LoCash Cowboys Play at Tootsies

If you were following my Tweets Saturday night, then you know I was at Tootsies Orchid Lounge in Pier Park in Panama City Beach covering the LoCash Cowboys performing live, and boy were they awesome – tons of energy and talent.

They came by in promotion of their appearance in BamaJam and in promotion of the event as a whole. BamaJam will actually feature Kid Rock, Brooks and Dunn, Alan Jackson, The Black Crowes, Taylor Swift and tons of other big names.

With their huge fancy looking tour bus parked on the sidewalk they performed with all their hand and head accesories shining in the stage lights. The dance floor was packed with old and young alike getting their groove on and enjoying the live music. One old guy was playing the “air” fiddle with his cane on his arm. Welcomed by “Preston,” one of the lead singers, he signaled his violinist to play a solo in encouragement of the crowd’s enthusiasm.

The LoCash Cowboys put on a very energetic performance that included boisterous movements all over the stage. I actually quite enjoyed it, even though I’m not a huge country music fan.

Please Help the Shaun Adams Foundation

Talking to Kirk Lancaster today, he was telling me of Shaun Adams and his journey to improve the transportation for the elderly and developmentally challenged of Bay County. Sidewalk sales, door to door promotions of the sale of their foundation, raising money selling coupon books, all to raise money to help those who are limited or unable to help themselves.

On the main page of their web site, a coupon can be printed for 1 day of free transportation to employment or doctor’s appointment.

Right now, Kirk is trying to raise $4,900 for a new-old wheelchair accessable van for the Shaun Adams Foundation. The van is located in Birmingham, AL, is a 1995 model and has a wheelchair lift in the back valued by it self at over $3,000.

PCBDaily.com has committed 20 pledges in the amount of $98.

Please, if you can, pledge some money to help the Shaun Adams foundation buy a new van.

Click here to pledge.

Website, Summer Marketing and The End of Spring Break?

The Website is coming! The Website is coming! I’m totally excited, the city is excited and, with an ultra-comprehensive summer media marketing campaign, everyone will be excited. . . or theoretically persuaded to be excited… about the new PCB website. The socially interactive site is determined to rebrand PCB using promotions like a video competition, social media networking, microblogging and even username and passwords for local business to update their individual pages.

Marketing dollars are being spent, in partnership with Buffalo Rock, to drive summer bookings and launch the new branding campaign. Buffalo Rock will provide large exposure in the form of Pepsi wrappers, shelves and displays throughout the Southeast. This is only a portion of the whole plan. The rich media campaign will focus on promoting Panama City Beach as a destination using the message “Real.Fun.Beach.” and saturate the target market with repetitive engagement.

Who’s the target market you ask? Well, based on reports from Y partnership, the TDC’s advertising and marketing partner, the primary targets are Atlanta, Birmingham and Nashville and the media mix for the campaign breaks down like this: 40% cable advertising, 30% online, 24% outdoor and 6% magazine. That means television promo ads on stations like CNN, ESPN and others. That means a greater internet exposure from previous years (around 7-9% in past years) and a stronger focus on the market. All this to channel tourists to a website packed with enough umph to make them want to visit our great city.

The money spent and future spending has been validated by the Klages report numbers from the previous quarter. While other destinations throughout the state are in the red, in nearly every category Panama City Beach is up. Based on the Klages report, total average daily hotel rates so far are up from last year’s numbers by 12.4%. Last year’s total economic impact was $975,379,655.00 and winter 2009 numbers are already up 9%. That’s some tasty cream.

But not all the news from the meeting was good. Previous marketing dollars, specifically Spring Break, took complaints from the audience. Several community members spoke on behalf of distancing PCB from spring break entirely. It is well documented that Spring Break complaints are an annual occurrence; every year SB happens and every year people complain. But this year’s round of complaints hit hard with passion. Mark Canfora, a local businessman, actually came to tears and bashed the Lil Wayne concert and charged the artist with provoking the spring break incidents throughout the beach.

Jennifer Etheridge, a member of the sales team at Ocean Villa, said some of her owners were considering suing the city of PCB for negligence because they couldn’t rent their rooms. The sentiment was felt by some of the board members as well, focusing their attention on MTVu rather than spring break as a whole. Andy Phillips said, “Spring Break will be here whether we throw a million dollars into marketing or nothing at all.” He added, “I think MTV was a waste of $150,000. Plain and simple.” MTV met their contractual agreement, generating the amount of web impressions, unique visitors and television promotions as promised, but turned out to be difficult to work with as a partner to the TDC.

An example of the relationship was the show “Wasted Memories” which was supposed to be a show that followed Spring Breakers around and at the end of their stay tested how much they remembered. The show turned out to be completely different than what was promised and is still a PR nightmare for a beach trying to change its image. But, amid all the anger towards spring break, most beach businesses did well financially. Mr. Phillips acknowledged this by saying, “It is a double-edged sword and a difficult process.”

The board leaned heavily towards not spending money in the future on the likes of MTV, but recognized how what was learned from the experience of working with them would help in the use of summer marketing dollars.

In related news, Dan Rowe, Chairman of the TDC went up for review and received a 7% increase in salary. Based on the committee’s review parameters Mr. Rowe scored “very effective” on a scale that ranged from ineffective to outstanding. Good work, Dan. Can’t wait to see how the summer campaign turns out.

Click Here To Download The Focus Group Presention

Click Here To Download The Summer Media Plan

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2009-04-14

Happy Easter! #
Just watched LowCash Cowboys rock the house at Tootsies Orchid Lounge. Got some great pix to share later #
Doing a shot from the train, should be pretty cool. #
Shooting right into marble slab creamery. People are looking at me weird. #
At pier park shooting timelapse. If you come out, stop and say hi iif you see me. I’ll be all over #
At pier park shooting timelapse. Good times. – Photo: http://bkite.com/06oR2 #
You guys have to ride the carousel at pier park – Photo: http://bkite.com/06oli #
Wow, when they say go, its like a child stampede. #
On the roof of bww. I don’t think I’ve ever been up here during the day. #
Happy mob of eager easter egg hunters – Photo: http://bkite.com/06odA #
Going to the pier park easter egg hunt. Omgosh is it gorgeous. And packed! #

Guy Harvey's is Open and Coming for an Appearance

Guy Harvey’s Island Grill, a chain of family-friendly restaurants with retail stores, opened its fifth restaurant-retail concept in Panama City Beach, Florida last week. The new 10,000 square foot restaurant is located in Pier Park, a one million square foot, open-air, lifestyle center across from the beach in the heart of Panama City Beach. Pier Park was developed and is owned by Simon Property Group.

Currently with four coastal locations in the southeast including Grand Cayman, Marco Island, Key West, and Orange Beach, Alabama, Guy Harvey’s Island Grill restaurants offer a variety of Americana fare and fresh, sustainable seafood in a unique dining atmosphere. The décor is accented with Guy Harvey’s distinctive marine, wildlife original art and prints, and Guy Harvey Artist’s Collection Wines can be paired with each dish.

Guy Harvey enjoys a storied career as a world-renowned artist, photographer, diver and scientist whose focus has always been beneath the waves. His artwork is in galleries, stores, and at fishing tournaments, and his conservation efforts to save marine life in the oceans are well known. So, it’s only natural that Harvey should enter into the restaurant business with Guy Harvey’s Island Grill. Each Guy Harvey’s Island Grill restaurant offers not only fresh, sustainable seafood in a casual dining atmosphere, but also a retail store and gallery that features original Guy Harvey artwork, signature clothing, and giftware.

“The restaurant-retail store concept, first established in my hometown of Georgetown, Grand Cayman, has proven so successful, that we have chosen to expand the Guy Harvey brand through this prototype into other markets including Panama City Beach,” said Guy Harvey. “With a booming local market and more than 7 million tourists who come each year for the fishing, sun, and surf, Panama City Beach is an ideal location to expand the Guy Harvey’s Island Grill concept. We believe this will be a very successful market for us,” concluded Harvey.

“Despite the volatile economic environment, 2008 was a banner retail sales year for Guy Harvey, Inc. and we are continuing to introduce the Guy Harvey Island Grill restaurant-retail store concept into additional growth markets throughout the southeast,” said Steve Stock, President of Guy Harvey, Inc. “Our new location at Pier Park in Panama City Beach fits perfectly with our expansion plans into select coastal markets.”

“Guy Harvey’s Island Grill will be an excellent addition and important asset to Pier Park. Its combination of Americana food, impressive array of retail selections, and commitment to conservation, all under the Guy Harvey brand, are very powerful and productive,” said Felicia Cook, Director of Mall Marketing and Business Development for Simon.

By expanding its restaurant-retail store concept to additional markets, Guy Harvey’s Island Grill hopes to increase awareness not only for Guy Harvey’s restaurants, Guy Harvey Wines, artwork and licensed products, but also for his efforts to save and conserve the ocean’s marine life.

As part of his ongoing commitment to researching and conserving the ocean’s marine life, Guy Harvey has insisted his restaurants serve only carefully selected seafood that has not been over-fished. Guy Harvey’s Island Grill restaurants do not serve over-exploited or threatened species such as swordfish, grouper, Chilean sea bass or any species of billfish or shark. By excluding these fish from its menus, Guy Harvey’s Island Grill restaurants aid in the long-term improvement of these fish stocks. A simple, responsible seafood guide, detailing what fish to eat and avoid, is available at all Guy Harvey’s Island Grill restaurants to raise awareness of carefully selecting seafood for sustaining the oceans and marine wildlife.

Additionally, a portion of all proceeds from restaurant and retail store sales of Guy Harvey artwork and licensed products fund marine research for the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation. Through Guy Harvey’s Ocean Foundation, new marine research and educational outreach programs are conducted to better inform recreational and commercial fishermen and the public of the need for additional conservation and best management practices for a more sustainable marine environment.

In the end, whether it’s Guy Harvey’s Island Grill, with its carefully appointed seafood menu, Guy Harvey’s distinctive marine wildlife art, or his marine research and conservation efforts, it’s all about the ocean

Pier Park Easter Egg Hunt Awesomely Successful

Saturday, the first annual Pier Park Easter Egg Hunt attracted hundreds of kids and parents to enjoy beautiful weather, the furry Easter Bunny and tons and tons of candy. The first three rounds of egg hunts were for the kids and the fourth and final round was all for the parents, no kids allowed.

“There were 7,000 total filled eggs layed out today,” said Felecia Cook, Director of Marketing for Pier Park in Panama City Beach. The hunt took place in the festivity grounds or the grassy area in between the sand volleyball court and Buffalo Wild Wings.

The first age group sent for the hunt included kids 2 to 3 years of age. When Cook said go, it was a mini stampede across the grass in a scramble to collect as many eggs as possible. It was less of a hunt and more of a race to collect the most, but it was apparently fun for all as parents hurried to keep up with their kids.

The last round, reserved for “parents only” included candy-filled eggs mixed with prize-filled eggs from the retailers in Pier Park. Prizes included anything from charms from Shimmering Seas to free t-shirts from various retailers to soccer balls, volleyballs, pizzas and other foods. When Cook said go for the parent’s round, the crowd went wild, literally and scurried to their hands and knees to collect as many eggs as possible.

The weather was perfect, the turnout phenomenal and the energy high. I talked to my buddy at the new carousel and they had droves of kids riding most of the day.

Walton County TDC to Raise Bed Tax for New PC Airport

Following in the footsteps of Bay County, Walton County is looking to increase their bed tax from 4 cents to 4.5 cents. The anticipated increase in revenue is expected to be around $1 million.

If approved, the TDC plans to use the funds to step up their marketing efforts for the Emerald Coast and attract a low-cost carrier to the new airport slated to open in Panama City of Highway 388 in May 2010. The ultimate goal is to help attract more businesses to the Walton County area. Walton County is right next to Bay County and stand to benefit greatly from the development of the new airport.

Other ideas for the use of the increased revenue include a new complex that could include sports fields, an amphitheater and performing-arts venue.

As with in Bay County, Walton County has its own set of opponents claiming that there is no real plan of action for how to spend the funds, and that the ideas seem to “flip-flop”.

The vote will be in front of Walton County Commissioners tomorrow night at their regularly scheduled meeting.

Quoting Investing.Businessweel.com:

Southwest Airlines was mentioned several times at Wednesday’s TDC meeting during a presentation about the results of a marketing study.

The presentation, given to show the possible new markets that the new airline would serve, focused on the cities Southwest already flies out of. The top five markets are Nashville, Houston, Orlando, Baltimore and Washington, D.C.

Mares said that with the right marketing, the local tourism industry could reach more than 3 million households that fit the demographic profile of visitors to South Walton.

The study determined the top markets by categorizing visitors by age, income and net worth. Also included was information such as their preferred lodging and dining preferences, magazines they read and the television and radio programs they listen to.

Seabreeze Jazz Festival 2009 – Meet and Greet at Borders

All around Panama City Beach, fingers are snapping and heads are bopping in anticipation of this year’s Seabreeze Jazz Festival. The event, named one of the top 10 jazz festivals by JazzIZ Magazine, will electrify the outdoor Pier Park Amphitheater Thursday April 16^th through Sunday April 19^th.

If you’ve never experienced an event like this, your time is now. Get out and enjoy this fun-filled weekend. Honestly, there’s just nothing better than smooth jazz sounds mixing with ocean air. No doubt, people will be out in droves enjoying the music and Pier Park’s fantastic restaurants. Whether you’re just a lover of good music or are a jazz enthusiast, this event should not be missed.

The weekend of music and entertainment will kick off with a free artist meet and greet at Borders Books store Friday April 17th at 3 pm. Artists scheduled to appear include Nick Colionne, Eric Darius, Shilts, Matt Marshak, and Jackeim Joyner. Fans will get the chance to meet the artists and get autographs, then enjoy a special sneak peek performance from each artist.

The full schedule for the weekend is below.

Cost:

General Admission Each Day: $80 per person

Weekend Pass: $130 per person

VIP Weekend Pass: $375 per person

Location:

Pier Park – Amphitheater

600 Pier Park Drive
Panama City Beach, FL 32413

Schedule:

Thursday, April 16

7 p.m. Smooth Jazz Dinner Cruise with Alex Bugnon Presented by Marriott Bay Point Resort

Aboard The Solaris dinner yacht; boarding begins at

6 p.m. at the Bay Point Marina

Friday, April 17

3 p.m. Meet and Greet at Border Books and Music in Pier Park

(Gates open at 5 p.m.)

6 – 7:45 p.m. Urban Jazz Coalition

8:30 p.m. Smooth Jazz All-Star Jam

10:30 p.m. Jazz Under the Stars Party

With Urban Jazz Coalition and friends

(Pier Park Special Club Location)

Sponsored by Smooth Lounge dot com

Saturday, April 18

(Gates open at 9 a.m. – VIP early entry at 8:30 a.m.)

10 a.m. – 11 a.m. Althea Rene

11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. Eric Darius

1:30 p.m. – 2:45 p.m. The Seabreeze Groove Project

Featuring Four 80 East, Shilts and Matt Marshak

Sponsored by Smooth Lounge dot com

3:15 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. Joyce Cooling

5 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. Will Downing

7 p.m. – 9 p.m. Wayman Tisdale

9:30 p.m. Jazz Under the Stars Party

With Four 80 East, Shilts, Matt Marshak and friends

(Pier Park Special Club Location)

Sponsored by Smooth Lounge dot com

Sunday, April 19

(Gates open at 9 a.m. – VIP early entry at 8:30 a.m.)

10 a.m. – 11 a.m. Jones and Company

11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Roman Street

1 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. Brian Simpson / Nils / Jackiem Joyner

3 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. Warren Hill

5 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. Nick Colionne

7 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. Boney James

For More Information Click Here

New PCB Website and Summer Marketing Campaign

On the agenda for the next regularly scheduled TDC meeting will be a presentation of the launch of the VisitPanamaCityBeach.com campaign, the summer marketing plan, “Focus Group Learnings”, and a report of the visitor’s surveys from the first quarter from the Klages Group.

You can download the agenda here, or read it below.

AGENDA

COMBINED BOARD MEETING
Bay County Tourist Development Council
Panama City Beach Convention & Visitors Bureau, Inc.
Panama City Beach
Tuesday, April 14, 2009 9:00 a.m. Council Room, PCB City Hall

I. CALL MEETING TO ORDER

II. ROLL CALL

A.    Invocation
B.    Pledge of Allegiance
C.    Approve Minutes From the March 10, 2009, and March 26, 2009 Meetings

III. REQUESTS TO ADDRESS THE BOARD ON AGENDA ITEMS (3 Minutes)

IV. UPDATE ON BED TAX COLLECTIONS, Ms. Charlene Honnen, Tourist Development Tax Specialist

V. BOARD ACTION ITEMS

A.    Discuss and Consider for Approval CVB/TDC Financial Statements Dated February 28, 2009, Mr. Dan Rowe, President
B.    Discuss and Consider for Approval FDEP Grant 05BA2, Amendment #3, Mrs. Lisa Armbruster, Sustainable Beaches, LLC
C.    Discuss and Consider for Approval FDEP Grant 07BA2, Amendment #1, Mrs. Lisa Armbruster, Sustainable Beaches, LLC
D.    Discuss and Consider for Approval FDEP Grant H6BA1, Amendment #4, Mrs. Lisa Armbruster, Sustainable Beaches, LLC
E.    Discuss and Consider for Approval Coastal Planning & Engineering 3-Year Monitoring Survey Scope of Work and Fee Proposal, Mrs. Lisa Armbruster, Sustainable Beaches, LLC
F.    Discuss and Consider for Approval Coastal Planning & Engineering Invoice #90326 and Invoice #90338, Mrs. Lisa Armbruster, Sustainable Beaches, LLC

VI. PRESENTATIONS

A.    Launch Campaign for VisitPanamaCityBeach.com, Ms. Susan Estler, VP of Marketing
B.    2009 Summer Media Campaign Plan, Mr. Peter Yesawich, YPartnership
C.    Review of Focus Group Learnings, Mr. Peter Yesawich, YPartnership
D.    Review of Visitor Survey Results for First Quarter of 2009, Dr. Walter Klages, The Klages Group

VII. BOARD DISCUSSION ITEMS

A. Review of 2009 mtvU Program, Mr. Dan Rowe, President

VIII. PRESIDENT’S REPORT

IX. CHAIRMAN’S REPORT

X. AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION

XI. ADJOURNMENT

Skim Jam Competition at Edgewater Beach Resort

You’ve skimmed a long way baby! The 11th Annual Zap Pro/Am Skim Jam is going down Friday, April 17 through Sunday, April 19, 2009 at Edgewater Beach & Golf Resort, a property of The Resort Collection of Panama City Beach. There have been 10 events before but, this year’s competition might be the best yet.

The first competitive skim event was held behind Pineapple Willy’s in 1998, hosted by Tony Johnson owner of Mr. Surf’s Surf Shop. Back then the event consisted mostly of locals, but boasted nearly 80 competitors. The event proved an instant hit and was later taken over by Skim USA, becoming a full-on tour with Panama City Beach being the tour’s favored destination.

“What’s unique about this event here in Panama City Beach,” Tony Johnson said, “is the city itself. After the first competition, all the Pros showed up and had never seen anything like Panama City Beach. They’d never seen the white sand or experienced an atmosphere like this. Just the same, all the kids who came out, witnessed the guys they saw in magazines shred their beach. The weather was great, the event was competitive and it just blew up from there. They love PCB because its organized, its friendly and we’ve got an awesome beach.”

Nearly 100 competitors are expected to vie for this year’s title. With the weather report projecting sunny skies, the turnout is expected to be high as well. Admission is free. Proceeds from the event will go to various non-profit organizations like the Boys & Girls Club and Skim USA.

Though always a competition, this year’s event intends to expand upon the teaching. The reigning Zap Pro/Am Skim Jam champion, Morgan Just, will come early to the beach and host a skim camp on Friday morning. Everyone is invited to come out and learn how to skim. Global Surf Industries and Surftech’s Surf will host stand-up Paddleboard Demos and Regattas throughout the competition.

There will be cash prizes for the winners, but everyone who enters will get more than just sport. Tony Johnson said, “Every kid will feel like a winner. Grab bags will go to those who enter into the competition. We want it to be competitive, but we want to really create a fun vibe.”

Meet and greet the skimboarding pros at pre-check-in on Friday, April 17. The annual Zap Pro/Am Skim Jam Contest will begin on Saturday, April 18 at 8:30 a.m. and will run until 4:00 p.m. A treasure hunt in the sand for kids 11 and under called Panama Jack’s Lil’ Sandiggers Treasure Hunt will be held at 1:00 p.m., along with other fun-filled family activities on the beach. Sunday’s events will begin with Church On The Beach, a non-denominational praise and worship service, from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. before the Skim Jam Finals begin at 9:00 a.m.

The day will culminate with an awards ceremony for the competition’s winners.

To sign up for Morgan Just’s skim camp, contact him directly at mojust88@yahoo.com