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Well it started with the Money Magazine’s original article on Prescott Arizona as a top retirement destination. Well it continues today with the Wall Street Journal’s Market Watch and their pick of Prescott as the number 3 retirement destination in the country. See the article at
The top 10 places to retire Plus two bonus towns for you to considerNeed information about Prescott? Click on this link to look at an interactive brochure with tons of information:
Social Squadron Logo
In mid-2009, a group of volunteers started an ad-hoc group called the Prescott Area Tourism Committee (PATC). The volunteers were primarily from the lodging industry with a few with marketing backgrounds and a couple from the City of Prescott. The group was formed because of the drastic decline in Bed Tax revenues, which was more pronounced than the downturn in sales tax revenues. PATC established focus groups, one being the Social Media focus group.
The Social Media focus group developed a strategic plan for using social media tools to enhance tourism to Prescott. Initially Twitter was the focus with development of a Facebook page deferred until we achieved Twitter goals. The Twitter account is www.twitter.com/PrescottTourism. We are following over 1,800 people with the emphasis on tourism related people. We established our reputation as a source of interesting information on Prescott and have attracted interest from travels writers.
This volunteer effort is an example of guerrilla marketing accomplished by a small group of people with a common goal. Part of our effort has been to educate the community about the value of social media. We have sponsored three successful Tweet Ups to socialize and share best practices. That brings us to the development of the Red Tail Tweeters T-shirt. One of the members of our focus group is a pilot and has a business designs logo items (T-shirts, caps, etc.). Here is his story of the origin of the design:
“Why Red Tails?
A bit of fun, a bit of history There was a P-51 squadron during WWII called the Red Tail Devils. This wasn’t any ordinary squadron. They were the ultimate underdogs in every way as they were the first all African American squadron of WWII to escort B-17 bombers over Germany.
They also NEVER lost a single bomber they escorted…these guys are my heroes and have been since the day I learned about them as a young boy.To be segregated, to be told they were inferior and then to show the world they actually were the best, that to me is the beauty of a true challenge. It is the opportunity, not a handicap.
So, like them, we (the tourism community of Prescott) are the underdogs. Things are changing and although we’ve had some small wins as members of the Prescott Tourism Committee, there are a lot of eyes on this grass roots group and the whole social media thing. We need a big win. Our situation is nowhere near what the Red Tail Devils had to endure, but just like them, we still have challenges to meet and overcome. Keep flying, let’s not lose focus on our objective. We can not afford to lose!”
Authored by: Guy Roginson, edited by Margo Christensen
Guy Roginson, FlyPrescott, Prescott Arizona, February 12, 2010
928-458-9274 Digital Print & Promotions www.digitalprintandpromo.comFly Prescott www.flyprescott.com
Tri City Mobile Wash, Inc.
www.flyprescott.com/tricitymobilewash
To learn more about the original Red Tails, please see The Red Tailed Project
Showup.com
The Arts and Culture organizations of Prescott are poised to take a great leap forward with the arrival of ShowUp.com for Prescott! Stay tuned for the launch date, to be announced shortly. What is ShowUp.com? It is a product of the Alliance for Audience. It provides a web site with a directory of all arts and cultural events and the ability to buy tickets online for events. ShowUp.com started in Phoenix, then spread to Tucson and Flagstaff. Now it is coming to Prescott. For more information on membership in the Alliance for Audience, see http://www.allianceforaudience.org/membership.html
Here is an image of the Flagstaff Showup.com website:
Page from Flagstaff's Showup.com
Check this short video out to see why Prescott Rocks! for film and commercial production:
Wendy Bridges is the Film Officer at the City of Prescott. She can help you find the perfect location for your needs, issue the appropriate permits, and help coordinate your filming with City government agencies. You can email her at wendy.bridges@prescott-az.gov or call her at (928) 777-1204. Prescott Arizona was the site for many cowboy movies including many of the Tom Mix movies. Later, it was the site for the filming of Junior Bonner. For more information on the Prescott Film Office, see http://www.cityofprescott.net/business/film/ or take a look at this short video:
So partner, it is not your turn to find out more about why Prescott Rocks! for your next commercial shoot, TV production of film shoot — you will be glad you did!
Prescott Rocks! I think we could have a lot of fun putting together a series of short videos on why Prescott Rocks! By short, I mean three (3) minutes tops. I would like to get people to advocate for their passion(s), whatever it might be. Maybe you are an outdoors enthusiast (hiking, bicycling, kayaking, rock climbing, etc.). Maybe you are a “foodie” who wants to talk about our restaurants. On the other hand, you might like antiquing or ballroom dancing – the point is, Prescott Rocks! In many ways and a great way to convey that to potential visitors is from a first-person perspective via a short video. I did not mention many other things such as the Worlds Oldest Rodeo, all our museums, our galleries. Whiskey Row, Courthouse Plaza – but you get the idea. If you think this sounds like something you want to get involved in, please let me know. Here is a link to an interesting blog post on these type of videos from the T4 Travel Technology & Tourism Trends blog:
Online Video & Podcasting Secrets for Destinations
Congratulations to Hassayampa Inn & Prescott Motor Lodge winners in AZ Republic Best Hotels voting. The Hassayampa Inn won first place in the Historic Hotels category beating out the Biltmore Hotel! The Prescott Motor Lodge won first place in the Budget Hotels category. It is significant that Prescott had winners in two of the nine categories, just another reason Prescott Rocks!
Find more details at the Arizona Republic’s website: http://bit.ly/bcKuRH
