Press Releases

04/30/2008

                                                                           April 30, 2008

For more information contact:
Leslie Mercado, sales manager
Temecula Valley Convention and Visitors Bureau
(888) 363-2852
www.temeculacvb.com

Visitors Bureau Reaches Out to Event, Meeting Planners

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Temecula, Calif. - The Temecula Valley Convention and Visitors Bureau wants to make it easy for meeting and event planners to book their next get-together in the Temecula Valley.

Colorful postcards extolling the sights and things to do in Temecula went out to thousands of meeting planners across California earlier this month, and a second round will go out at the beginning of May. Planners who bring a certain amount of business to the region will be rewarded with their own Southern California Wine Country Getaway.

"We hope this campaign raises awareness about this great destination among those who make travel plans for meetings, conventions and groups," said Leslie Mercado, Visitors Bureau sales manager."Not only are we a convenient and economically attractive alternative for companies and groups in Southern California, but we have plenty of things to do."

The postcard highlights Temecula's Wine Country with its more than two-dozen wineries and restaurants, Old Town with its history and shopping, nearby casinos with gaming and Vegas quality entertainment and world-class golf courses, as well as its various unique meeting venues.

"Many groups are looking for that out-of the-ordinary meeting room that's not just four walls and a drop down screen," explained Mercado. "We have many sites, from wineries to resorts that offer meetings in the barrel room, rooms offering scenic views of a golf course and rooms with sweeping panoramas of the Temecula Valley."

Lisa English has worked in the meeting planning business for nearly two decades and lives in Murrieta. But she concedes that even she isn't aware of all the event and meeting opportunities in the Temecula Valley.

"Temecula is a great market as a drive-to city for businesses from Santa Barbara to the Mexican border," she said. "I think the area represents a great opportunity with the economy the way it is."
Like what occurred after Sept. 2001, she expects more emphasis will be placed on closer-in destinations such as Temecula.

The bureau is also trying to remind local businesses that some of the best places to hold their own special events and meetings are right here in the Temecula Valley. "You live in a beautiful area," said Mercado, "People in Temecula don't realize we have meeting space right here and the CVB is here to help you make those plans."

Many small businesses that do not have a planner are not aware of the services that a CVB can provide.
"The CVB is here to do all the leg-work for you, especially if you are new at or not familiar with planning a meeting," said Mercado. "From contacting potential hotel sites, to securing meeting space, to arranging transportation and attendees activities, all of these are services offered by the bureau at no cost."

Local businesses that book events in the Temecula valley will also be eligible for gift certificates for shopping, free dinners to local restaurant and theater tickets.

Tourism each year pumps more than a half a billion dollars into the Temecula Valley economy and is responsible for more than 6,000 jobs in the region. It is estimated that visitor spending in the Temecula Valley in 2006 reached $537.7 million, a four-fold increase from $131.2 million six years earlier.

The Temecula Valley Convention and Visitors Bureau is a non-profit organization whose mission is to stimulate economic growth and tourism by promoting the Temecula Valley as a premiere destination to meeting planners, tour operators and leisure travelers. The bureau is the first in Inland Southern California to use marketing assessment fees rather than taxpayer money to market the region.

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