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Thanks, Curtis Fong, for another great Tour de Tahoe cycling event! 1,800 riders – most of them destination visitors staying and spending in South Shore spun through town this weekend for the ‘round the lake ride, boosting what is typically a sleepier September weekend for us. I love this ride, and this year, looking at it from the LTVA perspective, I was careful to watch and listen to what these visitors were experiencing – some seeing the spectacular lake views from numerous viewpoints for the very first time. I can’t tell you how many pictures were snapped, but the social media channels had to be on fire on Sunday with Facebook posts. We forget how impactful our home is to those just spinning in and out, so hearing the ooh’s and ah’s made me smile and remember just how lucky we are. And this year, Curtis brought another very cool element into the ride to support the National Youth Diabetes Research Foundation. A monumental effort to sustain the Tour de Tahoe year after year and we appreciate how this event distinguishes and defines Lake Tahoe as a premier cycling destination.
On to other events – because you’ll recall that’s a major focus for the LTVA these days. The inaugural Lake Tahoe Restaurant Week just wrapped up and initial feedback deems it a success. We’ll have more information regarding restaurant activity soon. In the meantime, initial conversations around the lake point to gaining momentum for year two and with Sample the Sierra, Lake Tahoe Restaurant Week, North Shore’s Autumn Food and Wine Festival and Harrah’s Lake Tahoe Food and Wine Festival, we suddenly have a month (or more) of culinary events to boast as a region. Iron Girl, another inaugural, takes place on Sunday, with the swim of this sprint triathlon beginning at 7:30AM at Lakeside Marina. If you’re a business operator in town, please be aware of the traffic plan in place for this event and tell your guests to share the road with 500+ women who will be riding and running in the Stateline area between 8AM and 11AM. There will be no road closures. Traffic lights will be set on red blink from Park Avenue and Highway 50 to Zephyr Cove. Uniformed officers will manage the intersections with lights and athletes will have the right of way. The bike course will run from Harveys Amphitheater to Cave Rock and back. The two inside lanes (lanes closest to the middle of the road) on Highway 50 will be barricaded and for bike athletes only. Business driveways and streets without lights will be staffed by volunteers to assist motorists. The run course is mainly on “Upper and Lower Loop Road.” The lane adjacent to Horizon, Harveys, Heavenly Village and the Embassy, Harrah’s and MontBleu parking lots will be barricaded and for run athletes only. Traffic will be one way, counterclockwise. The map is posted on www.ltva.org.
And don’t forget Lake Tahoe Marathon week, neatly wrapping up our September sports events for this season. Les Wright tells us he’s still accepting registrations on line for the numerous events peppering the week with fun and friendly competition for all ages. With over 3,000, this event is undoubtedly a Tahoe tradition and draws visitors from all parts of the country – really. I’ve been at the Expo and on the bus transport to the start line and it’s another great reality check about who’s digging into their pockets to enjoy a well-deserved getaway and an experience they’ll enthusiastically recommend to their friends. If you’re a lodging operator, it should be a no-brainer that your website and your frontline staff should use these events to entice a perspective customer to come and partake.
Last but definitely not least: our South Shore partners have an incredible and affordable opportunity to reach over 3 million travelers through our partnership with the Reno-Tahoe Airport and Southwest Airlines. Southwest and the Airport celebrate a 20 year partnership in November and Spirit Magazine will dedicate its November 2010 issue to a Lake Tahoe lifestyle section. The LTVA has negotiated a two page spread with 2/3 of a page featuring South Shore specific editorial. The typical rate for this spread would be approximately $55,000. The magazine is distributed on all Southwest flights across the nation and reaches an affluent audience with an average household income of $108,000
LTVA Partner Deal/Opportunity
Ad Unit: Logo and URL on 1/3 page vertical ad to be shared with up to 5 partners
Audience: 3,202,000
CPM: $0.31
Cost per partner to participate: $1,000
Added Value
Along with the special section in Spirit Magazine, Southwest will be hosting a celebration at the Reno airport on Monday, November 15th from 9am – 1 pm to commemorate the anniversary. The flights coming into Reno will be originating from the following cities:
- Las Vegas
- Phoenix
- San Diego
- Burbank
- San Jose
We worked with Southwest to create a customized added-value opportunity. The LTVA will reach the Reno-bound passengers at their originating airport when they are most receptive to our messaging. Travelers are a captive audience when waiting at the gate to board the plane for their flight, but when they land everyone is in a rush to get their bags and get out of the airport. By reaching passengers before they get on the plane they will have time to truly absorb the information. Gate games, featuring Lake Tahoe South Shore trivia and destination prizes (overnight stays, activities, etc), will drive additional awareness for our partners.
The deadline for participation is Monday, September 20 at Noon. Complete the insertion order today to take advantage of this terrific opportunity. Participation is limited to the first 5 businesses who respond.
Carol Chaplin, Executive Director, Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority
California
