Seeing as this is my last week at the Greater Phoenix CVB and that I am graduating this month, I need to figure out what my next step is because I am an international student and so am only eligible to stay in the U.S. until the end of August and then I will need to leave the country! The only way I will be able to legally stay in the U.S. is to apply for Optional Practical Training (OPT).
OPT is a benefit from the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, allowing international students in F-1 status to gain off-campus work experience in their field of study before or after completion of studies for a maximum of 12 months. What this allows me to do is find a job or an internship in the tourism industry and stay in Arizona for another 12 months. I have already taken steps to apply so I’m just hoping that my application gets approved! If you would like to know more information about this benefit, click on this link:
http://www.asu.edu/international/opt.html
Truly, what I would like to do is continue to work at the CVB or a similar type organization because I believe that it is a great place to network and kick-start a successful career in the tourism and travel industry. Other than that I would not overrule a chance to go to grad school at ASU but as of right now, I have had a taste of the working world and that has made me eager to get started in the industry, start making some money, and more importantly, be more involved in our community and contribute to its booming development.
Congrats ASU Grad Class of 2009!
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Site Visit and New Member letters
Hey everybody!
Hope your final reports are coming along nicely and that you are all as excited about graduation as I am! I went to Hayden library yesterday for the first time this semester and I was kind of sad that it was probably my last time at that library, where I spent many countless hours studying for classes throughout my college years.
Anyway today has been interesting. We started off the day with our weekly department meeting at 10 am and our director Kimberly, who just got back from Europe, briefed us on her sales mission and progress in the European market, which has fallen a little bit since last year. She said that every person she spoke to could not get enough of Phoenix and that they were planning to visit sometime soon and so need our help to create itineraries for them in order to better experience our destination. After our meeting, I was given a list of our newest members and I prepared and sent out new member letters to thank them for joining us and making sure that they are aware of our services.
Right before lunch, we were invited to go see a newly renovated wellness facility that offers yoga, massages, and other therapy related programs. Located on the SW corner of 2nd Street and Garfield (1 block South of Roosevelt) in Downtown Phoenix, “Just Breathe: a wellness sanctuary” is an eco-friendly wellness facility with 6 zen-like massage rooms, a fitness center, and other rooms where they host Yoga and Pilates classes. Whether you are looking for a specialty massage to relax or a yoga session to get in touch with your inner self, “Just Breathe” is a great place to just get away form everyday stress and just relax. For more information, check out http://www.justbreathewellness.com/!
Hope your final reports are coming along nicely and that you are all as excited about graduation as I am! I went to Hayden library yesterday for the first time this semester and I was kind of sad that it was probably my last time at that library, where I spent many countless hours studying for classes throughout my college years.
Anyway today has been interesting. We started off the day with our weekly department meeting at 10 am and our director Kimberly, who just got back from Europe, briefed us on her sales mission and progress in the European market, which has fallen a little bit since last year. She said that every person she spoke to could not get enough of Phoenix and that they were planning to visit sometime soon and so need our help to create itineraries for them in order to better experience our destination. After our meeting, I was given a list of our newest members and I prepared and sent out new member letters to thank them for joining us and making sure that they are aware of our services.
Right before lunch, we were invited to go see a newly renovated wellness facility that offers yoga, massages, and other therapy related programs. Located on the SW corner of 2nd Street and Garfield (1 block South of Roosevelt) in Downtown Phoenix, “Just Breathe: a wellness sanctuary” is an eco-friendly wellness facility with 6 zen-like massage rooms, a fitness center, and other rooms where they host Yoga and Pilates classes. Whether you are looking for a specialty massage to relax or a yoga session to get in touch with your inner self, “Just Breathe” is a great place to just get away form everyday stress and just relax. For more information, check out http://www.justbreathewellness.com/!
Monday, May 4, 2009
Last week and interviews
Hey everyone! Starting today, I have 6 days left for my internship and then its graduation time!! So exciting, I can't believe that I am so close to being done with college forever, it's actually kind of scary the more I think about it...
Anyway today I finished my last couple of interviews with some of the Greater Phoenix CVB Executives and I must say I was surprised that most of them have been in the industry for over 35 years but the funny thing is that none of them actually studied tourism in college! Our Director of Communications graduated with a bachelor in business administration, our Vice President of Visitor Marketing & Community Development graduated with a bachelor in political science, and our Senior Vice President of Sales & Marketing graduated with a bachelor in music!
Although their career paths are not very similar to mine, I still learnt so much from interviewing the CVB executives because they each explained their career paths and how they got to where they are today and the recurring theme from all my interviews seemed to be networking. All the executives kept mentioning how they were able to get their jobs through networking with people in the industry and how important it is to “put yourself out there” and constantly market yourself in order to be ready for any opportunities available. Meeting people and making contacts is essential in the tourism field and it can determine the amount of success one can have in this industry.
Other great pieces of advice I collected from my interviews include:
· Following your passion
· Professionalism & Appearance
· Academic Competency
· Willingness to learn, and
· Participating in many local events, being involved with your community.
Overall, I believe that it is very beneficial and that there is much to learn from interviewing the people you work with during your internship because not only do you get to know their background and find out how they succeeded in the industry, but also they get to know you as a person, not just as the intern, and you never know, they can provide you with that opportunity you are looking or hoping for! Best of luck with your interviews!
Anyway today I finished my last couple of interviews with some of the Greater Phoenix CVB Executives and I must say I was surprised that most of them have been in the industry for over 35 years but the funny thing is that none of them actually studied tourism in college! Our Director of Communications graduated with a bachelor in business administration, our Vice President of Visitor Marketing & Community Development graduated with a bachelor in political science, and our Senior Vice President of Sales & Marketing graduated with a bachelor in music!
Although their career paths are not very similar to mine, I still learnt so much from interviewing the CVB executives because they each explained their career paths and how they got to where they are today and the recurring theme from all my interviews seemed to be networking. All the executives kept mentioning how they were able to get their jobs through networking with people in the industry and how important it is to “put yourself out there” and constantly market yourself in order to be ready for any opportunities available. Meeting people and making contacts is essential in the tourism field and it can determine the amount of success one can have in this industry.
Other great pieces of advice I collected from my interviews include:
· Following your passion
· Professionalism & Appearance
· Academic Competency
· Willingness to learn, and
· Participating in many local events, being involved with your community.
Overall, I believe that it is very beneficial and that there is much to learn from interviewing the people you work with during your internship because not only do you get to know their background and find out how they succeeded in the industry, but also they get to know you as a person, not just as the intern, and you never know, they can provide you with that opportunity you are looking or hoping for! Best of luck with your interviews!
What a busy week!
So last week was a hectic one! My managers have two huge sales missions coming up in May and I was responsible for making sure that they had all their collateral ready to go!
The first sales mission is the AAA sales mission in Southern California and this one was a big one! I was responsible for stuffing, packaging, and shipping out all the collateral from the CVB and other participating properties, such as the Hyatt Regency, the Sheraton, the Westin Kierland, and other luxury properties. I made sure that all the collateral, gifts, and amenities were all sent to the hotels that my managers were staying at and at the Call Center, where they were scheduled to give a presentation about Phoenix and its participating properties to the Southern California AAA travel agents. Overall, we stuffed about 330 gift bags and I was in charge of packaging and shipping out the boxes, which all together were about 30 (It took me all day Wednesday and Thursday to do this!)
The second sales mission coming up is the annual International Pow Wow tradeshow which is the “largest generator of Visit USA travel with more than $4 billion worth of future business expected to be booked this year” (http://www.tia.org/powwow/index.html) and it is held in Miami, from May 16 – 20, 2009. Again, I was responsible for packaging and shipping out all the collateral required for the show and this time, I even helped my managers with car rental bookings, hotel reservations, and even finding and making a reservation at a restaurant where they could host their client event at!
Thankfully, I received confirmation today that all the boxes were delivered to their respective destinations and that my managers were able to get their car rentals to begin their first sales mission. It was a frantic week but a satisfactory one since everything went smoothly and successfully.
The first sales mission is the AAA sales mission in Southern California and this one was a big one! I was responsible for stuffing, packaging, and shipping out all the collateral from the CVB and other participating properties, such as the Hyatt Regency, the Sheraton, the Westin Kierland, and other luxury properties. I made sure that all the collateral, gifts, and amenities were all sent to the hotels that my managers were staying at and at the Call Center, where they were scheduled to give a presentation about Phoenix and its participating properties to the Southern California AAA travel agents. Overall, we stuffed about 330 gift bags and I was in charge of packaging and shipping out the boxes, which all together were about 30 (It took me all day Wednesday and Thursday to do this!)
The second sales mission coming up is the annual International Pow Wow tradeshow which is the “largest generator of Visit USA travel with more than $4 billion worth of future business expected to be booked this year” (http://www.tia.org/powwow/index.html) and it is held in Miami, from May 16 – 20, 2009. Again, I was responsible for packaging and shipping out all the collateral required for the show and this time, I even helped my managers with car rental bookings, hotel reservations, and even finding and making a reservation at a restaurant where they could host their client event at!
Thankfully, I received confirmation today that all the boxes were delivered to their respective destinations and that my managers were able to get their car rentals to begin their first sales mission. It was a frantic week but a satisfactory one since everything went smoothly and successfully.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Morning Presentations at the CVB
Today's morning was great!
As soon as I came into work my supervisor, Stephanie, told me that there are some people in the office today who would like to give us and the marketing department a couple of presentations about their business and discuss potential future business opportunities! So without knowing what to expect, I followed her to the boardroom where we joined some of the office staff for the following morning presentations.
The first presentation was from "Castles n Coasters", Arizona's premier amusement park. Lou Snow, the Sales and Marketing Manager, did a presentation, with the help of his assistant and other visual aids, about the park's main attractions, discounted group rates and other special events that they can offer on their property. The amusement park was recently renovated about a year ago and is located at 9445 Metro Parkway East, Phoenix, AZ 85051. Once his presentation was over, Lou thanked us all for our time and presented us with free miniature golf passes! (For more info, check out http://www.castlesncoasters.com/)
The next presentation was from the Comfort Suites in Goodyear. The Director of Sales, Annie Long, came into the boardroom with complimentary breakfast, which included doughnuts, bagels, muffins, and other breakfast specialties! I had a frosted doughnut filled with strawberry jam and it was just what I needed to kicks-start my day. As we all attacked the breakfast buffet, Annie handed all of us a few goodies from the hotel and briefly talked to us about the Comfort Suites amenities and opportunities. The property was built last year so is brand new and some of the standard amenities include free breakfast, free Internet, plasma TVs, pool & spa, and a business center. She also mentioned that they have began their summer specials of $60 a night, half off their regular price! Finally, to show us her appreciation for being there, she raffled out a free weekend at their presidential suite, which unfortunately i did not win :(
The final presentation of the morning was by Stephanie Vieira, the Catering Sales and Special Events Manager at the Wrigley Mansion. Stephanie showed us a video of the mansion and provided us with a brief history of it. She also talked about their fine restaurant Geordie's and of opportunities and rates for hosting any types of events at the mansion. Once she finished her presentation, Stephanie handed us all a couple of free drink coupons for Geordie's Restaurant & Lounge! (http://www.wrigleymansionclub.com/)
Overall, i got to say that this was probably the best morning I've had at work all semester! Not only did we enjoy a free breakfast, but we also learnt more about a few of our member properties and also received many free goodies. This was a great start to the week and I think the CVB should make this a weekly event!
As soon as I came into work my supervisor, Stephanie, told me that there are some people in the office today who would like to give us and the marketing department a couple of presentations about their business and discuss potential future business opportunities! So without knowing what to expect, I followed her to the boardroom where we joined some of the office staff for the following morning presentations.
The first presentation was from "Castles n Coasters", Arizona's premier amusement park. Lou Snow, the Sales and Marketing Manager, did a presentation, with the help of his assistant and other visual aids, about the park's main attractions, discounted group rates and other special events that they can offer on their property. The amusement park was recently renovated about a year ago and is located at 9445 Metro Parkway East, Phoenix, AZ 85051. Once his presentation was over, Lou thanked us all for our time and presented us with free miniature golf passes! (For more info, check out http://www.castlesncoasters.com/)
The next presentation was from the Comfort Suites in Goodyear. The Director of Sales, Annie Long, came into the boardroom with complimentary breakfast, which included doughnuts, bagels, muffins, and other breakfast specialties! I had a frosted doughnut filled with strawberry jam and it was just what I needed to kicks-start my day. As we all attacked the breakfast buffet, Annie handed all of us a few goodies from the hotel and briefly talked to us about the Comfort Suites amenities and opportunities. The property was built last year so is brand new and some of the standard amenities include free breakfast, free Internet, plasma TVs, pool & spa, and a business center. She also mentioned that they have began their summer specials of $60 a night, half off their regular price! Finally, to show us her appreciation for being there, she raffled out a free weekend at their presidential suite, which unfortunately i did not win :(
The final presentation of the morning was by Stephanie Vieira, the Catering Sales and Special Events Manager at the Wrigley Mansion. Stephanie showed us a video of the mansion and provided us with a brief history of it. She also talked about their fine restaurant Geordie's and of opportunities and rates for hosting any types of events at the mansion. Once she finished her presentation, Stephanie handed us all a couple of free drink coupons for Geordie's Restaurant & Lounge! (http://www.wrigleymansionclub.com/)
Overall, i got to say that this was probably the best morning I've had at work all semester! Not only did we enjoy a free breakfast, but we also learnt more about a few of our member properties and also received many free goodies. This was a great start to the week and I think the CVB should make this a weekly event!
Thursday, April 23, 2009
ATA's Annual Arizona Unity Dinner
Last week, on Wednesday, April 15, the Arizona Tourism Alliance hosted their 5th annual Arizona Tourism Unity Dinner at the Arizona Biltmore Resort & Spa in Phoenix. The event was scheduled from 5:30-9 pm and many employees of the Greater Phoenix CVB volunteered to help out at the event, including me, and so I went to the Biltmore around 2 pm with my supervisor, Stephanie, in order to help set up the tables, auction, and registration.
The Unity Dinner is an opportunity for leaders from business, government, and the community to join in celebrating tourism and honor the contributions of extraordinary Arizonans for their leadership and support of the tourism industry. This year, the Dinner honored the following three automotive legends as 2009 Tourism Advocates of the Year:
- Bob Bondurant of the Bondurant School of High Performance Driving
- Craig Jackson of Barrett-Jackson Auction Company, and
- Bryan Sperber of the Phoenix International Raceway
The Unity Dinner was held in the Frank Lloyd Wright Ballroom, which is about 25,000 square feet of meeting space (biggest ballroom in the Biltmore), and the event included a dinner and silent auction. The silent auction was basically a large table that had all kinds of luxurious packages listed and described on paper that everyone at the event was able to sign and bid on, and by the end of the night, the highest offer/bid won. I was helping out mainly with registration so everyone who came in would come to our table and check in to find out what table they were supposed to be joining. There were so many people! There was roughly between 400-500 people at the event and everyone seemed to know each other. Free champagne was flowing all night too so by the end of the night, people were being loud and seemed to really enjoy themselves.
The presentation and dinner went great! The theme was racing cars, since the people that were being honored are huge automotive players, and they had a few racing cars parked outside the ballroom that many car enthusiasts took pictures with and admired. The dinner itself was delicious! They served us a three course meal with salad, steak, and desert and wine was free so I helped myself to a couple glasses of red wine :)
The event ended around 9 pm but everyone I was with from the CVB still wanted to drink and party so we headed to Wrights, a trendy bar in the Biltmore Lounge. It was awesome to hang out and get to know many of the CVB's vice presidents and other executives. We had a few more drinks and we're really enjoying ourselves and the best part of it all was when Steve, our CEO, told us that we were all allowed to come in late for work the next morning in order get some rest from the evening's festivities.
Overall , the AZ unity dinner was very successful and everything went extremely smooth. Even though I helped set up the event and checked people in most of the night, I still enjoyed myself tremendously and I look forward to being at this event next year! For more information about the ATA and its mission, visit http://www.aztourismalliance.org/index.htm
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Action Plan
After meeting with Ms. Owen for my midterm site visit, I have further developed a few of my goals and have recognized some of my strengths and weaknesses that I must address in order to achieve these set goals. These goals include:
1. Networking is a very important tool for success in the Tourism Industry. I have realized that the best way to do this is to follow up with the people I meet; this is the only way to stand out in my opinion. I think that by sending them an e-mail or an “it was a pleasure meeting you” letter, it gives me the opportunity to show them that I care about them primarily as a person and that I am very interested in what they do in the industry. I believe that taking this initiative does not only give me a positive image but it also lets them know that I am actively seeking for job opportunities and that I am serious about succeeding in this industry.
2. Interviewing some of the department heads at the CVB is another goal of mine because it will allow me to get to know some of the “more” important people in the office, who could offer me advice on how they achieved their success and any other tips that could be useful along the road. In addition, it will also give them the opportunity to get to know me a little better as a person, rather than just the TIS Intern, and you never know, if an opportunity arises in their department, they could offer me the job – It really is all about who you know.
3. In order to secure a job post internship, I believe that I must first update my resume and second, request for some reference letters from well-known and respected figures at the CVB who know a lot of people in the industry and could put your name out there. I believe that all this too can be backed up by positive attitude and appearance, which are integral parts for continuously marketing yourself
In conclusion, my action plan calls for certain goals, specifically networking, interviews, and securing a job post internship. I believe that by addressing my strengths and weakness, it will allow me to reach my goals, particularly networking, because I feel that this is the primary goal for anyone who is trying to be a successful professional in any industry they wish to do well in. My new found motto is always be positive and always take the initiative, sooner or later, you will be noticed!
1. Networking is a very important tool for success in the Tourism Industry. I have realized that the best way to do this is to follow up with the people I meet; this is the only way to stand out in my opinion. I think that by sending them an e-mail or an “it was a pleasure meeting you” letter, it gives me the opportunity to show them that I care about them primarily as a person and that I am very interested in what they do in the industry. I believe that taking this initiative does not only give me a positive image but it also lets them know that I am actively seeking for job opportunities and that I am serious about succeeding in this industry.
2. Interviewing some of the department heads at the CVB is another goal of mine because it will allow me to get to know some of the “more” important people in the office, who could offer me advice on how they achieved their success and any other tips that could be useful along the road. In addition, it will also give them the opportunity to get to know me a little better as a person, rather than just the TIS Intern, and you never know, if an opportunity arises in their department, they could offer me the job – It really is all about who you know.
3. In order to secure a job post internship, I believe that I must first update my resume and second, request for some reference letters from well-known and respected figures at the CVB who know a lot of people in the industry and could put your name out there. I believe that all this too can be backed up by positive attitude and appearance, which are integral parts for continuously marketing yourself
In conclusion, my action plan calls for certain goals, specifically networking, interviews, and securing a job post internship. I believe that by addressing my strengths and weakness, it will allow me to reach my goals, particularly networking, because I feel that this is the primary goal for anyone who is trying to be a successful professional in any industry they wish to do well in. My new found motto is always be positive and always take the initiative, sooner or later, you will be noticed!
Friday, March 27, 2009
Westlake Travel Site Inspection - Day 1
Hi everyone!
After a good couple of hours in paradise, it was unfortunately time to move on to our final stop of the day, the Rawhide Western Town and Steakhouse, which is literally right across the street from the Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort. Rawhide is Arizona's largest Western-themed attraction and is an authentic replica of an 1880's town complete with a Main Street, gunfights, seasonal speciality shows, stagecoach and train rides, a mechanical bull, and even a petting ranch. Rawhide is a very impressive replica of an old western town that is as authentic as you can get, in terms of the old west. While walking on the street of Rawhide, it really felt like I was back in the Wild West or on a set of a cowboy movie. Its authenticity was really impressive. Check it out at http://www.rawhide.com/home-index.html.
So in one of my previous blogs, I mentioned how my supervisor and I put together an itinerary for a site visit to Phoenix for Peter Borza, a big Cleveland Indians fan from Ohio who works as a Group Tour Specialist for a company known as Westlake Travel. Pete has been in constant contact with me and has expressed interest in bringing in a senior citizen group of about 40 Cleveland Indians' baseball fans to their spring training games in 2010, but first wanted to make sure that he chose the right properties to stay at as well as the right type of transportation. So Peter and his assistant Sue Kwiatt arrived to Phoenix on Wednesday, March 25 for their week long site visit and I got the opportunity to accompany them and our TIS manager, Ryan, yesterday so here is a quick recollection of yesterday's events.
Ryan and I met at the Greater Phoenix CVB Office and she decided to take the company mini-van for this site visit so that all four of us could seat comfortably. After about a 30 minute drive, we finally arrived at the Holiday Inn & Suites in Goodyear, where we met with Peter and Sue. Peter was much older than I expected but he seemed to be in pretty good shape for being that old (72 years old!) and surprisingly did not really need help with anything! We met with the sales manager, Chris Loftus, and after a quick breakfast, it was time to move on to the next property visit. Our next stop was the Holiday Inn Express near the I-10 West in Goodyear and this property was slightly smaller than the first Holiday Inn and again it was Chris who showed us around and gave us a tour of the hotel. We thanked him for his time and we decided it was time to check out the brand new Goodyear Recreational Complex, the new spring training home of the Cleveland Indians. The stadium was huge but we were not able to get a tour of it since the manager was at a meeting with his supervisors and so did not have the time to show us around but promised he would sometime that week.
Our next stop was the Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort & Spa in Chandler (pictures), where we did a site visit and lunch. This property is amazing! This resort is Arizona's only Native American-owned luxury resort, with 500 culturally-themed rooms of the Pima and Maricopa tribes. It is a 5 star luxury resort with every and any kind of amenities available and more. They have 2 18 hole golf courses, stables, and so much more making it my new favorite resort in Arizona :) There's some more great pics at http://www.wildhorsepassresort.com/
Our next stop was the Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort & Spa in Chandler (pictures), where we did a site visit and lunch. This property is amazing! This resort is Arizona's only Native American-owned luxury resort, with 500 culturally-themed rooms of the Pima and Maricopa tribes. It is a 5 star luxury resort with every and any kind of amenities available and more. They have 2 18 hole golf courses, stables, and so much more making it my new favorite resort in Arizona :) There's some more great pics at http://www.wildhorsepassresort.com/
After a good couple of hours in paradise, it was unfortunately time to move on to our final stop of the day, the Rawhide Western Town and Steakhouse, which is literally right across the street from the Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort. Rawhide is Arizona's largest Western-themed attraction and is an authentic replica of an 1880's town complete with a Main Street, gunfights, seasonal speciality shows, stagecoach and train rides, a mechanical bull, and even a petting ranch. Rawhide is a very impressive replica of an old western town that is as authentic as you can get, in terms of the old west. While walking on the street of Rawhide, it really felt like I was back in the Wild West or on a set of a cowboy movie. Its authenticity was really impressive. Check it out at http://www.rawhide.com/home-index.html.I must say that the day was long but it was a great experience since not only did I meet the Sales Managers of all the properties, but I also got to check out all these properties for free while experiencing some of their luxuries, such as tasting their food and exploring the presidential suites! It was a fun experience and I hope that my supervisors take me on a site inspection as soon as possible because it definitely is more fun than a normal day at the GPCVB Office!
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
A brief introduction to the Greater Phoenix CVB
THE GREATER PHOENIX CONVENTION & VISITORS BUREAU
Year Established: 1967 as a private, non-profit corporation.
Number of Employees: Approx. 54 full-time & 70 part-time
Number of Employees: Approx. 54 full-time & 70 part-time
Address: Arizona Center - 400 East Van Buren Street, Suite 600 Phoenix, AZ 85004
Phone: 602-254-6500
Fax: 602-253-4415
Website: www.visitphoenix.com
Funding:
The Greater Phoenix Convention & Visitors Bureau (GPCVB) is a private, non-profit organization. The fiscal year (July 01 – June 30) funding consists of approximately 58% from the city of Phoenix, 5% from other public sector funding and 37% from private sector funding through memberships.
GPCVB membership is offered to businesses that may benefit from our services and marketing opportunities. The GPCVB currently has approximately 1,300 memberships from all areas of the hospitality industry and general business community.
GPCVB membership is offered to businesses that may benefit from our services and marketing opportunities. The GPCVB currently has approximately 1,300 memberships from all areas of the hospitality industry and general business community.
Member Benefits:
The Greater Phoenix Convention & Visitors Bureau is constantly striving to service each and every member in the best way possible. It is our goal to provide benefits that will enhance the business opportunities for member organizations. Some of these benefits include:
- Meeting & Travel Planner Guide for Greater Phoenix
- Official Visitors Guide to Greater Phoenix
- Confidential Convention Calendar
- Official Visitors Guide to Greater Phoenix
- Confidential Convention Calendar
Mission Statement:
As a private, non-profit corporation, the Greater Phoenix Convention and Visitors Bureau (GPCVB) is to market the metropolitan Phoenix area as a year-round convention and visitor destination. The GPCVB concentrates its efforts and resources on convention groups and group sales, tourism sales, services and market research, all for the benefits of its members and the metropolitan community.
The GPCVB is committed to education relevant to the hospitality industry and plays a lead role in coordinating various convention and tourism sales activities in Greater Phoenix. We believe our performance and reputation is based upon and enhanced by the efforts of a highly qualified, competent and professional staff.
For official facts and figures about the city of phoenix, check out:
Busy, busy, busy...
Hello my fellow interns! :)
So its my second week back from Acapulco and it seems that the work keeps piling on! It's peak season in Arizona and everyone wants to travel to Phoenix to enjoy the weather.
This week has been real hectic with document preparation for many British Airways Holidays (BAH) Travel Agents who are planning a little vacation to Phoenix in order to check out our destination and experience what exactly it is they are selling to their clients. We just got done with 3 BAH FAMs this month and the majority of the remaining BAH Agents visiting are coming in April so this week I've been extremely busy with preparing and sending out participation request forms. Participation Request Forms are forms we send out to our members to see if they would like to participate in each respective FAM, whether it be for accommodation, a meal, entertainment, or just a site visit. Additionally, I have been following up on our completed BAH FAMs by sending out In-Kind Request forms, which are forms that we send out to our members that participated in previous FAMs and we ask them to provide us with the dollar amount of in-kind services and contributions they provided for our clients during their FAM trip (sometimes its pretty crazy to see that some people get over $5,000 worth of free services!)
Apart from document preparation this week, yesterday Stephanie, Ryan, and I were invited for lunch and a property site inspection of the Embassy Suites Hotel Phoenix-Scottsdale, which also happens to be a Golf Resort (picture):
The property is huge with meeting space, a pool, spa, fitness center, tennis courts, and hiking trails. The Stonecreek golf course is beautiful with breath-taking desert mountain views and lush fairways and the Embassy Suites shares the golf course with the Stonecreek Golf Club. I was amazed that this is an Embassy Suites hotel because I've never seen one this nice. We met with Ginger Wood, the sales manager, and she took us to Tatum's Restaurant & Lounge where we ate lunch and discussed future business opportunities. After the free lunch I was allowed to go home and take the rest of the day off so it ended up being a great day :)
If you want to check out the hotel, their website is:
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
...And we're back!
Hi Everyone!
Hope you all had a great spring break, I know I did! I went to Acapulco for a week and it was definitely the best break I've had in a very long time. However all great things come to an end and once again, here I am, back at the Arizona Center just excited that I am one step closer to graduation (just over 1 and a half months away)!
Anyway, its been a busy week here at the Greater Phoenix CVB and this is the time when everyone comes to Phoenix to enjoy the sun and watch the spring training games. We've had many people inquire about traveling to Phoenix to watch their favorite baseball teams and players in the Cactus League and recently, my supervisor and I put together an itinerary for a site visit to Phoenix by a big Cleveland Indians fan from Ohio, named Peter Borza. Pete has been in constant contact with me and has expressed interest in bringing in a senior citizen group of about 40 Cleveland Indians' baseball fans to their spring training games in 2010, but first wanted to make sure that he chose the right properties to stay at as well as the right type of transportation. So I created an itinerary for him to visit some properties in Phoenix and Goodyear (where the Indians play) and he will be visiting Phoenix from March 26 - April 2 in order to familiarize himself with the area and watch a few spring training games at the brand new Goodyear Recreational Complex, the new spring training home of the Indians.
Other great things going on right now at the Bureau include the Spring Stimulus Package, designed to help people take advantage of unseasonably low prices at Phoenix hotels and restaurants. This stimulus package has been put together by the Bureau staff in order to help takers in these difficult economic times, but these deals are only good through April 30, so hurry up and visit http://www.visitphoenix.com/springstimulus/ to take full advantage of these springtime specials!
Hope you all had a great spring break, I know I did! I went to Acapulco for a week and it was definitely the best break I've had in a very long time. However all great things come to an end and once again, here I am, back at the Arizona Center just excited that I am one step closer to graduation (just over 1 and a half months away)!
Anyway, its been a busy week here at the Greater Phoenix CVB and this is the time when everyone comes to Phoenix to enjoy the sun and watch the spring training games. We've had many people inquire about traveling to Phoenix to watch their favorite baseball teams and players in the Cactus League and recently, my supervisor and I put together an itinerary for a site visit to Phoenix by a big Cleveland Indians fan from Ohio, named Peter Borza. Pete has been in constant contact with me and has expressed interest in bringing in a senior citizen group of about 40 Cleveland Indians' baseball fans to their spring training games in 2010, but first wanted to make sure that he chose the right properties to stay at as well as the right type of transportation. So I created an itinerary for him to visit some properties in Phoenix and Goodyear (where the Indians play) and he will be visiting Phoenix from March 26 - April 2 in order to familiarize himself with the area and watch a few spring training games at the brand new Goodyear Recreational Complex, the new spring training home of the Indians.
Other great things going on right now at the Bureau include the Spring Stimulus Package, designed to help people take advantage of unseasonably low prices at Phoenix hotels and restaurants. This stimulus package has been put together by the Bureau staff in order to help takers in these difficult economic times, but these deals are only good through April 30, so hurry up and visit http://www.visitphoenix.com/springstimulus/ to take full advantage of these springtime specials!
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
An Overview of the TIS Department
Hello my fellow interns! Hope all of you're internships are going well and that you are all excited for spring break!
It is my seventh week here at the Greater Phoenix CVB and I must say, I'm having a great time! I am learning new things on a consistent basis and everyone at work is so nice, making me feel as part of the team. For this blog, I have decided to fill everyone in on what exactly it is that my department does for the CVB and how effective it is for the city of Phoenix.
My department is known as Travel Industry Sales (TIS) and what we do is work closely with tour operators, travel agents, the Greater Phoenix hospitality industry, and the national and international travel industries in order to develop and increase the number and variety of Greater Phoenix itineraries. Moreover TIS provides travel agents with information for booking Greater Phoenix accommodations, transportation, and sightseeing opportunities and our department also cultivates clients by promoting Greater Phoenix travel at trade shows and sales missions throughout the U.S. and abroad and by hosting FAM trips to the Greater Phoenix Area.
In addition, TIS provides substantial benefits to its CVB members by obtaining and distributing tourism sales leads and general information requests from tour operators, travel agents, and other travel industry professionals. TIS is an important resource for Bureau members for information pertaining to every aspect of tourism from market trends to current and significant industry issues. A recent survey found that more than 800 worldwide tour operators are offering Phoenix programs, contributing to the $6 billion tourism industry in Greater Phoenix, which ranks only behind the high-tech sector in terms of local economic impact (think about how helpful these contributions are to the city of Phoenix and the state of Arizona as a whole!)
Our TIS department staff includes:
Director of Travel Industry Sales: Kimberly Freer
Travel Industry Sales Manager: Maria Delgado
Travel Industry Sales Manager: Ryan Edmiston
Travel Industry Sales Assistant: Stephanie Davidson
Travel Industry Sales Intern: Alexis Antoniou (that's me!)
Hopefully this blog was able to inform you more of the important role that the TIS department plays for the Greater Phoenix CVB and the services it provides for its members and clients.
It is my seventh week here at the Greater Phoenix CVB and I must say, I'm having a great time! I am learning new things on a consistent basis and everyone at work is so nice, making me feel as part of the team. For this blog, I have decided to fill everyone in on what exactly it is that my department does for the CVB and how effective it is for the city of Phoenix.
My department is known as Travel Industry Sales (TIS) and what we do is work closely with tour operators, travel agents, the Greater Phoenix hospitality industry, and the national and international travel industries in order to develop and increase the number and variety of Greater Phoenix itineraries. Moreover TIS provides travel agents with information for booking Greater Phoenix accommodations, transportation, and sightseeing opportunities and our department also cultivates clients by promoting Greater Phoenix travel at trade shows and sales missions throughout the U.S. and abroad and by hosting FAM trips to the Greater Phoenix Area.
In addition, TIS provides substantial benefits to its CVB members by obtaining and distributing tourism sales leads and general information requests from tour operators, travel agents, and other travel industry professionals. TIS is an important resource for Bureau members for information pertaining to every aspect of tourism from market trends to current and significant industry issues. A recent survey found that more than 800 worldwide tour operators are offering Phoenix programs, contributing to the $6 billion tourism industry in Greater Phoenix, which ranks only behind the high-tech sector in terms of local economic impact (think about how helpful these contributions are to the city of Phoenix and the state of Arizona as a whole!)
Our TIS department staff includes:
Director of Travel Industry Sales: Kimberly Freer
Travel Industry Sales Manager: Maria Delgado
Travel Industry Sales Manager: Ryan Edmiston
Travel Industry Sales Assistant: Stephanie Davidson
Travel Industry Sales Intern: Alexis Antoniou (that's me!)
Hopefully this blog was able to inform you more of the important role that the TIS department plays for the Greater Phoenix CVB and the services it provides for its members and clients.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
FAM Trip
Hi Everybody, hope you had a happy Valentine's day and that you were all able to enjoy the NBA All Star Festivities this past weekend in Downtown Phoenix.
Finally, once the tour at the Desert Botanical Gardens ended, we all got into a bus that was provided by 'Detours of Arizona', and headed towards Rustlers Rooste where we were expected for dinner at Arizona’s Legendary Cowboy Steakhouse! We arrived at the Rooste where we were welcomed with margaritas and rattlesnake (yes, snake) appetizers. The old western cowboy environment was very refreshing and unique and many of our guests enjoyed dancing the night away to the live country western music band.
As I mentioned in my previous blog, this past Friday I was fortunate enough to accompany Kimberly, our Travel Industry Sales Director, on a FAM trip that was hosted by both the Phoenix and Scottsdale CVB's. For those who are not too sure of what a FAM trip is, FAM is short for "familiarization" and this type of travel is offered to travel professionals at a reduced rate so they can inspect hotels and restaurants, sample the attractions, and have a chance to experience the local culture of a destination.
This particular FAM trip took place in Phoenix between February 12 - 17, 2009 and we hosted 10 travel agents from Germany. All ten travel agents work for the same travel company, Airtours, but represented its different agencies from all across Germany so most of them did not know each other. The group arrived from Germany late Thursday night and were transported to the Fairmont Scottsdale, where they were to stay for the next couple of days. I only accompanied Kimberly on the first day so here is a recollection of Friday's events:
The Airtours group woke up very early in the morning and were lucky enough to go on a hot air balloon ride with Hot Air Expeditions and enjoy the Sonoran Desert from a spectacular view. Unfortunately I was not able to go with them since each hot air balloon can only carry 11 passengers at a time so my supervisor went with the group and I joined them for lunch. I left work around 11 am and caught up with the group at the Heard Museum (http://www.heard.org/), where we had lunch at the Heard Cafe. As soon as we were done with our food, we were given a guided tour around the museum and we're able to learn about Native American history and explore some traditional and contemporary American Indian Art. Once our museum tour was over we decided to take the light rail to our next attraction, and show the Airtours reps Phoenix's newest mode of public transportation. All the Germans were impressed with how clean the light rail was and it seemed that most of them enjoyed the ride.
The Airtours group woke up very early in the morning and were lucky enough to go on a hot air balloon ride with Hot Air Expeditions and enjoy the Sonoran Desert from a spectacular view. Unfortunately I was not able to go with them since each hot air balloon can only carry 11 passengers at a time so my supervisor went with the group and I joined them for lunch. I left work around 11 am and caught up with the group at the Heard Museum (http://www.heard.org/), where we had lunch at the Heard Cafe. As soon as we were done with our food, we were given a guided tour around the museum and we're able to learn about Native American history and explore some traditional and contemporary American Indian Art. Once our museum tour was over we decided to take the light rail to our next attraction, and show the Airtours reps Phoenix's newest mode of public transportation. All the Germans were impressed with how clean the light rail was and it seemed that most of them enjoyed the ride.
Once we reached our stop, we got off the light rail and headed towards the Desert Botanical Gardens where Ashlee (Scottsdale CVB escort) was waiting for us. After quick introductions and brief conservations, we were introduced to Emi, our tour guide, and she took us on a tour of the world's finest collection of arid-land plants from deserts all over the world. The current exhibition at the DBG was "the nature of glass" by famous glass sculptor Dale Chihuly, which features new and unique works of glass artfully located throughout the Garden. As you can see from the picture I uploaded, Chihuly's artwork looks beautiful and so natural amongst the desert fauna (for more info check out: http://www.dbg.org/)
Finally, once the tour at the Desert Botanical Gardens ended, we all got into a bus that was provided by 'Detours of Arizona', and headed towards Rustlers Rooste where we were expected for dinner at Arizona’s Legendary Cowboy Steakhouse! We arrived at the Rooste where we were welcomed with margaritas and rattlesnake (yes, snake) appetizers. The old western cowboy environment was very refreshing and unique and many of our guests enjoyed dancing the night away to the live country western music band.
I think that this FAM Trip was a great experience for me, not only as a professional but also as a Phoenix resident since I got the opportunity to discover some of Phoenix's great attractions, which I had never been to before. It was a real pleasure meeting and hosting all these different people from Germany and I believe that this is just one of the many "perks" available for professionals in the Tourism and Travel Industry.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Still going strong!
Hello fellow Interns!
So I am currently in my fourth week at the Greater Phoenix CVB and I must say that the past couple of weeks have been extremely busy! Three of my supervisors have planned Sales missions throughout the next three to four weeks around the world, so I have been really busy assisting them with sales calls and preparing and tracking any gifts and amenities that they will need in order to successfully promote Phoenix as a premier destination. In addition to completing and tracking amenity requests, I have also learnt how to finalize fulfilments, which are requests from members or clients about information on Phoenix, in order to keep track of which clients or members have requested collateral and how much of it. Some of the destinations that my supervisors will go on sales missions include California, Las Vegas, Canada, Belgium, and Mexico (so lucky they get to travel to all these places!) Other things that I have been doing as the Travel Industry Sales Intern include assisting my supervisor Stephanie with FAM trip participation request forms and confirmations.
Before we plan and schedule any FAM trip, our TIS department creates participation request forms that we send out to our members in order to let them now that we will be hosting a FAM trip and see which one of our members would like to participate in this trip. Usually participation is based on accommodation, activities, and food and so if any of our members are interested in providing our clients with any of these three services, then they resend us our participation request form, completed with the dates that they wish to participate and service our clients. In this particular case, we sent out participation request forms during the second week of February for a FAM trip that we will be hosting in Phoenix for a large number of British Airways Travel Agents later this year. Once all participation request forms have been completed and submitted back to us, we then create an itinerary, which outlines what our clients will be doing during their FAM trip. Similarly, I assisted my supervisor in confirming a FAM trip itinerary in Phoenix for an Airtours group from Germany and lucky enough, I was able to accompany Kimberly for the first day and experience my very first FAM trip. Check out my next blog, which is all about my experience at this FAM Trip!
So I am currently in my fourth week at the Greater Phoenix CVB and I must say that the past couple of weeks have been extremely busy! Three of my supervisors have planned Sales missions throughout the next three to four weeks around the world, so I have been really busy assisting them with sales calls and preparing and tracking any gifts and amenities that they will need in order to successfully promote Phoenix as a premier destination. In addition to completing and tracking amenity requests, I have also learnt how to finalize fulfilments, which are requests from members or clients about information on Phoenix, in order to keep track of which clients or members have requested collateral and how much of it. Some of the destinations that my supervisors will go on sales missions include California, Las Vegas, Canada, Belgium, and Mexico (so lucky they get to travel to all these places!) Other things that I have been doing as the Travel Industry Sales Intern include assisting my supervisor Stephanie with FAM trip participation request forms and confirmations.
Before we plan and schedule any FAM trip, our TIS department creates participation request forms that we send out to our members in order to let them now that we will be hosting a FAM trip and see which one of our members would like to participate in this trip. Usually participation is based on accommodation, activities, and food and so if any of our members are interested in providing our clients with any of these three services, then they resend us our participation request form, completed with the dates that they wish to participate and service our clients. In this particular case, we sent out participation request forms during the second week of February for a FAM trip that we will be hosting in Phoenix for a large number of British Airways Travel Agents later this year. Once all participation request forms have been completed and submitted back to us, we then create an itinerary, which outlines what our clients will be doing during their FAM trip. Similarly, I assisted my supervisor in confirming a FAM trip itinerary in Phoenix for an Airtours group from Germany and lucky enough, I was able to accompany Kimberly for the first day and experience my very first FAM trip. Check out my next blog, which is all about my experience at this FAM Trip!
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Only the beginning...
Hi everybody, and welcome to my senior internship blog! For my internship, I decided to accept the Travel Industry Sales Intern position at the Greater Phoenix Convention and Visitors Bureau in Downtown Phoenix, which I began on January 20, 2009. I am currently in my third week of my internship and so I thought it was time to reflect back and share with you what I have learnt during these past couple of weeks.
My first day at the Phoenix CVB was great and I received a very warm welcome by the whole staff. One of my supervisor's, Stephanie, showed me around the office, which is located on the sixth floor at the Arizona Center, and introduced me to the Travel Industry Sales Department employees and my other supervisors, Kimberly, Maria, and Ryan. All three ladies were very welcoming and seemed like great professionals. Stephanie then showed me my work station, which was in a room right next to all the other interns' stations. Thankfully I was able to recognize my other fellow interns from my classes at ASU, and I am so glad that Nicole and Natalie are interning with me. They have both been extremely helpful, making me feel comfortable and keeping me company! Thanks girls :)
As the week progressed, I attended staff meetings and my supervisors showed me how things work in the TIS department. Moreover, we had a letter writing workshop where we wrote letters to our respective representatives in the Arizona Senate, requesting that they do not privatize the AOT since its returns account for a good amount of the state's general fund. Other things I learnt during the week were how to use and update information into a program called D-3000, which is the CVB's database for member and client information. I also learnt how to make sales calls for future sales missions and how to mail out packages to domestic and international locations. Finally, on Friday, February 23 I accompanied Maria to my first sales mission, called 'Descoubre Phoenix' which focused on the Mexican market and was held at a small conference center in Downtown Phoenix.
So far I must say that my toughest adjustment to the 'real world' has been waking up every morning at 7-7:30 am and having to drive downtown but work has been a lot of fun and I am loving the professional ambiance that exists in the office!
If you guys want more information about the Greater Phoenix Convention & Visitors Bureau (GPCVB), then I encourage you to visit their website at http://www.visitphoenix.com/.
Hope you enjoyed reading my first blog, there are still more to come!
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