Philadelphia Celebrates Its Favorite Cold Sandwich, the Hoagie, Around National Sandwich Day, November 3, 2011

PHILADELPHIA, Oct. 27, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Philadelphia will pay tribute to its quintessential cold sandwich, the hoagie, with several weeks of special events, promotions and contests that will take place around National Sandwich Day, November 3, 2011. Hoagie enthusiasts can create their own With Love Hoagie; enter to win a Tailgate Takeover at an Eagles game or a weekend getaway through a first-time national social media promotion created by the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation (GPTMC); and devour visitphilly.com/hoagies for the history of the hoagie, scoop on some of the region's best hoagies and hoagie shops and an interactive map of hoagie hawkers by neighborhood.

"Recently national media have been rediscovering a favorite treat of Philadelphians, and that's the hoagie. These over-stuffed sandwiches are made all over town by entrepreneurs committed to using fresh ingredients and locally made bread," said Meryl Levitz, president & CEO, GPTMC. "GPTMC has always shined a spotlight on our fabulous food scene—from celebrity chefs and outdoor cafes to fun food trucks and locally grown food. Now is the hoagie's time."

GPTMC is partnering with the City of Philadelphia, philly.com, Sportsradio 94WIP and Primo Hoagies to show Philly's signature cold sandwich the love. Here's a look at the hoagie happenings that locals and visitors can get in on:

visitphilly.com/hoagies:

visitphilly.com/hoagies will be the go-to site for all things hoagie-related in Philadelphia. On this special section of visitphilly.com, visitors will find: history and fast facts about hoagies; the scoop on hoagie hotspots throughout the region; and hoagie videos, including footage from the Tailgate Takeovers. The site will also feature The Hoagie Finder, an interactive map to select hoagie shops by neighborhoods, and the Great Philadelphia Hoagie Debate, a poll in which visitors vote on what's most important to an authentic hoagie and enter to win a year's supply of hoagies.

Visit Philly Giveaways:

GPTMC is running a two-week contest on Trazzler, a travel site that focuses on unique weekend getaways. Beginning on October 30, Trazzler will send word about the contest out through its 1.4 million (and counting) Twitter network, encouraging people to enter. Once a person answers an easy hoagie question, they'll automatically be entered to win a prize, and a hoagie-related tweet will go out to their followers encouraging them to enter the contest as well. Prizes include overnight hotel stays and local hoagie shop gift certificates.

Foodspotting Hoagie Guide:

Locals and visitors interested in taste testing an assortment of the region's best hoagies can check out foodspotting.com/visitphilly, where they can find a new guide, The Hoagie: Philly's Go-to Cold Sandwich, that spotlights the best sandwiches in the city and suburbs. Users can access this guide and 20 others created by GPTMC to taste their way around the region. Once followers have "spotted" the items in the guides, they receive a customized Visit Philly badge for their Foodspotting profile.

Tailgate Takeover:

The hoagie celebration kicks off with a Tailgate Takeover on Sunday, October 30 from 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.—prior to the Philadelphia Eagles vs. Dallas Cowboy game—in the Wells Fargo parking lot. Eagles fans can enter for a chance to win a Tailgate Takeover on 94WIP's website at cbsphilly.com. Two winners will be chosen from the online contest, and the Primo Hoagies Patrol will also scout the parking lot in search of a third lucky group of tailgaters. Winners will receive hoagies, chips and all the fixings, along with an invitation to hang out in the well stocked With Love RV.

With Love Hoagie Contest:

The hoagie love-fest continues a few days later on National Sandwich Day, Thursday, November 3, with the With Love Primo Hoagies Invitational, a one-time competition in which five amateur hoagie makers attempt to create the official With Love Hoagie. Prior to the invitational, which takes place from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. in the Rotunda at The Shops at Liberty Place, hoagie enthusiasts will submit their sandwich recipes using a list of Primo Hoagies-approved ingredients at philly.com. During the public event, hoagie lovers and a panel of judges consisting of Philadelphia notables will taste test and vote for their favorite sandwich. The winning sandwich maker will receive an overnight stay in Philadelphia, Eagles tickets and name recognition at the 70 Primo Hoagies shops in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland that will carry the With Love Hoagie.

The Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation (GPTMC) makes Philadelphia and The Countryside® a premier destination through marketing and image building that increases business and promotes the region's vitality.

For more information about travel to Philadelphia, visit visitphilly.com or uwishunu.com, where you can build itineraries; search event calendars; see photos and videos; view interactive maps; sign up for newsletters; listen to HearPhilly, an online radio station about what to see and do in the region; book hotel reservations and more. Or, call the Independence Visitor Center, located in Historic Philadelphia, at (800) 537-7676.

SOURCE Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation