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.

ROCK 'N' ROLL MARATHON

Some 30,000 strong are making history on Sunday, November 16, 2008 for the inaugural San Antonio Rock 'n' Roll Marathon! The race, which capped of at 30,000 participants a few weeks ago, set a new U.S. record for annual road races and is also the biggest inaugural race for the Rock 'n' Roll series!

The race, which starts at 7:30 a.m. on Sunday, will feature local live bands and high school cheer squads providing encouragement along the route. The race course begins in scenic Lions Park and proceeds downtown, passing the legendary Alamo before heading into the Southtown Arts District. The marathon course continues past the historic missions, through the wooded Mission Trails National Park, which runs along side the picturesque San Antonio River. The final straightaway and finish line are located at the foot of the Alamodome, site of the post race fiesta.

British rock group The Cult will headline the inaugural Rock 'n' Roll San Antonio Marathon post-race concert at the Alamodome Sunday evening. Doors open at 6:30 pm, with an awards ceremony at 7:00 pm. The music begins with an opening performance by Austin- based Vallejo at 7:45 pm. The Cult is scheduled to take the stage at 8:30 pm (concert times are subject to change).
Additional concert tickets can be purchased for $25 online at the Rock 'n' Roll San Antonio website www.rnrsa.com or at the Health & Fitness Expo on November 14 and 15 for $30, as well as at the Alamodome box office.

For more information about the inaugural Rock 'n' Roll San Antonio please visit www.rnrsa.com or call (800) 311-1255.

Complete road closure information, maps and times are also available online.

Rock 'n' Roll San Antonio!

ANNUAL UPDATE MEETING & BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT PLAN

Mark your calendar for the SACVB Annual Update Meeting on Wednesday, December 10. Executive Director Scott White will present performance for 2008, which has been a significant marketing year for the CVB due to the brand launched earlier this year. Highlights from the 2008 - 2009 Business Development Plan will be presented as well. The plan, which is now available online, includes the Travel Calendar, Co-Op & Partner Opportunities, and each division's mission and goals. The entire plan can be viewed and printed from our website at http://visitsanantonio.com/partner-resources/business-plan/index.aspx.

Be on the lookout for a "Save the Date" email for the Annual Update Meeting in your email inbox. We look forward to seeing you there!

TREASURE CHEST 2009

We invite you to partner with us in advertising and publicity opportunities through the San Antonio Treasure Chest. This request combines all the efforts of the CVB to be received through the Community Relations Department, Bromley Communications and miscellaneous requests throughout the year with the exception of familiarization tours and site visits.

This ongoing unified effort by San Antonio's hospitality industry to attract visitors to our city continues to be a solid success. It generates great publicity and enhances our advertising dollars. With the assistance of area hotels, golf courses, restaurants, shopping malls and attractions, we are able to promote San Antonio in markets throughout the U.S., Mexico, Canada and Europe.

The Treasure Chest provides an inventory of certificates redeemable for entrance at attractions, dinners at our amazing restaurants, and hotel accommodations. The certificates are combined into "San Antonio Getaway Prize Packages," which are given away through various promotional efforts including radio, television, Internet and print advertising. This is a relatively inexpensive way to promote San Antonio as a great destination - and thus increase visitors to your property, attraction or restaurant.

If you are interested in participating and would like to learn more, please contact Karina Cardona at (210) 207-6737.

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BIGGEST MEDICAL MEETING OF THE YEAR

San Antonio had the pleasure of hosting the American Dental Association's 149th Annual Session from October 16 - 19, 2008. Over 29,000 dentists and other dental professionals enjoyed San Antonio's famous hospitality and superb weather. Highlights of ADA's annual session included general sessions held at the Alamodome, with featured speakers Tom Brokaw on Friday morning and Bob and Lee Woodruff on Saturday morning. Freeman Coliseum hosted about 5,000 on Friday night with a "Rockin' Rodeo and Barbecue." Concurrent sessions and the exposition were held at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center. The House of Delegates continued at the convention center through Tuesday morning. To date, this is the largest medical convention ever hosted by San Antonio. Our gratitude goes out to the entire community for showing ADA true Texas hospitality. Our thanks, too, for setting the standard for high profile citywide conventions San Antonio will host in the future.

American Dental Association's 150th Annual session will be held in Honolulu next year. To promote attendance and build excitement for next year, hula dancers were placed on river cruisers chartered by ADA, a true blending of the two cities.

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BEST YEAR EVER FOR COMMUNICATIONS DIVISION

The SACVB Communications Division closed out FY2008 with a record $9.8 million in media value. The division hosted over 125 media during the course of the year including international media from Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Japan, Taiwan and the U.K. The Communications team also completed over 100 media calls in markets throughout the the U.S. and internationally. More than 250 internally writing projects were churned out throughout FY2008 including advertorials, press releases, newsletters, sales brochures , email blasts and more. We thank all our partners from Deep. In the Heart. in making FY2008 a banner year!

Hosting National Geographic Traveler helped secure San Antonio's spot in a listing of "The 50 Next Great Adventure Towns."

For the latest press releases please visit the News Releases section of our website.

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ADRIAN AWARDS

The CVB and Bromley Communications have won two Silver Adrian Awards from the Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI) for the San Antonio New Brand Image Campaign and the San Antonio New Brand Advertising Series. The Adrian awards honor outstanding achievements in advertising, public relations and web marketing in the travel industry. The winning entries were selected from among almost 1,300.

TRAVEL & LEISURE GUIDE

The Travel & Leisure Guide was sent to over 16,000 consumers in the month of September in response to requests from advertising and the website. For fiscal year 2008, over 247,000 Travel & Leisure Guides have been distributed and there have been over 36,000 unique visits to the e-book.

ADVERTISING

October ads appeared in these consumer magazines: Bon Appetit, Bridal Guide, Conde Nast Traveler, Departures, Gourmet, Links, Midwest Living, Score Golf, Southwest Spirit, Texas Monthly and Travel & Leisure Golf magazines. You can see some of our online promotions at: www.spiritair.com, www.gourmettraveltalk.com, www.gourmetscoop.com, www.beyondad.com and www.midwestlivingtravel.com.

For the conventions and meetings market, August ads appeared in PCMA Convene, Meetings & Conventions, Meeting News, Meetings South and Successful Meetings.

WEBSITE

The average time on the website for October was 5.30 which is a 55 % increase from October of 2007. In addition, the bounce back rate was 32.29% for October which was 14% less than September of 2007, all indications of more qualified and engaged visitors to our website.

S.A.V.E.

A four-page holiday themed direct mail piece was dropped in Dallas/Ft. Worth and Houston on 11/4 reaching over 800,000 households. A holiday themed newspaper insert also dropped on 11/9 in Corpus Christi, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Houston, Oklahoma City and Waco. An email message was deployed in October to over 300,000 opt-in database subscribers. A Google key word campaign captured 17.1 million impressions through October 3 with a 35 % click thru rate (over 60,000 clicks) and over 17,00 conversions (registrations and coupon downloads).

CO-OP MARKETING OPPORTUNITIES

The 2009 S.A.V.E. program is gearing up. Don't be left out! Contact Mary Repole at (830) 980-7099 or epiphany@moment.net.

Also new in 2009 will be an in-market "pocket guide" for convention delegates and visitors. Contact Debi Saldana at (210) 72-9957 or email debi.saldana@milesmedia.com

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MISSION TO MEXICO

In an effort to strengthen relations between San Antonio and Mexico, leaders from five economic sectors are traveling to Monterrey and Mexico City for seminars, symposiums, and Tourism Trade Shows from December 2 - 4, 2008. Partners in business, education, art & culture, medical, and tourism are taking part in this mission to Mexico. Frances Schultschik, SACVB Mexico/Latin America Strategic Initiatives, and Sal Garza & Dorah Putney, SACVB Tourism, are joining the efforts along with other city departments including Aviation, International Affairs, Economic Development, Arts & Cultural Affairs and Bexar County. Government, business and social leaders from both Monterrey and Mexico City have expressed their commitment to the mission.

SUPER STAR AWARD

Congratulations to Administrative Assistant Analia Belcher - this month's Super Star Award winner at the CVB! Analia provides support to the Mexico/Latin American division, Community Relations, and the San Antonio Film Commission. She is also instrumental in event planning and translating press releases to Spanish. Her dedication and work ethic make Analia an invaluable team player!

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TOURISM FAM'S

Standing in front of the state's most popular tourism destination, the French tour operators from Express Conseil, the company that promotes Texas in France, stopped to pose for a picture at the Alamo. SACVB Tourism Manager Carla Norwood led the French FAM throughout San Antonio October 6-7, 2008. A special thank you to the Emily Morgan Hotel for hosting. Pictured left to right are: Peggy Lorek, Voyageurs aux Etats-Unis; Geraldine Charollais, Express Conseil/Texas Tourism; Camille Rochard, Comptoir des Etats-Unis; Lisa-Marie Bouffyesse, Vacances Transat; Majorie Lege, Jetset; Sabrina Barre, Amerikasia; and Anne Monatte, La Route des Voyages.




Carla Norwood (pictured above center) also hosted six tour operators from the UK accompanied by staff from Global Hospitality Marketing, the company that promotes
San Antonio and Austin in Europe. From October 9 - 11, Carla escorted the group
throughout San Antonio and Bandera. Hyatt Regency Hotel hosted the group and the Menger Hotel provided breakfast.

BEIJING FAM

Sixteen, tour operators, Continental airline staff and Marriott staff from Beijing, China, were in San Antonio for the evening of Friday, Oct 10 at the Marriott Rivercenter. Sal Garza, Tourism Sales Manager, hosted dinner at Mi Tierra that evening. The next morning, Carla Norwood escorted the group to the Visitors Information Center, where the picture to the right was taken, for a presentation on our city.

ECUADORIAN FAM TOUR

With a mission to add a leisure component to an existing Ecuadorian travel base to Houston, the San Antonio CVB and the Houston CVB worked with Continental Airlines in hosting seven representatives from Metropolitan Vacations, Ecuador's top travel wholesaler. The company's product sales are composed of: 30% Corporate; 60% FIT; and 10% MICE . The short visit, October 12-13, promoted the city's historic and cultural venues along with shopping opportunities.

EUROPEAN OUTREACH

Global Hospitality Link, San Antonio's European Rep firm, put together an aggressive itinerary that involved, presentations for 15 agents at Swansons. Swansons is the top Tour Operator in Sweden. The team, including SACVB Tourism Director Dorah Putney (pictured in right), worked with 8 Tour Operators in Denmark and made presentations to 24 reservations at FTI Touristik in Germany. In Sweden, Swansons will be adding a two page editorial on San Antonio in their 2009 brochure. Swansons purchases hotels and attractions through AmericanTours International. In Germany, at FTI Touristik, the San Antonio presentations were used to support the roll out of Texas being the feature destination for all of 2009. Educational sessions were held with reservations agents who were quite impressed with what San Antonio has to offer.

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NEW APPOINTMENTS FOR AVIATION AND CONVENTION FACILITIES DEPARTMENTS

Michael Sawaya, Convention, Sports and Entertainment Facilities Director will serve as the Interim Aviation Director for the City of San Antonio while the executive search for a new director is underway. While serving in an interim capacity, he will oversee the department in its on-going expansion program and daily operations. Sawaya is a seasoned executive with more than 25 years of senior executive and management level experience in facility operations, maintenance, and sales and marketing.

James Mery (pictured left) will serve as the Interim Convention, Sports and Entertainment Facilities Director during Mike Sawaya's absence. Mery has been serving as an Assistant Director with the Convention, Sports and Entertainment Facilities since October of 2006 and has more than 20 years of experience with the City of San Antonio. During his tenure with the department, Mery coordinated the many city departments and outside agencies involved in producing the 2002 NCAA Women's Final Four Basketball Tournament, the 2003 NCAA Men's Midwest Regional Basketball Tournament, the 2004 NCAA Men's Final Four, the 2007 NCAA Men's South Regional and the 2008 NCAA Men's Final Four.

Additionally, Michael Flores (pictured right) will serve as the Interim General Manager at the Alamodome. While serving in this interim capacity, he will oversee the daily operations of the Alamodome. Prior to this interim appointment, Flores served as the Alamodome's Booking and Services Manager.

SAN ANTONIO SELECTED FOR "NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP CITY" PILOT PROGRAM

The City of San Antonio was recently selected to serve as an inaugural member in the new "NCAA Championship City" pilot program.

The Championship City pilot program will feature multiple host opportunities of NCAA Division I, II and III men's and women's championships through 2012. The centerpiece of the Championship City pilot program is a long-term agreement between the NCAA and each host city to bring a wide array of championships and ancillary events to the six geographical areas over the course of several years.

Each of the six cities selected-- Cary, N.C., Cleveland, Indianapolis, St. Louis, San Diego and San Antonio to take part in the pilot program has hosted an NCAA championship in previous years, including various levels of the Division I Men's and Women's Basketball Tournaments. While most cities selected to host an NCAA championship focus on a specific division or sport, the Championship City pilot will provide the six cities with the privilege to host specific NCAA championships in Division I, II and III; a wider range of sports to host, which opens the city to a broader and diverse range of fans; rights to use enhanced NCAA trademarks; and NCAA marketing initiatives that identify it as a city selected specifically by the NCAA for the Championship City pilot program.

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LESSONS OF LIVING FILM FESTIVAL

Morningside Ministries’ Elizabeth McGown Training Institute is hosting the Lessons of Living Film Festival throughout the San Antonio area on November 16-21, 2008. The festival will feature independently produced and full-length films on aging seniors and their caregivers in an effort to increase awareness and understanding of aging issues.

A red carpet event will open the festival at 6:30 p.m. on November 16th, featuring clips from the various films that will be screened throughout the five day festival. An awards reception will be held Friday, November 21st, at 10:00 AM at Our Lady of the Lake University, Providence Hall West Social Room.

For more information and screening venues, contact Nancy Dunn Thompson at info@mmlearn.org or (210) 734-1211, www.mmlearn.org.

SA FILM FORUM

The next film forum is Tuesday, November 25th. The forum, hosted by the San Antonio Film Commission and moderated by Nikki Young of PrimaDonna Productions, is free and is held the fourth Tuesday of each month at the downtown library auditorium, 600 Soledad, with networking from 6:30 to 7:00 p.m. followed by a panel discussion from 7 to 8 p.m. For information, contact janetv@filmsanantonio.com or visit www.filmsanantonio.com

SA48HR FILM EXPERIENCE

Registration for the SA48HR Film Experience competition opens Friday, November 14 at www.sa48hr.com. Participants must make a short film in 48 hours! Films will be screened December 5, 2008.

THE BOOKIE

Come see THE BOOKIE, the latest feature film from San Antonio's very own Cevallos Brothers. The screening is scheduled for Tuesday, November 18 at the Alamo Drafthouse Westlakes, 7:30 p.m. Learn more about the Cevallos Brothers and their body of work at: www.cevallosbrothers.com

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The two biggest groups in town, besides the San Antonio Rock 'n' Roll Marathon, are
the Association of Military Surgeons of the United States (AMSUS) and the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans (IFEBP).

From November 9 - 14, some 4,000 delegates will meet at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center for the AMSUS annual meeting. AMSUS is the premier association supporting and representing military and other federal health care professionals.

With at least 10,000 expected to attend the 54th Annual Employee Benefits Conference, IFEBP is in town during the Rock 'n' Roll marathon from November 16-19.
The International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans is a nonprofit organization, dedicated to being a leading objective and independent global source of employee benefits, compensation, and financial literacy education and information.

12th Evacuation Hospital (75)
155th Assault Helicopter Company Association (125)
Alliance Hospitality (30)
AgGateway (150)
American Academy of Medical Administrators (500)
American Association of Museums (20)
American College of Veterinary Pathologists (675)
American Physical Society (950)
Atlanta School of Sleep Medicine (30)
American Society of Farm Managers & Rural Appraisers (360)
American Training Resources (300)
Association of Public Health Laboratories (350)
Automotive Industry Action Group (250)
Big 12 Conference Championship (10)
Brooks City-Base (200)
CNH America LLC (70)
Church Faith Builders (20)
Congress of Chiropractic State Associations (120)
Echo Company 2nd Battalion 5th Marines (20)
Education Law Association (300)
Educational and Institutional Insurance Administrators (75)
Epsilon Sigma Alpha (75)
Firestop Contractors International Association (100)
George Washington University (45)
Gulf Latin American District Assemblies of God (7500)
Independent Bankers Association of Texas (250)
International Union of Bricklayers & Allied Craftworkers (150)
Kinetic Concepts, Inc. (50)
National Adult Day Services Association (250)
National Association for State Workforce Agencies (25)
National Center for State Courts (23)
National Council of Examiners for Engineering & Surveying (15)
National Council of Teachers of English (6000)
Northwest Environmental Training Center (350)
PHD Inc (100)
Pan American Congress of Military Medicine (75)
Pharmacists Mutual Insurance Company (28)
Phi Delta Kappa International (600)
Professional Association of Small Business Accountants (150)
Rotary International (250)
SAE International (100)
Shell Oil Company (2000)
Society of Air Force Physician Assistants (100)
South Central Modern Language Association (300)
Texas Agri-Women (200)
Texas Art Education Association (1500)
Texas Department of Protective & Regulatory Services (500)
Texas Self Storage Association (450)
Texas School for the Blind & Visually Impaired (160)
True Carrier/PAC Airlift Association (30)
US Department of Defense (200)
University of Texas System (160)
Western CPE (80)
White's Chapel United Methodist Church (20)

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

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HYATT HILL COUNTRY PROMOTIONS

The Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort and Spa recently promoted Charlene Lopez to associate director of sales and Sean Massay to sales manager.

Formerly a sales manager of the resort, Lopez will now oversee the sales efforts of the meeting connections team, assist the director of sales, and she will be responsible for soliciting business throughout the West Coast, Florida and Georgia and all international markets. Lopez is a six-year veteran of the Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort and Spa. She began her career with Hyatt as reservations supervisor before transitioning into the sales department as business travel manager. She was then promoted to meeting connections manager and most recently to sales manager. Lopez earned a bachelor of arts (BA) in English from Texas A & M University and a master of science in human resource management from Tarleton State University in Killeen, Texas.

In his new position Massay will oversee the sales operation of the resort for the Northeast section of the United States. This includes large corporate based businesses in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. Massay began his career with Hyatt over three years ago as a meeting connections manager where he was charged with booking a higher volume of smaller programs. Prior to entering the hotel and hospitality industry, he was a market research sales manager for Frost & Sullivan. A native Texan, Massey holds a Bachelor of Art (BA) degree in business administration from the University of Texas at San Antonio.

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MOVIES BY MOONLIGHT

Thanks to a strong attendance, Movies By Moonlight has expanded it's screening lineup thru December. Since it began in September, Movies by Moonlight has drawn more than 3,800 people to HemisFair Park to enjoy timeless film classics such as Casablanca, Grease and Sixteen Candles. “The attendance at Movies by Moonlight has been phenomenal helping to make this event a huge success,” said Paula X. Stallcup, Director of Downtown Operations. “We are so excited to be able to continue to offer this free outdoor movie experience for our locals and visitors to enjoy.” The films are shown in the grassy area under the HemisFair Park arch and the Magik Theater building at S. Alamo and Nueva. The show starts at 6:30 p.m. with live, pre-show entertainment with the feature film beginning at 7:30 p.m. Concessions are available for purchase.

The schedule for the remainder of the year is as follows:

November 20 - Ferris Bueller's Day Off @ HemisFair Park
November 21 - Viva Zapata with Marlon Brando @ Main Plaza
December 20 - A Christmas Story @ HemisFair Park

Movies by Moonlight is produced by SlabCimema.com in coordination with the City’s Downtown Operations Department. Free parking is available at the Alamo Street Lot near the HemisFair Park Playground and the Durango Street lots across from the Federal Courthouse. For more information, call 207-7258 or visit http://www.sanantonio.gov/dtops/.

FORD HOLIDAY RIVER PARADE & LIGHTING CEREMONY

At 7:00 p.m. on Friday, November 28, 2008 the switch is thrown and approximately 122,000 twinkling lights form a magical canopy over San Antonio's River Walk. The spectacular one-hour parade features decorated illuminated floats with celebrities, bands and lavishly-costumed participants. The theme for the parade is a Theatrical Christmas. Tickets may be purchased over the phone at (210) 227-4262 or at the Paseo del Rio Association offices at 110 Broadway, Suite 500. Ticket Prices: $10, $15, $18, $20, $25

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

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

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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.