Los Angeles Tourism At Work - July 2022
A Welcome Return for IPW in Orlando
IPW 2022 marked a healthy comeback with attendance at the industry’s largest trade show reaching close to 80% of pre-pandemic numbers. Our team traveled to Orlando to connect with industry partners and showcase all that Los Angeles has to offer to the 4,600 delegates from over 62 countries.
On the main tradeshow floor, our Global Tourism Development team hosted more than 145 buyer appointments, including meetings with major airlines with flights into LAX.
To roll out the Red Carpet for IPW 2024 in Los Angeles, the Global Communications Team sponsored the IPW Press Center during the entire week. To capture the classic Hollywood feel, the space was activated with a VIP Star from the Hollywood Walk of Fame, a Lego Oscar and classic movie theater snacks. The team hosted a reception with Visit California in the space and a breakfast with the Academy Museum. Both events were attended by more than 120 journalists who saw firsthand that Los Angeles is a top destination for international travel.
L.A. Pride Collaboration with Maurice Harris
Los Angeles was full of energy last month as The LA Pride Parade returned to its roots in Hollywood! As part of our L.A. Pride partnership and hotel initiative, we collaborated with notable local artist, business owner and personality, Maurice Harris, to design and install floral arrangements at ten participating Hollywood hotels. Concepted by Shelley Leopold and orchestrated with Cynthia Rodriguez, the installations were beautiful and very well received by our hotel partners and L.A. Pride.
Maurice is the visionary behind Bloom & Plume, a bespoke floral design studio located in Echo Park. He’s a judge on HBO’s Full Bloom and also runs Bloom & Plume Coffee. Maurice’s clients include some of the biggest names in Hollywood as well as top tier brands such as Louis Vuitton, Dior, Nike, and Gucci. The participating hotels include Dream Hollywood, Godfrey Hotel, The Everly, The W Hollywood, Loews Hollywood, Mama Shelter, The Hollywood Roosevelt, Sheraton Universal, and Hilton Universal.
Meeting Planners International Celebrates 50 Years at WEC
Meeting Planners International (MPI) celebrated 50 years of business in San Francisco for the 2022 World Education Congress. The WEC is MPI's signature annual event which features a premier education, business and networking opportunities for meeting and travel planners. L.A. Tourism was represented by Chief Sales Officer Darren Green and multiple members of our sales team.
Los Angeles hosted the opening reception that brough in over 250 hosted buyers. The reception also featured a roving magician and gave our sales team the opportunity to connect with new and existing clients from all over the country. In addition, Los Angeles was featured on the scoreboard at Oracle Park during one of the featured events to promote the upcoming MLB All Star Games and showcase our new logo to the entire crowd.
Summit of Americas Brings World Leaders to Los Angeles
Los Angeles welcomed leaders from throughout the Western Hemisphere for the 9th Summit of The Americas from June 6-11. The theme for this summit was “Building a Sustainable, Resilient, and Equitable Future”, which responds to pressing issues including the COVID-19 pandemic; threats to democracy; the climate crisis; and a lack of equitable access to opportunities.
The 4,500 attendees occupied multiple downtown hotels and visited venues from throughout the city, including the Getty Villa, LACMA, and Microsoft Theater. Special thanks to LA Tourism’s Mary Gallager, Christian Cadle, marketing team and all additional team members who contributed to this success.
Global Tourism Team Updates
Chengdu Office Celebrates 5th Anniversary
On June 24, our Chengdu Office celebrated its 5th anniversary with 20 members of the local travel trade and airlines. Vincent Tang, Director of the Chengdu Office, expressed to the attendees that Los Angeles’ long-standing commitment to the market remains firm with a view to further recovery. During the event, Visit California announced its return to the China market with an upcoming California Reunion event in Guangzhou, Beijing and Shanghai.
Livestreamed Sales Event
LA Tourism’s China team partnered with United Airlines to host a livestreamed sales event on Ctrip late last month. With a focus on the mass student travel audience, they share the most up-to-date destination and air service info to promote repeat student and VFR travel. The 2-hour session attracted over 130,000 views and 3020 comments, ranking #4 on Ctrip’s weekly board.
Australia Team Partners with Disney Destinations International
LA Tourism partnered with Disney Destinations International for the return of their annual Disney Days events in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. Hosted at premium movie cinemas in Australia’s major cities, the events attracted more than 300 pre-qualified retail travel agents to watch the new Disney movie, Lightyear, and get an update on Los Angeles and LAX. Our team focused on including Los Angeles in a Disney vacation and highlighted L.A.'s new attractions, accommodations, and transportation options to get to and from Disneyland.
