Summer Marketing Campaign for Panama City Beach is LOADS Better This Year

As many of you remember, I (along with many of our contributors) was very vocal in the obvious failure of the Summer White Sale campaign that was rolled out last year. Although the idea wasn’t quite right, it was the creative that I was so outraged by. We spent a lot of money for an all around crappy campaign. Now, with that lovely negative intro, this year’s campaign looks MUCH better. The creative is way stronger.

I have some exclusive footage of what some of the animated banner ads may look like posted to my Facebook Fan Page. Check it out. Be sure to become a “fan”.

I’m going to keep this short and let you see some of the advertising ideas.

You may, from time to time, notice I use words like “loads” or “brilliant”. Today’s random fact of the day about Jason Koertge is that I LOVE Harry Potter (actually our whole family does) and I have a secret desire to speak with a British accent. I know, lame, but I don’t care.

Despite Nasty Weather, AVP Show Must Go On

With wind gusts of up to 30 mph and heavy downpoor expected all day, the volleyball pros still plan to play, even though there won’t be many there to watch. I was told by someone that the last event they had attended 18 out of the 25 games they watched were in bad weather.

They play, rain or shine. I was told the qualifiers went well yesterday; the players got wet, and had to fight the wind, but they played. Coming from one direction, the players barely had to tap the ball to serve it over the net, but from the other way, hitting it as hard as they could, the ball sometimes wouldn’t even make it. I guess the advantage of wearing bikinis and boardshorts while you play your pro sport is that getting wet just doesn’t matter.

I was up on the roof of Seahaven, Origin, and felt like my Blackberry was going to be blown out of my hand; my jeans were flapping in the wind, and I don’t wear baggy jeans. My hair was even blowing, and I keep it too short for it to move.

On the ground, flags were flapping in the wind, near the brink of ripping. I overheard one worker screaming “that’s all you got!”, then it started raining – hard. Luckily I was under the covered area of Sharkys. Cameras and rain don’t mix.

Play was postponed until 10 am when I was there. Not sure if they are playing right now (its 1020). It isn’t raining right now, but it is very windy still. Tomorrow, however, is supposed to be nice. We’ll see.

Volleyball Chick Faints, PCB Goes Viral

Wednesday morning, Nikki Allen, Director of Operations for the University of Southern California’s women’s volleyball program was interviewed on WMBB by Wayne Gentry and went down in YouTube fame. As she was being interviewed by Wayne Gentry, she fainted on live tv. WMBB was kind enough to upload it to YouTube and now, three days later the video has over 260,000 views.

Apparently Nikki flew in from California that morning, which must have been very early as the time on screen during the interview was 6:20. I also read that this was her first time on TV and she was very nervous. Whatever the case, I’ve been told that she’s ok now.

The faint happened behind Sharky’s Beach Club on Panama City Beach and was accompanied by Dan Rowe. By the way, does anyone know what the question was that Dan answered Tanzania?

New VisitPanamaCityBeach Web Site Adapts to Each User

The new VisitPanamaCityBeach.com web site is almost ready for launch and is looking awesome, might I add. The user experience will be different for everyone based on Personality Quizzes, and the overall look and feel exudes Real.Fun.Beach.

When the user first arrives at the site, they are greeted by a fun but laid back setting with warm colors that make you long for some quality beach time with the family. Hints of “free vacation giveaways” and “what’s your ‘fun’ sign” are scattered throughout with a front-end goal of making the user experience unique, varied and well, fun. The back-end functionality is all about collecting user information. By answering short simple questions, we’ll be able to get a better idea as to who the people are that not only visit the site, but visit Panama City Beach.

Some of the questions could include:

My favorite beach sensation is:

The gulf breeze blowing through my hair
The warmth of the sun on my skin
The smell of the salt in the air
The feel of the sand in my toes
The invigoration of the water

My favorite beach souvenir would be:

A shell
A beach hat
A piece of jewelry
A tie-dye t-shirt
A beach umbrella

Based on the answers to these and a few more questions the web site will categorize you in one of five Fun Signs:

Soul Searcher – relaxed and laid back
Sandy Bottom Bunch – Family oriented
After Dark Shark – Nightlife party person
Wave Warrior – Outdoorsey and active
Eco-Seeker – Environmentally friendly

Based on what you’ve been categorized as, the web site will totally change – different background images, different accent colors, different text – the whole look and feel resembles what your Fun Sign is.

Also included in the site is a Trip Planner. Based on your Fun Sign, recomendations will be made for activities to do on Panama City Beach, all plotted out in a neat map.

The site should be live by April 1 – I’ll have a more detailed review of it at that point.

Click here to see the demo.

Breaking News! New Double Indoor Flowrider Coming to PCB

Hot off the press – pcbdaily’s press – an indoor double Flowrider is coming to Panama City Beach. Think surfing year-round, think surfing whether the water temperature in the Gulf is tolerable or not, think surfing whether it’s raining or lightning outside, or think surfing if you just don’t feel like paddling out. I’m thinking surfing because I can’t surf for real.

Being a veteran snowboarder remembering the days of the early 1990’s of me and one other guy on the whole mountain learning to snowboard, getting practically run over by skiers hating on the, what they thought, new sport. I always wanted to skate, but frankly, I sucked at it. I read all the magazines, wore the cool clothes, listened to the music, liked riding my board, but I couldn’t do any tricks for the life of me. Or maybe I just wasn’t dedicated. Snowboarding was everything I wanted – a board that was attached to my feet and a padded landing (sometimes). I rode passionately every chance I got for 10 years (growing up is Dallas offered me this opportunity twice a year at best).

Fast forward to moving to Panama City Beach in 2001. “Surfing is just like snowboarding,” a friend told me, “you’ll love it.” Well, it isn’t, and I don’t. It always seemed like too much work for not enough playtime. I was spoiled with the sometimes seemingly endless downhill bouts riding fresh powder. I gave it another chance when my wife, who is an avid surfer, convinced me. Same results. I did however find a new comprimise to my longing for the snow – wakeboarding. Yet, I’ve only been once. That day will always linger in my head when I got “up” after the third try and rode for hours. Everything about the control of the board was familiar – I loved it. Too bad that was almost three summers ago, and I haven’t gone since.

Fast forward again, to today. A new double Flowrider is coming to Panama City Beach, and it will be indoor. Talking to Jeremy, who’s working on the development and operational side of this new attraction, he said, “the best way I can describe it is a jet engine shooting water up a ramp so fast you can surf it.” The title on the main page of the Flowrider website describes it as “sheetwave attractions.” They vary in size and even in wave dynamics, but they all provide healthy doses of fun. If you’ve ever been on a Royal Caribbean’s cruise, chances are you’ve run into one.

Driving down Middle Beach Road, right across from Wal-Mart and where Tony Roma’s used to be, you’ve probably seen a video sign that says Shubee Flowrider. That’s it. Right there in Miracle Strip Loop will be where all the indoor surfing action can be found starting sometime early summer. “If everything works out right, we’ll be open sometime in June,” said Jeremy.

Prices haven’t been set yet, but they are estimating the cost to be around $20 per session. Each session could last for up to 1 hour. Inside, there will be observation areasall around the attraction, two party rooms and a retail area including gear and apparell.

Welcome to Panama City Beach, Jeremy!

Survey Says Affordability Increasing U.S. Residents' Intent to Travel

According to the most recent results of the travelhorizons quarterly survey, the U.S. Traveler Sentiment Index rose to 90.2 in February 2009 from 78.2 in October 2008 due to an increase in the perceived “affordability of travel.” The survey, which was conducted from Feb. 7 to 13, polled a representative survey of 2,270 adults, from which the Index is calculated.

The spike in the perceived affordability appears to be a direct result of the promotional pricing and related incentives now being offered by tour suppliers who represent practically every segment of the travel industry. Many airlines, cruise lines, hotel companies, attractions and rental car companies are featuring rates and fares that are up to 50 percent off the prices being quoted just six months ago.

“We are very encouraged that more people are signaling a willingness to travel for leisure purposes,” said Peter C. Yesawich, chairman of Ypartnership, which co-authors travelhorizons with the U.S. Travel Association. “This is the first increase we have observed in the Index since January 2008, which indicates that the discounts travel providers and destinations are offering are working to attract more travelers, even in this down economy.” Source: National Tour Association

As I travel around the southeast promoting our destination at consumer trade shows, speaking to thousands of people, one thing is clear. Families are still traveling for vacations and get-a-ways. We are fortunate to be a drive destination and have the first ever international green airport under construction. If our spring season is any indication of what the summer is going to bring, I predict a good year for visitors and businesses.

I will be traveling to Nashville, TN next week to the Southern Women’s Show. Over 34,000 ladies will attend the four day event. I look forward to promoting our destination, accommodations and fun things to do while staying on “The World’s Most Beautiful Beaches”. I will give an update on my trip home.

Debi Knight, President
Panama City Beach Tourism Services
http://www.travelpcb.com

AVP is getting Geared up behind Sharkys

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Amid cloudy weather and red-flag seas, the yellow AVP tents tower above the sand. For the first time ever a professional volleyball tournament will be hosted by AVP in Panama City Beach.

Today’s schedule is to include a collegiate tournament, however with wind kicking at up to 15 knots some of the onsite players are skeptical whether it will happen. The professionals are out practicing right now.

On Friday, there will be a series of games where locals and other aspiring pro-volleyball players can enter the qualifier tournament to compete with the pros on Saturday and Sunday. When talking to Nick Lucena at the recent press conference, he was telling me that some players can play up to 8 games in one day, depending on their win-to-lose ratio. He was telling me that the pros usually train for up to four hours each day to prepare for such grueling endurance playing.

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Here is the schedule:

Friday, March 27, 2009

Men’s and Women’s Qualifier Competition
Gates open at 7:00 am
Start time 8:00 AM. End Time (Approx) 6:30 PM.

Saturday, March 28, 2009

Men’s and Women’s Main Draw Competition
Gates open at 7:00 am
Start time 8:00 AM. End Time (Approx) 6:30 PM.

Sunday, March 29, 2009

Men’s and Women’s Main Draw Competition
Gates open at 7:00 am
Start time 8:00 AM. End Time (Approx) 5:30 PM.

TDC Meeting – New Website from Jennifer Barbee Inc.

Well, I think the new VisitPanamaCityBeach.com web site is just about done. Thursday’s special called meeting, Jennifer Barbee herself will be here to present what her firm has done to the board. From what I’ve seen, this site will be very awesome.

Also on the agenda is a presentation from Mr. Peter Yesawich from YPartnership regarding what they’ve come up with for a summer marketing campaign.

You can count on me being there Tweeting away all the sweet details.

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

Special Called Meeting

AGENDA

COMBINED BOARD MEETNG
Bay County Tourist Development Council
Panama City Beach Convention & Visitors Bureau, Inc.
Panama City Beach
Thursday, March 26, 2009 4:00 p.m. Council Room, PCB City Hall

NOTE: The City Council of Panama City Beach will be meeting at 2:00 p.m. If the City Council meeting is not over by 4:00 p.m., the Combined Board Meeting will begin immediately following adjournment of the Council meeting.

I. CALL MEETING TO ORDER

II. ROLL CALL

A. Invocation
B. Pledge of Allegiance

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

IV. PRESENTATIONS

A. Presentation of Website and Marketing Campaign, Ms. Susan Estler, VP of Marketing

1. VisitPanamaCityBeach.com, Ms. Jennifer Barbee, JB, Inc.
2. 2009 Summer Marketing Campaign, Mr. Peter Yesawich, YPartnership

V. BOARD DISCUSSION ITEMS

VI. AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION

VII. ADJOURNMENT

Spring Break, Kids just want something FUN to do!

Beach Tennis Tournaments for Spring Break

We had the opportunity to introduce a healthy approach to Spring Break 2009 in Panama City Beach this year. We introduced the Beach Tennis USA Association to the area and began to offer active sports on the beach as a way for students to meet others and have fun in competition. We brought in Pro Tennis players and all of the nets and equipment to set up in front of Sharkys to offer an organized “sport” and play with prizes, t-shirts and most of all FUN.

The play is FREE and we are offering t-shirts to all who play and try the sport. The winners of the tournament have received dinner for two at Sharkys and various tennis related prizes. We have given away tennis racquets as we approached the end of the event to winners who want to continue to play this new sport and have fun.

We have been running tennis tournaments most every day. Two Sundays ago we had 20 teams ( 40 kids) lined up to play at 10:30 a.m.

The students we have met and interviewed just want to come to the white sand beach of Panama City and enjoy the sun and meet others. Every day we had students who were signing up to play, excited to compete and interested in additional sports and activities that will let them be active and meet others. We had repeat students coming back to compete and win better prizes as the week progresses.

We have met students from all over the world including Australia, United Kingdom, France, Italy and all across the U.S., and they have all been excited to have something active and fun to do at the beach rather than just “drink” all day.

Students are much more concerned about their health and wellness these days than in the past and many of them workout, run and exercise. Yes there is a percentage that come just to drink and get wild but the many students we have met over the past 2 weeks are just here to have some fun.

Many of them do not like the concept of a community who makes money offering them “all you can drink” for a set price at a number of bars. In fact many of them would like to have someplace else to go at night rather than the crowded bars.

Accidents happen when people of any age get out of control. The idea of offering all you can drink to any age group provides the basis for danger and accidents.

Does anyone offer all you can drink healthy drinks or provide a choice for the students to do something else to have fun and meet others?

If you look at the ads from many of the establishments to the colleges in the “Spring Break” guide you will see they promote the idea of sex, drinking and wild parties.

The college atmosphere is changing and students will drink and they do want to have fun but overall they want to do something active to meet others. They are becoming much more concerned about the environment and have innovative ideas to drive change.

If you spend the time on the beach and watch the students and ask them questions they are mostly good kids. They also want to pick up their trash but many times the location of the trash barrels are not convenient.

We know they want to play more sports on the beach and hope to develop further programs and ideas to offer for future Spring Break. Has anyone ever done any survey with these kids to really determine how to help the community offer new and fun ideas for the kids to meet others and have good clean fun??

It is a shame to have a few kids that go overboard or in the case of our observation we noticed a local who came to the beach asking kids for beers across the beach. Panama City Beach has an opportunity to work with the students who help make this community profitable and better understand how to change and offer new and innovative ideas to give them fun ways to meet others and the ability to “drink” responsibly.

If we think about it the spring breakers are just our “own kids” trying to become the star in their own lives. We just need to ask a little more in words and our actions because we need each other and can help make this work if we just listen and learn to engage the students and kids with their ideas.

AVP this week – Pro Volleyball on the Beach

This is just a reminder – don’t forget the Crocs Tour this weekend and all the pro volleyball activities behind Sharky’s this week.

To start it all off AVP will launch the first ever Collegiate Beach Challenge tomorrow where college students from across the country will have the chance to participate in a two-day four-on-four beach volleyball tournament. There will be men’s, women’s and coed divisions competing for cash prizes.

The finale of the AVP’s Spring Break in Panama City Beach will come at the end of week three, with the AVP Crocs Tour Panama City Beach Open. In what will serve as the 2009 season-opening event, the AVP Crocs Tour will showcase some of the best beach volleyball players in the world, including 2008 Olympic Gold Medalists, Phil Dalhausser and Todd Rogers. A one-day qualifier will begin on Friday morning followed by a live band in the evening. Men’s and women’s main draw action will start on Saturday morning with the finals scheduled for Sunday afternoon.

The AVP Crocs Tour event will take place directly behind Sharky’s Beach Front Restaurant & Tiki Bar, located in the heart of Panama City Beach at The Towne of Seahaven. In an attempt to revert back to the sport’s beginnings, six of the courts will be set up in “old school” style. This set-up will include minimal bleacher seating, allowing plenty of room for beachgoers to throw down their towels and fully enjoy the beach party atmosphere of Spring Break.