MONTHLY MEASURE
Click here for the latest Monthly Measure, an executive summary of the recent performance activity from the San Antonio Convention & Visitors Bureau. Detailed information includes several local and national industry barometers.

NTW08 CLASS PICTURE

This year's National Tourism Week was certainly something to smile about! The CE Group captured this picture of the attendees at the NTW Presentation and Reception on Thursday, May 22 at the Pearl Stable.

(Click on the image to see a larger picture)

Photo Courtesy: Photographer Shane Kyle of The CE Group Communications Division.

We wish to acknowledge our partners who helped make this event happen:

More pictures from National Tourism Week 2008 events are on our website. We hope to see you at next year's events!

FINAL FOUR BID

The San Antonio Sports Foundation and the San Antonio Local Organizing Committee (SALOC) submitted the bids for the next round of Men's and Women's Final Four® last month- now we must wait until August for the NCAA to pick the finalist cities. Each city on the shortlist will make a final presentation to the NCAA in November with the selections to be announced later that month. The Men's bid includes 2012-2016, while the Women's bid consists of years 2012, 2014, 2015 and 2016. San Antonio is slated to host the 2010 Women's Finals.

AIRPORT EXPANSION UPDATE

With the expanded parking facilities already complete, the expansion at San Antonio International Airport continues to make headway. A temporary road is now in place in front of Terminal 2 to make way for a two-tier roadway system which will eventually link all three terminals. Construction for this double-deck road is expected to wrap up next fall. You can also expect to see beams and walls going up for the new "Terminal B" - an 8-gate facility that's being constructed between Terminal 1 and 2. Once completed, Terminal B will replace Terminal Two, which is slated for demolition. "Terminal C" will go up next to the Terminal Two footprint and will house five gates, but is designed to accommodate eleven gates for future growth. All construction is expected to be completed in 2012.

Another welcome change at the airport - free wireless fidelity service, or Wi-Fi. Since the July 4th holiday, all public areas in both terminals including gate areas, concourses and lobby areas, are Wi-Fi hot spots. The next phase is to extend the coverage to the cell phone waiting lot and to Stinson Municipal Airport.

Visit the City of San Antonio Aviation website for construction updates.

RISING CAB FARES

For the first time in four years general taxi cab rates are going up. The San Antonio City Council approved a taxi rate increase which took effect June 30, 2008. While prices have gone up, San Antonio fares remain competitive with other cities. See table below for a rate breakdown.

In addition, taxi cab drivers can now charge the customer a $1.00 airport departure fee on their meters. The fuel surcharge (which went down $0.10 in October) will be reviewed every 45 days and by March 1 of every even year. The fuel surcharge varies according to the average gas price. For example, if the average gas price falls between $4.00 - $4.19, the gas surcharge will be $0.40 per mile. If the average gas price is $4.20 - $4.49, the gas surcharge will be $0.45.

LATEST ON VISITOR INDUSTRY

What is the forecast for future bookings at the Convention Center? How does San Antonio compare to Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston and Austin? For answers to these questions and an overview of the city's visitor industry click here. You'll find a link to the presentation CVB Executive Director Scott White and Mike Sawaya, Director of the Convention Sports & Entertainment Department provided at a June 24th luncheon of the San Antonio Hotel & Lodging Association (SAHLA). The presentation's Q & A format includes information about the CVB's marketing push for summer leisure travel and plans for future convention center improvements.

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CONTEMPORARY ART MONTH

CAM - Contemporary Art Month - is the nation's only annual, month-long, city-wide celebration of the contemporary arts. CAM's goal is to foster, showcase, and promote the contemporary arts in all it's forms. With over 500 local, national and international artists participating through July 31, CAM welcomes cutting-edge talent from all over the globe to participate in the vibrant art community of San Antonio. For a complete CAM calendar, visit www.visitsanantonio.com.

ART IN THE GARDEN

Coinciding with Contemporary Art Month in San Antonio, the San Antonio Botanical Garden and Blue Star Contemporary Art Center announce the fifth annual Art in the Garden. This year, the exhibit features the colorful, large scale ceramic works of local sculptor Susan Budge and continues with the contemporary sculptures of James Surls. Budge’s “Myths Magic and Mysteries” exhibit opened July 10. Her pieces will join James Surls’ work displayed in the Lucile Halsell Conservatory area of the Garden.

Click here for a complete list of events from the SACVB website.

FAST & FURIOUS: DIGNOWITY PUSHCART DERBY

Local artist Cruz Ortiz invites all San Antonians to channel their creative juices to build pushcarts and race in the fourth annual Dignowity Hill Pushcart Derby. Pushcart Teams of three people compete for glory as they race their unique works of mobile art on the park just east of downtown. Categories include speed (and lack of) and creativity in design. Ortiz hopes this public art event will continue to strengthen the east-side community by demonstrating the neighborhood's beauty and pride. For a registration form please contact Derby Manager Mary Cantu by email or phone: 210-274-5409

4th Annual Dignowity Hill Pushcart Derby
Saturday, July 26, 5:00p.m. - 8:00p.m. (rain or shine)
Dignowity Hill Park
700 Nolan, San Antonio, TX 78202
(Corner of Nolan and Hackberry Streets)

Schedule of events
5:00 p.m. Food, fun and registration
5:30 p.m. Opening Ceremony
6:00-6:45 p.m. Drag Races
6:45-7:45 p.m. Track Races
7:45-8:00p.m. Awards Ceremony & Closing Remarks

MEXICO AT THE MUSEO

The rich heritage and culture of many American regions have deep roots in the traditions and influences of Mexico. Here in San Antonio, our southern neighbor has positively impacted the city's art, architecture, cuisine, music, literature and language for hundreds of years. Beginning this summer, the Museo Alameda explores this unparalleled cultural relationship through "Mexico at the Museo," an eight-month exhibition series featuring Mexican art, history and culture from the 16th century to modern times. Escultura Social: A New Generation of Art From The three-part program kick starts an early celebration of two key events in 2010: the 200th anniversary of Mexico's independence from Spain, and the 100th anniversary of the Mexican Revolution. We invite you to explore these remarkable exhibits reflecting on the historic nature of this ongoing cross-cultural exchange.

Mexico City:
July 31, 2008-October 26, 2008

The African Presence in Mexico: From Yanga to the Present:
November 12, 2008-February 22, 2009

Visit the Museo Alameda's website for more information.

THE GENIUS OF LEONARDO


The world's largest interactive exhibition of Leonardo da Vinci's inventions makes its U.S. debut at the Witte Museum. "The Genius of Leonardo: Machines in Motion" features 40 life-sized and operational machines constructed from Leonardo's designs. Far ahead of his time, da Vinci solved practical problems and designed the precursors of modern day machinery such as the tank, machine gun and aircraft. The materials used in construction - wood, rope and glue- were all crafted by hand as they would have been in Leonardo's era. Virtual reality "Apprentices" emerge from renaissance style paintings to explain the machines and also guide visitors to "Leonardo's Workshop" to try their own hand at inventing. The exhibit runs through September 7, 2008. There will be a $3 surcharge for this exhibition. Visit our website for more information.

Have an event to submit to the CVB web calendar? Click here for the submission form.

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KEEPING TABI ON S.A.

TABI, the oldest and most respected Japanese women's magazine, chose San Antonio as one of only three Texas locations for an upcoming travel article set for August 2008. Evelynn Bailey of the SACVB Communications Division hosted the editor, photographer and official translator for two-plus days of authentic San Antonio places, people and pride. Many thanks to our partners for helping make it a memorable experience: Omni La Mansion Hotel, Watermark Spa and Hotel, the Alamo, The Shops at La Cantera, Museo Alameda, San Fernando Cathedral, Blue Star Contemporary Art Space, Buckhorn Saloon & Museum, Madhatter's Tea House & Café and Mi Tierra Café & Bakery.

S.A.V.E. YOUR SUMMER MEDIA BLITZ A HIT!

The SACVB Communications team set out on a two-city media blitz to promote S.A.V.E., the San Antonio Vacation Experience. Communications Manager, Tonya Hope, along with a few SeaWorld San Antonio friends (a python, lemur, bearded dragon and hornbill) flew to Denver while Director of Communications, Dee Dee Poteete, led a whirlwind trip to nearby neighbor Oklahoma City. The two-city blitz garnered $100K in media value and promotions, providing 20 interviews/meetings with radio, print and television. The summer push also included special news releases and media outreaches to key drive markets.

Pictured right: Denver children holding SeaWorld San Antonio’s python at the KBPI-FM radio station.

MIDWEST TRAVEL WRITERS, COME ON DOWN!

The SACVB shared highlights of San Antonio with over 70 travel writers during the Midwest Travel Writers Association meeting in Amarillo (June 4-8). This was a great opportunity to partner with the Amarillo CVB to get the word out about San Antonio as a diverse and fun-filled destination.

TIP TOP CAFE ON FOOD NETWORK

It's one of the oldest family-owned restaurants in Texas and now the rest of the U.S. knows about Tip Top Cafe thanks to the Food Network. "Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives" host Guy Fieri learns some finger-licking family recipes that have made the diner a favorite with locals since 1938. The segment is six minutes is scheduled to air a total of 10 times until end of July.

GETTING READY TO HOST NATION'S ’s PREMIER TRAVEL MEDIA

May 14-17, 2008, Communications Director, Dee Dee Poteete, promoted San Antonio’s attractions and events to the Society of American Travel Writers (SATW), the premier organization of travel media in the United States, for their Central States Meeting in Rapid City, South Dakota. The SACVB will be offering two pre-fams and one post-fam trip to San Antonio during SATW’s national meeting in Houston during October. This made Rapid City an ideal opportunity to provide information about those fams and encourage participation from travel writers and photographers.

DON'T MISS SAN ANTONIO IN THE NEWS!

Log on to www.visitsanantonio.com/san-antonio-in-the-news/index.aspx to see the latest publications and television shows that are talking about San Antonio! Recently posted hits include The New York Times’ article “31 Places to go this Summer,” the NBC Today Show segment naming San Antonio as “one of the nation’s five friendliest cities” and a spot on the Food Network show, "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives," which highlighted local favorite Tip Top Café.

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BUILDING THE BRAND

The Marketing Department continues to build the brand and create demand for San Antonio with collateral, e-marketing, and more ads in key publications. The month of June included over 55 pages of exposure and over 29 million impressions! June ads appeared in these consumer magazines: American Legacy, Bridal Guide, Budget Travel, Conde Nast Traveler, Departures, DreamScapes, GO Magazine (AirTran), Links Magazine, Texas Monthly, Travel + Leisure, Travel + Leisure Golf.

In an effort to continue enticing meeting delegates and other potential visitors, a Lure brochure (pictured left) will be distributed through Convention Sales and Tourism. Over 150,000 Travel & Leisure Guides have also been distributed in response to requests from advertising or the website. A new Travel & Leisure Guide will be ready for distribution in mid-July.

Over 11 million impressions online promoted San Antonio to readers of key publications through June through e-newsletters, e-mail messages, online featured destination,banner ads, and listings.

Search Engines Rankings for visitsanantonio.com also continue to improve. The average visitor spent 6 minutes and 20 seconds navigating through our website, a significant increase from May (6:02) and April (5:34). The numbers below indicate May 2008 rankings for the market's top three search engine and their market share percentage.

Source: Experian Research

The "Texas on Tour" experience event is picking up steam throughout 17 states at state fairs and festivals. The tour, which includes a San Antonio experience, is being coordinated by the state tourism department and will run through October.

The S.A.V.E program gained exposure in June with Sunday newspaper inserts reaching over 2 million households in Dallas, Houston, Forth Worth, Waco, Oklahoma City, and Corpus. Over 1.5 million e-mail messages regarding the program have been delivered. A Yahoo ad campaign is expected to generate over 7.2 million impressions., and a Google key word campaign is in progress. Direct mail is another strategy to create demand: a 4-page promotional piece was mailed to over 650,000 households in Dallas, Fort Worth, and Houston in June. Brochures were sent to an opt-in list of 160,000, and another 540,000 brochures are being distributed through web and 800 number information requests, Texas Travel Information Centers, hotels and businesses in key Texas markets, Oklahoma City and Tulsa.

In conventions & meetings marketing, over 42 pages of exposure and over 1.4 million impressions through June in trade publications. June ads appear in Successful Meetings, Meeting Professionals International, Hispanic Meeting & Travel, Texas Meetings and Events, Meeting Mentor, and the Meeting Planner's Guide. Also, a quarterly newsletter mailed to over 7,000 meeting and travel professionals.

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SAN ANTONIO & HEB PLAZA REAL SUMMER PROMOTION


The San Antonio Convention & Visitors Bureau partnered with HEB Plaza Real Gonzalito in Monterrey to promote San Antonio as a summer destination for "REGIO MONTANOS". Monterrey is the third largest city in Mexico and a strong drive market for San Antonio. As a drive market it's important to target the consumer directly and the SACVB has once again partnered with HEB to reach a market segment with the ability to travel and vacation in San Antonio. The Monterrey promotion, June 25-30, included a media luncheon with 20 participants, a luncheon for Human Resources executives, an advertising campaign including radio and print, and ended with an in-store promotion at the HEB Plaza Real. The print ad ran several times in El Norte, the biggest newspaper in Monterrey. Monterrey, also known as the City of Mountains, is the modern industrial and business center of Mexico. It's the third most populated metropolitan area in the country and the third biggest metropolitan city after Mexico City. The whole metropolitan area has been ranked as having the highest GDP per capita in Latin America in 2005.

o Media Luncheon: 20 participants
o HEB Promotion: Approx. 2,000 consumers
o S.A.V.E.-HEB Receipts: 270,000 impressions
o Radio Promotion: #38 spots / Radio Remote: 80,000 audience (1 hour)
o Advertising in "El Norte" - Friday Circulation:154,000/Saturday Circulation: 190,000
o El Norte online banners: 40,000 impressions
o Giveaways: San Antonio Packages 28
o Drawing: 1,079 entries
o Website visitors: 459 (as July 1, 2008)

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SACVB MAKES INTERNATIONAL CONNECTIONS

The Communications and Tourism divisions made their way to Las Vegas for POW WOW, the travel industry's premier international marketplace and the largest generator of Visit USA travel. More than 5,300 people attended this convention, including a record number of international media.

Director of Tourism, Dorah Putney, along with Sales Managers Carla Norwood and Sal Garza tended to 44 prescheduled appointments with international tour operators, receptive operators, wholesalers, etc., from Europe, Asia and Mexico and added several more appointments during the trade show.

Director of Communications, Dee Dee Poteete, made contact with close to 30 media representatives, placing a special emphasis on the city’s key markets. Contacts included Canadian Travel & Lifestyle magazine, Seungha CHO (a national widely-circulated Korean daily), The Guardian (a Romanian daily), and The Globetrotter Travel Guidebook (a Japanese guidebook), among many others.

CVB staff also attended a Global Hospitality reception of approximately 30 national and international clients. Included were receptive operators and international wholesalers. Global Hospitality represents San Antonio with in-market sales offices in the UK/Ireland and Scandinavia, supplemented by affiliate offices in France and Russia.

POLISH DELEGATION VISITS SISTER CITY

On Saturday, June 5th, Reynaldo Cano, Assistant Director, International Affairs Department, and Carla Norwood, Tourism Sales Manager, officially welcomed a nineteen member Polish Delegation at a breakfast meeting at Our Lady of Czestochowa Shrine and Divine Mercy Chapel. Msgr. Frank Kurazj, pastor of St Pauls Catholic church, hosted the group from the town Hall of Strzelce Opolskie, Poland. The County and City of Bandera has been a sister city/county to this township for 4 years. The group stayed in San Antonio for four days, touring our city, regional churches and spending a day in Bandera

Danuta Foryt (right), a Strzelce Opolskie County Council member, presented a beautiful scarf from Strzelce to Carla Norwood (center, in black).

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SAFILM FORUM

Are you interested in making movies? Whether you’re a novice or a professional, the San Antonio Film Commission would like to invite you to the San Antonio Film Forum, a series of educational and informative forums held monthly, April - November, at the downtown Central Library located at 600 Soledad Street. Networking starts at 6:00 p.m. in the library's auditorium on the first floor. The program is held from 7-8:30 p.m. The next SA Film Forum is Tuesday, July 22.

If you are interested in participating as a panelist in the future or for more information about the SA Film Forum, please contact the San Antonio Film Commission at janetv@filmsanantonio.com or visit www.filmsanantonio.com .

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CLIENT ADVISORY BOARD MEETING

The CVB Client Advisory Board met for their biannual meeting this past June 2-4, 2008. Items on the agenda included the success of the recent branding campaign and trends affecting the meetings industry, green initiatives, excellence in customer service, expansion studies, plans for center upgrades, challenges ahead in the meetings industry, controlling escalating costs in food & beverage. The Advisory Board also met with several hotel general managers to discuss some of the items.Special thanks to the RK Group, PSAV, the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center, the Grand Hyatt San Antonio and SmartCity Network.

Pictured from Left to right, Sandra Blum, Texas Dental Association; Al Sturchio, Texas Bandmasters Association; Richard Markow, UT San Antonio Health Science Center Continuing Education; Robert Floyd, Texas Music Educators Association; and Amy Graham, Texas Nursery & Landscape Association.

Linda McKinney (standing), group facilitator, leads a round table discussion with Sandra Lindstrom, CMP. VHA, Inc.; Leroy Martinez, National Council of La Raza; and Sandi Atkinson, American Football Coaches Association, at the Gonzalez Convention Center.

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TONY BENNETT: LIVE IN CONCERT

The one and only Tony Bennett will mark his 81st year with a return to San Antonio, Friday, September 5, 2008 at the Municipal Auditorium. Amidst the tributes, honors and accolades, the world's most down-to-earth living legend is celebrating this milestone the same way he essentially lives his life: enjoying each moment to the fullest, weathering the storms with good cheer and optimism, and connecting to people everywhere through the magic of his music and the power of his art.

Tony Bennett will serenade San Antonio with a set list of songs lovingly selected from the innumerable high points of Tony's six decades as a recording legend, his critically acclaimed CD, Duets - An American Classic is fitting crescendo to a career that only grows stronger with time.

To purchase tickets for $101, $76, and/or $51 please call 210-226-2891. For more information visit www.ArtsSanAntonio.com.

DRUM CORPS INTERNATIONAL

The Drum Corps International (DCI) Competition was once again held at the Alamodome. A truly special annual event--this year's Southwestern Championship featured 22 Division I corps. DCI is a non-profit organization that supports modern junior drum and bugle corps. Drum corps are independent youth organizations consisting of up to 135 14- to 22-year-olds who spend 12 weeks rehearsing and performing an 11-minute show in which they play a variety of horns or percussion instruments, or spin flags, rifles, sabers, and other implements, all while marching around a football field.

For more information on DCI go to www.dci.org.

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WELCOME TO SAN ANTONIO...

High school coaches from across the state of Texas are coming to San Antonio for the Texas High School Coaches Association's 76th Annual Coaching Training Meeting to San Antonio. Some 13,000 coaches will attend the meeting, Sunday, July 27 - Wednesday, July 30 at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center.

Air Force Medical Operations Agency (300)
Alpha Delta Kappa (300)
American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities - Texas Chapter (375)
American Lung Association (75)
Association for Healthcare Resource & Materials Management (1500)
Association of Higher Education Facilities Officers (850)
Association of Water Board Directors - Texas (2010)
Catholic Life Insurance (600)
Church of God Ministries (5200)
Community NETwork - AATP of AT&T (350)
Conchologists of America (250)
Drum Corps International - 2008 The Southwestern Championship (65)
Lextron Inc (135)
National Association of Scientific Materials Managers (350)
National Corvette Restorers Society (800)
PrimeTime Dance 2008 Annual National Championships (300)
Staff Development for Educators (1500)
Sheriffs' Association of Texas (1200)
Southern States Correctional Association (1100)
Texas Association of Addiction Professionals (400)
Texas Healthcare Trustees (450)
Texas Justice Court Training Center (70)
US Department of Homeland Security (25)
US Department of Veterans Affairs (70)
Universal Round Dance Council (500)
Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association (2200)
Vitiligo Support Intl (158)

Click here for a complete schedule of meetings from the SACVB website.

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CVB SUPER STARS

Each month, the SACVB honors one of it's own with the Super Star Award.These individuals are nominated by their fellow coworkers for their professionalism, hard work, dedication and drive. Congratulations to Sales Assistant Noriko Villa (July Super Star), National Convention Sales Manager Amy Brown, CMP (June Super Star pictured right) and Stock Clerk Dee Bow Lim (May Super Star pictured below with CVB Executive Director Scott White). Dee is also a National Guard soldier and has been deployed for Iraq for a year of service. We thank him for his service to our country and we wish him a safe return!

NEW TO THE CVB...

Please welcome Leticia Gonzalez as the CVB's new Office Manager. Leticia oversees the operations of the front desk, stockroom, inventory, travel operations and various customer service initiatives as well as leading a team of four full-time staff. Leticia was previously with the city's Community Initiatives department where she worked as a Client Services Supervisor.

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Newsletter Information
From The Heart is a collaborative effort of the San Antonio Convention & Visitors Bureau and the Convention, Sports and Entertainment Facilities.

Our Mission is "To promote and market San Antonio as a premier visitor and convention/meeting destination for the purpose of positively affecting the city economy."

For more information, or to be removed from this newsletter list, email us at CommunityRelations@VisitSanAntonio.com, or call Marketing & Communications division at (210) 207-6737.