DEVENEY secures multiple placements for New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau

Tourism is New Orleans’ biggest industry, employing more than 80,000 residents and generating annual revenues of $7 billion. Central to bringing tourists and conventions to New Orleans is the New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau (NOCVB). The NOCVB asked DEVENEY to generate national and regional coverage in target markets and promote New Orleans as a leisure and business destination. DEVENEY’S success has led to its taking first place in the “Hospitality, Travel or Tourism Campaign” category of Ragan’s 2017 PR Daily Awards.

Even before developing its proposal, the DEVENEY team conducted internet research to get a good sense of current perceptions and coverage. With the contract in hand, more research informed the project, including an email survey soliciting feedback from NOCVB staff and board members, focus groups with the group’s leaders and interviews with internal and external stakeholders. 

The research led to a strategic plan designed to secure eight national features, six “fly market” features, six “drive market” features and six trade publication features. To drive the outreach, DEVENEY compiled editorial calendars from target outlets, developed unique story angles, used resources like Help A Report Out (HARO) and ProfNet to identify pitch opportunities and coordinated familiarization trips for individual reporters and media groups. 

The approach helped DEVENEY exceed its goals—by a lot. The campaign yielded 38 national placements, 17 fly market placements, 20 drive market placements and 37 trade publication placements. Ultimately, 124 stories were published based on 397 media engagements. 

Congratulations to DEVENEY for its win.