CLEVELAND (June 27, 2014) – Destination Cleveland, the convention and visitors bureau for Cleveland, will launch its new #ThisisCLE Mobile Tour from 3-7pm on Sunday, June 29 at Liberty Fest at Crocker Park. The goal of the tour is to improve resident word-of-mouth among those who live in Cleveland’s suburbs by providing a positive, tangible experience with the Cleveland brand.
The tour touts a Cleveland-themed truck emulating the bureau’s new destination branding elements which focus on the city’s world-class art, culture and rock and roll in a way that is irreverent, fun and unmistakably Cleveland.
Throughout the summer, the #ThisisCLE Mobile Tour will travel to various suburban events and festivities, and will literally bring the spirit of Cleveland to the suburbs by towing larger-than-life letters that spell out “Cleveland” or “#ThisisCLE.”
Cleveland Ambassadors will be on-site to provide Cleveland-themed sight-seeing itineraries, discuss the new developments and investments throughout the city and share the ways locals can become involved in promoting their hometown. To encourage Cleveland pride, visitors to the truck also will receive Cleveland-branded items and can enter to win CLE prize packages and weekly giveaways.
Destination Cleveland first announced the tour concept at its 2014 annual meeting as part of its new destination branding effort. While the bureau’s mission is focused on bringing more out-of-town leisure visitors and meeting/convention planners to the city, the perception of Cleveland among its residents is a crucial component in attracting visitors to the region and driving economic impact.
“Our brand-related research concluded that the third most utilized source for visitors planning a trip to Cleveland is residents,” said David Gilbert, President & CEO, Destination Cleveland. “Unfortunately, we also found out that only 34 percent of Clevelanders would recommend visiting Cleveland to an outsider.”
To capitalize on the 34 percent, Destination Cleveland devised a local social media movement to help Clevelanders show what their city means to them. The goal of the movement is to showcase the quirky, unpredictable and eclectic side of Cleveland in an effort to attract more visitors.
Through this movement, residents are encouraged to snap photos that show people and places that are unmistakably Cleveland and tag the images with the hashtag #ThisisCLE on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, blogs, etc. Destination Cleveland then organizes the images and showcases them at ThisisCLE.com, a website for residents to share their Cleveland pride. At each mobile tour stop, residents can take photos of themselves with the Cleveland letters and tag them #ThisisCLE.
“We’ve created a new destination brand because it’s time to change the narrative about Cleveland at home and outside the city,” said Gilbert. “Right now, Cleveland is enjoying a renaissance along with the benefits of billions of dollars in new development and improvements. Destination Cleveland’s mission is to promote the city to visitors, and while we can organize the efforts behind this movement and amplify the message, we can’t tell the story alone.”
The #ThisisCLE Mobile Tour will be parked from 3-7pm on Sunday, June 29, at Crocker Park on Crocker Park Boulevard in front of Dicks Sporting Goods.
To follow the #ThisisCLE Mobile Tour and see where in Cleveland it will appear next, please follow us on Twitter @TheCLE. If you are interested in hosting the mobile tour at an event, please contact Mike Mulhall at promotions@destinationcle.org to discuss timing and costs.
b>About Destination Cleveland: Destination Cleveland is Cleveland’s convention and visitors bureau. This private non-profit organization’s mission is to drive economic impact and stimulate community vitality for Greater Cleveland through leisure and business travel. Cleveland welcomes nearly 16 million visitors annually. For more information, visit ThisisCleveland.com.
Jennifer Kramer, Destination Cleveland
216.534.6479
jkramer@destinationcle.org