Breaking Waves: Dive into Corpus Christi's

Top 5 Tourism Tidbits!

• State of Tourism voting is now live for this year's excellence in tourism awards. From Mixologist of the Year to Housekeeper of the year, this is your opportunity to participate in the selection process for this year's best. 

• Visit Corpus Christi celebrates Nueces County in the groundbreaking of the new 28.5 million dollar replacement pier where Bob Hall pier was once located. 

• Visit Corpus Christi extends heartfelt congratulations to Corpus Christi International Airport for being named a finalist for an international award from Airports Council International-North America (ACI-NA). This recognition highlights the excellence of their website, celebrating its outstanding design, communication effectiveness, accessibility, and seamless navigation. We are proud of CCIA’s achievement and their ongoing commitment to enhancing the traveler experience!

• Sign up for this year's WES Conference, where Visit Corpus Christi's very own executive leadership team, Meredith Darden, Emily Zertuche, and Nicole Olivares will present on how to "Leverage the Power of Visit Corpus Christi." This year's event will be taking place at the Ortiz Center on October 16, 2024. 

• The Corpus Christi Sports Commission a strategic initiative of Visit Corpus Christi proudly supports and congratulates Dr. Kingsley Okonkwo as it is announced that under his lead the United Soccer League has awarded franchise rights to Corpus Christi, bringing the first professional soccer team to Texas Coastal Bend. 

Monthly Data Snapshot

• At Visit Corpus Christi, a primary focus is to ensure that partners and stakeholders stay well-informed and equipped with the most up-to-date industry trends. By providing comprehensive data reports, Visit Corpus Christi plays an active role in enhancing the success of local businesses that leverage data effectively. We invite you to explore the insights presented in the latest comprehensive data report.

Organizational & Operations

• Visit Corpus Christi extends its gratitude to the Corpus Christi City Council for their unanimous vote to approve a five-year contract extension. This decision allows Visit Corpus Christi to continue promoting and marketing the city as a year-round destination, while upholding its mission of strengthening the community by sharing Corpus Christi’s unique offerings with the world.

• Visit Corpus Christi has announced the departure of President and CEO, Brett Oetting. Brett will serve at Visit Corpus Christi until the end of October, ensuring that the transition out is as seamless as possible. Read more about the departure plan here.

• The Visit Corpus Christi team participated in a local blood drive with the Coastal Bend Blood Center. As a part of a giveback opportunity through the organizations culture club, 8 employees successfully donated blood to the center and an additional donation drive is expected to be in the works for January 2025.

• Help us welcome new team member, Savanah Alaniz to the Marketing and Communications team! Savanah will serve as the Marketing Manager, helping implement strategies through her dynamic background in sports marketing and proven expertise in short-form video content that will help elevate Visit Corpus Christi's sports, business, and leisure marketing efforts. 

Convention Sales & Services

• Nicole, Travis, Mallori, and Jaclyn attended the Texas Society of Association Executives’ (TSAE) signature event, their New Ideas Annual Conference in The Woodlands, TX. Visit Corpus Christi sponsored an activation in the interactive attendee Experience Hall. New Ideas brings together association professionals and suppliers from all aspects of association management. This three-day conference provides numerous concurrent breakout sessions, multiple keynotes, and opportunities to network and continue conversations on a broad range of topics for industry professionals.

• Rebekah attended the Small Market Meetings Conference in St. George, UT. This was the first time Visit Corpus Christi has participated in this tradeshow representing meeting planners looking for destinations to host small to medium conferences and everything in between. Rebekah participated in over 25 scheduled meetings with planners from across the country and as a result, returned with six RFPs worth an estimated 580 room nights and an estimated economic impact of $168,512.

• Travis represented Visit Corpus Christi at the HPN Annual Partner Conference in Houston. The three-day conference hosted over 700 attendees and consisted of a reverse buyer style partner fair where we met with HPN planners during pre-scheduled appointments that resulted in verbal interest in Corpus Christi. HPN associates represent over 7,500 clients and send more than 13,000 RFPs annually with a client mix of 55% Corporate, 25% Association, and 20% SMERF.

Marketing & Communications 

• In September, Visit Corpus Christi launched an Out-Of-Home advertising campaign with Carvertise to target high-value travelers in the Dallas/DFW area as part of the "Find Yourself in Corpus Christi" campaign. Branded rideshare vehicles featuring QR codes for fall events and attractions debuted with a SWARM activation at the Dallas Cowboys' home opener on September 15th. Over the next three months, these vehicles will distribute postcards promoting Corpus Christi's fall offerings throughout the Dallas/DFW region.

• Visit Corpus Christi has partnered with BrandUSA on a fall campaign targeting the growing Mexican travel market. This initiative includes featuring Corpus Christi in a digital travel guide for Mexican audiences and custom Expedia banner ads to boost international visibility. The campaign aims to position Corpus Christi as a top destination for Mexican travelers, driving engagement and bookings to support the local economy and hospitality sector.

• The communications team recently hosted Men's Journal writer, Ken Baldwin, who visited the destination as a part of a familiarization tour focusing on guy's fishing getaways for The Men's Journal. 

Sports Commission 

• The Corpus Christi Sports Commission attended the 2024 TEAMS Conference in Anaheim, California from September 23-26. Bre Martinez and Emily Rees met with over 30 sports planners from across the globe to learn more about their events and inform them on all Corpus Christi has to offer. For their client activation, the sports team along with Brett and Nicole invited 6 VIP planners out to experience Disneyland and Disney's California Adventure, Corpus Christi style.

• Bre Martinez and Emily Rees represented the Corpus Christi Sports Commission by supporting and partaking in the 2024 Buc Days Golf Tournament at the Corpus Christi Country Club. All proceeds from this tournament benefitted the Buccaneer Commission’s scholarship fund.

• For the second year in a row, the Corpus Christi Sports Commission assisted the Corpus Christi International Airport in putting together the 2024 Run the Runway 5K, benefitting Wings of Texas. On race day, we had gulf coasters on-site, several Visit Corpus Christi employees volunteering, and even a few running the race as well. This event raised nearly $60,000 and had over 700 runners participate.

• Over 1,400 riders participated in this year's Conquer the Coast event and Sports Services Manager, Emily Rees, sat on the planning committee throughout the year representing the Corpus Christi Sports Commission. We assisted with hotel courtesy blocks, marketing initiatives, volunteer recruitment, as well as volunteering our own time for packet pick-up, and on race day itself. Congratulations to the Corpus Christi United Chamber of Commerce on another great event!

Experience & Visitor Services

• At September's ArtWalk, Visit Corpus Christi welcomed Crystal Lyons of Cabana Pantry as the special guest vendor. Crystal, the creator of the signature spice rub used for the Corpus Christi BBQ Trail's winning prize, showcased her famous hurricane popcorn and a variety of spices. She also informed visitors about the cooking classes she offers at her storefront.

• The Experience team had the opportunity to participate in Workforce Solutions of the Coastal Bend's YOU Choose Career Expo, the Experience team engaged with over 3,000 middle school and high school students across the region to educate them over Visit Corpus Christi's PATH program, promoting careers in the tourism and hospitality industry.

• Gulf Coasters operated a Gulf Coast Capital Store retail pop-up shop at two very successful events: Conquer the Coast and Run the Runway. The team had the opportunity to meet and engage with guests at these events, giving them information about the destination, and selling merchandise that promotes Corpus Christi.

Film and Music Commission

• The Film and Music Commission has introduced a local film incentive designed to work alongside the state's incentive for projects filming in the Corpus Christi area. This implementation makes Corpus Christi the second city in Texas to offer such an additional local incentive!

• This month, The Corpus Christi Film and Music Commission also celebrated the Music Advisory Council's night at a local Hooks game, enjoying the company of friends from the vibrant local music community. Ensuring that our commission is top of mind for local musicians and vocalists is crucial for creating lasting partnerships that push the needle forward.

Next Steps:

• Secure your Table or Sponsorship for the State of Tourism Awards.

• Submit your event to our website calendar for maximized promotional effort.

• Send in your job listings for all of your hiring needs through our Professions Across Tourism and Hospitality (PATH) webpage.

Upcoming Featured Events:

• Surftoberfest, October 19, 2024
• Texas Jazz Fest, October 18-20, 2024
• Taste of the Island, October 23, 2024
• The Music of Selena, October 12, 2024
• Willie Nelson and Family Concert, Concrete Street Amphitheater, October 19, 2024
• The Official Halloween Bar Crawl, October 26, 2024
• Rockin K Farms, September 21, 2024 - November 3, 2024
• Greek Food Festival, November 1-3, 2024 

Full list of events: https://www.visitcorpuschristi.com/events/ 

But wait, there’s more…

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