The Challenge
Positioning Tampa Bay as a the top destination for meetings of all sizes from small corporate gatherings to large tradeshows using humor and the historical Tampa-Pirate connection in a memorable and fun way.
The Solution
Industry professionals including convention center sales professionals, meeting planners, and local business leaders were consulted to find out what features are most important when planning a meeting and when attending a meeting. Impactful creative deliverables focused on the newly created character, Greybeard, inclusive of brochures, guides, print ads, digital ads, and videos. Greybeard attended ASAE Annual Convention and Expo as a member of the Visit Tampa Bay team to help answer questions, engage guests and ultimately “sell” the destination to key decision makers in attendance. Importantly, Greybeard had a fictitious Linkedin profile to allow Greybeard to stay in contact with potential clients, a custom email address and voicemail (813) 218-3322 (go ahead, give it a call!)
The Results
The campaign attracted key decision makers and meeting planners, built excitement, and encouraged them to seek out more information about Tampa Bay meetings capabilities. In the initial few months, the campaign exceeded expectations! ASAE members at their annual meeting had an overwhelmingly positive response to meeting Greybeard in person. From tradeshow traffic, sales leads, and hundreds of emails and calls to Greybeard, the campaign continued to grow interest and bookings for Visit Tampa Bay.
