Current E-Newsletter

Welcome to the Gunnison-Crested Butte Tourism Association's 1st Quarter 2010 Edition E-Newsletter

Another year has come and gone yet some things never change... the beauty of the Gunnison Valley and the hospitality we show our visitors. In speaking to many local lodging partners throughout the valley, it looks like summer is on par or ahead of last year. That's great news! As always, the Tourism Association appreciates your ideas, suggestions and constructive feedback. During difficult times, it's that much more important that we all work together for the good of Gunnison County! To share your thoughts contact Jane at JChaney@GunnisonCounty.org 

Six-Month Travel Outlook

According to a study conducted in February by Ypartnership/U.S. Travel Association travelhorizons, peoples' travel intentions over the next six months indicate that "the most difficult months may be behind us."  Fifty-six percent of U.S. adults said they plan to take one leisure trip between February and July 2010. While this is a 7 percent decline from the same time last year, leisure travel demand remains elastic. Therefore, lodging properties, attractions and other travel services that create innovative and value-driven promotions will likely benefit, as consumers expect "excellent value for their travel dollar" again this summer. Maintaining the trend, many consumers will be making vacation plans within a much shorter time period. Even more promising is that one in seven adults say they plan to take at least one business trip during the next six months. This is up 2 percentage points from one year ago.

Source: Ypartnership- Insights Feb. 2010

Upcoming Opportunity

The Tourism Association is proud to be a sponsor of  "Boosting Your Bottom Line," an April 27 seminar being organized by Marilyn Laverty, Director of our Small Business Development Center located at Western State College. Contact Marilyn today (sbdc@western.edu or 800.270.0211) to REGISTER FOR FREE or you can pay $5.00 at the door. The event keynote speaker will be Don Marostica, director of Colorado's Office of Economic Development. The seminar will take place from 1- 6:30 p.m. at the Montrose Pavilion located at 1800 Pavilion Drive. For carpooling information, contact Marilyn.

Highlights include free business tools and resources to:

• Find certainty in a changing economy;
• Get access to capital and take your business to the next level; and
• Sharpen your skills and get customers walking in the door.

Jane Chaney will be doing a session on "Branding - The key to a successful marketing plan" and Rob Strickland will be facilitating a session on social network marketing.

In The News

• CB Feature - USA Today & Lansing State Journal
• G-CB Destination Feature - SkyWest airline magazine
• G-CB Destination Feature - AAA Colorado EnCompass magazine
• G-CB Meetings & Events Destination Feature - Colorado Meetings + Events magazine
• CB Ski Destination Feature - Ski magazine
• Extreme Makeover: Home Makeover's 3rd visit to Crested Butte
• A Winter Weekend in Crested Butte- Atlanta Journal-Constitution
• ShortTrip to Crested Butte - Denver Post Travel Section
• Colorado Tour (including sections on G-CB and Black Canyon of the Gunnison and also the lead 2-page spread photo was of CB) - Germany's American Journal
• Colorado Cowboy Experience - Germany's V.I.P. Reise Magazin
• 20 Best Places to Ski & Stay in North America (Crested Butte ranked 12th) in Conde Nast Traveler
• 16 Best Ski Resorts in North America in Outside magazine - mentioned in at least 50 media outlets across the U.S. and Canada
• 10 Best Ski Towns in the World by Woman's Day
• 10 Most Affordable Ski Resorts by Ski.com - mentioned in an Associated Press article that ran in at least 38 media outlets 
• Motorcycle & Gear Testing on Gunnison County/Chaffee County Ride-  Dealer News
• Radio interviews on Jane DeGraw's Travel Queen Show and Kal London's syndicated Travel Show

To see a more extensive list of media hits, see the PR reports posted at www.gcbta.com.

Media Visits

This has been an extremely busy winter for media familiarization trips (FAMs) and individual media visits co-hosted by GCBTA and CBMR and frequently in partnership with the Colorado Tourism Office and Colorado Ski Country USA.  More than 30 journalists and representatives from the Colorado Tourism Office were hosted this winter.

• Mexico Media FAM, Dec. 6 - Dec. 9
• German journalists Bernhard & Birgita Krieger, Dec. 12- 15 
• U.S. Media FAM, Jan. 21 - 25 
• UK Media FAMs, Jan. 28- 30 and Feb. 8 - 10
• U.S. Media FAM, Feb. 8 - 10
• Los Angeles Times Special Sections Editor, Feb. 13 - 16
• German journalists Martin Hesse & Jessica Haupt, Feb. 21 - 23
• Freelancer Martin Forstenzer, March 9-12:
• "Snow at First Sight" Visit (winners of the Colorado Tourism Office's social media campaign), Feb. 20 - 24

Summer/Fall PR

Summer/fall press releases are being written and loaded in the media room at www.GunnisonCrestedButte.com/media.   If you have any summer/fall event information and dates, please contact PR Director Beth Buehler at bethbuehler@qwestoffice.net or 349-1168 as soon as possible.

Worldwide Web & Social Media Marketing

News on the Internet front is largely consumed by social media these days with topics like how to incorporate a strategy and ways to be effective in these efforts. Many in the industry are asking if it is worth their time to "be there."  For now anyway, the importance of social media marketing is growing, so the goal is to find ways to engage in a meaningful and time-efficient manner. To that end, the Tourism Association is working to develop partnerships and technologies to fulfill our needs. Two examples are:

• The addition of a social networking tool called AddThis on www.gcbcalendar.com will allow users to more easily share events, with the simple click of a button, to your Facebook wall or a myriad of other social sites of your preference.
• Talks of a daily photo posting are underway with numerous area photographers for summer in hopes to draw attention to our area attractions through captivating images. Find us at www.facebook.com/gcbta.

As for GunnisonCrestedButte.com, efforts continue to improve site content and navigation as well as enhance performance from advertising mediums to drive traffic to the website. Feedback on user experience, ability to navigate and other constructive comments are always welcome! Our aim is to have an awesome website for our guests to surf and get excited about our destination; your feedback can ensure the experience is topnotch for our guests! Email or call Rob with feedback at rstrickland@GunnisonCounty.org or 641-7992.

For general questions about social media and website information contact Rob at the TA office, 641.7992.  

Notable statistics this winter (Nov. - Mar) are highlighted below:

For assistance with social media marketing contact Rob at RStrickland@GunnisonCounty.org

Be Seen and Heard

The Tourism Association markets Gunnison County as a year-round vacation destination and in winter works to complement CBMR's efforts. Our approach includes lifestyle magazines like Texas Monthly; radio in the key airline service markets of Dallas/Ft. Worth, Austin, Houston, Atlanta and the Front Range; vertical interests such as Cross Country Skier magazine; direct mail; and key travel websites including OnTheSnow.com and Colorado.com. We also have very focused e-communications using companies like Media Spade to help us drill down and insure we are talking to the right customer.

The TA also works closely with several marketing organizations - Grand Circle (representing the SW of the United States), SW Colorado Travel Region, Tour Colorado and Colorado Tourism Office (CTO). With the CTO, the TA runs a half page ad in state vacation guides printed in French, German, Spanish and Japanese that are distributed within countries that speak these languages. There is also a companion piece printed in English distributed in England, Ireland and Scotland.

For winter vacations, as it is with most vacations, women make the majority of vacation decisions. The lifestyle, travel and niche magazines help us reach those decision makers! To reach the vertical skier market, it is very cost-effective and targeted to use e-communication and advertising on ski-related web sites.

Make It Happen Upcoming Events

Thanks to all of our nonprofits and event organizers who continue to make Gunnison-Crested Butte an outstanding vacation experience for our visitors!

APRIL 2010
2  First Friday Gallery Crawl & Music, Various Galleries & Locations, Gunnison
4  Crested Butte Mountain Resort & Crested Butte Nordic Center Close for the Season
6  Western State College Concert - Percussion Ensemble, Quigley Recital Hall
13  Underwater Easter Egg Hunt, Gunnison Recreation Center
18  WSC Faculty Recital - Kenneth W. Todd, violin & Alicia Belgiovane, piano, Quigley Recital Hall
20  Western State College Concert - Jazz Ensembles, Quigley Recital Hall
22  Western State College Concert - Symphony Band, Taylor Auditorium
27  Western State College Concert - Chamber Orchestra, Concert Choir, Chamber Singers, Taylor Auditorium
29  Western State College Concert - Instrumental Chamber Ensembles, Quigley Recital Hall

MAY 2010
1 -2  Gunnison Kiwanis Club Blue Mesa Lake Fishing Tournament, Gunnison
7  First Friday Gallery Crawl & Music, Various Galleries & Locations, Gunnison
14, 21  Gunnison Valley Observatory Public Viewing Nights, Gunnison
14 - 16, 20 - 23 "On the Mountain Express" 10-Minute Plays & Teen Original Plays, Presented by CB Mountain Theatre,
Mallardi Cabaret Theatre
28 - 30 Twenty-Four Hours of Gunnison Glory Climb-A-Thon, Hartman Rocks Multi-use Recreation Area, Gunnison
29  3rd Annual Sage Burner 50k/25k Run, Hartman Rocks Multi-use Recreation Area, Gunnison
30  Original Growler Mountain Bike Race, Hartman Rocks Multi-use Recreation Area, Gunnison

JUNE 2010
1 - 30  June in the Rockies, Valleywide
4  First Friday Gallery Crawl & Music, Various Galleries & Locations, Gunnison
4, 11, 18, 25  Friday Evenings at the Gunnison Art Center, Live Music on the Patio
5  National Trails Day - Trail Work Day with Crested Butte Mountain Bike Association, Crested Butte Area
5  Fishing Derby for Kids, Jorgensen Park, Gunnison
6, 13, 20, 27  Sundays @ 7 (Free Summer Concerts) Presented by the Gunnison Arts Center, Legion Park, Gunnison
11  Gunnison Golf Classic Presented by Gunnison Valley Health Foundation, Dos Rios Golf Club, Gunnison
11, 18  Gunnison Valley Observatory, Public Viewing, Gunnison
12  Taylor Park Marina Fishing Derby, Taylor Park Reservoir
12  Summer Variety Show, Presented by Crested Butte Mountain Theatre, Mallardi Cabaret Theatre
13, 20, 27  Crested Butte Farmers' Market, Elk Avenue & First Street
18 - 20  Crested Butte Writers Conference, Elevation Hotel & Spa, Mt. Crested Butte
19  Readers in the Rockies, Elevation Hotel & Spa, Mt. Crested Butte
19, 26  Gunnison Farmers' Market, Virginia Avenue & Main Street
19- 20  Gunsmoke-n-Gunnison, Fred R. Field Western Heritage Center
19- 20  Directors' Workshop Weekend, Presented by Crested Butte Mountain Theatre, Mallardi Cabaret Theatre
20  Bicycle Tour of Colorado, Begins in Gunnison
20-Sept. 15 Tour de Forks (gourmet dining series) Presented by Crested Butte Center for the Arts, Various Locations
23, 30  Wednesdays at Western State College, Different Activities/Topics Each Week
23 - 27  Crested Butte Fat Tire Bike Week, Various Locations
24  ArtWalk Evening, Galleries in Crested Butte
24  101st Army Band Concert, Western State College's Quigley Band Shell, Gunnison
24- 27  Gunnison River Festival, Gunnison Whitewater Park, Downtown Gunnison & Other Locations
24- 27, 30  "Bye Bye Birdie," Presented by Crested Butte Mountain Theatre, Crested Butte Center for the Arts
25 36th Annual Western State College-Colorado Brass Band Concert, WSC Quigley Band Shell, Gunnison
26  Bicycle Tour of Colorado, Ends in Gunnison
26 35th Annual Western State College - Colorado Brass Band Concert, WSC Quigley Band Shell, Gunnison
26  Wildflower Rush Cross Country & Downhill Bike Races, Crested Butte Mountain Resort, Mt. Crested Butte
26   Bridges of the Butte (24-hour townie bike tour), Presented by the Adaptive Sports Center, Crested Butte
26  Bayou in the Butte (New Orleans-Style Music & Jazz), Town Park, Crested Butte
28  Alpenglow (Free Summer Concerts) Presented by Crested Butte Center for the Arts, Town Park

If you see an event missing that would be of interest to our visitors, please contact Beth at BethBuehler@qwestoffice.net. Also remember to load your event on www.GCBcalendar.com.

For visitor information go to www.GunnisonCrestedButte.com; for locals information about the Tourism Association visit www.gcbta.com; and for air service and ground transportation schedules visit www.GunnisonValleyRTA.org.

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