Intro to Travel and Tourism PR: Part One by Diane Centeno, APR

Heather Sliwinski 1 Comment

The U.S. Travel Association states that travel and tourism is a $759 billion industry responsible for one out of every nine jobs in the country.  PRSA offers a Travel and Tourism Section completely dedicated to PR professionals working in travel and hospitality organizations.  The industry offers an array of opportunities, from tourism offices to restaurants, cruise lines to airlines and PR agencies specializing in tourism communications.  With a projected decrease in the unemployment rate in the tourism industry in 2011, why not consider a PR career in travel and tourism?  This week, the PR New Pros blog is excited to look further into the world of travel and tourism through the eyes of two seasoned PR professionals—first a general portrayal of PR in travel and tourism with Diane Centeno, APR, the director of marketing for SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment, and then a deeper look into the role of the Convention and Visitor Bureau with Kelly Ryan, communications & tourism coordinator at the Albuquerque Convention and Visitors Bureau.  Start your summer off right with the first part of our “Intro to Travel and Tourism PR” series with Diane Centeno, APR!

Taking a line from Kenny Chesney’s song “Summertime” couldn’t be more appropriate this time of year.  “Summertime is finally here, that old ballpark, man, is back in gear.”   However, ballparks are not the only thing back in gear.  Summertime signals the peak of vacation travel for millions of individuals and families in the United States.  From transportation industries like airlines and rail travel, to hotels and resorts, amusement parks and beaches, the travel and tourism industry is back in gear, rebounding as the economic downturn finally starts to show signs of waning and consumer confidence returns.

In addition to rebounding growth, the U.S. Travel Association recently unveiled a plan to create 1.3 million jobs in the industry and add $859 billion to the U.S. economy by 2020 in an effort to solidify the appeal of the United States as a tourist destination for world travelers.  The time has never been better to explore a public relations career working in the travel and tourism industry.  It is an excellent professional path that offers opportunity, challenges and the excitement of working for and with world-class destinations and brands.

I have been employed in the travel and tourism industry for the past 11 years working for SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment.  While I started my career in healthcare marketing and public relations, which was an incredibly satisfying experience, when a job opportunity for SeaWorld opened, I could not resist the idea of working for a top-notch theme park that had an amazing brand to proactively promote and communicate to moms and families.  I have been able to build relationships with key broadcast, newsprint and magazine outlets across the United States, dive into social media strategies, work with global communication agencies to promote our brands in key markets like the United Kingdom, Brazil and South America, formed partnerships with area Convention & Visitors Bureaus in Virginia and Florida, traveled for competitive research (always fun to visit another tourist attraction in the name of work) and hosted thousands of media personnel at our parks.  While I have ridden roller coasters with reporters to show them our new attractions first hand, toured celebrities and publicized their visits to our parks and traveled with animals for in-studio TV appearances, I have also been able to develop expertise in the areas of public affairs and employee communications in my ever-expanding roles.

As a new public relations practitioner, you may be interested in what types of PR activities you would participate in while working for the travel and tourism industry.  You can expect to cover a range of marketing communications, crisis/public affairs communications and employee communications to provide you with a broad range of skills and scope of practice.  Promotion of your industry, destination and new products allows a practitioner to develop and diversify skills for integrated marketing communications through traditional media channels as well as consumer-centric social platforms.  Industry regulation, safety and legislative initiatives regarding travel allow the new public relations practitioner to become adept at proactive, and sometimes reactive, public affairs communications.  And with more than 7.3 million employed in the tourism sector in the United States, depending upon your role in the organization, you may also have employee communication opportunities that will help further diversify your capabilities as a strong, well-rounded practitioner.

 The travel and tourism industry has allowed me to expand my professional experiences, and I continue to be passionate about my career.  Maintaining membership in PRSA and becoming accredited have also allowed me to build networks that have helped me professionally, as well as create friendships personally.  PRSA membership allows new practitioners to network with seasoned professionals and uncover opportunities in all industries, including travel and tourism.  There are usually a number of internships, as well as entry-level positions available, especially at this time of year, to explore job opportunities and determine whether your career path will be one following the road of travel.

Diane CentenoDiane Centeno, APR, is the director of marketing overseeing advertising, brand development and media strategies for SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment working closely with the Busch Gardens and Sesame Place brands.  She began her career at SeaWorld a decade ago as the communications manager for Busch Gardens and Water Country USA in Williamsburg, Va., and was promoted to senior communications manager for SeaWorld, Discovery Cove and Aquatica in Orlando, Fla.

Deep in the Heart and Top of Mind: My Experience at the PRSA Travel & Tourism Conference

Diahnn Henderson Leave a comment

I had the pleasure of being on the host and organizing committee for the 2011 PRSA Travel & Tourism Section’s conference, “Navigating the Currents of Change: Proactive PR in Challenging Times,” last week in San Antonio. Since I work at the San Antonio Convention & Visitors Bureau, I received some firsthand experience in what planning a PR conference is actually like. It was crazy and exciting, but most of all it was very energizing! Continue reading →

Summer Book Club–June: UnMarketing

Heather Sliwinski 1 Comment

Returning this year to the PRSA New Pros Blog is the Summer Book Club.  Thanks to all who tweeted and voted, the Summer Book Club has its first PR read for June—UnMarketing: Stop Marketing. Start Engaging. by Scott Stratten!  So visit your local bookstore, download it onto your Kindle or borrow it from a friend, but get your copy today and start reading.

Discussion surrounding UnMarketing starts the first week of July.  Check back with the PRSA New Pros blog, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to join in the conversation.

Here’s what amazon.com has to say about UnMarketing:

From one of the leading experts in viral and social marketing-market your business effectively to today’s customers

For generations, marketing has been hypocritical. We’ve been taught to market to others in ways we hate being marketed to (cold-calling, flyers, ads, etc.). So why do we still keep trying the same stale marketing moves?

UnMarketing shows you how to unlearn the old ways and consistently attract and engage the right customers. You’ll stop just pushing out your message and praying that it sticks somewhere. Potential and current customers want to be listened to, validated, and have a platform to be heard-especially online. With UnMarketing, you’ll create such a relationship with your customers, and make yourself the logical choice for their needs.

  • Shows how to create a mindset and systems to roll out a new, 21st century marketing approach
  • Marketing expert Scott Stratten focuses on a Pull & Stay method (pulling your market towards you and staying/engaging with them, leading them to naturally choose you for their needs) rather than Push & Pray
  • Redefines marketing as all points of engagement between a company and its customers, not just a single boxed-in activity

Traditional marketing methods are leading to diminishing returns and disaffected customers. The answer? Stop marketing, start UnMarketing!

New Pros: What are you hoping to learn from this book?  What specific topics would you like to see in our discussion?

Whether you are spending your summer laying on the beach or traveling for business, make sure you bring along your copy of UnMarketing!

The Dos and Don’ts of Building a Media Contact List by Noelle Pennyman

Heather Sliwinski 1 Comment

More than likely, you’ve dabbled in the art of building media contact lists. If you haven’t yet, this post will serve as a brief introduction because creating lists is a very common practice in public relations.

A media contact list is the foundation of any media relations campaign. For a campaign to be successful, your list must be targeted to the publications, staff and audience that will help your client or company achieve its goals.

The first step to creating a list is determining the audience of the initiative. Is it moms or foodies? Business professionals or frequent travelers? After you identify the audience, you can then target the most appropriate outlets, editors, reporters and producers.

Many industry experts will say you need to conduct extensive research such as reading every article by each media representative that you will be pitching. Although ideal, there may not be enough time to do that kind of thorough research. However, it is always important to make sure you’re selecting the appropriate people and fortunately, PR professionals have tools available to help this process.

Paid services such as Vocus, Cision and BurrellesLuce maintain media databases for communications professionals. You can also do your own research with Google and on each outlet’s websites. Fortunately, most publications, especially larger ones, typically maintain updated websites.

Below are some dos and don’ts to create an effective media contact list:

  • DO work with your company or client to determine a list of criteria in choosing the most appropriate contacts.
  • DO make sure your list is up to date. With a fluctuating industry, media contacts change positions, publications and coverage topics constantly.
  • DON’T have an overload of people from the same publications. There is no set number of contacts to have from each outlet (sometimes, this is determined by your company or superior). However, you don’t want to waste efforts by targeting six people at the same publication (especially if they’re sitting across from each other).
  • DO ask around. If you have colleagues who have pitched these publications in the past, ask them for any information as to the best people to target (if applicable), tips on how to pitch them or any new people.
  • DO create a detailed list. Include publication, contact’s first and last name, specification on the contact’s gender (for gender-neutral names), phone number, email address, position title and publication description.

Like with anything, the more lists you build, the more experienced you become. You will begin to learn which contacts and outlets are the best to target. At any experience level, remember that thoroughness, accuracy and effectiveness are key.

Noelle PennymanNoelle Pennyman
Public Relations Coordinator at thunder::tech

Noelle Pennyman is a public relations coordinator at thunder::tech, an integrated marketing agency located in MidTown Cleveland. As a public relations coordinator, Pennyman works with clients to develop communication strategies and tactics including brand messaging, media relations and social media. Prior to joining the team at thunder::tech, she served as the marketing assistant at Kent State University’s College of Communication and Information and account executive intern at the university’s student public relations agency, Flash Communications. Pennyman received a bachelor’s degree in public relations from Kent State University in 2009. She is an active member of the Greater Cleveland chapter of PRSA’s Young Pros group and serves as the membership co-chair of the PRSA New Professionals Executive Committee.

7 Crucial Job Search Tactics to Land an Entry-Level Job by Heather Huhman

Heather Sliwinski 1 Comment

Pretty soon, you’ll be donning that graduation cap, walking across the stage and taking your first step into the world of entry-level employment. Hopefully you’ve set yourself up for success throughout your college career by completing at least one internship, getting involved in on-campus groups and building a portfolio. What else is crucial to landing a job today?

Creating a job search plan. What many job seekers fail to do is create a plan consisting of multiple job search strategies in order to reach their goal. Merely combing job boards or applying to a few company openings probably won’t result in a job offer—or even an interview—in today’s tough market. You must be prepared, organized and diligent in every aspect of your job search, and creating a plan can help you stay on track. 

Spending time “company searching” as opposed to “job searching.” Part of your job search plan should be identifying 5-10 ideal companies that you’d like to work for. From there, you can work on making connections at those organizations, learning about their culture and determining your fit, and watching for openings and opportunities that are right for you.

Networking early and often. Your network is a vital resource in your job search. Friends, family, colleagues and acquaintances can help you learn about unadvertised openings, get an “in” at a specific company, or provide support while you’re job seeking. Keep in contact with important connections by adding them on professional and social networking sites, and reaching out to them to stay top of mind.

Branding yourself. You need to be your own advocate in your job search. This means having a clear idea of what makes you different from all of the other candidates vying for the same job as you (also known as your unique selling points). Communicate and share your personal brand by consistently marketing yourself across all social and professional networking platforms, as well as on your resume, cover letter and portfolio.

Harnessing the power of alumni. Don’t forget about the network you’re already a part of as a resource in your job search, which is your college or university. Consider contacting former students that are working in your field to ask for advice and job shadow opportunities. Join your college alumni network or search for groups on Facebook and LinkedIn. Because you already have something in common—your education experience—it will be easier to reach out to that individual and build a mutually beneficial relationship.

Taking things offline. While the Internet is a valuable resource for any job seeker, don’t neglect the power an in-person meeting can have. This can involve inviting another professional to lunch whom you’ve only talked with online, attending group and association meetings, and participating in conferences and meetups.

Volunteering your time. Not only can volunteering help eliminate gaps in your resume, but you can also make valuable connections with individuals at the organization. It’s also a great way to build upon your skills and add additional pieces to your professional portfolio.

Although your job search might not produce results right away, it’s important to stick with it and maintain a positive attitude throughout the process. You never know when you’ll meet someone who could lead you to your next opportunity!

What other tactics would you add to this list? Prospective graduates: What’s your plan to stand out in this job market?

Heather HuhmanHeather R. Huhman is a career expert, experienced hiring manager, and founder & president of Come Recommended, a content marketing consultancy for organizations with products that target job seekers and/or employers. She is also the author of #ENTRYLEVELtweet: Taking Your Career from Classroom to Cubicle (2010) and writes career and recruiting advice for numerous outlets.