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The Compass
February 18,
2009 |Volume 4, Issue 28
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Last month the GNHCVB distributed a news release
regarding AAU Northeast Regional Zone Championships coming to
Greater New Haven July 1-7, 2009. The press release, sent through
eReleases.com wire service, resulted in a surprising number of Web sites
posting the article online. To date, 42 Web sites, including The
Sports Network, Yahoo, AOL, Boston Business Journal, Forbes and Travel
Industry Today are helping to get the word out that Greater New Haven is
a sporting town. In addition, many other local news outlets also covered
the event announcement.
Here are a few of the many links:
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Promotion Planned for
Attracting More Group Business to Greater New Haven
The GNHCVB rolled out it's recently created 'Host It
Here' campaign in an effort to promote the region as a good place to do
business. The campaign aims to get locally based groups to hold their
conferences, annual sporting events and other large gatherings closer to
home. As part of the program, the bureau will recognize local hosts with
a 'Hometown Hero' designation each quarter. Some advertising dollars and
public relations strategies got the initial word out. For more
details click here to access the
CVB Web site and wait for flash page of 'Host It
Here' brochure and links.
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SALES UPDATE:
New AAU Event will Attract Summer Room Nights and More
GNHCVB held a press conference on Monday, January 26 to
announce the booking of the multi-sport AAU Northeast Zone Championship,
an event that will attract 3,500 athletes and family
members to the region from July 1-7, 2009. Team Connecticut,
the local AAU district and GNHCVB hosted a successful AAU national
basketball championship tournament last summer and proved their
worth, earning the opportunity to host this event.
"This will bring around 6,000 to 7,000 people and about
$2 million into the region," said Ginny Kozlowski, President/CEO of
the GNHCVB. The bureau will be contacting hotels, restaurants and
attractions in Greater New Haven to provide room rates, coupons and
raffle prizes for the athletes and their families. For more details on
AAU or to help volunteer, click
here.
Also during the
press event, Jack Bethke, governor of Connecticut's AAU district, was
honored by the GNHCVB as being the first Hometown Hero-- an award
designed to recognize local champions who work to bring events to their
hometown that have a positive impact on the region's economny and
community at large.
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Greater New Haven CVB Special Announcements:
- Many thanks to constituents who
attended the recent meeting regarding the 2009 FSI
(free standing insert) program. Pati Flannery,
Associate Publisher of Madden Media welcomes your request for media
kits and additional information.
- Calling
all event
planners to submit your upcoming Spring and Summer
events to the GNHCVB for inclusion in the upcoming Events Guide
(printed edition) and for the online Calendar of Events. Send
event press release to Suzette Benitez or request an event listing
form.
- Now's the
time to reserve advertising space for the 2009/2010 Greater New
Haven Visitors Guide, our official tourism
magazine that will be produced by April 2009. Contact Susan Leighton at New
Mass Media (New Haven Advocate) to learn more about available
advertising opportunities. For hotels, restaurants and attractions
in the region to receive a FREE listing in the Visitors
Guide, contact Suzette
Benitez at the GNHCVB (203-777-8550 ext 103)
- We
appreciate the hotel
package information sent from several property
owners who joined forces with attractions, vendors, transportation
services, etc. to create overnight packages for consumers. We thank
you for your efforts and will continue to promote these getaways to
our growing database of potential visitors. Any additional updates
or new package information send to Barbara
Malmberg.
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TOURISM
UPDATE:
Governor Rell Makes Culture & Tourism Budget
Recommendations
 During Governor M. Jodi Rell's recent budget address, she
proposed that the Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism
(CCT) be eliminated and functions folded into the Department of
Economic & Community Development (DECD), thereby eliminating 14
positions. In addition, the five tourism regions would receive reduced
funding by 50% the first year to $427,500 and down to $250,000 the second
year, split among the remaining tourism regions.
We look to constituents to support the process
of minimizing the reduction of funds for culture and
tourism. Please join the cause of Tourism
Works for Connecticut by signing the petition and going to Faces
of Tourism to hear what industry leaders have to say about the
relevance of tourism in our state's economy.
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HOTEL NEWS RELEASES &
UPDATES:
The Study at Yale Invites Yale's
Whiffenpoofs to Dine & Sing
 On February 23, 2009, The Whiffenpoofs of Yale, America's
first and oldest collegiate a cappella group, will be performing at the
newly opened The Study at Yale hotel at 1157 Chapel Street. In keeping
with the decades old tradition of "singing for their supper,"
The Whiffenpoofs will treat fellow patrons to their lively vocals,
traveling from table to table serenading diners, and enjoying the free
beverages earned from the appreciative customers and bartenders.
The festivities will begin at 6:30 pm in The Study at Yale's
onsite restaurant, Heirloom, which will be offering their regular menu of
contemporary American cuisine at its finest. As if the gratis vocal
stylings of this historic and popular group weren't a good enough reason
to join in the fun, a 15% discount on food and drinks will be offered to
all attending Yale faculty and students.
When: 6:30pm on Monday, February 23, 2009.
Where: The Study at Yale (1157 Chapel Street, New Haven)
Admission: FREE
Clarion Hotel & Suites
in Hamden Announces Start of Charitable Energy Savings Program
The
Clarion Hotel & Suites has established a new program that commenced
on February 1, 2009. To help manage and to control the costs of energy at
the hotel and to recognize and honor the hotel's guests, the Clarion
Hotel & Suites contributes one dollar per every night stay to one of
the three following charities, at the guests election: Sierra Club,
National Audubon Society, The Nature Conservancy. To qualify for the
contribution, the guest will merely request to reuse their sheets and
towels from the previous night stay. This will only apply for a multiple
night stay and will only apply at the guest's choice.
Similar programs have been established throughout the
country at various hotels. The key difference with this program is that
instead of the hotel simply asking if guests would be willing to reuse
their towels and sheets, the Clarion Hotel is committed to recognize the
guest's support of energy conservation with a contribution to a worthy
cause helping to promote energy conservation and preservation of our
environment. The guest will also have the option of matching the hotel's
gift with a similar gift.
"We
wanted to go beyond programs instituted by other hotels and instead of
taking advantage of the costs savings that would arise from this program,
use a significant portion of the savings as an opportunity to help
support worthy causes that will help our country achieve energy
independence and reduce carbon gases into the environment," said
Michael Schaffer, Managing Partner of the Clarion Hotel and Principal of C.
A. White.
Hotels in Region Garner Awards
The Greater New Haven Convention & Visitors Bureau sends
congratulations to the Comfort Inn in Guilford, the Omni New Haven Hotel
at Yale and the Premiere Hotel & Suites, New Haven for the
following recognitions:
- The Comfort Inn of Guilford
announced they are the recipients of the prestigious Gold Award from
Choice Hotels for the year 2009. Owner Yogesh Patel and the General
Manager Durgesh Patel, extend their thanks to all the staff who made
this possible. The Comfort Inn of Guilford looks forward
to future successes and
to acccommodating customer's lodging needs in the
shoreline area.
- The Omni New Haven Hotel at Yale
was recognized at a recent New Haven Board of Alderman
meeting with a Citation acknowledging their role in assisting
downtown residents evacuated during a gas leak, with a place of
refuge. Alderwomen, Bitsie Clark read the Citation and personally
thanked Omni General Manager Tom Sullivan for "his actions
which demonstrated the welcoming and caring community spirit that
makes our City such a great place to live, work and visit."
- The Premiere Hotel & Suites is
proud of it's recent climb to #1 Ranking on TripAdvisor's list of
independent hotels that provide great lodging.
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To
receive an HTML version of this newsletter, please provide your email
address to
Suzette Benitez at suzetteb@visitNewHaven.com
or 203.777.8550 x103.
The Compass is the constituent newsletter of the Greater New
Haven/CONNECTICUT Convention & Visitors Bureau. Find us online at www.visitNewHaven.com.
Greater New Haven Convention & Visitors Bureau
169 Orange St.,
New Haven, CT 06510
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