New Virginia Travel Guide for Persons     with Disabilities Fall Foliage Packages Needed Virginia.org Showcases Fall in Virginia The Godspeed Sails May 23rd Travel South Showcase Needs You! 18-Month Media Plan Win an Ad in the 2006 Travel Guide! 2006 Virginia Travel Guide Fall Marketing Caucus VFEA Workshop Travel Trends from ESTO Flexibility is #1 Priority of Freelancers Upcoming Shows Shot in Richmond New Feature Stories on Virginia.org Industry News Merchandise of the Month Administrative System Tool Tip

Free Advertising! Each month you are encouraged to put content on our website which is a free ad for your destination or attraction. We spend in cooperation with the tourism industry millions of dollars getting folks to click or call. Two areas that are sorely underserved and thus are not reaching the lucrative tourism market are restaurants and events. Many of our industry partners indicate that they believed since they had a link they did not need to put their events on our site. Nothing could be further from the truth. Our travelers typically check out the weather for the upcoming weekend and then search our site for an event that might satisfy their need to get away from the rat race for 48 hours. They like information on places to stay and places to dine — not to mention wineries and brew pubs. This is my personal plea to put your events on the site, and help us recruit more restaurants. By providing our customers with the information they need, we are best able to “get more people to stay longer and spend more money.” We have the most aggressive fall campaign to date, so don’t miss an opportunity to capture increased market share. Contact Angela Wiggins in our Electronic Marketing department at awiggins@virginia.org or call 804-786-3526. Alisa Bailey

New Virginia Travel Guide for Persons with
Disabilities
There are more than 50 million Americans with disabilities, many of whom travel to Virginia, spending $918 million travel dollars annually. Make sure you reach them by listing yourself (free) or sponsor a whole or half page in the Virginia Travel Guide for Persons with Disabilities. The deadline is Sept. 30, 2005 — space is limited. Contact: The Opening Door Inc. at 804-633-6752 or accessiblevirginia@travelguides.org
More Information.

Fall Foliage Packages Needed on Virginia.org
Many tourists visit Virginia September through November to see our spectacular fall foliage. Highlight your destination with a special fall package, which must include at least one night's lodging. If you need assistance entering your package on Virginia.org, please contact Angela Wiggins in Electronic Marketing — awiggins@virginia.org or 804-786-3526.

Virginia.org Showcases "Fall in Virginia"
Please send your fall press releases and/or story ideas to VTC by Sept. 9 for the popular Fall in Virginia online feature. More visitors than ever before clicked on last year's links to places/events in the Mountains-Central-Coastal regions as the leaves were changing colors. Contact Sandy Westmoreland in Electronic Marketing
— swestmoreland@virginia.org or 804-786-7993.

The Godspeed sails May 23rd, 2006
“Get onboard” the 2006 Godspeed “sail” to six ports of call in your major tourism markets . . . Alexandria (DC), Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York City, Boston and Newport. The 2006 “sail” is not just about Jamestown, but your opportunity to invest in statewide tourism promotions. Read the overview on VATC.org and plan to attend one of the September meetings. /marketing/Godspeed_Sail/GodspeedSailinfo.htm

Travel South Showcase Needs 200 Industry
Volunteers
The Richmond Region is host for the Travel South Showcase on Feb. 18-22, 2006. Volunteer training will be provided, and all volunteers will receive a gift for their time. Read about all the volunteer opportunities, complete the volunteer form and mail it by November 18.

18-month Media Plan is LIVE!
See the preview of the next 18-month advertising media plan. We’ve surveyed the industry, measured performance and bought down some unique opportunities for Virginia industry partners. Log on and find out which media made the cut! /advertising
/coopadprog/partneradvertising.htm

Win a FREE Full-Page Ad in the 2006 Travel Guide
How? Join us at the VTC Showcase in Richmond for a free, 1-day orientation to the new 18-month media plan on September 19. Meet with VTC sanctioned media representatives, and learn about joint-marketing opportunities with Advertising, Electronic Marketing, Customer Service and other departments at VTC. Just for attending, your destination/CVB will be entered in a drawing for a full-page ad in the 2006 Virginia Travel Guide. Read all about the Showcase:
/advertising/adshowcase.htm

2006 Virginia Travel Guide Ready Dec. 1, 2005
Don't miss out on the 2006 Virginia Travel Guide. VTC will print 200,000 more this year — 800,000 total. It will be distributed at welcome centers, local/regional visitor centers and mailed to those who request travel information. For advertising and listing information, please contact Leisure Publishing at 540-989-6138.

Welcome Centers Resume Regular Hours
Welcome Centers resume regular hours Sept. 6 and will be open seven days a week, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Take advantage of demonstration opportunities to promote your attraction or business at the welcome centers — with no fee involved. Brochure distribution space is available at all centers; call for fees. Contact Sandra Hicks at shicks@virginia.org or 804-371-8141.

VTC's Annual Fall Marketing Caucus
Save the Date — Oct. 28 — at the Holiday Inn Central in Richmond. Registration and all information coming soon!

Virginia Festivals and Events Association Workshop
This one-day workshop is planned for the end of October in Winchester. For additional information, please visit VFEA.com or email VFEA@cox.net.

Travel Trends from ESTO
Travelers want to get more to the grass-roots level of the American experience, as reported by journalists at this year's Educational Seminar for Tourism Organization conference. Vacationers want "soft adventure" that includes adventure spas, multi-generational travel, gourmet outdoor adventures, special focus destinations, real/authentic local experiences and local cuisine! Contact Richard Lewis at VTC if you have specific destinations that match these trends, so that he can pass them along to interested travel writers. rlewis@virginia.org

Freelancers Want Flexibility from PR Professionals
From the Society of American Travel Writers freelance council: Be flexible on group media tours. For example, when freelancers have a market for a different article angle and need transportation separate from the group, provide a rental car for them. Several freelancers expressed gratitude for PR professionals' flexibility in this ever-changing global marketplace.

Shot in Richmond — A Movie and TV Series!
Watch this month for Cry Wolf, a thriller filmed in Richmond that was written and directed by Charlottesville native Jeff Wadlow and opens nationwide Sept. 16. The following week, Geena Davis stars in Commander in Chief, an ABC series about how the first woman president of the USA copes with raising a family and running the country. The pilot for the series was also filmed in Richmond.

New Features on Virgina.org
Electronic Marketing has added the following new features to the Virginia.org website based on consumer interests: Halloween 2005, 28 Fall Walking Tours, 45 Places to Find Wildlife and October is Virginia Wine Month. Public Relations intern Zack Nobinger wrote Theatres in Virginia, too! Please contact Sandy Westmoreland if you have suggestions for other features based on popular tourism activities in your region: swestmoreland@virginia.org

VIFL Polo Team Plays Prince Charles' Team in London

British Polo and American Champagne were the order of the day as the Prince of Wales played host to the Virginia is for Lovers & Jamestown 2007/ America's 400th Anniversary Polo Team in London on July 30. Team Captain Tareq Salahi is the owner of Oasis Winery in Hume, Va. Read More!

It Pays to Follow Up on Media Leads
Freelancer Roland Leiser mentioned four Virginia waterfront destinations in his six-page article in the summer issue of Marketing Review. Norfolk, Portsmouth, Smithfield and Yorktown were among the 21 total responses he received through a call for information on waterfront areas.

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If you have comments or suggestions for future issues of The Dashboard please contact Sandy Westmoreland at swestmoreland@virginia.org or 804-786-7993.

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Admin Tool Tip
Events Submission
Please remember that for your events occurring Nov. 1 and later to be considered for distribution to media, you must complete the new “Media Description” field when entering them on Virginia.org. Events that do not have this "media description" will not be considered for distribution to the media.
For questions contact Angela Wiggins at 804-786-3526 or awiggins@virginia.org.

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