up in Queens and has family ties to community leaders.       Maureen Haley, account director,  who as an “Urban Hipsters,” was the perfect target demographic for the Rockaways.       Karyl Leigh Barnes, managing partner of DCI’s Tourism Division, whose brother-in-law’s family had lost their restaurant in the storm.       Brittani Wood, digital media manager/tourism,  experienced the beaches of the Rockaways on her DCI “Summer Fridays.”       Terry Levine, senior account executive was another part of our “Urban Hipsters” team.       Alexa Naas, account coordinator hunkered down at her home in the Rockaways during the storm itself and whose home had sustained extensive damage.