The aroma of sizzling spaetzle with red cabbage lured in some hungry onlookers. Others followed the oompah-band music, while beer aficionados tasted the best Germany had to offer. All this happened this spring in one day during the almost month-long exhibit, "Germany, A Sense-Sational Experience," in New York City's Grand Central Station. The exhibit was the first-ever collaboration of the German National Tourist Office (GNTO), the German Agricultural Marketing Board, the Goethe-Institut New York, and the German Information Center.
But it won't be the last: According to Michaela Klare, regional manager of the Americas for the GNTO, the GNTO will most likely look for a similar opportunity on the West Coast next year and will be arranging smaller consumer events this year and next year will celebrate the World Soccer Cup, which Germany will host in 2006.
The concept isn't entirely new. The Caribbean Tourism Organiza-tion (CTO), for example, has been sponsoring Caribbean Week as a travel trade and media event in New York City since 1973. But flagging international tourism and a falling dollar are spurring foreign tourism organizations to become ever more creative about propelling their countries into the public eye in the U.S.—and by extension, to the meeting and incentive planners who can bring business to their countries. For this reason, the CTO made the jump in 2002 to an all-out consumer event in addition to the trade version, and has since added town hall meetings, a Caribbean fair, a celebrity chef program, concerts, and more. "We added the public events to ensure that the Caribbean could attract significantly more favorable publicity throughout the country," says Hugh Riley, CTO director of marketing for the Americas.
And the results can be staggering. "From a media perspective, the events reached over 20 million people—and generated about $5 million worth of publicity," says Michael Londregan, VP, the Americas, of Tourism Australia, speaking about 2005 Australia Week, which took place in Los Angeles and included events ranging from spotlighting Australia's film industry during the Rosemont Film Festival; to a golf day with Greg Norman for business leaders; to food, wine, art, and fashion events throughout the city. "The two weeks following the event broke records in the number of people inquiring about Australia—with nearly double the inquiries compared to the past year," says Londregan.
Previously smaller events, too, are undergoing transformations as savvy tourism organizations incorporate such events into their overall marketing plans. Tartan Day, for example, started in 1999 as a small parade and a handful of small events; in 2005, Visit Scotland transformed Vanderbilt Hall (once again in New York's Grand Central Station) into a Scottish village for eight days during what is now "Tartan Week." Events included cooking demonstrations, a fashion show, live music, whisky discussions, and more. "The Scottish Village is a mobile exhibition that cost $1.8 million and will tour the world for the next several years," says Bill Sinclair, Visit Scotland marketing manager, North America and Asia Pacific. "That and Tartan Week were a part of our overall marketing campaign, with a special Tartan Week Web site, advertising, and 'tartan taxis' and a street team of guys in kilts handing out flyers—all to drive home our tourism message and let people know where they could get a real taste of Scotland."
Since consumers are potential meeting attendees, this promotional activity on the part of destinations benefits planners. Getting the word out—reaching people directly by providing a real taste of a destination—makes it easier for planners to excite attendees' interest in travel while acquiring more knowledge themselves about the destinations they're considering.
Some tourism organizations are also sponsoring already existing events. This year, the Canadian Tourism Commission (CTC), sponsored a cook-off between Canadian and Californian chefs during the Second Annual International Culinary Tourism Conference in San Francisco. According to a spokesperson for the CTC, the CTC's presence at such events is like a "whisper in the ear" about what Canada has to offer.
Likewise, the Mexico Tourist Board (MTB) is helping to put Mexico into the public eye in unexpected places, sponsoring Cinco de Mayo celebrations in eight cities throughout the U.S., including Los Angeles. This year, Mexico Tourism Secretary Leticia Navarro joined U.S. congressional leaders in Washington D.C. for an early Cinco de Mayo celebration, and mariachis serenaded President George W. Bush in the White House. Now, that's the kind of publicity you just can't buy. —Irene Korn