Maine Tourism Conference 2026 to be held 28-29 April in Rockport

The Maine Tourism Conference - formerly known as the Governor's Conference on Tourism - to be held at the Samoset Resort will feature a first look at the Maine Office of Tourism's 2026 marketing plan, a keynote speech by chef Barton Seaver, and the presentation of the Maine Tourism Association Awards, along with workshops and networking.

Early Bird rate of $120 ends 29 February. Go here to register.

Go here to book a Samoset Resort room at conference rates of $189-$519 per night for the nights of 27-29 April.

New Hampshire seeking PR and Travel Trade Services in Canada

On Monday, 24 February the State of New Hampshire Department of Business and Economic Affairs (BEA) issued RFP BEA 2025-10 seeking Public Relations and Travel Trade Services for Canada

Goals stated by BEA are:

• Serve as BEA's PR and trade relations rep in the Canadian market
• Develop and execute a brand-aligned PR program complementing BEA's advertising and marketing campaigns

Term of the non-exclusive contract would be 2 years July 2025 - June 2027 with option to renew through June 2029.

Schedule:

• Vendor inquiry period 2/24 - 2/27 12 PM
• Agency responses to inquiries 2/28 5 PM
• Proposal due 3/20 2 PM
• Notification of selection 4/9 (est.)

Scope of work:

Public Relations:

• Create, implement and manage for 12 months through regional and national media relations outreach and hosting a program that supports NH's promotional campaigns. resulting in trackable media coverage. Plan will:
  • Generate positive exposure for NH through consumer and industry media measurable by ROI and qualitative measures
  • Include robust and creative support for a niche consumer ad campaign
• Plan and execute a media and trade reception in Montreal or other market to be agreed upon
• Create media target lists for print, online and broadcast
• Facilitate a visiting journalist program including a minimum of 6 individual press trips annually

Travel Trade:

• Create, implement and manage a 12-month travel trade strategy
• Develop and maintain a travel trade target list
• Facilitate meetings and trainings with travel trade
• Develop and create quarterly newsletters for the travel trade
• Coordinate and manage in-market consumer and trade shows
• Coordinate and execute NH presence at events

Administratively:

• Provide translation for content and promotional materials
• Work with BEA on special projects
• Maintain industry memberships
• Store BEA's promotional materials
• Hold bi-monthly and quarterly meetings
• Track and report media coverage
• Prepare monthly, campaign and annual reports
• Participate in NH-based conferences and events

Sole point of contact for this RFP is:

Brittany Littlefield

Brittany.L.Littlefield@livefree.nh.gov

RFP contains the usual fine print about Debarment, Validity, Non-collusion, Public Disclosure, etc.

Proposal scoring:

• Company experience and results 30
• Experience and qualifications of staff 25
• Strategic thinking/planning/innovation 25
• Familiarity with NH and NH tourism 10
• Budget 10

Oral interviews will be conducted if necessary.

"Vendors are advised that this is not a low bid award."

Submitting proposals

Send electronically in searchable PDF format one full proposal and one with all confidential information redacted to:

Brittany.L.Littlefield@livefreenh.gov

cc: amy.O.Bassett@livefrreenh.gov

Subject line must contain RESPONSE TO RFP: Canadian PR/Travel Trade Services

RFP contains more fine print about what proposal must contain: Form P-37, contractor data sheet, etc.

Nowhere in the RFP could I find a dollar figure.

But like BEA's RFP 2025-09 for US PR services, this looks like a pretty valuable job.

Comment: Looks like NH is getting a jump on Maine and Vermont in taking action to counter the adverse effects of Donald Trump's recently announced plans for a 25% tariff on imports from Canada and maybe also annexing Canada as the 51st US state. See more about this over at TourismMarketer.com here:

www.tourismmarketer.com/ar...llations-37274-thread.html

And go here for more on how Google Ads and SEO will up your tourism game.

New Hampshire Issues RFP for US Tourism PR Services

On Monday, 24 February the State of New Hampshire Department of Business and Economic Affairs (BEA) issued RFP BEA 2025-09 seeking Domestic Public Relations Services.

Goals stated by BEA are:

• Serve as BEA's PR rep in the US market
• Increase brand awareness among consumer audiences
• Develop and execute a brand-aligned PR program complementing BEA's advertising and marketing campaigns

Term of the non-exclusive contract would be 2 years July 2025 - June 2027 with option to renew through June 2029.

Schedule:

• Vendor inquiry period 2/24 - 2/27 12 PM
• Agency responses to inquiries 2/28 5 PM
• Proposal due 3/20 2 PM
• Notification of selection 4/9 (est.)

Scope of work:

• Create, implement and manage for 12 months through regional and national media relations outreach and hosting a program that supports NH's promotional campaigns. resulting in trackable media coverage. Plan will:
  • Generate positive exposure for NH through consumer and industry media measurable by ROI and qualitative measures
  • Include robust and creative support for a niche consumer ad campaign
• Plan and execute one or more media receptions in key or new markets
• Create media target lists for print, online and broadcast
• Secure a minimum of 6 individual press trips annually
• Coordinate key market media tours and briefings at least twice a year
• Assist in creating media outreach strategies that get coverage of NH tourism
• Work with AOR to develop and implement a digital influencer strategy
• Support crisis communications and reputation management
• Work with BEA on special projects
• Hold bi-monthly and quarterly meetings
• Track and report media coverage
• Prepare monthly, campaign and annual reports
• Participate in conferences and events in NH

Sole point of contact for this RFP is:

Brittany Littlefield

Brittany.L.Littlefield@livefree.nh.gov

RFP contains the usual fine print about Debarment. Validity, Non-collusion, Public Disclosure, etc.

Proposal scoring:

• Company experience and results 30
• Experience and qualifications of staff 25
• Strategic thinking/planning/innovation 25
• Familiarity with NH and NH tourism 10
• Budget 10

Oral interviews will be conducted if necessary.

"Vendors are advised that this is not a low bid award."

Submitting proposals

Send electronically in searchable PDF format one full proposal and one with all confidential information redacted to:

Brittany.L.Littlefield@livefreenh.gov

cc: amy.O.Bassett@livefrreenh.gov

Subject line must contain RESPONSE TO RFP: Domestic Public Relations Services

RFP contains more fine print about what proposal must contain: Form P-37, contractor data sheet, etc.

Nowhere in the RFP could I find a dollar figure.

But this looks like a pretty valuable job.

Go here for more on how Google Ads and SEO will up your tourism game.

Tourism Ireland seeks PR services for Canada

Services wanted include:

• PR strategies
• Influencer and media relations

Contract period will be 12 months with the option to extend annually for 3 to 5 further years, beginning April 2025.

Contract will be subject to a performance review 6 months from commencement.

The Canadian office of Tourism Ireland will administer the contract.

Estimated value of the contract is stated as 117,000 euro including VAT. But the RFP also says that the "total annual value" of the contract is 26,500 euro or CAD $39,750 inclusive of taxes, based on a 12-month contract term.

Tenders:

• Tender prices shall be quoted in CAD.
• Prices must be shown as both inclusive and exclusive of VAT.
• Tenders must show net cost and applicable VAT rate.
• All provisions of tenders including prices must remain valid for 6 calendar months from the tender deadline.
• Tenders must be submitted via the upload facility at www.etenders.gov.ie before 15:00 Irish time on Thursday 20 February 2025.

Meetings:

Tenderers may be required to attend meetings where they present their proposals to Tourism Ireland. Meetings, if required, will take place in February/March 2025, and will be limited to 45 minutes in duration.

Award:

Tourism Ireland will communicate results of the selection process to tenderers in writing.

Contract Management:

Contract will be managed for Tourism Ireland on a daily basis by:

Sandra Moffatt, Manager/Canada

Jocelyn Black, Senior Publicity Executive

There's much more fine print in the etenders document:

www.etenders.gov.ie/epps/c...ents.do?resourceId=4936289

Comment: 2000 or so euro a month seems like a very tiny piece of Tourism Ireland's promotional budget. This might be a good opportunity for smaller shops.

And go here for more on how Google Ads and SEO will up your tourism game.

Vermont issues RFP for Tourism Media Strategy and Implementation Services

The Department of Tourism & Marketing of the Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development has issued an RFP for Tourism Media Strategy and Implementation Services seeking proposals from qualified vendors for an overall destination marketing campaign for attracting visitors to Vermont.

Anticipated contract start date is 29 July 2024, for a period of up to 5 years.

Scope of work:

• Devise overall destination marketing campaign strategies and media plans utilizing the most advantageous channels for each audience or objective
• Establish timelines and flight schedules negotiating efficient buys and cost effective rates
• Develop value-added opportunities, placement and delivery of creative assets to media outlets
• Monitor campaigns insertion orders
• Optimize campaigns for max effectiveness
• Reconcile media invoices
• Provide post-campaign summary report of reach and frequency

All creative assets will be produced in-house or provided by the State, so campaign creative development is not included in the scope of work.

Vendor will consider the following when developing media buying strategies:

• Past advertising performance
• Seasonal and activity-based visitation planning windows
• Coordination with paid search campaigns
• Assets and resources available
• Tourism research available
• Budget

Media buying strategies will:

• Offer clear goals, tactics, budgets, measurable targets
• Include SEM plan
• Use appropriate traditional and new media
• Consider timing for optimum exposure to target audience in most cost-effective manner
• Explore non-broadcast media such as OOH, sponsored content, experiential marketing, etc.
• Use other media as proposed by Vendor and agreed to by State

Vendor will collaborate with the State on strategy development.

Vendor will develop and execute media plans, negotiating most efficient and cost-effective rates, execute insertion orders, develop brand lift measurement for all media.

Vendor will coordinate delivery of the State's ad campaigns to purchased media venues.

Vendor shall invoice media buys separately from other services.

Required reports:

• Monthly status and optimization updates
• Detailed summary report per campaign
• Annual report of KPIs

Vendor shall maintain liability insurance with minimum coverage of $2M per claim and $2M policy aggregate.

All of Vendor's work will become the property of the State.

Proposal format:

• Cover letter
• Knowledge and expertise in media buying, media tactics, destination marketing, analytical tools, reporting
• Resumes of personnel
• Proposed approach
• Examples of previous work
• SEM
• Proposed timeline
• Customer service and reporting
• Subcontractors
• 3 references from customers in past 12 months
• Sample reports
• Pricing

State contact:

Michele Snyder 802-461-5224 Accd.contracts@vermont.gov

Proposals are due 4:30 PM EDT 26 June 2024.

Proposals must be submitted in digital format via email to ACCD.Contracts@vermont.gov with subject line "<<Tourism Media Strategy and Implementation Services>> - Bid Proposal"

Email must contain PDF attachment of bid or viable download link.

Bid document must be a digitally searchable PDF and meet various other requirements.

See the RFP for a great deal of fine print including hourly rates itemized by service.

Comment: This RFP reminds me of why I no longer do government contracts.

Go here for more on how Google Ads and SEO will up your tourism game.