May 2016 Podcast - Dave Lorenz

Dave Lorenz, Vide-President of Travel Michigan

 

Travel Michigan is a state agency within the Michigan Economic Development Corporation.  It is responsible for the “Pure Michigan” promotional program.

 

Pure Michigan is an advertising program launched in 2006 and is dedicated to promoting business, talent and tourism across Michigan.  A recent release indicated that the program returned a return on investment (ROI) of $7.67 in 2015.  MLTA is a strong supporter of Pure Michigan.

 

Production Notes:

 

At 0:55 Deanna asks Dave about the ROI of the Pure Michigan program. 

 

1:05  Dave mentions that since they’ve started tracking ROI they have seen consistent growth almost every year.

 

At 1:35 Dave states that when they first started tracking ROI, the return was about 2:1.  These numbers have slowly increased over the years.

 

“…this campaign continues to grow.  The brand message is getting out there.  People are understanding to a better degree what Pure Michigan means to us - that being a state with abundant natural beauty, unique experiences, authentic destinations and friendly people - that brand message helps us in so many ways.”  (2:02)

 

At 2:45 Dave talks about how the Pure Michigan message has helped residents take pride in the state and bring us together.

 

At 3:15 Dave talks about the Detroit Comeback Campaign.  It is a micro-campaign within the Pure Michigan promotions being run this year.

 

“People will be writing the story about what’s happening in Detroit today for one hundred years or longer.  They are going to tell this story that we get to tell now of a city that was beaten down and stood back up and fought the foe and won - And we’re seeing it before our eyes…” (5:07)

 

At 5:45 Deanna talks to Dave about the 2017 Governors Conference of Tourism which will be held in Detroit.

 

At 6:15 Dave talks about how Pure Michgian is working to encourage Michiganders to see other areas of the state.

 

At 7:08 Deanna asks Dave about the outlook for tourism in Michigan.

At 7:35 Dave reported that based on findings by Michigan State University, there is a lot of optimism.  Last year was a record year that saw an incredible growth in travel.

 

At 7:54 Dave states that the industry is expecting an additional 2-3% growth in all the major indicators this year.

 

At 9:29 Deanna encourages members to attend the Lodging Leadership conference at the Amway Grand Hotel on June 14 from 9 am to 4 pm.  Presenters are John Stocki on marketing to millennials and Jodi Schafer on how to effectively communicate to new employees.  You can register at  http://www.milodging.org/lodgingleadership