Travel and Tourism Research Association South Central States Chapter

Judy Randall, President/CEO, Randall Travel Marketing, Mooresville, North Carolina, will keynote our TTRA South Central States Chapter Conference in Natchez on September 30, 2004. Judy’s presentation—“Shreveport, Greenville and The Mississippi Blues Trail”—comprises case studies done for clients. She will cover the methods used, the findings and conclusions.

Judy has 20 years of Tourism and Marketing experience, having worked with destinations, attractions, hotels/tourism industry companies throughout the U.S./Internationally. Judy and Dr. Larry Gustke author the annual Top 10 Trends in Travel and Tourism, used by Tourism Marketing organizations throughout the world.

D’Arcy McKittrick, Partner, The Tourism Company, Ontario, Canada, follows Judy with “The Rebirth of Malmaison: Leveraging a Cultural Heritage Attraction.” D’Arcy will paint a picture in words and images of the Malmaison development plan while describing the research and analysis that led to the recommended development concept.

Malmaison is being positioned as a catalyst for Tourism Development in Mississippi’s Delta Region. D’Arcy, who has 20 years of Tourism-related management consultant experience, was the Project Director for the Malmaison Business Plan currently in the initial implementation stage.

The Conference offers a broad scope of topics and presenters starting with an “Air, Water and Land” Niche Marketing Session on 9-30-04 and ending with “The Film Industry as an Economic Development Engine” on 10-01-04. The action-packed program begins with the “Economic Impact of Bass Fishing Tournaments” by Michael McCalla of the Columbus-Lowndes CVB and ends at noon on Friday, October 1^st.

Speakers/companies and their topics include Rick Cain, TNS—“Accountability Research: Should it only be Return-on-Investment”; Molly Uteg, Director of Sales, Smith Travel Research—“Lodging Industry Overview”; John Packer, Research Director, Market Vision Research, “Packaging Research: Bringing Fortune 100 packaging knowledge to the Travel Industry”; Valerie Crancer, Southern Research Group—“The Key to Reading Research Reports and Statistics”; Becky Burkett, Scarborough Research—“Regional Data Mining.”

Bobby King, a TTRA South Central States Chapter Charter member, will present “Marketing an American Treasure” in the 9-30-04 session on “Exploring the Natchez Trace: Planning and Marketing Perspective.” Alabama and Tennessee joined Mississippi on May 24, 2004, in a Natchez Trace Compact to promote Tourism “beyond the trees” in towns along the 444-mile Nashville to Natchez National Parkway.

Bobby will cover how this Partnership works, who’s in charge, where does the money come from to market and promote it, how are the results measured and can three states really work together and accomplish shared goals?

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WHAT’S NEW IN TTRA

From The President's Desk...

The second quarter of 2004 included a Board Meeting at Historic Curran Hall in Little Rock, Eli Manning (University of Mississippi) as the #1 National Football League (NFL) Draft Pick, the TTRA International Conference in Montreal, Canada, June 20-23, replacing one Board Member and finalizing the Chapter-specific Brochure.

Jim Rice, Chief Operating Officer, Little Rock CVB, replaced Teressa Rambo, formerly of this CVB, pending final approval. Jim has been active with our Chapter in the past, e.g., presenting at the TTRA South Central States Chapter Conference in Hattiesburg four years ago.

Marianne Marcell, our Louisiana Board Member, will represent the Chapter at the TTRA International Chapter Liaison Council Meeting in Montreal, Canada on June 20, 2004. This Chapter Meeting focuses on Chapter-specific developments in TTRA’s eight domestic (U.S.) and two International Chapters—Canada and Europe.

Zaher “Zach” Hallab, another Chapter Board Member, is teaching Summer School at the University of Southern Mississippi. Zach will present at the TTRA International Conference in Montreal on June 23^rd.

Arma de la Cruz, who also serves on our Chapter’s Board, reports a new Partnership with Starkville Area Arts Council and the Starkville Garden Club with plans to do Garden Home Tours in the Spring of 2005. The Starkville CVB will be partnering with Starkville’s Central Neighborhood Foundation—covering all of Starkville’s Historic Districts—an example of accomplishing more with fewer resources.

Our May 4, 2004 Board Meeting at Historic Curran Hall in Little Rock covered various topics including http://www.ttrasc.org/ web site policy, the June 20-23, 2004 TTRA International Conference, our September 30-October 1, 2004 TTRA South Central States Chapter Annual Conference in Natchez, among other topics.

Eli Manning became a national celebrity upon being drafted #1 in the 2004 NFL draft by San Diego and then being traded to the New York Giants. Eli is penciled in as New York’s 1^st-string quarterback.

TTRA International's Annual Conference is June 20-23, 2004 in Montreal, Canada. Five of our Officers/Board Members, or ½ of the 10 names listed on the right-hand side, will attend—Charles McLemore, Mark Northington, Marianne Marcell, Zach Hallab and yours truly.

We will be mailing—under separate cover—our first-ever TTRA South Central States Chapter brochure in June 2004. It has our Chapter Mission Statement, lists our web sites—www.ttra.com (International) and http://www.ttrasc.org/ (South Central)—and has photos, etc. A Natchez Conference Preliminary Program Brochure and Natchez Conference Registration sheet are being mailed with the new Chapter brochure.

Tom Van Hyning, President
TTRA South Central States Chapter

The following is a sampling of research published by the Arkansas Department of Parks & Tourism for calendar year 2003. The Research & Information Services Section of the Tourism Division conducts several ongoing research projects. Complete summaries may be viewed on the agency Web site, http://www.arkansas.com/. Scroll to the bottom and select Economic Reports from the menu. Hardcopies are available by writing to: Arkansas Dept. of Parks & Tourism, 2312 Cantrell Road, Little Rock, AR 72202.

The Arkansas tourism industry experienced another year of growth in 2003, with travel expenditures increasing from $3,918,987,404 to $3,942,501,328 (0.6%).

Travel expenditures per travel party and length of stay in Arkansas were $406 and 3.2 nights, respectively. Time was cited most often as the reason for not traveling Arkansas in 2003. Regardless of whether or not they made a trip, 65.9% of survey respondents plan to visit Arkansas within the next 12 months.

Every 50th travel party registered at each of the 13 Tourist Information Centers located at major entry points to the state is asked to participate in this survey. Travel counselors obtain valuable marketing information about visitors to Arkansas and travelers who are passing through. Sample size for 2003 was 9,731.

Selected Bio Sketches/Highlights of Presentations by CVB and State Agency Officials

September 30, 2004—8:40 a.m. Niche Marketing I: Air, Water and Land—Michael McCalla, Executive Director of the Columbus-Lowndes CVB, will present “Economic Impact of Bass Fishing Tournaments.” He began his Tourism career at the Corinth (Mississippi) Area Tourism Promotion Council, prior to being chosen Executive Director of the Columbus-Lowndes CVB in 2000. By implementing an improved marketing strategy geared towards capitalizing on Columbus’ rich natural resources, he has helped establish Columbus as an outdoor recreation destination. Columbus hosted 57 fishing tournaments in 2003, including a national one. Michael is a Magna Cum Laude graduate of the University of Mississippi.

Herb Malone, Executive Director, Alabama Gulf Coast CVB, showcases “Alabama’s Coastal Birding Trail.” Herb has served as President/CEO of the Alabama Gulf Coast CVB since 1993. The Alabama Coastal Birding Trail was developed through a partnership with several public agencies, identifying the best of the area’s birding sites. Herb/staff have promoted the trail through print and on-line advertising plus highly successful PR efforts targeting nature Tourists and birders, in particular. In 2000, Herb was inducted into the Alabama Hospitality Hall of Fame; in 2001 he was Alabama’s Tourism Promoter of the Year.

Merritt Dan LeLaughter, Management Information Systems Director for the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism, rounds out the high caliber opening session. Dan’s family started the first computer store in Arkansas (1978), ComputerLand. After some 20 years of private sector computer consulting/sales experience, Dan joined Arkansas Parks and Tourism in 2001. Dan’s “Arkansas State Park Reservation Project” presentation in Natchez focuses on how a computerized reservation solution will replace the manual booking system in use. This “solution” is designed to provide integrated real-time reservations for cabins, campsites, pavilions, meeting facilities and lodge rooms as well as on-line web reservations for each park location.

October 1, 2004—8:30 a.m. Niche Marketing II: Exhibitions, Legends and Much More—Linda Mann, Special Projects Manager, Jackson (Mississippi) CVB, presents “Partnerships and Collaborations in 2004.” Linda works with reps from area attractions, events, hotels, restaurants, retail shops, as well as the statewide Tourism Industry, to form strong collaborations to benefit all players. Her presentation covers why these partnerships/collaborations are so important to CVB’s and Destination Marketing Organizations (DMO’s). Linda’s marketing career, since 1986, has led her through diverse segments of the Tourism Industry, e.g., outside sales for a travel agency, concierge at a full-service hotel, editor of a statewide Tourism publication, Executive Director of an attraction, Marketing Director for a major event and official for the Mississippi Tourism Division.

October 1, 2004—10:30 a.m. The Film Industry as an Economic Development Engine—moderated by Ward Emling, Director, Mississippi Film Office, Mississippi Development Authority/Tourism Division. The first Film Commission (FC) was created more than 35 years ago with a mission to support Hollywood filmmakers on location. More than 300 FC’s later, the world is a far different place. The entertainment industry operates as every other mobile industry—it will go where it is most attracted; sometimes that means the perfect location, more often it means the greatest incentive. As FC’s embrace the reality of global competition, two things have become paramount: accurate research and solid incentives. This panel of Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi film office directors will explore the value and the validity of research in today’s FC. Ward Emling has served as Mississippi’s Film Office Director in the early 1980s and from 1990 to the present. His first job in the film industry was as a Wardrobe Assistant on Huckleberry Finn in 1973. Ward served as President of the Association of Film Commissioners International from 1998-2002 and continues as a member of their Board of Directors.

September 30, 2004—3:20 p.m. “Research Forum”—Zach Hallab, Assistant Professor of Hospitality Management at the University of Southern Mississippi (USM), in Hattiesburg, presents “U.S. Travelers’ Perceptions of Mississippi as a Tourist Destination.” The research project’s main objective was to learn about Mississippi perceptions by U.S. travelers in “key” U.S. cities. According to the researcher, the demand for a particular destination’s Tourism-related services and products is influenced by the individual’s perception of such assets as well as alternative ones. Dr. Hallab teaches Hospitality and Tourism Marketing, Tourism Dimensions, Tourism Development and Bar and Beverage Management classes at USM.

The Research Forum also features “Using Tourism Data for Economic Impact Studies” by Meghan Millea, Ph.D. & Jon Rezek, Ph.D, Mississippi State University (MSU). Meghan, an Assistant Professor of Economics and Research Fellow at MSU’s Social Science Research Center, does research in economic education and other areas. Jon is an Assistant Professor of Economics; his research includes development economics, among other subjects. Their Team Presentation in Natchez focuses on how visitor expenditure data were used to examine the state economic impact of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians in East-Central Mississippi and the Mississippi State Riley Education and Performing Arts Center in Meridian.

TTRA International 35^th Annual Conference, Hilton Montreal Bonaventure, Montreal, Canada, June 20-23, 2004.

Alabama Governor’s Conference on Tourism, Auburn-Opelika Area, Auburn University Hotel & Dixon

TTRA South Central Chapter Board Meeting, Pearl Street Pasta Restaurant, Natchez, Mississippi, September 29, 2004.

TTRA South Central Chapter 17^th Annual Conference, Natchez Convention Center, Mississippi, September 30 -October 1, 2004.

Tom Van Hyning, PresidentTTRA South Central States Chapter

Tom Van Hyning, President
TTRA South Central States Chapter