Sedona Chamber Newsletter

Chamber News

Western Americana Day Booth Rentals

The City of Sedona, Sedona Chamber of Commerce and the Sedona Airport Authority are jointly promoting Western Americana Day to be held Saturday, September 22nd.  The event will usher back the days of Sedona when it had small town festivals and events like the rodeo, held for years at the Posse Grounds. The event will be an all-day fair with booths, food, children’s activities, entertainment, aircraft on display, and a classic car competition. A letter about the fair from Mayor Colquitt can be read online at www.SedonaFair.com/mayor 

Some sponsorships are still available. Non-profit organizations and Sedona service clubs can also rent tented booths for $150 for the day.  Chamber member companies can rent a booth for $200. Information and forms are online for both the sponsorships and booth space. The event website, www.SedonaFair.com has information and descriptions of the fair along with downloadable forms for participation. To participate, contact Comello Media Services; producer of the event at WAD@comellomedia.com or call 928-862-0210.

Strategies for Success Luncheon Wednesday, July 18

The topic for this month’s Strategies for Success Luncheon is "Using the Internet to Effectively Market Your Products and Services" presented by Joel Gilgoff of Southwest Inn. Lunch is included in the cost ($15 for members and $20 for non-members). The luncheon begins at 11:45 at the Board of Realtors Meeting Room - 55 Sinagua Drive, on Wednesday, July 18, from 11:45 – 1:00 p.m. Call the Chamber for reservations 204-1123 before Tuesday, July 17. Prepayment required.

July Chamber Mixer to be held at Saddlerock Barn Consignments

The Sedona Chamber of Commerce will hold its next networking mixer at Saddlerock Barn Consignments-(164 Coffee Pot Drive, Suite J ) on Thursday, July 26, from 5:30 – 7:00 p.m. Catering will be provided by The Heartline Cafe and background music will be provided by Vibhas. Come to meet new members, network with Sedona professionals, sample delicious food and the opportunity to win great raffle prizes.

In lieu of the entry fee, attendees are asked to bring at least three non-perishable food items to benefit the Sedona Community Food Bank. 

Visitor Center Plaza Sponsorship Opportunities

The Sedona Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce an innovative opportunity for community residents and businesses to reach the thousands of visitors who come to Sedona and visit our Forest Road Visitor Center on an annual basis.  Before the newly remodeled Visitor Center opens in Fall 2007, with new electronic kiosks and a visitor plaza, the Sedona Chamber is offering community members and businesses the opportunity to sponsor pavers and benches in the Visitor Center Plaza. 

Sponsoring a paver or bench is a unique way to reach and leave your mark, in stone, in Sedona, by promoting or commemorating a special service, event or individual.  There are two paver sizes, 6x9 ($150) and 9x12 ($300) and seven benches ($1000) available for sponsorship.  Please click here for detailed information and to secure your place at the Visitor Center.  For additional information please contact Jennifer Wesseloff, President/CEO of the Sedona Chamber of Commerce at jwess@sedonachamber.com or 928-204-1123.

Sedona Chamber Seeks Sponsors for the 2007 Verde Valley Home & Business

Expo!

The Camp Verde, Cottonwood and Sedona Chambers of Commerce are proud to announce the 2007 Verde Valley Home & Business Expo. The show will once again be held at Verde Valley Fairgrounds on Saturday, September 8, 2007 from 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. The Expo provides exhibitors with great networking opportunities to market one-on-one with potential new customers. Over 80 exhibitors participated and approximately 1,200 attendees enjoyed last year's show.

Businesses from Camp Verde , Clarkdale, Cottonwood, Prescott and Sedona (and a few from outside the region) will showcase their products and services. Admission is free and there will be plenty of parking. This year, show organizers anticipate a broad range of businesses from spas, furniture retailers, banks, real estate and insurance agents, and designers as well as entertainment options in the Verde Valley .

Sponsorship packages are now available for this signature event which offers the sponsor an excellent opportunity to gain great exposure. "Click here" to download the sponsorship form.

Click here to download the registration form or call Terry Morales at 928-204-1123 for more information on this event.

Tourism News

Attention all Business Owners; New Employment Legislation Passed in Arizona

With Governor Napolitano signing House Bill 2779 (Fair and Legal Employment Act) into law today, "starting Jan. 1, employers are required to run their employees through the Basic Pilot Program to determine their legal status. Use of the program would act as a sort of immunity for employers facing prosecution under the law." Click here for information on registering as a user and obtaining access to the Basic Pilot Program. 

Mexican Market 101

The Arizona Office of Tourism, along with the Greater Phoenix CVB, City of Chandler, Scottsdale CVB and Tempe CVB are hosting a FREE Mexico 101 seminar on July 18 at the Fire Sky Resort & Spa.   Mexican Market 101 is an opportunity for tourism and hospitality professionals to learn more about the importance of the Mexican market and learn tips on how to promote and sell to Mexico tour operators, travel agencies and meeting planners.  Please contact Ryan Monroe at rmonroe@visitphoenix or 602-452-6242 for additional information.   

Brochure Distribution at Los Angeles Sales Mission

The Sedona-Verde Valley Tourism Council joins the Arizona Office of Tourism's joint annual sales mission to Los Angeles on August 2, 2007.  The purpose of this mission is to continue educating Japanese travel professionals about the destination products of our region to the Los Angeles-based travel professionals of the major Japanese tour companies. The west coast offices of the Japanese tour companies are very influential to their companies in the destination development decision-making process in Japan. Therefore, it is important to educate them about the attractions and services available in the region.  We have seen dramatic increases in destination products of Sedona since 2005.  Many of them focus on nature and the spiritual side of Sedona.  The Japanese market is now seeking product ideas for baby boomers and families for 2008, so it is a great opportunity for us to educate them with what the Sedona and Verde Valley area has to offer.

The Sedona Chamber of Commerce Tourism Bureau will attend this sales mission representing the Sedona-Verde Valley Tourism Council.  If you are interested in brochure distribution at this sales mission, please contact Sachiko Sado at sado@sedonachamber.com or 928-204-1123.  The cost is $50.  We need 110 brochures by Tuesday, July 24. If you are interested in participating in the sales mission, please contact Osamu Hoshino, Japanese Marketing Representative for AOT, at ohoshino@comcast.net or 801-266-3345. 

MLT University

The Arizona Office of Tourism (AOT) is pleased to invite Sedona Chamber members to participate in MLT University, taking place October 8-10, 2007 in St. Paul, Minnesota.  MLT Vacations is a major wholesale tour operator that packages all of the vacations sold by Northwest Airlines. Based in Minneapolis, MN, Northwest is the world’s fifth largest airline and a major carrier out of the mid-western US. Northwest is a member of SkyTeam a global alliance partnership with Aeromexico, Air France, Alitalia, Continental Airlines, Czech Airlines, Delta Air Line, KLM and Korean Air. Northwest and its travel partners service more than 900 cities in excess of 160 countries on six continents, including service to Phoenix and Tucson, AZ.

MLT University is designed to educate their travel agents on product offered in their wholesale programs. MLT invites their preferred travel agents from all over the US, focusing on the states of Minnesota, Michigan, Colorado, Wisconsin, Iowa, North Dakota, and South Dakota, for a three day event that features destination seminars and a tradeshow.  Approximately 1,500 travel agents attend this event. Registration deadline is August 6, 2007.  For details, please click here. 

Prize Packages for Los Angeles Sales Mission – Seminar/Workshop on August 2 and

Golf Tournament on August 4

The Sedona-Verde Valley Tourism Council would like to offer Sedona-Verde Valley Overnight Prize Packages at the Los Angeles Sales Mission.  We will have opportunities to provide prizes for additional exposure at the seminar/workshop on Thursday, August 2 and the golf tournament on Saturday, August 4. 

About 80 tour operators are expected to participate in the seminar/workshop on August 2.  The Arizona Office of Tourism is hosting the top twenty VIPs from the Japanese tour operators in Los Angeles area for a golf outing on August 4, and we are given opportunities to sponsor a hole(s) and provide prizes at the award ceremony.  If you are interested in offering a complimentary overnight stay, activities, and/or meals as a prize, please contact Sachiko Sado at sado@sedonachamber.com or 928-204-1123 by Tuesday, July 24.

Media Leads...

1. Your Life A to Z Advertising Opportunity - In summer 2007, the Sedona Chamber of Commerce would like to partner with member organizations to promote Sedona to Phoenix residents via the Your Life A to Z televised programming.  Your Life A to Z airs Monday through Friday from 9-10 a.m. and follows Good Morning Arizona, the #1 morning newscast in the Phoenix market! 

Together we would like to create 2-4 summer packages featuring an accommodation, restaurant, attraction, etc. in one of each of the 3-5 minute segments.  Partners will be able to discuss their unique service in a relaxed, credible and conversational way.  The offsite segment includes a team of A to Z professionals coming to Sedona and visiting each location to shoot footage for inclusion during a later show.  The highlight of this opportunity is that we can make mistakes, and they will re-shoot.  Plus, they will be in Sedona taping at your place of business.  Cost to participate for four participants is $400.  Please contact Kate Loging at 928-204-1123 or kate@sedonachamber.com for additional information. 

2. Sedona Chamber and Media that Deelivers partner to provide an Advertising Opportunity - In 2008, tourism in Arizona and the Valley will be at an all-time high with nationally publicized events such as the FBR Open, the Bowl Championship Series and Super Bowl XLII.  The Sedona Chamber is working on capitalizing on the increase in visitors to Arizona by offering tourists day trip and extended stay options during their time in Arizona for these spectacular events. 

Media that Deelivers publishes an annual World Class Resorts Collection including Arizona Biltmore, The Boulders, JW Marriott Desert Ridge and the Camelback Inn, JW Marriott Starr Pass Resort,  Pointe Hilton Squaw Peak and Pointe Hilton Tapatio Cliffs, Westin Kierland which are distributed to overnight guests at properties in Phoenix.  Many of these properties have seen an increase in the number of visitors inquiring about Sedona.  To meet their needs, Media that Deelivers will be adding a special feature on Sedona to each of the above publications that reaches 2 million affluent travelers. To learn more about advertising with Media that Deelivers and to receive a 25% discount, please contact Keri McDougald (kmcdougald@mediathatdeelivers.com) at 480-460-5203 x 235 or Michele Berg (mberg@mediathatdeelivers.com) at 480-460-5203 x 308.   

Sedona in the News...

Submit Sedona photos for America the Beautiful - The Sedona Chamber of Commerce requests your assistance in submitting photos of Sedona for MSNBC's hunt for the top 10 most beautiful places in the United States.  If a Sedona photo is chosen, they will broadcast America the Beautiful from our hot spot.  Please click on this link to submit your mesmerizing snapshots of Sedona. 

Sedona Featured on Live with Regis & Kelly - Recently, Kelly of Live with Regis and Kelly, vacationed in Sedona, AZ.  After returning to New York, she shared her experience with daytime viewers.  Click here to view this segment. 

Click here to see Sedona in the News: MSN.com , News.Google.com. Listen to this recent audio profile that KJZZ the NPR affiliate in Phoenix did on The Amitabha Stupa in Sedona.

Zink Magazine featured Sedona in their summer 2007 issue, click here to view the Summer Getaway article. Sedona was also recently featured in NUVO magazine, click here to view the women’s and men’s fashions from their shoot here in April.   

Requesting Calendar of Event Information for Website
The Sedona Chamber of Commerce Tourism Bureau is requesting event information to be posted on the calendar of events on www.VisitSedona.com. This is a FREE opportunity to be seen by more than 800,000 website visitors per year. To submit your event, visit www.SedonaChamber.com and click on 'Event Calendar.'

Industry News.....

TripAdvisor Names Top 10 U.S. Attractions – Grand Canyon No. 4

TripAdvisor announced the top 10 attractions in the United States, according to traveler popularity and TripAdvisor editors. And the No. 1 place was no surprise: Orlando, Fl. "Although Orlando's attractions top the list again in 2007, there are some newcomers to the top 10 this year, including Central Park, Alcatraz and the Bellagio Fountains," said Michele Perry, director of communications for TripAdvisor. "Between Universal Studios, Sea World, Discovery Cove and the home of a particularly famous mouse, Orlando is the Mecca of attractions," TripAdvisor said. The runner-up at No. 2 was Cirque du Soleil in Las Vegas for its "contemporary, hip circus." No. 3 was a 60-mile stretch connecting Hana to Maui, in Hawaii, which the site says "stuns with its spectacular views and natural adornments, including magnificent waterfalls, beaches and the 'Seven Sacred Pools' – just make sure to keep your eyes on the road." No. 4 was the Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona, described as "one of the 'Seven Natural Wonders of the World," and "perhaps the most famous hiking destination in the United States with outstanding hiking trails to the base of the canyon." Others on the list were Central Park in New York City, the former Alcatraz prison in San Francisco, the Top of the Rock Observation Deck in New York, the Monterey Bay Aquarium, The "water-ful" fountains at the Bellagio in Las Vegas, and Animal Kingdom at the San Diego Zoo. (TravelMole.com, July 5)

Travel Agent Business on the Upswing

The latest to find that travel agents are not only alive but possibly thriving is The New York Times, which wrote: "Yes, they still exist, those people who until the mid-1990s booked about 75 percent of airline tickets and had as much power as God but then seemed at risk of extinction. In fact, many travel agents – or travel specialists, as they are now known – say they have seen an increase in business in the last year or so." One major reason is that travelers say they do not have the time or energy to scour the internet for the best deals. Agent clients also crave a personal touch that a disembodied voice in a call center cannot provide. Allen Kay, a spokesman for the Travel Industry Association, a trade group based in Washington, said travel agencies had realigned in the face of competition from online booking. "Travel agencies have gone back to their roots and focused on expertise," he said. This is not to say that online travel booking is on the decline. Henry H. Harteveldt, a travel analyst at Forrester Research, said about 77 million of the nearly 141 million American adults who use the Internet and take at least one trip a year will buy their tickets online this year, up from 62.4 million in 2005. (TravelMole.com, July 5)

Film Office

“How to Be an Extra” Seminar sponsored by the Sedona Film Office –Wednesday,

July 25.

In preparation for upcoming productions in Sedona, the Sedona Film Office is holding an extras casting workshop on Wednesday, July 25, from 6:30-8:30 PM at the Zaki Gordon Institute for Independent Filmmaking, Yavapai College Sedona Center for Arts & Technology. The class will instruct you about expectations on and off the set, production hierarchy & etiquette as well as answer frequently asked questions on becoming an actor-background and beyond-for commercials, movies and television shows.

About the Instructor: Faith Hibbs-Clark is a proud member of the Casting Society of America (CSA) and owner and head casting director for Good Faith Casting, with offices in Los Angeles and Phoenix. Arizona casting credits include Jarhead, The Whistler, Wild Seven, Black Cloud directed by Rick Schroder, and more recently The Savages starring Phillip Seymour Hoffmann and Laura Linney, and Kids in America starring Topher Grace (That 70’s Show). Faith has also cast numerous programs for the History Channel and was head of local casting for the TV series Hidden Palms that was shot on location in the Phoenix area and can currently be seen on the CW network. Faith also sports a long list of commercial credits including Lowe's, CompUSA, Wrigleys, Honda, and an Emmy-nominated Monday Night Football promo starring Leslie Nielsen -- and the list goes on! To learn more about Faith, visit her website at www.goodfaithcasting.com or check her out on the Internet Movie Data Base at http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1709908/

As part of the workshop, your photo will be taken and pertinent info collected which will then be added to Faith’s actor database. There will also be local professionals on hand to share their experience and assist with the seminar. Light refreshments will be served. Cost is $10. Age 16 & older only please. To register, call the Sedona Chamber of Commerce at 928-204-1123. For any questions, please email Judy Schultz at the Sedona Film Office at judy@sedonafilmoffice.com or call the Sedona Film Office at 928-204-1123. Registration and payment deadline is Friday, July 20. Space is limited, so sign up early for this fun and informative class!

Visitor Center News

Visitor Center Scheduling Open House Events for 2007

The primary purpose of the open house for Visitor Center Volunteers is to showcase member services and facilities in order to enhance and/or develop the volunteers' knowledge and awareness of your business. The open house will lead to new business opportunities for our members through Visitor Center referrals.

If you are a new Chamber member, have just finished remodeling, added new goods or services, or just want to familiarize the Visitor Center staff and volunteers with your wonderful business, please contact Sharon Ericksen at the Uptown Visitors Center, 928- 282-7722, to set up an Open House.  It's a great way for us to get to know each other better!

Have Interesting or Unusual Facts About your Business? Share them with us!

If you have some interesting or unusual facts to share about your business, (for example historic, or a special service you offer) please contact the Visitor Center staff at 928-282-7722! It will be included in the monthly volunteer newsletter. The more we know about you, the better we can serve you!