The key to Las Vegas’ continued success as a tourist destination and how its success is achieved will be shared at the Caribbean Tourism Organization’s State of the Industry Conference (SOTIC) in Curaçao in October. While Las Vegas is synonymous with casino gambling, Caroline Coyle, the vice president of brand strategy at the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) has said that the over 41 million people who visited the city last year went for a lot more than gambling, including shopping and entertainment. She will present on the topic, Get Personal – Engagement Marketing For Better Business at SOTIC, which will be held from 21 – 23 October at the World Trade Center in Willemstad.
“The key to our success is understanding and recognizing the diversity of the guest who comes here,” Coyle said.
Among its most successful campaigns is What Happens Here Stays Here, now in its 12th year. It is based on personalizing the experience for visitors, she said, adding that destinations like those in the Caribbean have much to gain by undertaking personalized marketing campaigns.
“People have choices, and people like to be invited to places. They want to understand what is in it for them, what will make it special for them. And in today’s age it allows them to share with their families, with their friends, with their co-workers.”
Coyle will share details of the LVCVA’s approach to engagement marketing, including research on millennials, and how the campaigns have performed.
“We are so excited to speak at your conference. It’s very special for us. It’s really important for us to engage and live up to our brand. We are really, really excited to share our story with everybody at the conference. Delegates can look forward to lots of good content, showing how Las Vegas does it and maybe it will strike a chord with them and maybe a spark will occur and they can go home and create something magical for that works for their destinations,” the marketing executive said.
The CTO State of the Industry Conference is the pre-eminent tourism gathering in the region. It brings together tourism decision-makers, including ministers, commissioners and directors of tourism, hotel and airline executives, travel agents, students, the media and persons directly and indirectly involved in tourism. It is preceded by CTO business meetings, including meetings of the board of directors and the Council of Ministers and Commissioners of Tourism.
This year’s conference, which has as its theme, Caribbean Tourism: Growth Through Innovation, is organized in collaboration with Curaçao’s Ministry of Economic Development and the Curaçao Tourism Board, with support from the United Nations tourism agency, the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC). It will be held at the World Trade Center in Willemstad.
