Million Dollar Tourism Marketing Campaign To Sell Denver As A Holiday Destination
DENVER, Nov. 17, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Mile High Holidays, the city's million dollar tourism marketing campaign, got off on a high note today at a press conference with Denver Mayor Michael B. Hancock joining "Frankie Valli" from the Jersey Boys in a rendition of the show's hit song, "Can't Take My Eyes Off of You." "Frankie" was portrayed by Shaun Taylor-Corbett, who will be playing the singer in the production of Jersey Boys at the Denver Center for Performing Arts.
Mile High Holidays is an integrated marketing campaign designed to market Denver as the ultimate holiday vacation destination for the period of late November through the end of the National Western Stock Show in January 2015. It is organized by VISIT DENVER, the City of Denver and more than two dozen other partners.
The campaign is targeted throughout the state of Colorado, including the Metro area, as well as key regional markets in adjacent states and includes radio and television commercials, direct mail, regional newspaper and magazine advertisements, RTD ads, newspaper inserts, digital ads, a dedicated website, public relations and social media promotions. Promotions also include advertising and public relations in Hispanic and Latino magazines, newspapers and websites. A total of $500,000 is being invested in the campaign, which through media partnerships and in-kind services will generate an advertising value of more than $1 million. The campaign includes a newspaper insert, as well as newspaper and magazines ads reaching six million people. There are 2,524 television spots on CBS4 and Comcast, coupled with radio advertising across the state.
The press conference was staged in the new Denver Center for Performing Arts "pop-up" Holiday Box Office store in Cherry Creek North. Located at 2771 East 1st Avenue (between Bose and Orvis), the festive new shop displays costumes from previous holiday productions and will sell tickets for a wide variety of holiday shows, including A Christmas Carol, Jersey Boys and How the Grinch Stole Christmas.
Mayor Hancock stated, "We all know the holidays are a special time of year for families, but they are also a crucial make or break period for many businesses in Denver. We hope a campaign like this will encourage families to get out and start new holiday traditions, while also supporting local businesses," he said.
Mayor Hancock encouraged everyone in the Rocky Mountain region to come to The Mile High City to see the Parade of Lights, attend The Santaland Diaries and other productions at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, ride horse-drawn carriages under a canopy of lights down the 16th Street Mall or Larimer Square, and view lighting spectacles such as Zoo Lights or Denver Botanic Gardens' Blossoms of Lights.
The Mayor also encouraged visitors and residents to "shop local," and support both Cherry Creek Shopping Center and Cherry Creek North as well as downtown stores in Larimer Square and at the Denver Pavilions, while also patronizing local artists and craftsmen in neighborhoods such as the Art District on Santa Fe, Tennyson Street Cultural District, Antique Row, RiNo, Golden Triangle Museum District, Old South Gaylord and South Pearl.
Richard Scharf, president & CEO of VISIT DENVER, said, "Dozens of Denver hotels are participating in the promotion by offering packages that start as low as $99." Scharf encouraged locals and visitors to access MileHighHolidays.com, where more than 500 holiday events are listed.
In its eleventh year, Mile High Holidays is a collaborative marketing program to increase the overall number of visitors to Denver in the traditionally slow period of November through January.
The joint campaign will allow the partners to reach more people than anyone could reach on their own with information about Denver's holiday activities.
One Website, Many Partners:
As part of the cooperative Mile High Holidays promotion, VISIT DENVER created one comprehensive website, MileHighHolidays.com. The website individually brands every week of the holiday period so that prospective visitors can easily see what's happening during the period they are coming. "We know the holidays are busy and that many people have limited free time," Scharf said. "So we arranged the website by weekend. This makes it easy to see what weekend they have family coming in or when they have a break in their schedule, and see exactly what is going on just for that time period," Scharf said.
The website has information about holiday events, from the Parade of Lights and museum exhibits like Brilliant: Cartier in the 20th Century at the Denver Art Museum to performances at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts such as A Christmas Carol, Jersey Boys and How the Grinch Stole Christmas. The site also includes lists of restaurants open on Thanksgiving and Christmas for those who don't want to cook.
"In Denver, we are fortunate that our holiday season extends through the end of January," Scharf said. "MileHighHolidays.com contains information on all the traditional holiday events, as well as New Year's Eve packages and the annual fireworks on the 16th Street Mall, and then we go right into events around the National Western Stock Show," Scharf said.
Cherry Creek North to Offer Free Valet Parking
Also revealed at the press conference was that throughout the holiday season, Cherry Creek North will offer free valet parking. "To make your holiday shopping easier this year, Cherry Creek North is offering 2 hours of complimentary valet parking beginning Friday, November 28th and continuing every Thursday-Saturday from 11 a.m. - 6p.m.," said Julie Underdahl, president & CEO of Cherry Creek North. Parking is free with proof-of-purchase from a Cherry Creek North store or restaurant. There are two vehicle drop off locations in Cherry Creek North:
- Fillmore Plaza (Fillmore Street between 1st and 2nd Avenues) on the west side of the street
- Josephine Street between 2nd and 3rd Avenues on the east side of the street
New Denver Pavilions' Holiday Carousel Will Attract Visitors of All Ages to Downtown Denver
A new Holiday Carousel at The Denver Pavilions will be the first in the history of the 16th St. Mall.
"The Denver Pavilions' Holiday Carousel promises to be a very popular attraction, one that will draw local and regional visitors to Denver Pavilions and the 16th Street Mall," said Gart Properties President Mark Sidell. "A beautiful, family-friendly holiday carousel for visitors of all ages will add a memorable dimension to the downtown Denver holiday experience." Carousel rides will be offered for a nominal fee of $3 between December 12-21 between the hours of 11 a.m. and 9 p.m. daily.
Denver Pavilions' Holiday Carousel complements other Denver Pavilions holiday activities including performances from the a cappella group the Mistletones on Sat. Dec. 13 & 20 from 2 p.m. – 4 p.m., Hard Rock Café's Breakfast with Santa on Dec. 13, 14, 20 & And Maggiano's Little Italy Breakfast with Santa on TBD.
For more information about the Holiday Carousel, visit www.denverpavilions.com.
Enjoy the Dickens Carolers at Larimer Square
Downtown Denver's most historic and beautiful block, Larimer Square, comes alive during the holiday season with festive decorations and events. Listen to the beautiful holiday harmonies of the Dickens carolers while visiting the more than 40 retail merchants and restaurants of Larimer Square.
Dickens Carolers:
Saturday, December 6, 12 – 4 p.m.
Thursday, December 11, 5 – 7 p.m.
Tuesday, December 16, 12 – 4 p.m.
Friday, December 19, 5 – 7 p.m.
Monday, December 22, 5 – 7 p.m.
Christmas Eve 12 – 4 p.m.
http://www.larimersquare.com/
Cherry Creek Shopping Center Presents a "Frozen Ice Palace" Experience
In celebration of the November 18, 2014 release of the Disney Frozen Sing-Along Edition on DVD & Digital HD, Cherry Creek Shopping Center presents a Frozen Ice Palace experience. The Ice Palace will feature characters from the number one animated film of all time, Disney Frozen. This much-loved, interactive holiday display features the art of Anna, Elsa and their friends Olaf, Kristoff and Sven, plus a 30 foot Ice Palace with falling snow, a light show and other activities for the whole family. Interactive globes will showcase scenes such as Anna & Elsa ice skating with Olaf, plus Anna, Kristoff & Sven on their quest to find Elsa on the North Mountain. Adults & children alike will enjoy leaving their hand print in ice at The Icy Hand Print experience, seeing how they compare in size to Sven & Olaf. They can also have their photo taken with Olaf at the Ice Throne. End your magical journey at the Ice Palace with a visit to Santa and a special Disney Frozen Look-and Find book!
http://www.shopcherrycreek.com/holidays
Partners in Mile High Holidays
A number of organizations have joined VISIT DENVER in 2014 in a collaborative effort to market Denver as a holiday getaway destination including:
- City & County of Denver
- KCNC-CBS4
- Comcast
- King Soopers
- Entercom radio
- Entravision radio
- Denver Center for the Performing Arts
- Cherry Creek Shopping Center
- Cherry Creek North
- Downtown Denver Partnership
- Denver Art Museum
- Denver Botanic Gardens
- Denver Museum of Nature & Science
- Denver Zoo
- Yellow Cab
- RTD
- National Western Stock Show & Rodeo
- Downtown Aquarium
- Hyatts of Denver
- The City of Littleton
About VISIT DENVER, The Convention & Visitors Bureau
Celebrating 105 years of promoting The Mile High City, VISIT DENVER is a nonprofit trade association that contracts with the City of Denver to market Denver as a convention and leisure destination, increasing economic development in the city, creating jobs and generating taxes. A record 14 million visitors stayed overnight in Denver in 2013, generating $4 billion in spending, while supporting nearly 50,000 jobs, making Tourism the second largest industry in Denver. Learn more about Denver on the VISITDENVER website and at TOURISMPAYSDENVER or by phone at 800 2 Denver. Follow Denver's social media channels for up-to-the-minute updates at: Facebook.com/visitdenver; Twitter.com/iknowdenver; Instagram.com/visitdenver; and YouTube.com/visitdenver.
With press or photo inquiries, please contact:
Rich Grant: (303) 571-9450 or [email protected]
Deb Park: (303) 571-9451 or [email protected]
Sarah Welch (303) 571-9418 or [email protected]
Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20141117/159102
SOURCE VISIT DENVER, The Convention & Visitors Bureau
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