Your ad on the GMCVB Web site can connect with more than 63,132 visitors for as little as $115 / month! Space is available on the Home Page as well as pages for “Eat” (Dining and Night Club listings), “Stay” (accommodation listings), “Shop” (retail establishments) and “Play” (area events and attractions).

• Your ad links directly to your Web site!
• Print, billboard and online advertising with over 7 million impressions and circulations will direct your audience to the Web site!
• Up to 15 e-blasts and 8 e-newsletters annually inviting thousands of potential visitors back to tourmorgantown.com!
• tourmorgantown.com offers a .mobi version accessible by mobile devices!

For more information, call Cindy Coffindaffer at 304-292-5081, or 1-800-458-7373, or e-mail at ccoffindaffer@tourmorgantown.com.

The Greater Morgantown CVB, CVB of Marion County, Greater Bridgeport CVB and Lewis County CVB have partnered to implement a Regional Canadian Marketing Campaign.

In 2009, 349,000 Canadians visited West Virginia; 70% traveled south via automobile. The goal for this marketing campaign is to promote lodging and attractions along the I-79 corridor through discount coupon books.

Representatives from the four counties will distribute discount coupon books to Canadian travelers during the National Women's Show in Toronto, Canada on Nov. 5-7, 2010 as well as the Snowbird Travel Show in Florida in Jan. 2011. The CVB delegation will distribute the discount coupon books to Canadian Automobile Association offices in the Toronto area. Advertising in the Toronto Star newspaper and in the National Women's Show program guide will encourage Canadian travelers to request a coupon book at the show or online. Discount coupon books will also be available at Visitors' Centers and Welcome Centers along I-79 in the four-county area during the fall and spring.

To purchase a coupon contact Penny Weidner at 304-292-5081, or e-mail at pweidner@tourmorgantown.com.

In July, 75,000 issues of the 2010 Visitors Guide for Greater Morgantown were printed. More than 20,000 have been distributed through August. The 56-page publication is an essential piece for travelers to the area. In addition to highlighting the natural, historical, artistic and sporting attractions throughout Greater Morgantown, the guide includes a calendar of events, visitors’ resources, dining and lodging listings, maps, and itineraries.

Greater Morgantown CVB Executive Director/CEO Peggy Myers-Smith and Marketing Director Cindy Coffindaffer attended Southeast Tourism Society Marketing College July 25 - 30.

Myers-Smith, a 2010 graduate of the program, completed the three-year course to earn certification as a “Travel Marketing Professional” (TMP). Less than 600 individuals have attained the TMP designation. Myers-Smith is expanding the basic TMP certification with a specialty in Festivals and Events. Coffindaffer has completed her second year.

The STS Marketing College is a professional development program that for one week each summer turns the facilities of North Georgia College and State University in Dahlonega, Ga., into a laboratory to teach tourism marketing. .

Plan to attend “Hospitality Mountaineer Style” by Rita Suiter of Five Star Customer Service Strategies. Suiter is a customer service specialist who has worked with travel, health care and public related businesses to help create better customer service techniques and practices.

Complete the Workshop and Receive

• 5 Star Customer Service Certificate
• Your Company Listed on the GMCVB Web Site as a Local 5 Star Business
• 5 Star Customer Service Office Window Decal

Morgantown Workshop
Wednesday, Sept. 15, 2010
The Erickson Alumni Center
Registration 8:00-8:30 am
Workshop 8:30-10:00 am
Cost: $10/person | $8 for Morgantown Area Chamber of Commerce Members
Download the Registration Form or call (304) 292-5081
Sponsored by the Morgantown Chamber of Commerce and the Dominion Post.

Preston County Workshop
Thursday, Sept. 16, 2010 Camp Dawson
Breakfast 8:00 - 8:30 am
Workshop 8:30 - 10 am
Registration required to attend the FREE workshop, contact Preston County Visitors’ Center (304) 329-4660
Sponsored by Preston County Chamber of Commerce.

The GMCVB welcomes the Governor’s Conference on Tourism to Morgantown Monday, Sept. 20 - Wednesday, Sept. 22 at the Waterfront Place Hotel. Professionals in the hospitality and tourism industry as well as delegates from West Virginia Convention and Visitors Bureaus and the West Virginia Division of Tourism Commissioners will attend the three day event. Doug Lansky, National Geographic Award Winning Author and Travel Expert, and Jeff Slutsky, author of Street Fighter Marketing, are featured speakers on Tuesday’s agenda.

A “MountainFest” themed reception for attendees will be hosted by GMCVB on Monday evening.

For more information on how to register or attend log onto www.callwva.com

A recent Cintas Corporation (NASDAQ: CTAS) survey conducted by telephone by Harris Interactive® among 1,009 U.S. adults ages 18 and older revealed what is most likely to prevent a consumer from rebooking with a hotel. Eighty-five percent of U.S. adults said they would not rebook at a hotel if there are dirty floors in the guest room, lobby or entryways. In addition, 80 percent of adults indicated dirty lobby restrooms as a turnoff.

View this Eblast online