Sheltair Opens FBO at the Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport

This summer, Sheltair opened it’s FBO (short for fixed base operations) at the new Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport. They are the only FBO at the new airport, and they also operated an FBO at the old Panama City Airport (PFN).

“We are so thrilled to have opened our beautiful, new facility in order to better serve our based, as well as transient customers in the Florida panhandle,” said Danny Walsh, Vice President of Aviation at Sheltair, “This location is truly one of the flagship FBO’s in our network and will now be a gateway for many to some of the most gorgeous beaches and scenery that this state has to offer.”

What is an FBO

An FBO is a Fixed Base Operator that provides aeronautical services at commercial airports. The Federal Aviation Administration defines an FBO as A commercial business granted the right by the airport sponsor to operate on an airport and provide aeronautical services such as fueling, hangaring, tie-down and parking, aircraft rental, aircraft maintenance, flight instruction, etc..

In other words, if you’re a private pilot or a member of the general aviation community, you would use this new facility to come and go from the Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport.

About the new facility

Sheltair had been operating at the new Panama City Beach airport out of a temporary space on the airfield, but they just moved into their new 5,000 square foot facility end of July. The building was build to LEED Certification standards and is currently in the approval process with the U.S. Green Building Council.

Some of the amenities at the new facility include:

Spacious passenger lobby
Conference room
Pilots lounge
Flight planning and weather room
Complimentary interior cleaning
Catering
Crew cars
Cafeteria/vending area
Complimentary refreshments/snacks
Wireless Internet

In addition to the main building, Sheltair also offers 1,680 square feet of office rental space and a 9,100 square foot hangar that’s available for lease.

For more information about Sheltair, visit SheltairAviation.com

More pictures

New Airport’s Average Flight is 39% Less

One of the big things supporters wanted out of the new Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport was lower fares. And lower fares we received. The average per ticket fare at the old airport (PFN) was a whopping $583. The average per ticket fare at the new airport (ECP) is $354. Of course, that’s not to say, if you keep an eye on the deals you can’t find one of Southwest’s famous $50 trips.

ECP Airfare Costs Comparison

Before the new airport, Panama City’s airfare costs were second to the highest in the state of Florida. Now we fall right in the middle.

Average Airfare 2009

Airport Code	Airport	Average Fare
MCO	Orlando International	232.82
FLL	Fort Lauderdale International	235.19
TPA	Tampa International	261.58
JAX	Jacksonville International	282.04
PNS	Pensacola Regional	379.20
TLH	Tallahassee Regional	411.55
VPS	Northwest Florida Regional	505.66
PFN	Panama City-Bay County International	583.44
DHN	Dothan Regional	769.35

Average Airfare 2010

Airport Code	Airport	Average Fare
MCO	Orlando International	245.48
FLL	Fort Lauderdale International	247.05
TPA	Tampa International	284.50
JAX	Jacksonville International	306.94
ECP	Northwest Florida Beaches International	354.89
PNS	Pensacola Regional	375.26
TLH	Tallahassee Regional	457.31
VPS	Northwest Florida Regional	496.58
PFN	Panama City-Bay County International	579.71
DHN	Dothan Regional	753.86

Current Traffic and Future Forecasts

In addition to lower fares, traffic is way up as well. On average, the new airport is passing almost triple the number of people the old airport did consistently each month. Here’s a snapshot of some of the existing numbers and future projections of passenger traffic growth.

Year	Passengers	Percent Change
2009	312,540
2010	649,018	107.7%
2011	858,931	32.3%
2012	916,800	6.7%
2013	948,888	3.5%

—

2009 market share for our airport was a measly 9.1%. Current market share for the Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport has more than doubled to 22.1%.

—

Airport	Passengers	Market Share
Pensacola Gulf Coast Regional	627,053	38.8%
Northwest Florida Regional	382,715	23.7%
Northwest Florida Beaches International	345,231	21.3%
Tallahassee Regional	261,878	16.2%
Total	1,616,877	100.0%

Total number of flights

8 SWA departures and arrivals – 16 total flights – 7,657 seats per week

10 Delta departures and arrivals – 20 total flights – 5,135 seats per week

Thoughts, comments?

What are your thoughts on the new airport. Have you flown out of it? What are your impressions on it? Was your fare lower?

Thomas Drive CRA Update

The Thomas Drive CRA is rounding the final corner of construction. This CRA has been really huge and is on schedule to be complete January 2012. Construction began September 2009. The CRA is responsible for upgrading our road infrastructure and has been successful in beautifying main corridors over the last few years.

Past CRA projects include R Jackson Blvd (Beckrich) and Churchwell Road

Improvements to the road, broken down by area

Front Beach Rd Middle Beach Rd, N Thomas Dr Intersection

They will completely redo the whole intersection, traffic lights and all
The new intersection will have an emphasis on pedestrian friendliness
- They will redo some of the existing pedestrian islands
- An additional pedestrian island will be added by Backyard Burger
- Existing pedestrian islands will be beautified
The famous dedicated right turn lane from west-bound Front Beach Road that turns onto Middle Beach will be done away with, median curb and all
- But, that lane will still be a turn only lane, just not dedicated
- Actually, they will ad an additional right turn lane making the total number of right turn lanes from Front Beach to Middle Beach TWO
The right turn from North Thomas Drive onto Front Beach Road (by the Ripley’s museum) will be pulled back to make it a larger radius.
Pedestrian walkways will be very clearly marked
All utilities will be moved underground
Sidewalks will be installed
Street lamps will be installed
Landscaping

The Circle K Intersection of Front Beach Road

The plans include a dedicated Tram lane for the multi-model transportation device
Of course, all utilities will be moved underground
Sidewalks will be installed
Landscaping will be installed
There will be clearly marked crossing areas with pedestrian medians
There will be periodic cut-outs for the Tram loading and unloading stops

South Thomas Drive, North Thomas Drive Intersection

Located right by Alvin’s Island
Large retention pond and a cut through roadway behind Alvin’s
The retention pond will be designed to be a beautiful amenity
- Sidewalks all around with sitting areas
- Landscaped and lighted
- It looks as thought there may be a little roadside parking for those that may want to enjoy
The roadway cut through will ease traffic onto North Thomas Drive
- Intersection will be “signalized”
- The main intersection will be moved from south of Alvin’s Island, to just north and behind it.
- There will be a little right off-shoot to cover access still to boardwalk and the other “local” businesses.
- The new intersection will have pedestrian walkways clearly marked
Alvin’s Island will actually be a little “island” surrounded by roadways

Retention Pond behind McDonalds

The retention pond will be large and considered and “amenity”
There will be paved walking paths around the pond
Landscaping and lighting around the pond

Current status of the project broken down by area

South Thomas Drive

Curbing is complete
Sidewalks should be installed in the next couple weeks
Once sidewalks are done, they’ll put down the limerock, then pave
All utilities are moved and operational underground
Paving should begin in the next couple weeks
Once paving is complete, they’ll shift traffic to do the other side of the road

The Circle K Intersection of Front Beach Road

All utilities are moved and operational underground
Doing night work from 8 pm to 8 am daily
Put much of the road work off until off season to alleviate traffic issues

South Thomas Drive, North Thomas Drive Intersection

All curbing work is done
They are ready to pave sidewalks
Limerock and road pavement will come next
Retention pond is complete
All utilities are underground

Photos of the project so far

Christian Music and Film Fest Schedule

The Fun Never Sets Christian Music Festival is coming up next weekend featuring artists such as Toby Mac, Third Day, and Petra. The weekend will be filled with uplifting music, short films and good weather (hopefully).

“We are thrilled to host such talented musicians for a weekend that is inspirational and uplifting,” states Dan Rowe, president and CEO of Panama City Beach Convention & Visitors Bureau. “The fall is a wonderful time to visit, and our gorgeous sugar-white sand beaches and emerald green waters perfectly set the stage for three days of praise, worship and reflection.”

Friday, August 26

Petra (5:45 – 6:45 p.m.) The first Christian rock band to be inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame, Petra was undoubtedly the world’s most popular band in the contemporary Christian music genre throughout the 1980s and early 1990s. Having released more than 20 studio albums, Petra was the first Christian band whose memorabilia was included in the Hard Rock Café restaurant chain. Several other artists have recorded tributes to the band, including country music sensation Tim McGraw.

Matthew West (7:15 – 8:15 p.m.) The Downers Grove, Illinois native is best known for number one hits “More,” “You Are Everything,” and “The Motions.” West, who says he has plumbed the depths of his soul for sweet inspiration, released his latest album, My Own Little World, in 2010. In addition to a successful solo career, the musician has worked as a songwriter for many other well-known artists including Point of Grace, Billy Ray Cyrus, Jo Dee Messina and Rascal Flatts.

Third Day (8:45 – 10:00 p.m.) Berthed amid a storm of personal crises and tragedies of those close to them, Third Day’s steely-eyed eighth album, Wherever You Are, was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel album in 2006. The Atlanta-based rockers are on a mission to convey the hope and eternity of Christ through their music, from their encouraging “Rise Up” to the inspirational “Mountain of God.”

Saturday, August 27

Jamie Grace (3:00 – 3:30 p.m.) A hybrid mix of acoustic pop, hip hop, folk, and reggae, the newest addition to the TobyMac-founded label, Gotee Records, recently released a four-song collection titled Hold Me. Diagnosed with Tourette Syndrome at the age of 11, Grace, now 19, shares her story of resilience and hope through what she calls her “heart songs.”

Peter Furler (4:00 – 5:00 p.m.) Raw talent combined with hard work has produced one of Australia’s biggest exports – not just in Christian music but in every genre. One of the few Aussies who can lay claim to writing, producing and singing more than 25 number one hits including classics “He Reigns,” “Shine,” and “Something Beautiful,” Furler’s performances are notorious for being as diverse as they are divine.

Family Force 5 (5:30 – 6:30 p.m.) Often referred to as a crunk rock band, Family Force 5 mixes a diverse set of music styles including punk, rap, R & B, funk, techno pop and more with positive lyrics. The band released their first full-length album titled Business Up Front/Party in the Back in 2006 and ventured onto the popular Vans Warped Tour the following year. The album, featuring several hit singles such as “Love Addict” and “Earthquake,” was an instant hit in both the Christian and mainstream markets.

Switchfoot (7:00 – 8:15 p.m.) This well-known American rock band hailing from San Diego, California, first gained momentum in the mainstream music market when several of their songs were featured in the 2002 movie A Walk to Remember. The Beautiful Letdown, the band’s album released in 2003, contained their best-known singles, “Meant to Live” and “Dare You to Move.” With its play on words, Vice Verses, the title of Switchfoot’s newest album, coherently suggests that everything has two sides.

TobyMac (8:45 – 10:00 p.m.) TobyMac ranks among the most successful artists in Christian music history in terms of radio success, sales power and critical acclaim. His fourth studio album,

TONIGHT, was released in 2010 and centered on the belief that we all need God now – this morning, this afternoon, tonight. The songs on the album are typical TobyMac in many ways – an eclectic mix of rap, rock, pop and funk, all laden with catchy hooks and melodies just itching for airplay and audience singalongs.

Sunday, August 28

On Sunday at 10:00 a.m., Christian rock band DecembeRadio will lead a morning worship service to conclude a weekend of fellowship. Known for such musical hits as “Dangerous” and “Drifter,” DecembeRadio will delight fans with a short concert following the worship service. Tickets are not required for Sunday’s service or concert.

Photo from the Panama City Beach Convention and Visitor’s Bureau.

2nd Annual Women’s Work-Life Symposium

The 2nd Annual Women’s Work-Life Symposium is coming up in September and is being held at the FSU-PC Holley Academic Center. Last year’s event was an enormous success and a huge buzz generator. This year’s event is looking to be even better.

About the event

This day-long event will focus on helping women find practical solutions and strategies for creating a work-life balance. The Symposium will present productive sessions with top-notch, motivating speakers all offering insight, inspiration and innovative ideas.

Attendees will be able to take part in:

Keynote sessions
Breakout workshops
A networking breakfast
Buffet lunch
Mix & Mingle wine reception following the Symposium

A special Exhibitor Showcase will stay open throughout the day featuring products and services relevant to professional women seeking a healthy work-life balance. There will also be drawings, giveaways and Symposium Goody Bags.

Date and time

Friday, September 23rd, 2011 from 8 am to 5 pm

Location: FSU-PC Holley Academic Center

Special Presentation by Dr. Tererai Trent

Quoted as being Oprah Winfrey’s “favorite guest of all time,” her captivating presentation is a moving message of empowerment and change. In it, she will share her experiences of growing up in rural Africa, overcoming humble beginnings to achieve her dreams and give back to others.

In May 2011 Oprah Winfrey stated, “[Tererai Trent] symbolizes everything I believe the Oprah Show stands for… her story encapsulates the essence of every lesson we’ve shared over the past 25 years: hope, your thoughts create your reality, gratitude, it doesn’t matter where you come from. She proves you can keep reaching for your dreams, that one person can make a difference in the world—and above all, you have the power.”

Ticket information

Tickets are now on sale; Early Bird Registration lasts thru September 9 and tickets are $89 per person. After September 9 tickets cost $99 per person.

Tax Free Weekend is This Weekend

This is a great weekend to shop for school supplies with the state-mandated tax free weekend.

School related items can be purchased tax free this weekend, August 12 – 14.

Some of the items that are eligible for purchase tax free this weekend include:

Clothes
Backpacks
School supplies
Shoes

Single items $75 or more are not eligible for tax free purchase.

A more complete list of items that are eligible for tax free purchase this weekend can be found here.

That’s it! Get out and shop this weekend!

2011 Visitor Interest in Panama City Beach Grows over 2010

Whatever complexities involved in the comprehensive marketing plan the TDC has in effect, it’s working.

Visitor inquiry, visitation and general interest is up this year over last, and the activity in Panama City Beach reflects it.

Following this article, we’ll discuss the bed tax revenue, and take a good look at the actual numbers behind this year’s growth, but for now, we’re going to take a look at some stats on interest as it related to visitation, inquiries and Likes.

Total Website visitation

The Panama City Beach Convention and Visitor’s Bureau made the tough decision a couple short years ago to abandon their previous web host and seek a new one, along with a fresh new look. They rebuilt the website with the help of Jennifer Barbie Inc, and enacted a whole new marketing plan that was charged with revitalizing PCB’s image. Two years later, traffic to the website has grown tremendously and the area’s branding has burned the image of our sugar white sands and emerald green waters into the minds of millions, literally.

Traffic to the website in 2011

July – 184,148 (15% increase)
June – 174,726 (22% decrease)
May – 142,845 (17% increase)
April – 123,976 (26% increase)
March – 179,553 (53% increase)

Traffic to the website in 2010

July – 159,567
June – 225,557 (oil spill spike)
May – 122,440
April – 98,342
March – 117,039

Website visitation top states

July

Florida
Georgia
Alabama
Tennessee
Texas
Kentucky

June

Georgia
Florida
Alabama
Tennessee
Texas
Kentucky

May

Georgia
Florida
Alabama
Tennessee
Texas
Kentucky

April

Florida
Georgia
Alabama
Tennessee
Texas
Illinois

March

Florida
Georgia
Alabama
Tennessee
Texas
Illinois

Facebook page keeps growing, and growing, and growing

One of the things that’s been really unique in the Panama City Beach marketing plan has been the growth of the Convention and Visitor’s Bureau’s Facebook Page, VisitPanamaCityBeach. Every since the beginning, it’s been growing leaps and bounds, like a snowball, and has never ceased.

They have set records, garnered the attention of Facebook corporate and have been an example of what to do in a successful campaign over and over again. Currently they are at 219,753 Likes.

Here is a breakdown of their growth over the last year. The number shown indicated the total number of Likes at that point in time.

2011

July – 218,159 (136% increase)
June – 211,355 (157% increase)
May – 203,721 (181% increase)
April – 195,380 (187% increase)
March – 188,066 (202% increase)

2010

July – 92,336
June – 82,213
May – 72,582
April – 67,968
March – 62,250

Visitors Services Inquiries

Each day, the Panama City Beach Convention and Visitor’s Bureau fields inquiries via phone, email, walk-ins, physical letters and faxes. Inquires consist of info for making vacation plans, information on group travel, general tourist information, etc.

Here is a breakdown of the inquiries over the last 5 months in the top six states. Numbers are approximate based on the report we received.

July

Georgia – 800
Alabama – 600
Tennessee – 550
Florida – 450
Texas – 425
Kentucky – 350

June

Georgia – 1300
Tennessee – 950
Alabama – 750
Texas – 650
Kentucky – 550
Indiana – 425

May

Michigan – 3400
Illinois – 2500
Wisconsin – 1800
Indiana – 1700
Ohio – 1600
Georgia – 1500

April

Tennessee – 2900
Georgia – 1100
Alabama – 700
Texas – 600
Florida – 600
Illinois – 500

March

Georgia – 1100
Tennessee – 900
Alabama – 650
Florida – 625
Texas – 600
Kentucky – 550

International Real Estate Summit Coming to Panama City Beach

Organizers Lewis (Bud) and Hope Abbott have been hard at work putting together a large real estate summit in Panama City Beach that will draw attendees from all over the world.

Vision

From the website

“The vision of the “World Summit” is not to recreate your typical atmosphere of the International Real Estate trade shows, but to promote true unity and collaboration in and around the globe to create business. The message will be clear, that there is a new and better way of doing business on a global scale. You will be taught international business strategies by industry specialists that are working smarter and are proven leaders in their respected countries around the world.”

Date of the event and schedule

The event is from October 20 – 22, 2011 and will be held at the Boardwalk Beach Resort’s Conference facilities.

Pre-registration is on the afternoon of the 19th with the summit beginning at 9 am the following morning. Sessions will go through 5 pm.

For a full list of the schedule, visit their website.

Speakers

The International Real Estate World Summit is drawing speakers from Germany, Canada, Dubai, England, Asia, and of course, the USA.

Some of the topics that will be presented on are:

International Real Estate Trends
Mexico, the Growing Retirement Market
Immigration-Based Investment
How to Breakthrough with the Asia Investors
Marketing to Canada

For more information on the summit, visit their website.

Thunder Beach Asks TDC for $100k, Walk out with $40k

Amongst other things, this morning’s TDC meeting included some spirited discussion on the viability of a Fall Motorcycle Rally. The spring rally, according to organizers, gets better every year. But the growth of the Fall rally has been stunted because of the date of the event.

Last year, Thunder Beach organizers were vying for the Columbus Day weekend to hold their fall event. This is a weekend, that historically, included family-related events such as the Panama City Beach Seafood Wine and Music Festival. The TDC did not support the date change, thus it didn’t happen.

This is the argument for Columbus Day Weekend

Here are the dates of the large Fall motorcycle rallys:

The weekend of September 23rd is the Reno Street Vibrations rally.
The weekend of September 30th is the Las Vegas BikeFest AND the Thunder Beach Motorcycle Rally.
The weekend of October 8th is Columbus Day weekend with no large motorcycle rally events on the national calendar.
The weekend of October 15th is Biketoberfest in Daytona

Joe Biggs, the Thunder Beach organizer argues that currently, where Thunder Beach falls in the schedule, it heavily competes with other events for vendors. This is, in my opinion a very valid point as there is a clear gap, that if the Panama City Beach event could be moved back just one week, vendors could travel from Reno, to Las Vegas, to Panama City Beach, to Daytona. They are coming down here anyway.

Biggs said that if the fall event can’t be moved, it’s still not going away, but if it could be moved to Columbus Day weekend, it could be as big, if not larger, than the spring rally.

The argument against Columbus Day weekend

“Columbus Day weekend has always been that last shot for families to come down to the beach, and we all know that families and bikers don’t mix,” said board member Gary Walsingham.

“We’ve all tried to get families down here in the fall and we’ve never been able to get it to work,” retorted past board chair Marty McDaniel and owner of Oaseas Resorts, “but we have an obligation to grow business in the fall and this is the best way to do it.”

Oaseas Resorts is the onsite property management company for Shores of Panama, a large venue sponsor for Thunder Beach.

Came for $100k, left with $40k

McDaniel made a motion to grant $100k to Thunder Beach to help promote the fall event, an amount never before given to an event as sponsorship dollars. The motion was seconded by member Ken Nelson, but was voted no by everyone except McDaniel, Patronis, and Nelson.

Board member Andy Phillips followed that failing vote with a motion to grant Thunder Beach $40,000 to be used towards marketing. This vote went through with all voting in agreement with the exception of Mayor Oberst.

My opinion, take it for what it’s worth

I have had a rocky history with Thunder Beach. But, I’ve always recognized it for bringing people to our beach and generating tourist dollars during the shoulder season. I’ve always recognized it as very successful, while still maintaining a constant level of annoyance with the traffic, noise and sometimes rude behavior.

With that said, I think a move to Columbus Day weekend would be great for the event AND the area. Even with the Panama City Beach Seafood Wine and Music Festival, I still don’t think that weekend has ever been a large draw for out of town visitors.

I could be wrong. Please prove me wrong if I am as I’m going off of personal experience and not a stack of reports.

But, if we have a chance to elevate this event to bring in more people, which I strongly feel that we do in this case, I say we do it. Although Biggs has made no comment to this effect, if he was to move the fall event elsewhere, or the whole event elsewhere, businesses would definitely miss Thunder Beach. Putting ourselves in a situation where we could lose a fantastic event that draws thousands (even if no one can agree to the real number) of out of towners is a mistake.

What are your thoughts? I know historically, our readers have had a love/hate relationship with Thunder Beach. What do you think, should it be moved?

Airport Passes 1 Millionth Passenger, Names new Chairman

The old mantra, “If you build it, they will come,” certainly seems true with the new Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport. Despite opposition, the new location seems to be meeting expectations. With a new parking facility under construction and monthly passenger traffic up almost three times what is was in the old airport, it’s safe to say the new facility is getting it’s use.

The Airport Authority recently named Andy McKenzie the new chairman of the board, in replacement of Gerry Clemons. Clemons retired his position due to term limits.

A lifelong resident of Panama City, Mr. McKenzie has been a member of the Airport Authority since 2005. Mr. McKenzie is CEO and founder of McKenzie Insurance Associates, which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year, and previously served as chief investigator for the Bay County Sheriff’s Department.

“I am honored to serve as chairman of the Airport Authority and look forward to continuing the success that the Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport has experienced in its first year of operation,” said McKenzie.

One of these successes was the Airport’s milestone of serving one million passengers, which it reached in July.

“Serving one million passengers is a tremendous achievement,” said McKenzie. “I know the Airport’s outstanding leadership and staff will drive this momentum even further as they continue to provide the highest quality service to passengers.”

The Airport Authority also voted John E. Pilcher, III as its vice-chair. Inducted to the Airport Authority in 2010, Mr. Pilcher owns Pilcher Storage and has served on the Panama City Commission.