St. Louis Attractions Association

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SLAA NEWSLETTER
JUNE / JULY 2004

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April / May 2005
February / March 2005
December '04 / January '05
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IN THIS ISSUE...

President's Corner
Member Spotlight
July Trip Raffle
July Meeting Notice
SLAA Allied Trade Show 2005
Thank You!
St. Louis Convention & Visitors Commission Update
SLAA Board of Directors 2005-2006

PRESIDENT'S CORNER
Jennifer Johnson

HELLO! My Name Is JENNY.

When I first began my career I realized that it was necessary for me to network. I was new to my company and very new to the industry. I joined several associations and committees, and attended many after-hour networking meetings. Needless to say, I soon found that I had overly committed myself.

One afternoon I was sitting in a board meeting, when the President thanked everyone for his or her dedication. He also mentioned that they were looking for new board members because over the past year many members had found that they could no longer fulfill their commitment to the organization. It hit me right then that it was not the quantity of organizations, committees or events I attended... but the quality of my commitment. Once I re-evaluated my commitments I was able to "develop mutually valuable relationships."

I first became active in the Saint Louis Attractions Association over 8 years ago. After my first meeting I knew this was one association that I needed to remain active in. Through my networking at the meetings and various SLAA functions I was able to build many strong relationships. I have enjoyed these friendships and have utilized many great contacts that have allowed me to do my job better.

It is my goal as President to provide an environment that offers great networking possibilities. I look forward to this and hope that you too are able to develop these truly valuable relationships.

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MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
City Siteseeing

City Sightseeing has resumed its unique HOP ON/ HOP OFF open top bus tours around St. Louis. Offering two routes, a Downtown route which makes 15 stops and a Forest Park route with 23 stops, not only can the visitors to St. Louis enjoy this newest attraction but locals can learn something as well.

With departures every 30 minutes, the Downtown route begins at the Gateway Arch and takes 30 minutes to complete. The Forest Park attractions route takes two hours to complete and departs every hour. This route also begins at the Gateway Arch and stops by many of our members' venues, such as:

Anheuser-Busch Brewery
Missouri Botanical Garden
St. Louis Science Center
Saint Louis Zoo
Saint Louis Art Museum
Missouri History Museum
The Loop
Central West End
Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis
St. Louis Union Station
Laclede's Landing and many of the surrounding hotels.

The ticket allows customers unlimited rides on both routes for two days. Hop off the bus at any attraction and hop back on when you are ready to continue your tour. The buses run seven days per week from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. City Sightseeing has routes in 60 locations throughout the world; however, St. Louis is the company's first location in the USA.

Two days of sightseeing cost visitors $25 and children under 16 ride free with the St. Louis Family Attractions Card (available on the bus). Individual tickets can be purchased online (with a discount) at www.citysightseeing-usa.com or from ticket sellers on the bus or at various stops. Most concierges and front desk personnel have brochures and $1 off coupons as well. The buses can also be chartered for private functions. Bus tickets/vouchers can be purchased in advance through Mike Fishman and discounts from 20% to 50% are available to SLAA Members. Mike can be contacted at home, (314) 453-0331, by cell, (314) 398-0499, or at fishman@citysightseeing-usa.com.

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ST. LOUIS CONVENTION & VISITORS COMMISSION UPDATE
Shelby Gebauer

CVC Books NATA for 2012 & 2015
There’s good news on the convention sales front. The CVC has booked two future gatherings of the National Athletic Trainers Association (NATA). NATA last met in St. Louis in 2003. After that successful meeting, they re-booked St. Louis for 2008. In April, the CVC hosted NATA executives at the NCAA Final Four to show them how St. Louis handled the major sports championship. They were so impressed that they selected St. Louis for 2012 and 2015 for the organization’s Annual Meeting and Clinical Symposium. The group will use 14,000 hotel room nights and attendees will spend more than $7 million in St. Louis during each of the two years. St. Louis competed against Indianapolis and Houston for the 2012 and 2015 meetings.

HMS Bounty to Set Sail for St. Louis
Get ready for a tall ship on the Mississippi. In an effort to create a temporary visitor attraction on the St. Louis Riverfront, the CVC is working with the HMS Bounty for a 10-day visit beginning in June 2006. The tall ship was created as an exact replica of the British naval vessel for the 1962 movie, Mutiny on the Bounty, starring Marlon Brando. It also was used in Treasure Island, and most recently has been in St. Vincent for the filming of Pirates of the Caribbean II and III with Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom. Visitors will be able to walk the ship’s deck and below-deck spaces as well as learn more about tall ship sailing and British naval history from exhibits and the captain and crew. Bounty also will be available for special events after public hours.

Marketing Update
“Sara on Site,” a feature on St. Louis, ran in the May issue of Convene magazine, the trade journal of PCMA, the Professional Convention Management Association. Meeting planner Sara Torrence visited St. Louis in early February to write the piece, which looks at St. Louis City and County hotels, meeting facilities, event venues and destination developments. City and County hotels worked with the CVC to place advertising in the section.

Baseball fans who listen to the Cardinals’ Radio Network in outer markets are hearing about why they should include St. Louis in their 2005 travel plans. Broadcaster Wayne Hagin voiced the CVC’s two radio spots, one aimed at family travelers and one for more sophisticated audiences and couples.

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