2010 CEO Forum

August 5-7 | Sedona, Arizona
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Travel Boycotts Are Not the Answer

WACVB emphatically supports our Arizona destination marketing colleagues as well as travel and tourism industry employees in Arizona. The Association has two upcoming education programs scheduled for Arizona destinations.

CEO Forum – August 5-7, 2010 – Sedona
Destination Marketing Tech Summit & Vendor Showcase – March 24 & 25, 2011 - Tempe
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WACVB concurs with the statements and positions of our travel industry associations as outlined below.

U.S. Travel Association Calls for End to Arizona Travel Boycott
April 30, 2010
Washington, DC - Roger Dow, president and CEO of the U.S. Travel Association, today called for an end of all Arizona travel boycotts and urged Washington policymakers to do what their constituents have repeatedly asked them to do and address the complex issue of immigration. Dow made the following statement:

“We call for an end to counterproductive Arizona travel boycotts. Immigration reform is an important and sensitive topic for Arizona and the country at large. This complex issue should be resolved on the merits of various proposals, not by holding an industry and its 300,000 employees hostage to politics.

“We appreciate the acknowledgment that travel is a major economic force in Arizona and across the country. We need to protect this critical aspect of our economy and reward hard-working Americans instead of proposing boycotts that will lead to job losses and economic hardship for families and local communities. It is inappropriate to punish the men and women of our industry who have done no harm to others.

“The situation in Arizona further highlights the need for federal action on immigration reform. The longer Congress delays action on this issue, the greater the likelihood for divisive and detrimental policies.”

American Hotel & Lodging Association
AH&LA reacts to Arizona immigration law
With Arizona's recent enactment of a law aimed at identifying, prosecuting and deporting illegal immigrants, which would make the failure to carry immigration documents a crime and give the police broad power to detain anyone suspected of being in the country illegally, AH&LA has issued the following statement:

AH&LA fully supports the Arizona tourism and hotel industry. We do not support in any way a boycott of one of Arizona’s biggest industries because these ill-advised actions hurt the state’s 1,110 lodging properties and their 52,000 employees and their families. Attempting to score political points on a serious issue like immigration reform by hurting the livelihood of thousands of our employees is not a constructive way to solve one of the nation’s most vexing issues. We encourage visitors to travel to Arizona to support the state’s hospitality industry, and leave state politics to its residents. AH&LA will hold its annual Summer Summit in Scottsdale on June 15-16 as planned, to show our association’s strong support of Arizona’s hoteliers and their employees.”

Destination Marketing Association International
Official DMAI position:
DMAI calls for an end to the use of travel boycotts to make political statements in any travel and tourism dependent community. More than anything, travel boycotts hurt the local communities and the workers who rely on jobs in the travel and tourism sectors.

In the case of Arizona, the Arizona Office of Tourism estimates that a boycott would affect 200,000 industry workers - and their families. We encourage focus on the root issues not the boycott of travel and tourism, which provides massive financial contributions to destinations around the country.

“Business of Bureaus” Learning Modules             
Training Videos and Handouts Available Now in the Resource Library

As a major new project for DMO professionals, the WACVB Education & Research Foundation sponsored and videotaped a day-long Business of Bureaus workshop, which is available now as a series of training video modules. The video modules are designed as internal training tools for those new to the CVB profession or those who wonder how the other bureau departments function. If you want to see the “whole bureau” picture, you’ll want to view these video modules and related library materials. The video modules serve as valuable orientation resources for new staff or refreshers for other staff.

Video Modules

• Module 1: Media Relations & Community Relations
• Module 2: Leadership and Management
  
• Module 3: Marketing and Advertising
  
• Module 4: Sales (Conventions, Meetings, Sports & Leisure)
  
• Module 5: Services (Convention & Leisure)

For more information about the Business of Bureaus video modules, contact staff at info@wacvb.com or at (916) 443-9012.

presentation downloads

2010 Tech Summit
March 25 and 26, 2010
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2009 Annual Meeting
October 14-17, 2009
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2009 Tech Summit
March 26 and 27, 2009
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The Western Association of Convention & Visitors Bureaus is a regional professional association serving more than 130 member bureaus in the West. Our members are the official destination marketing organizations for their city, county or region.

Association members have access to industry resources and research, participate at education programs and utilize other WACVB services in support of their mission to market their destinations and manage their organizations.
 
Let's market the West together!