INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL TRADE FAMS, TRADE SHOWS & EVENTS
INTERNATIONAL FAMS
During March, 2014, the LATCB International Team hosted nine FAMs with international travel trade professionals to promote the destination and LATCB’s members and partners, including three groups from Japan (57), one from France (9), two from Mexico (10), one from Costa Rica (9), one from Brazil (11), and a “Megafam” from Germany (140).
VISIT USA SHOW. COPENHAGEN, DENMARK, MARCH 3
LATCB’s Europe Office exhibited at the USA Travel Show in Copenhagen, Denmark to promote new direct air service to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) from Scandinavia and highlight L.A.’s attractions and activities. More than 250 travel agents and travel journalists from Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland attended the event. Norwegian Airlines announced three new direct routes to LAX from Copenhagen and Stockholm starting in March, and from Oslo starting in June, poised to generate about 182,000 passengers per year. The LATCB team also attended the first of the Scandinavian inaugural flights at Copenhagen Airport (CPH) on March 1.
VISIT CALIFORNIA BRAZIL FAM, MARCH 17-18
LATCB hosted Visit California’s Country Advisory Board VIP group from Brazil March 17-18. American Airlines hosted transportation for seven Brazilian tour operators, owners and general managers. LATCB hosted a business exchange with a welcome from LATCB President & CEO Ernest Wooden Jr., who was recently a guest of American Airlines on their inaugural Los Angeles-Sao Paulo non-stop flight in December. The group visited major Los Angeles attractions and attended the St. Patrick’s Day Los Angeles Kings hockey game.
L.A. DODGERS GAME IN AUSTRALIA, MARCH 22
LATCB’s Australian Office hosted 40 key Australian travel trade and media on Saturday, March 22 in a private suite at the newly revamped Sydney Cricket Ground to watch the Major League Baseball Opening Series game featuring the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Arizona Diamondbacks. The event, held in partnership with Visit West Hollywood & Universal Studios Hollywood, offered an opportunity to showcase the Dodgers, a major Los Angeles tourism attraction, to the Australian market, with a sell-out crowd of 80,000 Aussie baseball fans. The Dodgers won both games in the series, the first MLB event held in Australia. To see an article about the event, click here.
CBI PHARMA FORUM, ORLANDO, FLORIDA. MARCH 23-26
The LATCB Sales Team exhibited at the 10th Annual Pharma Forum Conference in Orlando, Florida March 23-26. The show attracted over 600 attendees, with many of the top pharmaceutical and medical device company meeting planners participating. The forum offered updates and educational tracks pertaining to meeting management issues such as procurement, compliance and the state of the industry. The LATCB booth was busy sharing the latest information about the destination and LATCB members and partners with the numerous planners who had scheduled appointments.
TUI TET MEGAFAM, MARCH 30-APRIL 1
LATCB partnered with TUI Travel and Visit California to have L.A. as the Grand Finale City of their annual TUI Experience Tour group. The travel agents from Germany with the highest volume of sale for TUI USA product and especially California were invited to participate in the California FAM. The group had the opportunity to experience Santa Monica Pier & Pacific Park Amusement Park, a Starline Hop-On, Hop-Off tour, Universal Studios Hollywood, the Original Farmers Market, and a sunset hike at the Griffith Observatory with Bikes and Hikes L.A. Tours followed by dinner at a Hollywood villa that was once Patrick Dempsey’s home in the Hollywood Hills and ending the night exploring the live music venues and clubs on the Sunset Strip.
COMMUNICATIONS
AEROMEXICO & LONDON FAM
The LATCB PR Team parntered with Aeromexico and Beverly Hills CVB to host a FAM trip for journalists from leading Mexican publications, March 6-10. The group explored shopping, dining, juicing, spa and wellness trends, hotels, and entertainment in Hollywood, Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, Downtown, Venice Beach, and toured Los Angeles International Airport’s (LAX) new Tom Bradley International Terminal (TBIT). The publications included Glamour Latin America (circulation 267,575), Glamour Mexico (circulation 138,806), Cosmopolitan Latin America (circulation 225,000), Esquire Latin America (circulation 100,000), Nylon magazine (circulation 216,400) and A Style Guide (circulation 37,000).
AA LONDON FAM
The LATCB PR Team hosted a FAM on March 6 in partnership with American Airlines with journalists from leading U.K. publications, including Centurion / Departures (circulation 122,300), The Mayfair Magazine (circulation 52,000), Buying Business Travel (circulation 18,000), ELLE (circulation 1.13 million), and Peninsula. The journalists visited numerous L.A. attractions and LATCB members and partners on a Starline Tours Hop-On, Hop-Off bus including the TCL Chinese Theatre, Olvera St., Union Station, City Hall, Walt Disney Concert Hall, Broadway's historic theatre district, Staples Center, L.A. LIVE, the GRAMMY Museum, the Fashion District, the Jewelry District, Little Tokyo, Chinatown and Grand Central Market.