St. Louis Attractions Association

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SLAA NEWSLETTER
DECEMBER 2004 / JANUARY 2005

IN THIS ISSUE...

President's Corner
Spirit of St. Louis Award Winners
January Round Tables
January Meeting Notice
SLAA January Trip Raffle
Rountable Sponsorship
Thank You!
Membership Blitz Continues
St. Louis Convention and Visitors Commission Update

PRESIDENT'S CORNER
Julie Krull

2005 is upon us and now that the mad rush of the Holidays is over, we can look forward to what the year will bring. Each of us will be looking at how we can work towards making the upcoming year a great one.

With the start of the tourist season, St. Louis sports and conventions and the welcoming of the Final 4, this year will prove to be one of the best.

To find out how to make the most of what St. Louis and its attractions can do, join us for our Annual Roundtable event, January 19. This halfday event will be invaluable to your attraction as we look at what is going on in the city. Holiday Inn South County will be our host for the day and we?ve got some great speakers and topics to help you get ready for the upcoming season. Plan to join us for the event. More information can be found in this newsletter.

I look forward to seeing each of you at our events and getting to know more and more of you.

Remember, we wouldn't be successful without the success of you, our members!

Julie

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SPIRIT OF ST. LOUIS AWARD WINNERS

This year's Spirit of St. Louis Awards received an outstanding number of nominations in all three categories and they were a fantastic and diverse group. Each application we received was an exceptional display of all that is great about St. Louis, its attractions and its diligent industry workers. This year?s judging committee was faced with difficult decisions in these categories, considering that every nominee was truly worthy. Eligible nominees for the Spirit of St. Louis Award were:

Central West End Business Association- Dennis Gorg St. Louis CVC/International POW WOW 2003 Forest Park Forever- Lee Anna Good
St. Charles CVC/Lewis & Clark Signature Event- Steve Powell Concierge Preferred- Lynn Potts

The winner of the 2004 Spirit of St. Louis Award was Forest Park Forever- Lee Anna Good.

The two eligible nominees for the Hall of Fame were industry veterans with over 17 years industry experience each. Both of our nominees were instrumental in many successful campaigns and programs designed to bring tourism to St. Louis, as well as working to constantly promote the region. This year's nominees were:

Julie Kruempel
Lynn Potts-Concierge Preferred

The winner of the 2004 Hall of Fame Award went to Julie Kruempel.

The winner of the 2004 Rookie of the Year award, Gene Peimann- Missouri Botanical Garden, made such an impact on her attraction that her nomination was a glowing endorsement.

Congratulations to all!

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JANUARY ROUNDTABLES
Back by popular demand, our January SLAA meeting features the roundtable discussion format. Topics include:

URBAN RENEWAL (Downtown Events and The Bottle District)

Speaker: Ann Chance, Director Special Event, Downtown St. Louis Partnership

The Downtown St. Louis Partnership will discuss various special events in the downtown area and their impact on the renewal and revitalization of the city and the effect on tourism.

Speaker: Pat Batson

The secret is out of the bottle. Located just north of the Edward Jones Dome, The Bottle District is set to open in the Spring/Summer of 2006. And when it does, you?ll find some of the hottest restaurants, entertainment and shopping around.

BIKE-FRIENDLY

Speakers: Todd Antoine, Senior Planner, Great Rivers Greenway District
Bryan Werner, Planner, Metro East Park & Recreation District

What is being done to make St. Louis a more "bike-friendly" metropolitan area and what does this mean for tourism? Learn about the impact of the Great Rivers Greenway and the Metro East Parks & Recreation District on the interconnected system of greenway, parks and trails, particularly as it relates to biking.

SUCCESSES AND FAILURES OF OUTER MARKET ATTRACTIONS AND LODGING

Featured attractions: Big Surf Waterpark, Lake of the Ozarks; Big Shot Amusement Park, Lake of the Ozarks

Featured lodging: Holiday Inn Sun Spree; PMG Vacations from the Lake area

Outer market attractions and lodging will discuss one failure and one success of their business to coincide with our local SLAA members.

ALTERNATIVE MARKETING

Speaker: Mike Kociela, President, Entertainment Saint Louis

Entertainment Saint Louis will speak on how to market by thinking "Outside-of-the-Box" and taking ideas from concept to completion.

ST. LOUIS SPORTS COMMISSION

Speaker: Missy Slay, Executive Director, St. Louis Organizing Committee

Overview of the 2005 NCAA Final Four activities and how to prepare your facility.

"CONSIDER THE OTHER SIDE"

Speakers: Jo Kathmann, Executive Director, Tourism Bureau of Southwestern Illinois
Doc Milner, Executive Director, Southern Illinois Tourism Development Office
Brett Stawar, Alton Regional CVB
Donna Costellia, Greater St. Charles CVB
Diane Giacoletto, Director of Marketing, St. Louis CVC

A panel discussion on creating a cooperative marketing package for the entire metro area to work together, along with ways to "cross over the bridge" and "bridging the gap" between Illinois, St. Louis, and St. Charles.

LUNCHEON

Guest Speakers: Heidi Glaus, Host of "Show Me St. Louis" on KSDK-TV NEWSCHANNEL 5

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JANUARY MEETING NOTICE
2005 ROUNDTABLE & LUNCHEON
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 19, 2005
8:30 AM TO 1:00 PM

Join the St. Louis Attractions Association on Wednesday, January 19th at the HOLIDAY INN SOUTH COUNTY CENTER for our Roundtable Meetings and Luncheon Program. A trip raffle and 50/50 raffle will be available. We hope to see you there!

Date: Wednesday, January 19, 2005
Location: HOLIDAY INN SOUTH COUNTY CENTER
Pricing:

Morning Roundtable Meetings ONLY: $30.00 (includes continental breakfast & roundtables)

Luncheon Program ONL:Y $20.00 (includes lunch)

Full Program $50.00 (includes continental breakfast, roundtables, & lunch)

Policies:

Payment is required in advance or at the registration desk
the day of the meeting.
Please make reservations by noon, Friday, January 14,
Walk-ins will be accommodated on a standby basis only.
Non-paid no shows will be invoiced for the registration fee.

Schedule:
8:30- 9:00 am Registration/ Continental Breakfast
9:00- 9:45 am Session 1
9:45- 10:00 am: Break
10:00-10:45 am: Session 2
10:45-11:00 am: Break
11:00-11:45 am: Session 3
11:30-12 Noon: Luncheon Registration/ Networking
12 Noon- 1:00 pm: Luncheon featuring Guest Speaker
1:00 pm: SLAA Announcements/ Conclusion

Directions:
HOLIDAY INN SOUTH COUNTY CENTER is located 9 miles from downtown St. Louis at I-55 and Lindbergh Blvd., only 1 exit from I-270. Address is 6921 South Lindbergh Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63125.

To Register:
SLAA@QABS.COM
Fax: (314) 845-1891
Phone: (314) 416-2233
Mail: SLAA, 4728 Hedgemont Drive
St. Louis, MO 63128

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ST. LOUIS CONVENTION & VISITORS COMMISSION UPDATE
Shelby Gebauer

CVC Seeking Volunteers for RCMA
The Religious Conference Management Association (RCMA) will meet in St. Louis this January and the CVC is looking for volunteers to help the group's influential meeting planner members enjoy their stay in our destination. A variety of morning, evening and afternoon shifts are available from Monday, January 24 through Friday, January 28. Volunteers who work three shifts will receive an "Explore St. Louis" long-sleeve polo shirt and fleece vest. To volunteer or for additional information, contact Shelly Rolwing in the CVC's convention services department at srolwing@explorestlouis.com or (314) 992-0668.

Visitor Guide Sales are Underway
Time is running out to place your ad in the 2005 Official St. Louis Visitors Guide – the only publication that reaches visitors as they are making plans to come to St. Louis. 425,000 copies of the CVC’s Official St. Louis Visitors Guide are distributed annually, including 11,000 hardbound copies in St. Louis city and county hotel sleeping rooms. If you are interested in advertising in the St. Louis area’s most comprehensive travel resource, contact Publishing Concepts before October 25 at (314) 781-8880 or jmoore@pc40.com.

Be a Tourist in Your Own Town SM Guide Debuts in SBC Yellow Pages
Be sure to look inside your copy of the new SBC Yellow Pages to see the new "Be a Tourist in Your Own Town" guide. The new publication, a partnership of SBC and the CVC, is designed to help St. Louis area residents explore the region's attractions, restaurants, hotels and activities and to become better ambassadors for St. Louis. SBC included the guide in 1.1 million copies of the Yellow Pages. Additional guides are available in all St. Louis area Pasta House Co. restaurants.

Clients Honored at Annual Meeting
Clients Honored at Annual Meeting. Staff and CVC members said thank you during the Annual Meeting this fall to a number of important local supporters who worked to keep their meetings at home. We presented awards to the following people for their work in bringing their groups to St. Louis: Richard Ward and Denny Coleman, International Economic Development Council; Michael Alesandrini, Kevin McGrew and Rodney Crim, EPA/Brownfields; Tim Gamma, National Society of Arboriculture; Vicky O'Neil, American Academy of Professional Coders; Sheri Stormer, National Association of Orthopaedic Nurses; Gene Engelhardt, Kiwanis International; Jim Mareschal, American Legion.

Nominate Your Outstanding Employees
We're now in the third quarter of the Hospitality Hero recognition program award year. Your organization can nominate up to three frontline or back-of-the-house employees per quarter to the recognition program. The nomination form is available in a Word document, as well as a .pdf file, at www.slcvc.com/members/heroes.html. The deadline for submission of nominations for the third quarter is Friday, December 31, 2004. For more information on the program, contact Paulette Koons at pkoons@explorestlouis.com or (314) 992-0682.

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