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John Calvin DATE: August 7, 2003 FROM: Patricia Van Gerpen

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John Calvin DATE: August 7, 2003 FROM: Patricia Van Gerpen MEMORANDUM TO: John Calvin DATE: August 7, 2003 FROM: Patricia Van Gerpen SUBJECT: Tourism’s July Monthly Status Report Rural Tourism Development Participated in a planning meeting regarding the Value Added Ag Conference taking place in March 2004 in Brookings. Will give presentation on agri-tourism. Was invited to speak to the attendees of the Women in Blue Jean’s Conference in Mitchell, January 2004, on agri-tourism. Spoke with contact from Selby regarding a presentation in August on fall happenings in the state. Public Relations Completed report on the “Have You Been To … ?” campaign held during National Tourism Week. Reviewed passport game cards. Began planning for the 2004 campaign. Continued working with the National Cowboy Mounted Shooting (NCMS) Championships set for June 2004. Provided additional South Dakota information to be used in their publications. Continued discussing further promotional opportunities for the event, which will draw more than 200 competitors, their families, and a number of vendors. Lined up itinerary for the American Profile: Lewis and Clark (NPR) show, and working to find colorful characters to interview. Producer and host to be in South Dakota in August. Contacted media to generate interest in covering the Buffalo Roundup. Began building an itinerary for Buffalo Roundup media tour, including a custom itinerary for Endless Vacations. Hosted the Washington Times on a trip across South Dakota. Interviewed and/or provided information to Insider’s Guide to South Dakota, Sioux Falls Argus Leader, Men’s Journal, Aberdeen American News, Family Travel Network, Federal Reserve Bank, Discover America, KSDR AM (Watertown), KYNT AM (Yankton), KOTA AM (Rapid City), KLGR AM (Redwood Falls, Minnesota), Midwest Living, Unlimited Magazine, Oxbridge Communications of New York, CBS News New York, Fox News 11 LA, Fox News in New York, Armed Forces Network, Dallas Morning News, Timber Lake Topic, TL Enterprises, and a book author. Secured tracking service for the satellite feed of the Jazz Fest in Sioux Falls. Press hits with circulation and estimated ad equivalence: Aberdeen American News (18,000) two articles for ad equivalence of $214; Rapid City Journal (35,465) four articles for ad equivalence of $1,240; Sioux Falls Argus Leader (73,167) three articles for ad equivalence of $365; and Capital Journal (4,636) two articles for ad equivalence of $49. Total ad equivalence is $1,868. Group Tour Continued to work to bring toursdakota.com live. Finalized plans and sent meeting information for pre-convention caucus in Pierre in September to South Dakota’s 63 members of the National Tour Association (NTA) and the American Bus Association (ABA). Researched and requested 60 appointments with tour operators for the NTA fall annual convention meeting. Sent NTA postcards with South Dakota delegates’ names to all 865 NTA members. Drafted itinerary for representative of All West Coach Lines/A Coach USA Company, California for a trip in July to Hill City, Black Hills, Badlands, Rapid City, and Deadwood. Met with representative of a museum in northeast South Dakota to discuss promotional ideas for group tours. Attended Legislative Forum where Manitoba, North Dakota, Minnesota, and South Dakota unveiled the new 2Nations Tourism promotion program with itineraries. Sent information on 2Nation Tours to 40 travel trade publications. Secured rooms in Rapid City for Osamu Hoshino’s hosting in September for a group from Japan. Returned proof-book of Buffalo Roundup to an Italian author who is in the process of finding a publisher for her book. Prepared itinerary for a journalist from the United Kingdom, writing for Global magazine and Living Abroad magazine, for late July to include Rapid City, Custer, Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, Deadwood, Black Hills, Badlands, and Pierre. Prepared itinerary for an Australian travel writer and author living in New York. He will be visiting Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, Badlands, Rapid City, Black Hills, and Deadwood. Edited South Dakota’s portion of Rocky Mountain International’s publication, Real America Guide. Sent requested information to Vicky Troy, Virginia; Carrie Bremer, Oregon; Cindy Walker, Texas; Frankenmuth Travel Service, Michigan; Car & Travel Tours, Pennsylvania; Caravan Tours, Illinois; Scott Carter, Missouri; Nationwide Travelers Tours, Inc., Wisconsin; Cruise, Tour & Travel Expo, Minnesota; The Jewels International, South Dakota; Happy Time Tours, Ltd. and UTA – Reisen, Canada; Gerrit Postma and Jacob Van Splunter, The Netherlands; Titan Hi Tours, United Kingdom; and Laeskijen, Norway. AAA/CAA Fulfilled requests for travel information from offices in Colorado, Iowa, Idaho, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, Nebraska, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, South Dakota and Canada. Sent invitations to 80 AAA offices announcing a tour in September. Outdoors Edited first mock-up and coordinated review of birding trail guide by members of the steering committee. Plan to have the guidebook printed by early September. Edited first mock-up of updated Adventure Travel Guide. Wrote cut-lines for all photos in the book. Upcoming Outdoors Hostings: Lined up fishing location and Lewis and Clark site visits for the Northland Adventures television series. Show filmed in late July, and airing planned for early August. Secured dates and locations for the Benelli’s American Safari and A Dog’s Life television series’ filming in November. Winchester, Ruger and Browning Fall Shoot Hunt will take place at Goose Lake Management near Corsica for 17 to 20 writers and company representatives in November. Continued making initial contact with participants. Began making arrangements for a co-sponsored goose hunt with Cabela’s in December for five to six writers. Lined up locations and writers for a mid-season duck hunt in northeast South Dakota. Writers will represent WildFowl, Racine Journal Times (Wisconsin), Sports Afield, and Gun Dog. Continued work on travel and personality arrangements for Field and Stream Radio. Show will broadcast during the Ringneck Festival in Huron. Continued work on Hunting with Hank; Upland Days with Dash and Dez; and Dez Young’s Wingshooter’s Journal, all television, for a pheasant hunt in the Pierre area. Worked with Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World (BPSOW) editor on a waterfowl and upland hunt in Marshall and Brown counties. Teddy Roosevelt Conservation Association Show to film in the Pierre area in October. Worked on schedule for the shoot. Writer for Bowhunting Times, Whitetail Journal, Bowhunt America, and Wheeling Sportsman will hunt antelope, deer, and grouse near Buffalo in September and October. Working with Outdoor Expeditions International to line up a television program shoot as well as an outdoor writer hosting in the Pierre area for late October. Lined up hunt for Whitetail Adventures television program (Outdoor Channel) for deer in Harding County in November. Sent letters to 534 landowners and hunting guides/outfitters statewide regarding late-season pheasant hunting opportunities and promotional programs Tourism offers. Set up tours of the Capitol and Cultural Heritage Center for attendees of the Varmint Hunters Association annual conference. Interviewed and provided information to Safari magazine; pheasantcountry.com; Precision Angling; Omaha World Herald; Outside; Gun Dog; Pointing Dog Journal; and Retrieving Dog Journal. Was a guest on “The Outdoor Connection” on KODY-Nebraska, for a live interview which was re-aired twice. Covered general fishing, hunting, and camping in South Dakota. Mailed press kits/information to WHO Radio, Iowa; a freelance writer from New York City; a children’s author from West Virginia; North American Media Group, Minnesota; and a freelance writer from British Columbia. Fulfilled requests for information as a result of the Outdoor News mailing. Film Office Created “production packet” request form on filmsd.com. Contacted by a film studio regarding a feature film. They were looking for specific cityscapes in central and western South Dakota. Contacted by a production studio regarding farmscapes for a feature film. Sent them production packets and several locations in eastern South Dakota. Contacted by a Los Angeles film studio regarding locations for a feature film project. Two individuals for the studio scouted South Dakota in July. Took another filmmaker from Minneapolis on a location scout for an independent feature film. He will be coming back to South Dakota for the Sturgis Rally as the film centers around this event. Contacted by a production studio in Los Angeles regarding crew and helicopter services in the Black Hills. They are shooting a documentary on the Sturgis Rally for the Discovery Channel. Contacted by HBO regarding their “Deadwood” series. A location scout for the project scouted the end of July. Attended the 2003 ReWind International Media Festival in Rapid City. This festival is for micro-cinema movie makers and fans. This event is in its third year, and it has grown by 400% in three years. Many of the filmmakers are in attendance, which gives the audience a unique opportunity to discuss films and filmmaking with up-and-coming industry members. Presented seminar with the focus on small budget movie making, the Black Hill's film community, the potential to grow, and digital filmmaking. Researched several old movies that were shot in South Dakota for a documentary. Currently looking for copies of these movies. Information Centers For June, the car count at the Information Centers was up 11.6 percent over June 2002, for the highest June count on record. Car count for Canadian visitors was up 11.7 percent, and it was up 8.9 percent for international visitors over the previous June. There were 130 motorcoaches/buses, 16 were international. Travel tape and CD loans were up 13.2 percent over June 2002. Following are examples of comments from visitors’ comment cards” “This is the first rest stop in my years of traveling where there are wonderful people here to help/assist you plan your vacation and see all there is to see.” St. Louis, Missouri “Your staff is wonderful to visitors. The staff is well informed, helpful and friendly.
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