VISIT FLORIDA addresses branding, recovery support
Held in partnership with Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association (FRLA), the SanCap Chamber’s monthly business luncheon on June 4 at the Marriott Sanibel Harbour Resort & Spa in Fort Myers featured interim VISIT FLORIDA Chief Executive Officer Craig Thomas.
Recently stepping up from chief operating officer with the retirement of Chief Executive Officer Dana Young, he walked attendees through the value of the Florida brand globally and how VISIT FLORIDA’s crisis recovery marketing budget and strategy have supported that worth and will continue to do so.
“We’ll have hundreds of millions of dollars behind (our fall production shoots), running in media for many years, and Sanibel and Captiva’s going to be a part of that,” Thomas said. “This is where we can produce entirely new campaigns that show consumers … that the sun is still shining in Florida.”
“I want everyone in this room to walk away and know exactly how VISIT FLORIDA looks forward to its responsibility for a crisis, both in the immediate aftermath and the long-term,” he added, pointing out that the state’s marketing agency budgets $2 million each year as a “placeholder” for storms. “But it’s not uncommon for us to spend four or five or six or even seven million dollars in major hurricane year.”
Currently, VISIT FLORIDA is gathering new photography and video for more than 21 destinations, including Southwest Florida, to make available to media partners and social and digital platforms. He showed one video targeting Fort Myers and Sanibel. Thomas also presented statistics demonstrating Florida’s top spot among U.S. states in dominating the industry market share for the past consecutive six years.
He reported that VISIT FLORIDA figures, furthermore, show that the majority of Florida residents have a positive perception of the local tourism industry, which supports one in every seven jobs.
“That’s important because (tourism capital) will be used for the benefit of our residents,” he said. “Their support of our industry is how it becomes synonymous with world-class hospitality, which is the key attribute of our brand.”
“Craig has been with VISIT FLORIDA for over eight years and we are so excited at this time — there is no better person for this job,” chamber President and Chief Executive Officer and VISIT FLORIDA Board of Directors Chair John Lai said. “His brass-tacks discourse on what the organization means specifically to Sanibel and Captiva demonstrates his worth and dedication to the state’s commerce in a way that truly hits home.”
Lai also spoke about two new programs to help island businesses prosper.
The Florida Small Business Development Center (SBCD) at Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) has set up shop in the chamber’s Visitor Center to offer members free one-on-one guidance. Consultant Suzanne Specht spoke briefly about services she can offer. Appointments are held on the second Friday of each month. To schedule an appointment, visit floridasbdc.org/request-for-consulting.
Sanibel Solutions, a FGCU initiative, offers businesses an up-to-date dashboard charting Hurricane Ian recovery in all business and residential aspects. For more information, visit sanibel-solutions.com/.
The luncheon was sponsored by Fort Myers Tip-Off.