MEDIA FAM/PRESS TRIPS

Media familiarization (Fam)/press trips are an important part of TBWG’s media tool kit. We believe that “Experiencing is Believing.” While all journalists do not require visiting an area before they can write a story about it, we know from years of experience that a personal experience by a journalist to a specific destination produces considerably more editorial exposure than from another journalist who only reads or hears about it. Let’s face it…it’s hard to get excited about some place where you have never been.

TBWG plans, coordinates and hosts multiple Fam Trips to our destinations every year in an effective and efficient manner while still making sure that our media guests are getting a “full dose of enjoyment.” We tailor our Fam Trips for success. We will highlight a recent press trip below to illustrate how we operate.

"Missouri's Katy Trail: Bike! Hike! And Ride the Rails!"

As a result of this press trip, the Missouri Division of Tourism received a 2016 Silver Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International Adrian Award in the Marketing Program – Consumer category for its Public Relations Campaign. According to the state’s tourism director, this was a first for the Missouri Division of Tourism – never before have they received an Adrian Award in the Public Relations category.

BACKGROUND

In collaboration with the Missouri Division of Tourism and Missouri State Parks, TBWG developed a six-day, five-night media familiarization trip for 10 journalists from throughout the country and including Canada to showcase the Katy Trail State Park and many of the towns and communities that dot the trail. TBWG began planning this endeavor in August 2015. Led by TBWG’s Marjorie Beenders, the wheels started rolling with communities, chambers of commerce, lodging facilities, restaurants, wineries, and more to bring the project to fruition. The ultimate goal was to receive positive editorial exposure for the longest and skinniest state park in Missouri, communities visited, sites explored, and the hospitality businesses that hosted our media guests. Increased media exposure equals increased visitors, which equals increased revenue!

IMPLEMENTATION

The press trip, “Bike! Hike! And Ride the Rails” along Missouri’s Katy Trail State Park, covered nearly all of the 240 miles of the Trail, beginning in Machens in the east and concluding in Clinton in the west. However, our guests could choose to ride a little or a lot, hike some or none, ride Amtrak (with bikes on train) from Hermann to Jefferson City and in some cases, journalists could “hitch” a ride with Katy Trail Bike Rental in a comfortable air conditioned sightseeing mini-bus. TBWG developed a list of qualified media to invite – both mainstream and cycling, travel journalists were tagged. TBWG developed a vetting system so we could carefully review and assess media backgrounds, media outlets and publication assignments. TBWG to created multiple digital invitations to targeted media, followed by on-going communications with interesting and intriguing itineraries. These communications were also shared with our contacts at the Missouri Division of Tourism and Missouri State Parks and all the sponsors and hosts. TBWG coordinated travel, bicycle rentals, ground transportation, accommodations, meals and were on hand throughout the entire press trip, biking, hiking and riding along with the journalists to ensure they had a wonderful and memorable experience and to answer any questions they had about the towns, the Trail or Missouri. Missouri State Parks escorted our group from start to finish – their knowledge of the Trail was priceless!

RESULTS

Immediate results included a destination profile package in "USA Today," a cover story in "Rails to Trails" magazine, three-part video series on the Mobile Cyclist, a feature story in "AAA Midwest Traveler" magazine and stories across multiple platforms running throughout the country and Canada.

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