This month’s greeting comes from Colby, because Bridgette didn’t check her email before heading off for a leadership retreat. She acts like she is super busy or something. I guess we can let it slide, this one time. ;)
We are less than 2 months out from our 2023 Kansas Media Event, and it will be here before we know it! Be sure you are working with your regional tourism coalition (see links below) for the latest updates pertaining to this year’s event. We are 15 registrations shy from our attendance goal, and I know we can absolutely crush that record in 2023. The Kansas Media Event is just as much your media event, as it is Kansas Tourism’s. Please reach out to invite your media contacts to the event and send them to this website for more information and registration.
While we are talking about media, I want to share some conversations I’ve had the past couple months that I found to be so inspiring and a reflection of the marketing efforts we have done as an industry for the past couple years. I spoke on a panel at the NATJA conference this past May called FAM Trips 101(see our glossary for acronym descriptions!). It addressed new standards for hosting media, concerns we face, and expectations from a DMO and from the media. It was a great, interactive session for us panelists, and the media in attendance. After the session, I had 5 different writers come up to me and say they never considered Kansas in the past as a destination they would want to pitch, but after that session, and seeing our marketing collateral, they are impressed by what we are doing. One gentleman said, and I quote, “I didn’t realize Kansas was cool”. I had a few others mention that they have seen more stuff coming out of Kansas in the past couple years than they have their entire 30-year career in travel writing. I jumped with joy and said GOOD!
I have hosted 7 writers this year between the South Central and Southwest FAM trips, with 5 out of the 7 being first time Kansas visitors. Every single writer that was here left saying they can’t wait to come back and explore the other regions. Both trips were so much fun, and I can’t help but be thankful for the amazing media we keep hosting year after year. One of the writers from the SW trip mentioned she couldn’t believe the cultural and topographical diversity. She said in 4 days we saw river lowlands, expansive prairie, chalk formations, sand dunes, and the red dirt Gypsum Hills. She couldn’t believe that was only 1 of the 6 regions we have in our beautiful state. I look forward to another great FAM trip this September in the Northeast and changing even more perceptions.
I’ll wrap this up by saying, what we are doing matters! Every single PR effort is a piece in a large puzzle, but that puzzle is never complete. Each social media post, blog, news release, all of it, adds to this ever-evolving story about us, our destinations, attractions, and communities. I don’t know who needs to hear this, but you are a rockstar, keep shining!
#ToTheStarsKS
Colby Sharples-Terry
