A Star in CW, Skateboarders at BG and More Christmas in Store

By Desiree Parker Saturday, March 06, 2010

The veil was lifted briefly Thursday afternoon as leaders in the tourism industry within the Historic Triangle shared their marketing strategies for 2010 and announced some of their ‘secret’ plans at the annual Tourism Forum.

Some insider news shared at the meeting included a new program with a new star in Colonial Williamsburg; a new show, a new 4-D ride and other expansions at Busch Gardens; and a new, younger target audience for many of the big players.

Colonial Williamsburg Foundation Director of Brand Strategy and Marketing Communications Sally McConnell echoed what everyone involved in Triangle tourism knows, that “the travel climate now is challenging,” and that travelers are spending less, traveling less and looking for bargains when they do get out.

To address the problem, CW has shifted gears in its ad campaign with a whole new message, “Be Part of the Story,” which pushes the idea that a trip to CW is a chance to be a part of the eighteenth century and explore common bonds between that era and this one. The campaign will kick off six weeks earlier than usual, and will expand to include North Carolina and Virginia to draw closer-to-home visitors.

Part of the new plans for 2010 also include a new program, “Lady Dunmore Prepares for the Ball,” which will feature actress Mamie Gummer, who is Meryl Streep’s daughter and starred in the television miniseries John Adams.

After playing video clips of the new television ads that will begin running in a few weeks, CW finished up its presentation with a flourish by bringing various interpreters and employees out on stage in their costumes and uniforms, each one saying, “I am a part of the story” and describing their role in making CW work.

Some other new items for 2010 will include a “Spring Stories” package deal for visitors, a fashion show later in the season, a dress ball in December and more events like the recent “Pints, Pairings and Poison Dwarf.”

Dan Dipiazzo, Busch Gardens and Water Country USA Vice President for Marketing had some good news for the local tourism industry – 2009 was the second-best year ever for Busch Gardens, and there was a big uptick in visitors from outside the immediate area.

This year is Busch Gardens’ 35th anniversary, and Dipiazzo said it was time to “refresh the experience” for visitors.

Last year the park added Forest of Fun and Christmas Town, both of which were very successful, he said. So much so, they’ve already decided to extend Christmas Town’s run through New Year’s Eve. They’re also expanding the area of Christmas Town, according to Dipiazzo.

The park is adding a new event, called “Ramp Jam,” which will feature half pipes and famous skateboard and bike professionals, which would likely appeal to the kids who skate around New Town to the consternation of locals, he joked.

Because Howl-O-Scream and Christmas Town are so popular, Busch Gardens has also decided this year to try out an evening program called “Illuminights,” which would extend the park’s evening hours a bit and add lights, parades and some more pizzazz to the night hours. This will begin June 28.

The Ireland area of the park is celebrating its tenth year, and to celebrate the park is scrapping the 4-D ride Corkscrew Hill in favor of a revamped experience in the same location called “Europe in the Air,” which takes visitors to all the major attractions of Europe seemingly through the air. This is scheduled to open in early May, and will improve on Corkscrew Hill’s technology.

Ireland will also debut a new show called “Celtic Fyre” in the Ireland theater. Not to be outdone by CW, Busch had a few Celtic Fyre musicians perform two pieces of Irish music and dance for the audience, many of whom couldn’t seem to help tapping their feet to the beat.

Now that Busch’s Clydesdales have moved on to greener pastures, the stables were missing their stars. To redevelop the area, the Highland Stables will be welcoming some new Clydesdales that are much darker in color, Dipiazzo said. Also, there will be some sheep, owls and border collies greeting guests at a new Scottish barn area where the previous Clydesdales used to graze. Later this season, they'll add herding demonstrations.

Finally, Water Country will also see some development in 2010, too, said Dipiazzo. The water park will try out its own night program, called “Wipeout Weekends," which will include fun night events. Also, a new dive show called "Aquabatics" is on tap.

Dipiazzo shared information about his company’s 2010 marketing strategy, too, which includes a national ad campaign that will start in a few weeks. New this year will be a metro campaign to build on a successful metro push in just Washington, D.C., from last year. This year several cities will have metro ads that encourage residents to visit Busch Gardens and Water Country.

Social media sites like Facebook and Twitter are a big new marketing focus this year, too, Dipiazzo said. With 64,000 fans, the company already has a good presence on Facebook; Twitter will be more of a site to offer deals to followers.

Alisa Bailey, President and CEO of the Virginia Tourism Corporation, came to talk about a new marketing segment that many Triangle tourism partners are targeting this year – Generation X families. Previously, marketing had been geared toward Baby Boomers, but studies have found that Gen Xers have more money to spend and are the ones who are traveling now.

These families want a sense of engagement in their vacations, according to Bailey (which was something CW took into consideration with its new message, as have the Alliance and other organizations), so the VTC has revamped the “Virginia is for Lovers” logo and idea to be more appealing to this newest generation of travelers.

Bailey showed the VTC state television commercials, all of which have the theme “Love: it’s at the heart of every Virginia vacation.” The ads show younger families having fun and reconnecting in various Virginia locations, including the Triangle.

“You are the leaders for tourism in the state,” Bailey told audience members about the Triangle.

She also applauded Governor Bob McDonnell, who has promised extra tourism funding even in horrible economic times. “He’s put his money where his mouth is,” she said about McDonnell and his campaign promises. This could mean extra dollars for the Triangle in the form of VTC grants, as well as more ads for the state as a whole.

“We are entering a new era for tourism in this state,” Bailey said, which got murmurs of approval from the crowd of local industry experts.

Other presenters included:
Sue Bak, Senior Director for Marketing and Retail Operations, Jamestown Yorktown Foundation
Mark Rickards, Executive Director, Williamsburg Area Transit Authority
Philip Emerson, Executive Director Jamestown Yorktown Foundation and Williamsburg Area Destination Marketing Chair
Bob Harris, Vice President for Tourism Marketing, Greater Williamsburg Chamber and Tourism Alliance.