EVOLVE Business and Professional Magazine November 2018 | Page 16

It makes sense. When most people think of Daytona Beach, it’s
the long stretches of sand that come to mind. The beaches and surf
are frequented by ocean sports enthusiasts and bathers who want
to kick it on the warm sand.
Campbell Baker said the agency always leads its advertising by
highlighting the attraction of the 23 miles of wide open beaches,
using TV spots to showcase this beauty.
But digital and social media are perhaps more vital. By
monitoring clicks on ads and other data, they’ve found that it is not
just the beach that is bringing in tourists, but other experiences.
This has led the agency to widen its messaging to show what
else is on offer, from arts and culture to NASCAR racing at the
Daytona International Speedway and the many golf courses.
“There is something for everyone, even if that is relaxing while
watching the ocean from a hotel balcony,” Campbell Baker said.
THE BOTTOM LINE
The organization’s long-term goal is not just to bring more
people to the area, but to increase revenue per available hotel room.
Its efforts are paying off. The performance metric rose 2.1% to
$99.40 in the Daytona Beach area in the first seven months of 2018
from $97.37 in the year-earlier period — and was up 8% compared
with the same period of 2016, according to Mid-Florida Marketing
& Research.
This came even as hotel occupancy slipped to 72% this year
from 73% in 2017, but
rose from 70% in 2016.
“DETOX”
RELAXATION
In New Smyrna
Beach, a hip surf
town with a quaint
charm, the advertising
authority is spreading
the word with ads in the big lifestyle magazines Coastal Living and
Southern Living.
These publications, online and in print, reach the area’s target:
higher-income households with women who make decisions
on vacation plans, said Debbie Meihls executive director of the
Southeast Volusia Advertising Authority.
“We find it is a really good niche with those publications,”
she said.
Last summer, a five-page spread ran on the New Smyrna area
and got republished in Southern Living’s “Best Drives and Dives,”
a guidebook on sale at bookstores and supermarkets.
Visitors like the “detox, relaxing environment,” the small
independent restaurants and the wealth of water sports, from
surfing to diving, Meihls said, adding that another big draw is the
Ponce de Leon Inlet, the most biologically diverse estuary in
North America.
The challenge has been to get the word out on a wider scale.
The area has not been on the radar due to a lack of advertising
to big markets like Boston, Chicago and New York, as well as
internationally, said Meihls.
“It’s kind of like we’re a
new thing,” she said. That’s
changing thanks to the ads
in the lifestyle magazines
and on booking sites like
Expedia and TripAdvisor,
said Meihls, who as been
at the helm for nearly three
years. Tourism has been
growing 5% a year over that
period, she said.
MORE THAN A BEACH
Back in the Daytona
Beach area, the wealth of
LARRY VOLENEC, P.E.
REGIONAL MANAGER, FPL
Ocean Center Convention Center
LIGHTING UP
VOLUSIA COUNTY.
A Professional Engineer, Larry Volenec is Regional Manager
with FPL, responsible for the northern half of Florida. Despite
overseeing such a large territory, Larry is highly engaged in
community affairs, providing financial support, volunteering
or both. He has served on numerous local boards, is a
dedicated Rotarian and is a member of the Checkered Flag
Committee. He maintains membership in a half dozen area
chambers of commerce. Team Volusia is proud to have Larry
as an highly engaged Board Level investor.
TEAMVOLUSIAEDC.COM
386.265.6332
INVESTOR SPOTLIGHT