Coming of Age in the Time of $75 Passes

As a kid I visited Orlando's theme parks and found it strange to see moms pulling bag lunches out of their purses. After all, a $6 cheeseburger (fries and soda not included) were all part of the theme park experience. Now that I've gotten married and the prospect of taking my own children to these parks grows closer, what I once thought strange now seems unavoidable. Kind of like bringing your own pillow or sandwich on a plane.

As an Orlando resident and next door neighbor to Universal Studios, I rarely ever paid to enter parks. I always knew someone who knew someone who worked at Disney, and Universal would do the neighborly thing and send free passes to our house several times a year.

Now that the cost to enter the most popular Orlando parks is around $75 per adult, I wonder... will large handbags still be in style when I'm a mom?

Be Sure Your Antlers Are in the Secure, Upright Position

Criticizing airlines is easy; running one is hard.

That’s why you will not hear any of the travel group voices joining the chorus of critics even though we have just finished a month of day-trips to Nassau and Florida and practically Los Angeles. Some of those might barely qualify if you keep a strict 24-hour, door-to-door rule once you allow for ATC holds, circling Richmond or just plain sitting in the airport hoping it will finally stop raining. We spend our fair share of time on airplanes. These days we spend that time trying to balance all our inflight “must haves” on our laps since that Wall Street Journal exposé of the terrors of the seatback pocket. So ... when one of our favorite columnists, Samantha Bennett of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, made us laugh with her summer air travel story, we had to share.

A Royal Reveal

Webster defines a hero as a mythological or legendary figure often of divine descent endowed with great strength or ability. We agree. Our heroes, to name them specifically, are Larry Abel Designs and Mary Giuliani Catering.

Back in late March the Royal Caribbean team was charged with pulling together an event for more than 100 attendees, all in less than three weeks time. What really upped the pressure was that the event was to reveal possibly one of the biggest architectural feats in Royal Caribbean’s corporate history—the first announcement of what will be featured onboard the cruise line’s biggest and most impressive ship ever, Oasis of the Seas.

With no real images of the ship to speak of, only renderings created by a Chinese art company contracted by Royal Caribbean, and signed NDAs needed before we could disclose any details of the announcement to anyone working on the event, it made the three week window all the harder.

Basically the weeks ticked by in a blur. We crazily spat instructions and stream of consciousness thoughts at both Larry Abel and Mary Giuliani (once those NDAs were signed) as we at Weber worked on all the final details that go into event planning and make that degree in public relations seem all the more worthwhile… “Does he spell his name with an ‘i’ or a ‘y’ for these nametags? “Is it THE New York Times for these tags or just New York Times”- OK we know that one… but you get the drift.

The end result of our first reveal was a very happy client and an amazing list of attendees. But I think above all, one of the biggest lessons our team took away was how crucial the event planner is in steering the ship (pun intended). (And no, Larry and Mary aren’t paying us for this publicity. This is free of charge for our 2 a.m. emails and last minute tasting requests for 25 people). On our way back to our office after the event, as our bodies melted into the leather seats of our rented car, we exchanged war stories of less-than-successful events past. The common thread that connected them all: less-than-stellar planners. As I regained feeling in my throbbing feet, I was just happy we didn’t have another fatality to add to the pile.

Oh, and I haven’t even mentioned anything about our second reveal. It’s also three weeks out…

The Glamour of Live Television

Each year, a small group of Weber Shandwick Bahamas team members devote several months of planning to the annual Bahamas Weather Conference, where top hurricane experts, researchers and meteorologists gather to discuss hurricanes and forecasting.

This year, I inherited the role of managing the meteorologists' live broadcasts from the Bahamas. From February to April, I focused on my Excel spreadsheets, organizing broadcast times for about 70 meteorologists from around North America. I had big shoes to fill -- my colleagues before me, referred to as the "satellite queens," secured hundreds of live shots, never missing a live window. As we got closer and closer to the conference, I started to feel my nervous energy increasing.

The first day of the conference, I woke up at 5 a.m. and reported to the beach in the dark. The sun rose about an hour later, with soft pink light illuminating the giant sandcastle on the edge of the beach. With the help of my fantastic colleagues, I managed to simultaneously keep the constant live and taped shots organized throughout the day, hitting 10-minute satellite windows from Colorado Springs, CO to Miami, FL. It was nerve-racking and thrilling at the exact same time.

By the time the sun set the next night, I had over 80 live shots under my belt, which resulted in more than 147 broadcast hits. I'd successfully completed my first live television experience!

Bahamas Weather Conference: Satellite Truck, "Organic" Sandcastle and 125,000 Hits

"Sailing," the Christopher Cross version, is what comes to mind when I think of the 12th Bahamas Weather Conference. Along with my trusty colleagues, I sailed into Grand Bahama in April, helped the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism put on a successful conference, and sailed back to New York. Well actually we flew, but you get the point.

Weber Shandwick is challenged with making each Bahamas Weather Conference grander than the last, so how did we pull it off and make it look easy? First, we put on the standard issue conference polo shirt, which automatically makes us look more intelligent. For substance, secured Dr. William Gray and Dr. Phil Klotzbach to announce the 2008 Atlantic Basin Hurricane Forecast at the start of the conference. Then pitched the AP, CNBC and other media to interview them from The Bahamas. Next, we jazzed-up the http://www.bahamaswxconference.com/ VODCast site so that 125,000 people have a reason to visit the site over the course of four days (and they did.) And finally, built an "organic-looking", oversized, branded sandcastle to serve as the backdrop for live broadcasts.

The 2008 conference was amazing. Everyone had a job to do and they did it well. The beach at the Westin Grand Bahama Resort also held up its end of the bargain.

It’s Still Better in The Bahamas

My experience as a member of the Weber Shandwick Bahamas team has given me the opportunity to take journalists on amazing adventures to Grand Bahama Island, the Abacos, the Exumas and coming soon, South Andros and Long Island. But I’ve recently come across a family photo that reminded me that press trips weren’t my first introduction to the island nation, its cruise ports or its ingenious branding campaigns.



Pictured in this circa 1990 photo are my dad, great-grandma, mom, me and my younger brother. (Incidentally, my brother and I probably only stopped punching each other long enough to smile for the camera.) The picture captures the excitement of boarding our very first family cruise on now defunct Premier Cruise line. As my shirt says, I knew it was Better in The Bahamas way before I was paid to know it.

My favorite part of the picture remains unseen. Hidden behind the big pink beach bag, my brother is sporting the same Bahamas shirt as me, because I told him he had to. How's that for being a brand advocate! It appears I joined The Bahamas team long, long before 2006.

A Ship By Any Other Name

How do you put a name to something you know little about? I guess the argument can be made that each of us were named before we formally made a name for ourselves. But when it comes down to it, it’s no easy task finding that perfect name. The task is elevated when you tack on a few stipulations: it must end in “of the Seas” and cannot begin with Liberty, Freedom or contain any of its sisters’ given names. You may have guessed we’re not talking babies anymore. We’re talking cruise ships. Specifically Royal Caribbean’s soon-to-be newest and most awe-inspiring “babies”—now code named “Project Genesis I and II.” In an unprecedented naming contest launched with USA Today, Royal Caribbean has opened up the naming of what will be its most prestigious and innovative cruise ships to date to the general public. And you thought naming one little baby was hard?! Try culling down 60,000-something entries—all equally creative in their own right. The winner(s) don’t necessarily have to name both of the Project Genesis ships. The honor could go to two individuals—one for Project Genesis I, launching in 2009, and the other for Project Genesis II, debuting in 2010. That said, from what I’ve seen, some pretty creative pairs have been entered—Adam and Eve; Pioneer and Frontier—as have some quite comical single names: Chicken of the Seas; Mermaid of the Seas; Earth of the Seas. And there are still two weeks left to enter.

I think this is why I love public relations. You honestly never know what will be thrown your way from week to week. There's little college could have done to prepare me for what I've encountered in this industry, and there's no textbook definition of what we “do.” This week it looks like my main title will be “panelist,” as I'll be helping to trim down these thousands of entries before the panel of experts take over. Next week... who knows? I'll report back.

Mardi Gras!

Going to meetings down in New Orleans during Mardi Gras for the first time since Katrina was not a difficult part of my job. Last time I was there, I was much younger and accompanied by my family. I remember the glittery floats and colorful beads, but aside from the few memories I was anxious to see the city's parades and festivities from an older perspective, and in the wake of the city's renovations and changes. After a long day of meetings, I had the pleasure of going to a delicious, authentic New Orleans dinner at Red Fish Grill. Our entire team tried red fish (most of us for the first time) in one preparation or another and were blown away by the different spices and flavors. After dinner, we were lucky enough to get VIP passes to the Druids Mardi Gras parade, so we were standing on a balcony at the same level as people in the parade floats. We were told this was a smaller Mardi Gras parade, but the streets were packed and people were out in costume and high spirits. The beads came flying in—literally—and by the end of the first parade we each had about 10lbs of beads hanging around our necks. About half an hour later we saw a second parade (it was supposed to run earlier that week but got rescheduled due to weather) with its own unique marching bands, floats, and costumes. The whole experience was truly amazing; it was fun for everybody regardless of age. We were all giddy from the experience and before the night had ended, we were already asking our client about plans for next year.

I really feel that Mardi Gras was thrilling both as a kid and an adult. The experience is universally charming and truly unique to New Orleans' culture and traditions. The joys and magnetism of the city very much came alive during Mardi Gras, and I was pleased to see the French Quarter so well manicured amidst the masses of people and city-wide renovations. I had a fabulous time at Mardi Gras and can't wait to visit the city again!

Horn-y in Texas is Public Relations Out-of-the-Box

The fearless leader of the Weber Shandwick Travel & Lifestyle practice is notorious for his "simple" out -of-the-box ideas (this is a public blog, saying "impossible" may be misinterpreted). Needless to say, when Royal Caribbean International asked for recommendations on how to let Texans know that Voyager of the Seas, one of the world's most innovative cruise ships, is sailing the full winter season from Galveston for the first time, his idea was simple: Voyager of the Seas needs to give a memorable salute to the Republic of Texas. First comes simple and then comes out-of-the-box...

Six months later, the largest longhorns on record - with a "horn-span" of 140 feet long and weighing in at 600 pounds - grace the top of Voyager of the Seas. It's almost natural that the largest cruise ship in the Gulf Coast salute Texas with the world's largest longhorns as she sails into Galveston Bay. Four triangular Lone Star State flags measuring 75 x 80 feet drape the bow and stern as she arrives to complete the look (you have to see it to believe, hence the picture above). The inflatable longhorns debuted Sunday, January 13 and are inflated every week when the ship is in the Port of Galveston. What happens when spring comes and Voyager goes to Spain? In anticipation of the scenario, Royal Caribbean auctioned the horns on eBay with all proceeds benefiting the Starlight Starbright Foundation, Texas Chapter. Rightly so, the original Voyager longhorns will stay in Texas with a Royal Caribbean enthusiast who put in the winning bid of $4,200.

Everything is bigger in Texas, including cruise travel, longhorns, philanthropic hearts...and Public Relations!

Canadians Shake Things Up in New York’s Bryant Park

Bryant Park…a New York City destination that cannot be missed, especially in the wintertime. Experiences include the only free ice skating rink in NYC, amazing holiday shops for that last minute shopping, and a 50-foot holiday tree! But for one week in December, the Canadian Tourism Commission added a special touch to the park – the world’s biggest snow globe! Standing over two stories tall and 24 feet wide, the globe came across our northern border from Ontario and made a week long guest appearance at The Pond at Bryant Park. The snow globe had four actors shooting hockey pucks, drinking “ice wine” and provided endless entertainment to the passersby. It even included snow fluttering around inside (no shaking necessary).

Canada has added a very special presence to The Pond at Bryant Park for the past few years by provided a holiday tree and host visitors in the toasty and colorful Celsius: A Canadian Lounge.

Canada also brought everyone’s favorite Canadian icon, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (“Mounties”) to the park every Monday from November 26-December 31 to meet and greet the public and celebrate the Canadian activities at the park. Visitors took home a free keepsake photo with their new Mountie friends in front of the Canadian tree. Lines formed to take photos with the Mounties and they were asked anything and everything from “where are your horses” to “are you actors?” To hear our “Monday Mounties” describe their experience and crazy consumer encounters, click on the link below from their interview which recently ran on NPR’s “The Bryant Park Project:” http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=17717196. And don’t forget to check out Canada when it comes back to Bryant Park in October 2008!

One Last Look Back

If it seems curious that my recollection for 2007 actually took place in 2006 it’s because my jet-setting trip to Canada feels like only yesterday and will always be one of my favorite stories…Back in September 2006, with only three months of Travel PR under my belt (I had been a Consumer Practice gal for many years), I was given the opportunity to plan and execute a press trip of a lifetime. After a month and half of work days packed with correspondence and itinerary planning with different Canadian tourism partners, creating an invite, inviting and following up with media, negotiating contracts with jet vendors, I had secured 10 amazing journalists to accompany me on a private jet trip across Canada. We departed September 14, 2006…129 hours and 46 minutes later (just shy of six full days for those right-brain readers), we had flown coast to coast and stopped off in five provinces.

The trip started off a breeze. We ate fresh lobster and sampled whisky straight from the distillery tanks in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia (who knew whisky was really clear, it’s the barrels that turn it brown?). We then traveled to Toronto to experience a five star hotel and sneak peak passes to Toronto’s film fest.

As with all press trips, there were a few ups and downs – our “up” allowed us to be upgraded to a G-4 plane. As we entered our new jet halfway through the trip I was greeted by a flight attendant who had made chocolate chip cookies in the jet’s own oven and found a seat made of soft leather and “gold” plated seatbelts. This was travel heaven.

The trip only got better. Sure there were a few more road bumps (Yukon fog!) but along with my 10 journalists, I was able to experience a dinner fit for a king in Banff; saw the Northern Lights and was the 23,699 person to join the SourToe Cocktail Club in Dawson City, YT (www.sourtoecocktailclub.com); and met a top chef in Vancouver who served us a savory tasting menu. And to top it all off, the client received some of their best print placements from a press trip.

Lisa

Moving In

2007 has been a busy and exciting year, abundant with change. I started working in the travel group at Weber Shandwick at the end of the summer. During my first few weeks as the newest member of the team, due to the lack of office space, my desk was located on a different floor in what was known as the “party pit,” an area of desks occupied by employees from various departments of the firm. As much as I enjoyed sitting with my fellow colleagues in the pit, I was eager to be with “my people”. After a few short weeks at 640 Fifth Ave. The entire New York office moved to 919 Third Ave. Once the office move was complete, I was finally able to join the group (physically) and learn about the excitement of the travel team. For this reason, I would have to say that the move was my favorite part of 2007 as it allowed me to finally sit with and work with the full team and be a part of the group. Full of high energy and creativity, being a part of the Travel Group has been an amazing experience for me.

Working on accounts like Hilton Head Island, Royal Caribbean, and Hard Rock Park, I’ve had the privilege of working with various team members who have all gone out of their way to make sure my first few months at Weber Shandwick have been nothing but positive. From my past professional experience, the people in the work place and personalities are one of the most important factors of a job and I feel so fortunate to work with the great people I’ve met so far. Each day is a new, unique learning experience and you never know what you’re going to get. But that’s what makes it so exciting and challenging and I can’t wait to see what 2008 has in store for us. Wishing everyone a joyous holiday season and happy New Year.

Lauren

A Whirlwind Tour

Two weeks into working at Weber Shandwick, I was pulled into a meeting with some of my Bahamas team members. I dutifully took notes the entire time, taking down all of the important details being discussed regarding the upcoming Bahamas Weather Conference. At one point, I was instructed to “book Keri’s flight.” As I added this task to my To-Do list, I noticed everyone in the room staring at me, awaiting my reaction. It wasn’t until someone asked me if I had a valid passport, did I realize that I had been asked to book a flight for myself to The Bahamas!

A week and a half later, I stepped off the plane in Nassau/Paradise Island on my first ever trip to The Islands Of The Bahamas. I stared out the window in awe of the clear, turquoise water and white sand beaches on the entire ride to Atlantis, where we were staying for the week. The four days of the Weather Conference flew by and upon boarding the plane back to New York, I knew MUCH more about hurricanes, conch fritters, and the intelligent and eclectic group of individuals I work with everyday at Weber Shandwick.

Meredith

Size Does Matter

Looking back at the year in Weber Shandwick travel, I can only think of one word to describe 2007…BIG! It seems like the travel team has been around the world and back this year, generating buzz for our clients. I am personally honored and awestruck to have been involved in the historic launch of the Singapore Airlines’ A380 – the World’s largest aircraft – and to have wandered the decks of Liberty of the Seas – the World’s largest cruise ship – all in one year.

While we helped Singapore Airlines’ A380 capture the attention of the world with its sheer size and significant advances in in-flight comfort and service, the team also orchestrated huge PR success stories with efforts surrounding the return of the famed street cars to New Orleans and even the zaniness of offering New Yorkers a free Canadian diamond.

From sizable dimensions and great big innovations to the little ideas that made a giant splash, after this year the saying “go big or go home” has never had more meaning to me!

Here’s to an ever bigger 2008!

Marlayna

The View from Travelville

Sitting in the corner of Weber Shandwick’s 16 Floor (or better known as “Travelville” to us globetrotters), certainly puts me in a prime location. As I crank out a press release, aggressively pitch media and update my status reports, I can overhear my co-workers chatter about what they’re working and I can’t help but get excited about all of the events happening within our Travel & Lifestyle Practice (as cheesy as it may sound). From Canada’s sponsorship of holiday events in NYC’s Bryant Park to Holiday Inn Express’ Web-based series “The Smart Show” to the launch of a new Royal Caribbean cruise ship, it’s certainly never a dull moment here in Travelville. While we all seem to work on unique projects, I can honestly say that most memorable experience here for me has been working on the multi-market “Forever New Orleans” streetcar tour – a media tour and series of events aimed to bring the best of New Orleans culture to major U.S. cities and help people overcome their misperceptions of The Crescent City post-Katrina. Assisting in the transportation of a 1920s vintage streetcar (one that serves as a mobile museum and billboard) to various cities certainly was a challenge, but in the end, the results made it a one-of-a-kind experience.

Jennifer

Erin

Hailing from Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, Erin began her career in travel & tourism PR almost 10 years ago after graduating from Florida State University. Her enthusiasm for unique travel experiences has taken her to 21 countries throughout North America, The Caribbean, Europe and Asia. Any mode of transportation is a new adventure - she’s taken to the skies in the historic Goodyear blimp, free fallen out of an airplane at 120mph, trekked on elephants through the jungles of Chiang Mai, sailed into New York Harbor on Queen Mary 2, and even experienced weightlessness aboard G-Force One.

Marlayna

Marlayna hails from the Lobster Capital of the World, Rockland, Maine, where her love of travel developed from a thirst for exploration. Her introduction into PR involved traveling across New England to represent the state and the Maine Lobster Festival. Not afraid of a 12-hour flight, Marlayna earned her Bachelor of Arts in Communication from Fairfield University before putting down roots in the Big Apple.

It's All Downhill from Here...

In many ways, 2007 was a life changing year for me with two new hobbies topping the list: cooking and skiing. Today I write about skiing since I’ve recently hit that tipping point from enthusiast to avid. Recently I met a fellow originally from Mozambique whose wife said she has a hard time getting him to go anywhere north of NYC…way too cold (“you know that Africa thing”). I reassured her that while it took my husband 10 years to convince this warm blooded Brazilian to venture out on the slopes, I am now completely obsessed with the sport and always look forward to winter. This past year we were at Killington, Jackson Hole, Snowbird, Alta, Deer Valley and Park City Mountain. Next year we’re going abroad. (If any of my clients are reading, this gal needs a Canadian ski vacation!) Guess I have a lot of catching up to do for all those years sipping fruity cocktails at the beach. Not that there is anything wrong with that. Come to think of it, becoming a skier is the perfect New Year’s resolution. You get the best work out of your life and eat all the food you want guilt-free…and cozying up by the fireplace sure beats sweating by the sea.

Renata