Consulate General of Romania

General Proposal for the Romanian Consulate

Date: July 8, 2009 Addressed to: Razvan Dumitrescu, Economic Consul & Catalin Ghenea, Consul General Regarding: Promoting Tourism, Trade & Investment

Proposal Summary

The Consulate General of Romania and I share a mutual interest in promoting tourism, trade and investment between Romania and the US. I have traveled to Romania many times now. Destinations I have visited include-but are not limited to-Bran Castle, Brasov, Rasnov Fortress, Sibiu, Sighisoara, Sinaia and Timisoara. I feel fortunate having benefited from experiencing some of what the country has to offer. While Romania features so much, Americans aware are so few. We can change that. It is my passion to work with the Romanian Consulate in reaching out to my fellow Americans and showing them how they could benefit from and enjoy what Romania has to offer. In short, I am offering a wide range of independent marketing services that promote tourism, trade and investment.

Some of My Experiences in and Thoughts about Romania

When I think of Romania, I think of Maramureş, charming Transylvanian-Saxon town and cities, Bucovina monasteries, castles, the Black Sea and amazing nature. Equally, however, when I think of Romania, I think of great business opportunities. There are many business opportunities that immediately caught my eye when visiting Romania.

How about promoting Romanian agritourism? If Romanian farming is a defining characteristic of national identity, then why not share it with visitors? Americans would be especially curious about Romania’s wine-producing regions. How about promoting ecotourism? Many Americans would love getting lost in Romania’s nature, not least along the Transfăgărăşan Road and Black Sea, in the Argeş Valley and around the Bicaz Gorges, Danube Delta etc. How about promoting sporting adventure tourism, not least in the Prahova Valley? Although Romania is just as much a nature-based destination as it is an architectural one, the country has not developed its sporting adventure industry nearly as much as countries like Slovakia and Slovenia.

How about linking up US investors with crumbling and vacant historical buildings that are waiting to be converted into hotels? With all due respect, lodging options in Romania’s old towns are generally quite poor. Think about how exotic it is to stay in a converted and centrally located historical building as opposed to some concrete apartment complex or new and faceless hotel located amid modern urban sprawl. In my view, there is absolutely huge potential here.

How about promoting retirement in relatively inexpensive Romania to Americans frustrated with their pension cuts and the rising cost of living? Now is a better time than ever to aggressively push this campaign! Many retired Americans over the age of fifty-five do not want to wait years for their lives to improve here in the US. They feel like they deserve the good life now! Indeed, Romania can undoubtedly provide them with this lifestyle today.

How about promoting study abroad programs to Romania? Consider how much Spain has benefited from its influx of American students. Why couldn’t Romania benefit as well? How about working with American universities in promoting ‘academic tourism’ to students of wildlife, sea life, biodiversity, linguistics, Eastern European Studies, architecture, etc.? Imagine receiving US governmental support and possibly even funding for American students to visit Romania for research purposes!

How about approaching US investors with the idea of investing in ultra-modern Romanian greenhouses? I am referring to the type of greenhouses countries like Spain now use. Think how many Romanians would benefit. (1) These greenhouses could employee tens of thousands of locals, thus reducing state unemployment cost burdens. (2) These greenhouses themselves would feed locals, thus decreasing food-related poverty. (3) These greenhouses would also lower state need to rely of foreign food imports. (4) These greenhouses would also lower state need to maintain current levels of farming subsidies for current farmers. (5) These greenhouses would also generate renewable energy. (6) These greenhouses would also enable fruits and vegetables to grow very quickly, hence eliminating any advocacy for genetic modification to food. (7) These greenhouses would also enable fruits and vegetables to always grow in any season. (8) These greenhouses are also great for the environment and could spark a global trend.

11766 WILSHIRE BLVD, SUITE 560, LOS ANGELES, CA 90025 PHONE: (310) 477-0197, FAX: (310) 445-0043 E-MAIL:[email protected] I have written pages and pages of travel reports on Romania. I hope that one day we could meet in person at one of my restaurants (www.friscos.com) so I could take the opportunity to share with you some of my incredible experiences in Romania. What I will share with you now, however, are my thoughts about providing the Romanian Consulate services. Helping foster Romania’s growth by showing the US what this jewel of a country has on offer is a great passion of mine. In other words, I would see it as a great honor to promote tourism to, trade with and investment in Romania. Fortunately, my background experience, research dedication and capabilities more than enable me to succeed with this desire.

About Me

To tell you just a little about me, I am a well-traveled and independent marketing specialist whose greatest talent is bridging the gap between my fellow Americans and consulates and national tourist boards. Being American-born while having immersed so deeply into the countries I visit is what typically enables me to bridge this gap. After all, I am not a vacationer. I am a traveler! Through extensive research and traveling I am able to ascertain what from a country’s features is likely to appeal most to Americans. Having visited 63 nations so far and having earned a bachelor’s degree in International Business Communications and a master’s degree in Diplomacy, well, business, tourism and intercultural exchange summarize what simply make me tick.

My Qualifications

Academic:

 I have a bachelor’s degree in International Business Communications with a minor in global strategies. I have a 3.9 grade point average (GPA).  I graduated top in my bachelor program. I graduated Jones International University in 2003 Summa Cum Laude (with highest honors) and was nominated for the National Dean’s List.  I have a master’s degree in Diplomacy from Norwich University. I graduated youngest in my university with a 3.7 GPA.  I participated in a study abroad program, living in Spain, Germany and Greece.  I studied the Greek language in school and now speak the language fluently.

Entrepreneurial:

 I have practiced real estate for several years, representing house transactions, restaurant transactions, commercial land transactions as well as doing loans. This is basically how I financed my traveling, through my real estate endeavors.  I purchased and owned Frisco’s Downey restaurant (visit www.friscos.com). Through my own marketing initiatives, I had one of California’s top 5 largest Sport Bike Nights. Every Tuesday I had approximately 600 patrons visit this event. I also had around 100-125 patrons visit my Wednesday night Classic Car Show and around 250 patrons visit my Thursday night Harley Davidson Biker Night. I also hosted different classic car show events every Friday and Sunday night, as well as host a live band showing every Saturday night.

Which Countries I’ve Traveled to:

Not only have I visited all the countries listed below, I have also done research and have traveled extensively in most of them. Moreover, in most cases, I have visited on more than one occasion:

Asia & the Middle East-

1. Japan 2. China 3. Singapore 4. Thailand 5. United Arab Emirates 6. Turkey 7. Israel

Australasia-

8. Australia 11766 WILSHIRE BLVD, SUITE 560, LOS ANGELES, CA 90025 PHONE: (310) 477-0197, FAX: (310) 445-0043 E-MAIL:[email protected] 9. New Zealand

Africa-

10. South Africa 11. Morocco

South America-

12. Chile 13. Argentina 14. Uruguay 15. Brazil 16. Ecuador 17. Peru 18. Colombia 19. Curacao (somewhat of a Dutch overseas territory rather than a country though)

Caribbean & North America-

20. Grenada 21. Puerto Rico (US commonwealth but somewhat sovereign nonetheless) 22. Dominican Republic 23. Panama 24. Costa Rica 25. Mexico 26. United States 27. Canada

Europe-

28. Austria 29. Belgium 30. Bosnia and Herzegovina 31. Bulgaria 32. Croatia 33. Cyprus 34. Czech Republic 35. Denmark 36. Estonia 37. Finland 38. France 39. Germany 40. Greece 41. Hungary 42. Ireland 43. Italy 44. Latvia 45. Lithuania 46. Luxembourg 47. Macedonia 48. Monaco 49. Montenegro 50. Netherlands 51. Norway 52. Poland 53. Portugal 54. Romania 55. Russia 56. Serbia 57. Slovenia 58. Spain 59. Sweden 11766 WILSHIRE BLVD, SUITE 560, LOS ANGELES, CA 90025 PHONE: (310) 477-0197, FAX: (310) 445-0043 E-MAIL:[email protected] 60. Switzerland 61. Ukraine 62. United Kingdom 63. Vatican City

My Services

As stated in my introduction, I not only promote tourism but investment and trade as well. Typically when working with tourist boards and/or consulates, my strategy is to first develop a sophisticatedly thorough yet user-friendly website, then have a business convention/fair and finally launch the website. Indeed, this website should function as travelers’ one-stop-shop for all their Romania-related needs. Equally, however, this website should foster trade and investment.

Although billboard ads, documentaries, TV commercials and a sophisticated institutional voice recording phone system are all conducive to the end goal, the key to successful promotion really starts with a user-friendly and technologically advanced website. The bottom line is that this website ultimately needs to reach out and grab web viewers. This website could be linked to other websites such as Lonely Planet, Fodor’s, Rough Guides, Frommer's and even MySpace and Facebook! Moreover, this website should be among the first links to pop up when the words ‘Romania’ and/or ‘Romanian’ are typed into any Google or Yahoo search. I am only providing you with a couple of examples. The right kind of website really creates endless opportunities.

As for being sophisticatedly thorough yet user-friendly, a proper website allows viewers to immediately view exactly what they are seeking by clicking self-explanatory sections. Examples include- but are not limited to-(1) Introduction & Fact File, (2) History, (3) Culture & Etiquette, (4) Festivals & Holidays, (5) Music, (6) Food & Beverages, (7) Health & Safety, (8) Agritourism & Ecotourism, (9) Nature & Wildlife, (10) An Eco-Friendly Government, (11) Scientific Research Programs, (12) Study Abroad Programs, (13) Doing Business in Romania, (14) Exports, (15) Crafts, Arts & Traditional Markets, (16) Real Estate & Retirement, (17) Visa Information, (18) Tourism Statistics, (19) Travel Essentials, (20) Where to Go & Photo Gallery, (21) When to Go, (22) Traveling with Children, (23) Accommodation, (24) Arrival, Departure & Transportation, (25) Maps, (26) Nightlife & Entertainment, (27) Sports & the Outdoors and (28) Contact Us. Most sections should consist of content and imagery and some of them should offer video clips as well.

Following the development of this website, the next strategic move would be to have a business convention/fair. The idea is to link up investors with what Romania has on offer and subsequently sell these investors ‘web space’ on the newly developed website. While the concept of web space is explained later in this proposal, it is important to at least provide an example scenario of how this all works.

Let’s say we set up a “Food & Beverages” section at this convention. At this section, fine Romanian wines are offered. Since we have invited representatives from major supermarkets, they now discover that Romanian wines deserve a stronger presence in their stores’ multiple locations. We ensure them that Romanian wines are made in a sustainable way from local communities that truly benefit from exporting these products. Now we have them sold. In addition to selling them on the idea of importing Romanian wines, we offer to sell them web space under the newly developed website’s “Food & Beverages” section. In other words, in this section, we’d first explain to viewers what fine wines Romania has on offer and then we would provide these viewers with images. We would subsequently list where- such as Whole Foods and Ralphs-people could buy such wines provided that these supermarkets routinely pay for being advertised on the website.

There are so many types of specific investors that I would invite to the convention/fair and of course, it is impossible to list them all in this proposal. Representatives from the History Channel, supermarkets, agritourism and ecotourism agencies, environmental groups, scientific research institutions, public and private universities, real estate companies, hotel investment firms and sporting goods stores are all obvious draws, but there are others as well. To state once again, one of my key services typically involves linking up investors with what a country has on offer and subsequently selling these investors web space on the newly developed website.

How the Romanian Consulate Benefits from the Website

The Romanian Consulate’s most obvious benefit from the website would be having it serve as the nexus of increasing tourism, trade and investment. However, the website would also save the consulate time and money. As an example, fewer brochures and DVDs would need to be mailed out to the public. 11766 WILSHIRE BLVD, SUITE 560, LOS ANGELES, CA 90025 PHONE: (310) 477-0197, FAX: (310) 445-0043 E-MAIL:[email protected] Moreover, most needs would be addressed via the website, thus allowing consulate workers more time to work on other projects.

The Romanian Consulate also benefits by having the website make money. Specifically, we could sell web space. For example, under the website’s ‘Accommodation’ section, we could only list hotels, pensions, etc. that routinely pay to be listed. This, in essence, is the concept behind the selling of web space. To provide a more specific example, let’s consider the ‘Real Estate & Retirement’ section. We could entice viewers to at least consider retiring in Romania by displaying some images and content followed by an alluring video clip of some apple-pie Americans discussing their paradisiacal and relatively inexpensive lifestyle shared with fellow Americans. Following all that, we could list companies that assist with real estate purchases in Romania. Companies such as Re/Max are often willing to pay for such web space.

We could also sell video ads. As stated earlier, we should add short video clips to some of the website’s sections. Take, for example, the section ‘Nightlife & Entertainment’. When compiling a video that gives viewers a taste of nightlife in Romania’s major destinations, we could routinely charge participating clubs and bars to be aired on these video clips. By employing this method, we expose viewers both to Romania’s general nightlife and entertainment and some of its specific hotspots. In the end, everyone wins.

A good project should pay for itself, not just indirectly but often directly as well. However, I can appreciate any budgetary concerns. My pride is not in finding out how much money I can get out of you. My passion is in knowing I always deliver the absolute best product around and most importantly, that I have-even in a small way-helped make the world somewhat of a better place. Nevertheless, we all have budgetary constraints. I would be more than happy to work together to save the consulate money, especially by encouraging the consulate to use its own personnel to gather the necessary data (photography, video clips, hotel and restaurant information, etc.) for any project I am assigned.

At the end of the day, I can tailor my services pursuant to the consulate’s needs. As for quotes, we can do this one of two ways. You could specify what services you would like and I could quote accordingly. Alternatively, you could tell me what the consulate’s budget is and I could provide you with a list of recommended services and their related costs. While the former option is undoubtedly more popular, the latter option tends to be popular with those who work with a very tight budget.

Please rest assure that we need not undertake some huge project with substantial costs. I realize that ultimately, I must gain your confidence and trust. Small projects are fine with me, as long as I know that I am contributing somehow to Romania’s progress in expanding as an investment, trade and tourism center.

Conclusion

Please note that while I do stress the importance of a proper website, my services far exceed web development. As I alluded to earlier in this proposal, I can work with conferences/fairs, billboard ads, documentaries, TV commercials and/or a sophisticated institutional voice recording phone system. Equally, however, I could also work with promoting specific business projects between Romania and the US. The promotional services I offer are really broad and numerous. Please express to me how I can be of assistance and it would be my pleasure to help in any way I can.

Charles Stathoulis [email protected] (562) 964-8555 cellular

Please note that I work with a video and photography specialist who has 17 years experience in the business. To get an idea of his quality photography and video-making, please visit www.yourphotoguy.com Also, I work with a graphic designer who has 11 years experience in the business. To get an idea of his quality web design work, please visit www.noendz.com

11766 WILSHIRE BLVD, SUITE 560, LOS ANGELES, CA 90025 PHONE: (310) 477-0197, FAX: (310) 445-0043 E-MAIL:[email protected]