The Connecticut Office of Tourism, a division of the Department of Economic and Community Development, is gearing up for an active and successful 2015 – be part of the marketing mix! Here’s how you can get involved and stay on top of the latest in Connecticut tourism activities:
• New Storytelling Co-op Program (Webinars Dec. 3 & 4)
• Budget Travel – America’s Best Small Towns contest (Deadline Dec. 2)
• Holiday & winter travel deals
• 2015 Connecticut Open House Day (June 13, 2015)
• Short & long lead PR opportunities
• Recent media coverage
Sign Up Now for New Storytelling Co-op Program
Connecticut Office of Tourism (COT) and Madden Media have partnered to offer a new digital co-op program that offers custom-written experiential long-form, engaging stories to drive visitor traffic to your website. Madden Media’s Amplified Storytelling creates pieces that focus on a visitor’s experience rather than a voiceless, broad overview of an area. Along with these custom stories, Madden Media’s audience development platform will drive thousands of new visitors to these stories on your website.
Contact Madden Media’s Lori Stockman (lstockman@maddenmedia.com) to learn more about Amplified Storytelling, click here (http://www.maddenmedia.com/advertising/PDFs/CT/FY15/CTC_CMC15_RateCard.pdf) for rates and information, or sign up (https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/rt/6530665124149962754) for a complimentary, 45-minute informational webinar. Dates for the webinar are Wednesday, December 3 at 10:30 am (EST) and Thursday, December 4 at 1:30 pm (EST).
Budget Travel Media Opportunity
Budget Travel is holding a contest to find America’s Coolest Small Towns with populations under 10,000. They’re looking for towns that have a certain something – great shopping, hidden gems, unique foodie finds. We know that Connecticut has so many great small towns, so please nominate your town today and encourage your community to vote for the chance to be one of 10 towns announced and promoted by the outlet in February. Submissions are open until December 2!
Holiday 2014 & Winter 2015 Travel Deals
The Connecticut Office of Tourism is requesting your travel deals for holiday 2014 and winter 2015 seasons!
Why is it important to post your travel deals, and often?
• The “Travel Deals” section of the State’s official tourism website, CTvisit.com, is one of the most visited of the site
• Travel deals posted to CTvisit.com will receive exposure to more than 2.5 million potential visitors to Connecticut annually
• By posting your travel deals to CTvisit.com, you could receive additional exposure by being featured in Connecticut Office of Tourism’s monthly consumer e-newsletter, distributed to a list of approximately 600,000 subscribers each month.
Specific travel deals/themes needed now:
• Holiday favorites: Christmas, New Year’s and Valentine’s Day 2015
• Gift shopping: Outlets, Main Streets, Unique Gift Destinations
• Home for the Holidays: Visiting family and friends are seeking comfort, value
• Winter experiences: Skiing, tubing and sleigh rides
• Cozy getaways: Inns, B&Bs, destination dining
• Value: A low-priced travel deal is selected for every consumer e-newsletter as travelers continue to stretch their dollar
To be considered for the December e-newsletter, submit travel deals online by November 20, 2014 to: CTvisit.com Partner CMS System. There is no cost to post your travel deals. Please contact Jean Hebert, 860-256-2739 (Jean.Hebert@ct.gov) or Rob Damroth, 860-2749 (Robert.Damroth@ct.gov) if you have any questions.
Connecticut Open House Day 2015 – Save the Date
Save the date for the popular one-day statewide event, Connecticut Open House Day, scheduled for Saturday, June 13, 2015! Sponsored by the Connecticut Office of Tourism, the 11th annual Connecticut Open House Day is designed to showcase Connecticut’s diverse world of history, art and tourism to Connecticut residents. More information to follow! To receive information on the 2015 event, contact Jean Hebert at Jean.Hebert@ct.gov; or (860) 256-2739.
Short & Long Lead PR Opportunities
The Connecticut Office of Tourism is always looking for exciting news or events you have happening this winter or in 2015 that might be of interest to media and/or to be considered for our “What’s New in 2015 press release.” This could include special anniversaries, new offerings, property expansions or promotions you’re offering to draw winter/2015 visits. Please send your news to Connecticut Office of Tourism to the attention of Kelsey Varwig, Kelsey.Varwig@fleishman.com and copy Jean Hebert, jean.hebert@ct.gov.
Recent Tourism Media Coverage
Here’s a sample of recent stories highlighting Connecticut tourism:
• Budget Travel, 7 Reasons to Visit Connecticut NOW
• Travel Channel, 8 New England Towns to Visit This Fall
• The Weather Channel, Adventure Leaf Peeping
• Boston Globe, 35 Ways to Love a New England Winter
• am New York, Skiing near NYC: Day and weekend trips
• Destinations Magazine
Experience Historic Thanksgiving – p. 39
Fantasy of Lights – p. 69
CraftWestport – p. 79