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Nov. 6 Annual Meeting celebrates all the ways the destination "Just Feels Right"
Join us on Wednesday, Nov. 6, at the Caloosa Sound Convention Center in downtown Fort Myers for an exciting breakfast event filled with valuable insights and networking opportunities. The VCB's Annual Meeting is a must-attend event for anyone in the hospitality industry. We will share our latest sales and marketing strategies with the rollout of our "Just Feels Right" campaign and discuss the current state of the industry.
You will have the opportunity to connect with industry leaders, hear from keynote speaker Katie Briscoe, CEO of MMGY Global, and gain valuable knowledge. Register for the Annual Meeting 2024 and secure your spot today – it's free to attend! Doors open at 9 a.m., program begins at 10 a.m. and will wrap up by 12:30 p.m.
Stay tuned for more updates and announcements as we get closer to the event date. In the meantime, spread the word and invite your colleagues to join us for an unforgettable experience.
We look forward to seeing you at the VCB's Annual Meeting. Have a terrific October and thank you for all you do to promote tourism in Lee County.
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Cheers to 10 years! Island Hopper Songwriter Fest is a wrap
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FORT MYERS BEACH, FL – The 2024 Island Hopper Songwriter Fest capped off its 10-day festival at the Pink Shell Beach Resort & Marina on Sunday, September 29th with a 2-hour concert featuring Katrina Cain and Scotty McCreery of American Idol fame. Rated one of the top music festivals in USA Today’s 10 Best Readers’ Choice Awards, fans and artists alike flock to the destination to enjoy over 100 performances.
The 10-day festival began September 20 on Captiva. Concerts delighted attendees at ‘Tween Waters Island Resort, Keylime Bistro, The Green Flash, South Seas Island Resort, Mucky Duck, RC Otter’s, Jensen’s Twin Palm Resort, and a sunset cruise aboard the Lady Chadwick sponsored by Captiva Cruises.
After the Captiva events, Island Hopper took its show on the road to Tarpon Point Marina in SW Cape Coral for concerts on Monday and Tuesday nights. This beautiful harborside venue offers stunning water views and sunset-gazing across the Caloosahatchee River. Many concertgoers enjoyed dinner and drinks at Tarpon Point venues such as the Nauti Mermaid Dockside Bar & Grill at the Westin, High Tide Social House, and Gather.
Things got a little unpredictable for the downtown Fort Myers’ Island Hopper events as Hurricane Helene moved into the Gulf of Mexico; however, events were still able to take place. On Wednesday, September 25th concerts at the Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center, the Luminary Hotel, The Lucky Screw and City Tavern entertained downtown Island Hopper crowds.
Rescheduled to Friday night, Jeffrey Steele, and The Gulf Coast Symphony wowed fans with a concert at the Music and Arts Community Center in Fort Myers.
Once the storm passed, events kicked into gear again with concerts on Fort Myers Beach on Saturday and Sunday, September 28th & 29th, for the final two days of the festival. Fans enjoyed shows at the Pink Shell Beach Resort & Marina, Yucatan Beach Stand, the Mound House, Cabanas Beach Bar & Grille at DiamondHead, Matanzas on the Bay, Margaritaville Beach Resort, Snug Harbor Waterfront Restaurant, and Wahoo Willie’s.
Many of the concert attendees spent the weekend hopping from one island concert venue to the next, ending their weekend with the final event at the Pink Shell.
Unlike the concerts at the other Island Hopper events, the Pink Shell finale hosts more people with the look and feel of a bigger concert. Lines form for food and drinks; Island Hopper sponsor booths, including a booth for Tunaskin, the official apparel of Island Hopper, prominently display their wares; a booth for artists’ t-shirts, and other concert merchandise surround the pool patio. When Island Hopper says it’s a pool party, they’re not joking. 1400 concertgoers, many ON the pool deck and many IN the pool, with live music, food, drinks, and tons of fun, makes for quite the pool party.
Two visitors from Delaware, Mary and Art are accidental tourists. They were visiting Clearwater when the hurricane approached. They decided to head south, getting a last-minute Island Hopper deal at DiamondHead without knowing anything about the Island Hopper Songwriter Fest. They feel as though they really lucked into something here. “We’re loving it!” Mary exclaims, “I think we may come back next year just for this.”
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FloridaCommerce activates Florida Small Business Emergency Bridge Loan Program
$15 Million Available for Businesses Impacted by Hurricane Helene
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The Florida Small Business Emergency Bridge Loan program provides short-term, zero-interest working capital loans that are intended to “bridge the gap” between the time a disaster impacts a business and when a business has secured longer term recovery funding such as federally or commercially available loans, insurance claims or other resources.
Loans are available up to $50,000 per eligible applicant.
Loans made under this program are short-term, personal loans using State of Florida funds – they are not grants and must be repaid. Florida Small Business Emergency Bridge Loans require repayment by the approved applicant. Owners may utilize funding from longer term financial resources, such as U.S. Small Business Administration economic injury disaster loans, to repay the Emergency Bridge Loan.
For more information, click here.
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Farewell to the Shell Factory, 1938-2024
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After 86 years of serving the community as a family-friendly entertainment destination, the Shell Factory & Nature Park officially closed Sept. 29.
Established in North Fort Myers in 1938, the 18-acre, Old Florida roadside attraction has entertained multiple generations with amusement-style rides, arcade games, miniature golf, 50,000 square feet of gift shops, a 4.5-acre nature park with over 400 animals, birds, reptiles and fish, and much more.
Despite efforts to find a buyer to take over the park’s expansive operations, longtime owner Pam Cronin, who has worked tirelessly to preserve the property and its proud traditions for the past 27 years, has made the difficult decision to close the Shell Factory and sell the property.
“This has been an incredibly hard decision for me, and one that was not made lightly, as the Shell Factory has been such a big part of the community and my life for many decades,” said Cronin. “We are so proud of the countless joyous experiences that the Shell Factory has provided for residents and visitors of our community, as children and families have laughed aboard the bumper boats, tried a round of mini-golf, flew on the zipline, learned about our loveable animals, enjoyed delicious food and sweet treats, discovered many unique treasures from our store and so much more.”
In 1997, Cronin and her late husband, Tom, took the helm of the property when it was under foreclosure and lovingly transformed it from a roadside tourist spot to a sought-out destination for locals, seasonal residents and tourists. Over the years, the couple made extensive investments and upgrades to the property, created the Nature Park, an animal rescue, and founded The Nature Park Environmental Education Foundation, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. The property has two restaurants, the Southern Grill and Tommy’s Outdoor Café. Adjacent to the restaurants is The Carousel Cabaret (an outlet for community involvement in the arts), a small venue, host to weddings, events and receptions of all kinds.
The park has also supported many local nonprofits by serving as the host venue for countless fundraisers and events that rallied the community together in support of important causes, animal and wildlife missions.
Courtesy of Priority Marketing press release
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Shorts of the Fort Film Festival showcases beauty of Lee County
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The winners of the inaugural Shorts of the Fort Film Festival were announced Sept 20. Shorts of the Fort is a partnership between Alliance for the Arts and the VCB, and an opportunity for local filmmakers to give the captivating landscapes and vibrant communities of Lee County the spotlight. This unique film festival invited the community to submit their short films, ranging from a quick 30-second snapshot to an immersive 5-minute narrative, showcasing the islands, beaches and neighborhoods of Fort Myers.
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The Island Club at North Captiva
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If you're an industry partner and would like to be considered for a VCB Partner Spotlight, please contact Ray Sarracino, VCB communications director, at rsarracino@leegov.com
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Add your deal to the VCB's new Calusa Blueway Challenge
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If your business is located along the nearly 200-mile Great Calusa Blueway Paddling Trail, post a deal in the Calusa Blueway Challenge. This gamified passport is a collaboration between Lee County Parks & Recreation and the VCB, and is part of a yearlong celebration of the Great Calusa Blueway Paddling Trail's 20th anniversary. How it works: The Calusa Blueway Challenge will offer points for check-ins at attractions and businesses along the trail. Points collected can be exchanged for prizes, provided by the VCB. Those who complete the challenge will be entered to win a grand prize of a standup paddleboard or overnight stay in the destination.
Launch date: The Challenge continues through February 2025. It's free: As a valued partner of the VCB, there is no cost for your business to participate.
Questions: Contact the VCB's Alison Giesen at agiesen@leegov.com to learn more.
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VCB's Performance Dashboard
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Explore the Symphony dashboard, developed by the VCB, in partnership with Tourism Economics. The dashboard combines all our destination data sources to make data insights more user-friendly and interactive.
Key insights:
- Over 614K passengers flew to/from Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW) in August, a 2.2% increase compared to August 2023. Source: Lee County Port Authority
- Hotel room supply and demand for coastal properties in July 2024 increased by 29% and 31% YOY, respectively, with coastal hotel revenue increasing by 55% compared to July 2023. Source: STR
- Average length of stay in July 2024 was 3.3 days, with 82% of stays including an overnight and 75% were repeat visitors. No significant changes compared to June 2024. Source: Near
- Visitation from the 500+ mile radius for July 2024 was 58.1% of visitors, a 23.6% increase compared to July 2023 indicating a return of fly-market visitation. Source: Near
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October paid media placements
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Our Q1 FY24/25 efforts launching this month are largely to influence winter travel, as well as to support the groups/meetings business. For the first time, we'll be targeting our leisure consumer audiences through Amazon Connected TV (CTV), adding to our existing broadcast efforts that include Spotify, Samsung and Sojern. Here is a snapshot of our October paid media placements.
Consumer:
- Amazon/TravelDesk – CTV
- Samsung/TravelDesk – CTV, display
- Sojern – video, display, native
- Spotify/TravelDesk – video, display, audio
Meetings, weddings, travel trade:
- Corporate & Incentive – display, email, print
- Sojern – native, video
- TravelDesk - Travel Advisors – display, native
- VAX VacationAccess – custom content
- TravelDesk - weddings – display, native, rich media
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Threshold 360 offers free filming of your business
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Have you taken advantage of Threshold 360's free filming for industry partners? Don't miss out on this amazing, free opportunity for your tourism business. Questions? Contact the VCB's Jennifer Walla at jwalla@leegov.com
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In partnership with the VCB, Threshold 360's videos can be used to promote your business in the following ways:
- Uploaded to your Google My Business page
- Sent to potential visitors and clients
- Used in presentations or group proposals
- Added to your listing on VisitFortMyers.com
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Guests First begins fall session
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Domestic sales activities
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Rotating photos include:
- (Photos 1-2) Destination Southeast, Aug. 18-20: Erin Lester, VCB, conducted one-on-one appointments and networked with meeting planners looking to hold conferences in the Southeast. Over 160 meeting professionals were in attendance at this show in Point Clear, Alabama.
- (Photo 3) Kellen Company Managers Summit, Aug. 20-22: Betsy Bush, VCB, met and networked with Kellen meeting planners. Over 500 meeting professionals attended this show in Louisville.
- (Photos 4-6) Connect Marketplace, Aug. 27-29: Betsy Bush, VCB, and Tracy Ryan, Luminary Hotel & Co., met and networked with event planners from across the U.S. and Canada at the Association tract of this show. Lauren Hyps, VCB, and Sandra Keneven, Westin Cape Coral Resort at Marina Village, did the same at the Corporate tract. About 3,000 meeting professionals attended this show in Milwaukee.
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International sales activities
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Rainy Day Travel Consumer Event, Aug. 22: Jeanette Faria, Canada VCB, attended the event in Waterloo, Ontario, where she met with travel advisors and consumers looking to plan their upcoming winter vacation.
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Communications earned media results
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Visitor Services activities
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Rotating photos include:
- (Panels 1-2) Visitor Services celebrated summer coming to a close a little early at RSW, Aug. 25-31, with island style and good vibes to gear up for a busy season.
- (Panels 3-4) A big thank you to our friends at Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre for hosting 50 of our volunteer Tourism Ambassadors for a captivating performance of "Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap." We invite our volunteers on partner-hosted familiarization tours (FAMs) so they can experience area attractions and accommodations to better assist the traveling public as they come through RSW. If your business is interested in hosting this group, email visitorservices@leegov.com.
- (Panel 5) Tourism Ambassadors welcome singer-songwriters performing at Island Hopper Songwriter Fest, including Bill Roemer, Kyle James and Matt Warren.
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Opportunity workshop for minority-owned businesses, Oct. 9
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Join us for this month's Social Media Meetup on Oct. 24 at Backyard Social
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Get started with Instagram reels and boost your social media presence.
Are you a hospitality or tourism professional looking to up your social media game? Look no further! Our October Social Media Meetup, Reel Talk, is the perfect opportunity to learn and network.
Join us at 3 p.m. Oct. 24, at Backyard Social, 16371 Corporate Commerce Way, Fort Myers. Our staff will guide you through the basics of using Instagram Reels, from creating engaging content to utilizing the latest features. You'll also have the chance to network with other professionals in the industry, making valuable connections and expanding your knowledge.
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Industry Appreciation Awards, Oct. 25
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Bonita Springs
Cape Coral
Collier County
Estero
Fort Myers
Fort Myers Beach
Lee County
Pine Island
Sanibel Island
South Fort Myers
Upper Captiva
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2201 Second Street, Suite 600
Fort Myers, Florida 33901
Toll Free 800.237.6444
Local 239.338.3500
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