Wildwoods By-the-Sea to Market to Europe

WILDWOOD — The Wildwoods’ European Marketing Committee chaired by George Miller, owner of the Caribbean Motel, met with the marketing GWTIDA marketing committee to discuss attendance at the upcoming POW WOW Conference in Orlando Florida. It is the group’s goal to market the resort in Ireland, Germany, France and the U. K.
Committee members including GWHMA President Steve Tecco, Preservation League president Dan MacElrevey, and organization member and experienced European marketer Kathleen Collins attended the meeting with GWTIDA.
After hearing the committee’s presentation, the GWTIDA marketing committee chaired by Ralph Johnson voted to participate in this program and also to send Ben Rose, GWTIDA, Director of Marketing and Public Relations with Kathleen Collins to the POW WOW conference.
The lead organizations and the committee members feel strongly that a relatively small investment will benefit the Wildwoods By-the-Sea in many ways in additional to the obvious new business it will generate.
The program moves the resort further up the ladder of east coast tourism destinations by initiating this new and aggressive marketing program to an area of the world where the shore resorts have rarely marketed in the past. The program also supports the image of the Wildwoods as a great place to invest in tourism and lodging.
“We have a niche based on Doo Wop heritage tourism, the Jersey Shore experience, and the finest beaches and boardwalk on the coast that experienced marketers tell us will sell well in Western Europe,” Dan MacElrevey of the Doo Wop Preservation League stated at the meeting.
The organizers also announced plans to attend the three major marketing conferences in Europe in the fall, and to promote an aggressive direct mail marketing program to the European contacts generated at the 2010 POW WOW conference.
This will establish a network of wholesalers and receptive operators who then bring groups from Europe. The marketing committee also plans to have a booth for the Wildwoods By-the-Sea at the 2011 POW WOW Conference.
This new marketing supplements the aggressive 2010 GWTIDA regional marketing program that is already expanding the resort’s reach beyond the traditional markets.
“This resort has been creative for the past 15 years as we added attractions, expanded the events program, added new and meaningful marketing and opened the beachfront convention center,” Steve Tecco said. “We believe this foray into the European market is consistent with that effort to make the Wildwoods By-the-Sea a leading extended season east coast resort and recreation destination.
“We are moving ahead with these bold programs,” Tecco noted, “and it is especially important that GWTIDA, as the resort’s umbrella organization for funding advertising, events and promotion, is taking a leadership role.
“Lifestyle and heritage tourism are hot and, with GWTIDA participation, the Wildwoods renaissance continues.”