Community/Local Engagement Promotion -$1 Million and Over
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Home > View & Vote > Community/Local Engagement Promotion > Community/Local Engagement Promotion -$1 Million and Over

Community/Local Engagement Promotion -$1 Million and Over

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Visit Grand Prairie

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Description: Visit Grand Prairie hosted a true Solar Eclipse Extravaganza! We hosted a free Solar Eclipse Watch Party at EpicCentral with live music, community leaders, and vendors that brought more than 6,000 people together for an unforgettable event.We partnered with Grand Prairie I.S.D and the John Carl Pogue Planetarium to offer educational showings of “Totality over Texas” in both in English and Spanish. By leveraging social media, print advertisements, email newsletters, and a dedicated landing page on our website; the event saw widespread engagement, amplified even further by a collaboration with a local influencer. Participants could purchase custom-designed commemorative t-shirts and glasses before and during the event, adding a unique touch and a lasting memory. By using innovative and accessible marketing tools, this event exemplifies our commitment to fostering community spirit and engagement within our community.

Objectives: By using a targeted marketing campaign and strategic partnerships, this campaign aimed to create a memorable, interactive event that would stimulate community participation and create a lasting impression.

Our key objectives were to increase awareness about the solar eclipse watch party along with educational events leading up to the eclipse, drive traffic to our event webpage and generate excitement and engagement leading up to the event.

To achieve these goals, we created an engaging social media campaign, ran targeted advertisements, featured the eclipse in multiple print pieces, and developed email newsletters and partnerships. As part of our promotion efforts, we partnered with our local planetarium to show “Totality over Texas”, the farmers market to sell glasses and t-shirts, and a local influencer to gain further exposure.

These efforts resulted in over 1.2 million social media impressions, 36.6k website impressions & more than 6,000 people in attendance on the day of the eclipse. The overall success of the campaign can be attributed to the strategic combination of targeted marketing efforts, engaging social media campaigns, and strategic partnerships. By leveraging various marketing channels and collaborating with local influencers and organizations, Visit Grand Prairie was able to generate widespread awareness, drive significant traffic to the event webpage, and ultimately attract thousands of attendees to the Solar Eclipse Extravaganza. The campaign's impressive social media impressions and website impressions further solidify its achievement in capturing the community's excitement and engagement.

In addition, we partnered with the city’s marketing team, emergency management and the parks department to promote the event, make it safe for all and drive visiting guests to the area hotels, restaurants and attractions.

The financial result of the event, brought in more than $15,000 to the visitor center with sold our eclipse merchandise, increased hotel occupancy, a significantly raised attendance at our local restaurants.

Cost: $1700

Amarillo Convention & Visitors Bureau

Description: The Texas Route 66 Festival was founded as an initiative to garner excitement for the upcoming centennial of Route 66 in 2026. The 10-day festival features a culmination of events throughout The Heart of the Mother Road that celebrate all things Texas and Route 66. Visit Amarillo coordinated with over 60 partners to develop 10 days' worth of exciting events. See how Visit Amarillo successfully executed an international and domestic campaign with a conservative budget by following this link -https://shorturl.at/rkzMo


Objectives:
• Increase average length of stay
• Introduce younger audience to Route 66 | >40
• Raise awareness of Texas Route 66
• Connect area partners and inspire collaboration
• Position Amarillo as a top stop for Route 66 Travelers
See more details and results at https://shorturl.at/rkzMo


Visit McKinney

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Description: McKinney Tiny Doors is a collaborative effort between McKinney Main Street, local artists, and Visit McKinney. Artists were paired with Downtown McKinney businesses to create tiny doors, installed in late August with only teasers on social media to announce the multi-piece public art installation. (One of the social media reels features the mayor, holding giant ribbon-cutting scissors, arriving in front of a downtown business, then being handed fingernail scissors so he could cut ribbons at a few of the doors.) Through the fall, we got TV coverage from the three local network affiliates (one of them twice). Phase 2 involved the installation of roughly 30 more tiny doors in January 2024, which resulted in television coverage by another Dallas Fort Worth affiliate. (See YouTube link.) Occasionally, repairs are needed for the doors – cost covered by McKinney Main Street – and the businesses often decorate their doors for the holidays and seasonally to keep them even more engaging.

Objectives: The purpose of this public art installation is to provide a fun and engaging free activity in the form of a "tour" or scavenger hunt for our visitors and locals. It is supported by a landing page on our website and a tour on our app, both of which we advertise via postcards handed out at the Visitors Center, at community events, and artists giving them to their friends. (There is also a video on our kiosk in front of the Visitors Center.) To date, the Tiny Door tour on our app has had almost 11,000 visits. And the landing page on our website has had just under 5,100 views with an event count of almost 18,500. Now in late June 2024, we’ve launched a free Tiny Doors Sketch Book complete with tiny set of colored pencils guests may pick up at the Visitors Center to sketch their favorite doors as they find them. We see people every day, hunting for the doors, stopping to admire our door, and coming in to ask about them; this has been a much more successful project than any of us could have imagined.

Project Costs: Postcard printing, food for a reception for Phase 2, and printing of the in-house designed new Tiny Doors Sketch Book means a total cost to date for Visit McKinney of about $1,000. McKinney Main Street covered the cost of $50 per each of the 80 or so doors, paid to the artist, and a per door fee to the artist coordinator. (Not sure of that cost.)


In-house or Agency: In-house

Visit San Marcos

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Description: The Visit San Marcos team hosts the Rogers Family Tourism Awards annually during Travel & Tourism Week. The awards honor local businesses, organizations, and individuals who help make San Marcos a great place to live and visit. This year we changed up our usual award reception, hosted for the winners and their loved ones, and decided to focus on getting the entire community engaged in celebrating our winners. We had documentary-style videos created showcasing what makes our award winners such an important part of the visitor experience. The result of posting the videos on social media was 21,237 impressions, an organic local media pickup, and a whole lot of love shared.

Objectives: Our main objectives were to create something that celebrates our award winners in a way that would invite our community to amplify their achievements. We wanted to produce something that the winners could then have to share their achievements and work on their own media. While the awards are very nice, this was a good way to keep the “party” going. This format also allowed us to show off some of the lesser-known ways that tourism impacts our local community like the art they appreciate around town and the trails they like to explore.

Project Costs: $7,500 for video creation

In-house or Agency: In-house

Visit College Station

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Description: Hang Out & Tune In
Hang Out and Tune In, launched in August 2023, has engaged roughly 100 attendees and featured 53 open mic sign-ups, with peak participation in August and February. This initiative has also been integrated with other Visit College Station events, such as the 30th annual Meeting Planners Showcase in March and the first Texas Music Friendly South/East Regional Meeting in May, promoting local talent and networking opportunities. Through this program, we have fostered connections among musicians, venue owners, and booking agents. The ongoing effort enhances community engagement and supports the local music scene.

Objectives: Objective: Our mission is for the city of College Station to be more connected with the music community, to understand the economic impact and advocate for the local artists. Hang Out & Tune In provides an opportunity to support and create better professional as musicians strive to reach their goal as an entertainers.

Project Costs: $400

In-house or Agency: In-house

Visit Pearland

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Description: Pearland Restaurant Weeks is a signature event designed to elevate Pearland’s vibrant culinary scene and foster community spirit. The concept was presented to the Visit Pearland team by a passionate business owner with an understanding of Visit Pearland’s role in the community and a desire to promote Pearland as a culinary destination. Launched in 2022 as the first of its kind in the city, this collaborative project unites Visit Pearland with local restaurateurs in both the planning and execution stages of the event, with Visit Pearland leading marketing efforts by managing the Pearland Restaurant Weeks webpage, recruiting restaurants, social media promotion, and both digital and print advertising campaigns.


Objectives: Pearland Restaurant Weeks aims to increase visitation to Pearland businesses, stimulate the local economy, and cultivate community pride by celebrating Pearland’s diverse culinary offerings.

Project Costs: Visit Pearland funded roughly $2,700 towards Pearland Restaurant Weeks ad placement, graphic design, and flyer printing alongside the staff hours invested in the project.

In-house or Agency: In-house

Beaumont Convention and Visitors Bureau

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Description: For National Travel and Tourism Week, the Beaumont Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) launched a creative campaign called ""Beaumonsters"" to raise local awareness about the tourism industry's economic impact on the city. These playful mascots weren't just your average monsters – each Beaumonster represented a different tourism sector, highlighting the diverse hospitality jobs Beaumont offers.

The campaign utilized both life-sized and digital Beaumonster cutouts. Life-sized cutouts were placed strategically at popular attractions and hotspots, with the help of collaborating tourism partners. This not only showcased the importance of these locations but also brought the Beaumonsters directly to residents in their everyday spaces.

The brilliance of the Beaumonsters went beyond tourism promotion. They connected with residents on a personal level. Each monster resonated with different interests, allowing the community to identify with ""their"" Beaumonster. This fostered a sense of ownership and pride in the city's tourism offerings.

The engaging mascot approach proved highly successful. The Beaumonsters not only garnered attention from numerous community members but also caught the eye of city council members, demonstrating the campaign's positive impact.

Objectives: Raise awareness about the economic impact of tourism on Beaumont: The campaign aimed to educate residents on how tourism contributes to the city's economic well-being.

Highlight the diverse hospitality jobs Beaumont offers: By showcasing different Beaumonsters representing various tourism sectors, the CVB aimed to broaden residents' understanding of the employment opportunities within the industry.

Increase local engagement with tourism: Placing life-sized Beaumonster cutouts at popular attractions encouraged residents to visit these locations and participate in local tourism.

Foster a sense of community pride in Beaumont's tourism offerings: The relatable Beaumonsters allowed residents to connect with the city's tourism industry on a personal level, fostering a sense of ownership and local advocacy.


Project Costs: $5,000

In-house or Agency: In-house

Visit Lubbock

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Description: The Lubbock Chilton Trail is an interactive mobile pass created with Bandwango. Visit Lubbock developed this cocktail trail to showcase the city's iconic drink, the Chilton, offering participants the chance to earn points and win prizes. Featuring exclusive discounts and craft Chiltons from 16 local restaurants, bars, and distilleries, this gamified pass is perfect for both locals and visitors.

Objectives: Our main objective with the Chilton Trail was to offer a unique experience to our visitors and get them engaged with local businesses. In the first two months, we had 1,934 total sign-ups, 280 coupon/discount redemptions used at participating locations and 730 total check-ins. With the help of Adara and other media partners, the Chilton Trail landing page received 10,358 views and 7,775 users in the first 3 months of its launch, with an average engagement time of 47 seconds. As one of Bandwango’s best performing passes at a DMO of our size, we were invited to share our marketing tactics at their informational webinar in September. Our social media tease campaign that went along with the launch of the Chilton Trail was also one of our most successful for the year. Through a series of four videos leading up to the launch we had a combined reach of 68,872, 81,112 views and 3,829 post interactions.

Project Costs: $32,000

In-house or Agency: In-house

Visit Plano

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Description: The campaign's creative approach leveraged multiple digital platforms, including our website and social media. An eye-catching window wrap adorned the Visitor Center, while complimentary collapsible dog bowls, treats, and bandanas were distributed to visitors. Additionally, we collaborated with local businesses, delivering 150 dog bowls to restaurants, hotels, and retailers, facilitating seamless experiences for pet owners in our community.

Complementing our digital efforts, we produced four engaging in-house social media videos highlighting Plano's pet-friendly visitor center, downtown, hotels, and dog parks. These videos garnered significant impressions and engagement, further amplifying our message across social platforms.

In assessing the campaign's success, we tracked key metrics, including impressions, engagement, increased visitor center attendance, and resident sentiment. Instagram had 43K video views, 18K impressions, 800 engagements, and a 4.3% engagement rate. Facebook had 36K impressions, 549 engagements, and a 1.5% engagement rate.

Overall, the ""Pet-Friendly Plano"" campaign exemplified a strategic and innovative approach to local engagement, harnessing the power of digital marketing and the visitor center to showcase Plano's commitment to its furry residents and their companions.


Objectives: In support of our vibrant local community, the "Pet-Friendly Plano" campaign was launched to showcase Plano as a haven for pet lovers. Focused on enhancing resident awareness and engagement, the campaign emphasized Plano's wealth of pet-friendly amenities, including three dog parks, over 90 pet-friendly restaurant patios, and 38 welcoming hotels. By strategically aligning with National Travel & Tourism Week, we capitalized on the event's momentum to spotlight Plano's unique identity as a pet-friendly destination. Our singular theme, "Plano is a pet-friendly city," unified our messaging across various digital marketing channels, ensuring a cohesive and impactful campaign.

Project Costs: $6,000


In-house or Agency: In-house

Waco Convention & Visitors Bureau

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Description: The CVB launched a Mobile Welcome Center last year that allows us to extend our usual visitor services to where people are gathered at events around town, providing information and selling Waco merchandise and souvenirs. It’s provided an excellent way to connect with locals, who we haven’t really had much of a relationship with in the past - this has allowed us to explain what the CVB does, and the role that tourism plays in helping to support our community. Our MWC is staffed by employees from our Welcome Center, and we’ve used social media as a key tool in letting people know where the MWC will be. Over the past year, the MWC has worked nearly 50 events, including markets, concerts, Baylor games, parades and even a school event that allowed staff to tell over 700 elementary students about working for the CVB and the role of tourism.

Objectives: We’ve used the MWC to build awareness with locals as well as provide our usual services, and the reception has been overwhelmingly positive! Social media posts featuring the MWC at events have received lots of engagement, and locals have been very excited to discover the fun Waco merchandise we sell.

Project Costs: The cost of the MWC was $150,000.

In-house or Agency: In-house

2024 - Community/Local Engagement Campaign - Over $1 Million

Please select your top choice for Comm/Local Engagement Campaign - DMO Budget Over $1 Million
Please remember that only DMO/CVB staff are allowed to vote via their official TACVB membership email (typically a work email). Any votes submitted with a non-TACVB membership email (i.e. @gmail.com, @yahoo.com, @hilton.com, etc.) will not be counted.
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