Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau Unveils New Destination Brand Initiatives At 2017 Tourism Marketing Plan Launch

GREATER FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., Dec. 1, 2016 -- Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau president and CEO, Stacy Ritter, today announced the roll out of a new destination brand direction driven by a refresh of the CVB's Hello Sunny logo, new advertising visuals, a public relations social media and influencer program and the debut of a 24/7 digital TV network. The brand refresh is part of a new advertising and marketing communications campaign to highlight the destination's transformation to a landscape of eclectic food, fashion, arts, events, nightlife and entertainment.

The 2017 Tourism Marketing Plan was unveiled before 500 hospitality industry partners at the Broward County Convention Center to highlight the CVB's vision for 2017 and beyond, including a more affluent positioning as well as a younger slant to the destination's image and appeal. The 2017 marketing plan will include a first-ever collection of branded merchandise, the creation of iconic landmarks and increased marketing support to highlight the destination's growth of new hotels, attractions, restaurants and international air flights opening new markets in Europe, the Middle East, Latin America and Asia.

A major initiative to deliver exciting new content and exposure for Greater Fort Lauderdale will be the new Hello Sunny TV (HSTV), available on desktop and mobile devices, as well as smart TVs and streaming media players like Apple TV. Launching on Saturday, December 3 with highlights from the Riptide Music Festival on Fort Lauderdale beach, HSTV gives viewers an on-demand library of videos showcasing the destination's culinary offerings, entertainment, arts and culture, sports, the people and personalities of Greater Fort Lauderdale, as well as live streaming programming.

"We have always done an excellent job at promoting our beaches and natural wonders, and now we have an opportunity to place a greater emphasis on communicating the growing cosmopolitan nature of the destination," said Stacy Ritter, president and CEO, Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau. "We will put a sharper edge on our personality, while continuing to project our authentically welcoming appeal – which is more important than ever before. We are not only a quality destination, but one that respects all visitors, and the strategy going forward is to focus on the diverse and inclusive experiences that make-up the fabric of our destination."

Highlights of the 2017 Marketing Plan include:

Advertising:

First tourism destination to launch its own TV network
Brand refresh and new marketing campaign with updated logos, branded merchandise available at local retail outlets and municipality "signature" water towers designed by local artists
New content creation and exposure over multiple media channels and platforms
Promote advocacy throughout Broward County by educating and engaging residents and businesses to become brand ambassadors for Hello Sunny

Public Relations:

New York City Media Marketplace to bring the best of the destination's hospitality partners across hotels, attractions, and entertainment hot spots to the media capital of the country for an interactive and engaging event to showcase the destination's tourism assets to influential media outlets
Chef Cooking Demonstrations with Greater Fort Lauderdale's rising star and top chefs for interactive cooking demonstrations at top culinary institutes to promote the destination's food and beverage offerings and events, hip dining scene, and local craft beers, ciders and spirits
Chief Enthusiast Officers national and local influencer program to engage prolific and popular bloggers and content creators to produce compelling material highlighting the destination
Special events in major markets to showcase the destination's affluent appeal combing fashion and luxury tourism product

Tourism Sales:

Global tourism sales activities to promote new direct air service from Dubai and more than 150 connecting cities via Emirates Airlines as well as new routes to Europe and beyond on international carriers such as British Airways and Norwegian Air
Continued efforts to develop tourism from China, while exploring other emerging markets such as India and the Middle East
Domestically, the focus is on incremental room nights through pre and post cruise stays, travel agent education and engagement and building momentum in the medical tourism program

Convention & Group Sales:

Strategic communication and contribution to the development of the new Convention Center District project to retain current and attract new meetings business
Lead a targeted initiative to actively engage with the incentive market and promote Greater Fort Lauderdale's new luxe product
Collaboration with Tourism Sales and additional group sales efforts in the international market

LGBTQ:

Target LGBTQ millennials, while continuing to build momentum in the Transgender market
Focus on gay family travel highlighting LGBTQ inclusive hotels, attractions, dining and entertainment in Greater Fort Lauderdale
Increase domestic and international LGBTQ travel to Greater Fort Lauderdale, in particular, Florida, Canada, UK, Germany, Scandinavia, Argentina, Brazil, Colombia and Mexico

Office of Film, Music Entertainment and Creative Industries:

Promote Underground fashion pass (UFP) showcase the destination as a fashion hub.
Launch an annual "underground" fashion show in partnership with key and cutting edge designers and hospitality brands to promote Greater Fort Lauderdale's fashion culture
Focus on bringing arts, fashion and film & music events to Greater Fort Lauderdale

Multicultural:

Attract domestic Hispanic groups to Broward County
Develop the Caribbean market in western Broward County
Establish the National ATA (American Tennis Association) Headquarters in Miramar

Sports Development:

Work with national and international sports leaders to generate hotel room nights that provide a positive economic impact for Broward County
Host the 2016 World Boxing Council in December 2016, with more than 1,400 attendees from around the world
Host the North American Chinese Invitational Volleyball Tournament at the Broward County Convention Center in September 2017, for the first time in the tournament's 73 year history

The Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau (GFLCVB) 2017 Marketing Plan is developed and supported, in cooperation with the GFLCVB, Tourist Development Council, and Marketing Advisory Committee, as well as the bureau's advertising agency of record Starmark, and public relations agency Finn Partners.

For more information and a copy of the 2017 Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau's marketing plan, visit www.sunny.org/partners. Visuals of the 2017 marketing plan initiatives are available upon request to jessicasavage@broward.org.

About Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward County
From the seagrass to the sawgrass, Greater Fort Lauderdale, located in Broward County, boasts more than 34,000 lodging accommodations at a variety of hotels, luxury spa resorts, and Superior Small Lodgings reflecting a "beach chic" vibe. Visitors enjoy 23 miles of Blue Wave certified beaches, discover 300+ miles of inland waterways that run from the Intracoastal Waterway to the Everglades, dine at thousands of restaurants and eateries, get immersed in a thriving arts and culture scene and indulge in top shopping.

For more information, contact the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau at (800) 22-SUNNY or visit www.sunny.org. Get social and engage with Greater Fort Lauderdale on social media channels including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Foursquare, and Pinterest: @visitlauderdale.

SOURCE Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau

CONTACT: Jessica Savage, Greater Fort Lauderdale CVB, Tel: 954-767-2444, E-mail: jessicasavage@broward.org; Aubrey McGovern, Finn Partners, Tel: (212) 715-1600, E-mail: aubrey.mcgovern@finnpartners.com