State of Nevada Issues Marketing & PR RFP

Purpose:

The Request for Proposal (RFP) seeks an interested firm to represent the State of Nevada as a contractor to promote the State as a travel destination to residents of India.

• TravelNevada seeks a representative firm with expertise in integrated marketing disciplines including sales, marketing, promotions and public relations.
• The awarded vendor must possess a strong understanding of the Indian traveller.
• In addition, the awarded vendor must have a strong working relationship with travel agents and tour operators in country, U.S. receptives and airline operators that serve the market, as well as, branches of the U.S. Commercial Services, Chambers of Commerce and other international trade entities in key cities.
• The awarded vendor may also work with other State of Nevada agencies including the Governor’s Office of Economic Development and Nevada’s statewide rural and urban tourism partners including Las Vegas, Reno, Virginia City, Elko, and Lake Tahoe destination marketing organizations, Nevada’s Tourism Territory organizations, Brand USA and its contractors, and organizations involved with promoting travel to the United States (U.S.).
• TravelNevada’s awarded vendor will be the leaders in creating a collaborative working environment between all entities.

The goals of this project are as follows:

• Identify a benchmark awareness of Nevada among targeted markets (travel trade and consumer).
• Raise awareness of Nevada tourism offerings especially as they relate to key appeals of the Indian audiences targeted in the campaign. This is measured through an increase in the number of product offerings in travel agent/tour operator brochures and the amount of media coverage generated in top tier consumer and trade media.
• Boost awareness among consumers in targeted markets so that Nevada becomes a high demand destination. This is measured through consumer engagement in promotions, social media outreach and response to stories in traditional media outlets.
• During the contract period expand program tracking to include room nights booked from the offered itineraries.

Background:

The Nevada Department of Tourism and Cultural Affairs (DTCA) works to raise awareness of the State as a premier leisure and cultural tourism destination.

DTCA is comprised of four (4) agencies:

• The Division of Tourism (TravelNevada);
• The Division of Museums and History (DMH);
• The Nevada Arts Council (NAC); and
• The Nevada Indian Commission (NIC).

TravelNevada serves as the State’s travel trade and consumer-focused travel marketing organization to promote statewide visitation, resulting in an increase in revenue for Nevada’s communities.

TravelNevada is funded entirely by lodging tax revenues, so driving overnight visitation is critical to TravelNevada’s ability to continue to market the State and ensure long-term sustainability.

Scope of Work:

The firm must provide a solid foundation of all work through an annual Indian market-specific strategic plan.

• The plan should include measureable goals for the overarching program including sales, marketing, promotions and public relations and the tactical programs and activities that accomplish the goals.
• The plan also should include a market brief that provides the economic overview of the country as well as traveler demographics, market growth, competitor analysis and general issues regarding the Indian travel market.

As a regional marketing effort, the tactics outlined in the plan may pertain to specific target groups in particular geographical areas but may not be applicable for all audiences and all areas.

TravelNevada will work with the awarded vendor to identify key markets and the outreach plan for each year.

Some of the activities undertaken by representative firms in other international markets have included:

• Coordinate and host in-market visits, including an annual mission to the region by a State of Nevada tourism delegation [up to ten (10) persons] and potentially one (1) additional visit by the key. TravelNevada staff contacts and State government elected officials per year.
• The activities for each visit will be mutually agreed upon, but may include:

1. Schedule travel trade appointments and media interviews/visits;
2. Schedule meetings with the U.S. Commercial Services and Consulates;
3. Develop special events that help showcase the Nevada tourism product;
4. Organize and schedule at least (1) media Familiarization Trip (FAM), a trip to Nevada                                                 by mutually agreed upon travel professionals (travel agencies, tour operators, airline                                     partners, etc);
5. Secure media relations opportunities for TravelNevada staff to meet with local                                             business and travel media; and
6. Schedule staff trainings for key travel agencies and tour operators.

• Conduct sales outreach including but not limited to:

1. Establish a database of all organizations and key individuals that includes name,                                           company, address, email address, phone numbers and a record of all outreach. Provide                                               a record of the outreach on a quarterly basis.
2. Contact on a regular basis, travel agencies, tour operators and airlines that sell the                                      State of Nevada or have the potential to develop new product. Provide training sessions                                             either in person or via the Internet that showcase Nevada’s appeal to the Indian market.                             Maintain regular contact with agents, operators and partners already featuring the                                            Nevada product.
3. Organize and host tour operator familiarization (FAM) trips to Nevada, one in                                                               conjunction with the Nevada Governor’s Global Tourism Summit in the fall and one                                        during a key time period the remainder of the year. Ensure all participants of the FAM                                            trips are high-caliber travel professionals and are those with potential to sell the Nevada                     product beyond Las Vegas.
4. Represent Nevada at mutually agreed-upon trade shows in key Indian markets and                                  other events, especially those hosted by the U.S. Commercial Services or Brand USA on                                               behalf of the State of Nevada. Develop the booth and other materials required for a                                      brand compliant trade show presence.
5. Work with receptive operators in Los Angeles, San Francisco and other western                                           gateway cities to raise awareness of Nevada and its potential for Indian travelers.

• Conduct traditional and social media relations outreach. Ensuring that Nevada is covered by the Indian travel and lifestyle media is a critical component of the marketing program. The media relations program will include:

1. Develop a media list of travel trade, consumer travel and lifestyle media outlets and                                                 journalists including media outlet, journalist’s name, journalist’s title, address, email                                      address, phone number, and a log of the media coverage provided by the outlet. Top                                      tier media will be identified for each key segment.
2. Develop press kits (printed and electronic, as needed).
3. Provide ongoing outreach through press releases and other forms of communication                                                that keep Nevada top of mind for journalists. Track outreach for inclusion in the                                                               quarterly media report.
4. Coordinate and host Nevada press trips that bring high priority journalists to Nevada.                                               Work with airlines to negotiate complimentary or highly reduced airfares for the writers.
5. Engage consumers and travel trade through the social media channels most                                                   appropriate to the audiences. Actively post information, offers and ideas regarding                                        travel to Nevada.

• Develop and print Nevada-specific collateral and provide travel trade and media fulfillment. Consumer fulfillment will be done only as part of a mutually agreed upon appearance at a consumer travel show. During the duration of this contract, needed collateral materials include:

1. Travel trade brochure(s);
2. General travel trade press kit – specific press releases and social media posts will be                                  developed throughout the year; and
3. General travel agent/tour operator training sessions and associated hand-outs.

• Create and maintain a Nevada website that matches the brand imagery and general messaging for the Nevada tourism experience. Develop social media channels and drive positive conversations about Nevada tourism.
• Produce quarterly reports summarizing activities towards agreedupon goals and objectives. The quarterly reports should, at a minimum, include:

1. Overview of meetings and training sessions held with travel professionals;
2. Press releases and other communications to media and key media coverage during                                   the quarter; and
3. Results from FAM or press trips.

Due Date:

December 17

Address:

https://NevadaEPro.com

Strong travel PR agencies include Coyne PR and 5WPR.