Earned Media Success Drives Record Impressions 

Travel Lane County staff's media efforts and partnership with Lawrence PR led to securing placements for our stories in renowned top-tier media outlets. Strategic media outreach, compelling storytelling, and established relationships with key journalists have consistently ensured our narratives gain prominent coverage, elevating our brand's visibility in key markets. Here are a few examples of recent story placements that are driving impactful engagement and recognition. Estimated earned media impressions topped 400 million in FY23! Check out the media and tour operator FAM story to learn how we are sharing our story in the coming weeks.

• You Can Spend the Night Inside These 13 Lighthouses
• Lesser-known beach town looks straight out of Twilight
• This Small Town is Called the Covered Bridge Capital of the West - and It Has Beautiful Vineyards and Waterfalls
• 10 things to Do In Eugene: Complete Guide to A Surprising Oregon Gem

Media and Tour Operators Experience Lane County

Travel Lane County's destination marketing staff teams up with Travel Oregon and Brand USA to coordinate familiarization (FAM) tours for traveling media and international tour operators.  In September and October we have eight FAM tours happening here in the Eugene, Cascades & Coast region. The media FAM tours include influencers, writers from AAA Magazine, Travel + Leisure, NW Travel + Life and others that will be visiting Eugene/Springfield, Florence, McKenzie River Valley, and Cottage Grove areas.

Two of the three tour operator FAMs are in collaboration with Brand USA, our national destination marketing organization. One from Italy, an emerging market for Oregon, will spend one night on the Oregon coast at Driftwood Shores and have lunch in Eugene on their way to Crater Lake. The Netherlands FAM will visit several south Willamette Valley wineries, have dinner and spend one night in Eugene. A FAM from France will experience the beauty of the Cascades by spending the night at the Westfir Lodge. It's great to be able to host these tour operators, have them experience Oregon, and then go back to their countries and sell trips to our region. Thanks to our partners who have provided small items for the the 27 welcome bags we will share. If other partners have items to contribute to these or other promotional initiatives, please reach out to Meg Trendler, Travel Lane County's Director of Tourism Sales. 

Celebrate your Ducks Friday Nights at Rally in the Alley. Friday nights before home football games from 4:30-6 p.m. at the 5th Street Public Market. 

County Pauses Work on Proposed Stadium

Facing more than a $40 million funding gap, and an unclear path to fill this gap, the Lane County Board of Commissioners voted to pause the design/build work on the proposed outdoor stadium facility while staff continues to evaluate additional funding options. The outcome of yesterday’s meeting means no forward momentum on any real planning for winter facilities for at least six months.  

View the Board of Commissioners agenda item materials and the meeting recording to learn more. 

Partner News

Carney Tapped by Sports ETA

J.B. Carney, Senior Director, Sports for the Eugene, Cascades & Coast Sports Commission has been named co-chair of the Sports Events and Tourism Association's College Towns Committee.  

Stephen Hoshaw Named WVVA Board President

The Willamette Valley Visitors Association (WVVA) named Stephen Hoshaw, Senior Director of Tourism Marketing at Travel Lane County as its newest Board President. 

LTD's Embery Honored

Lane Transit District's Elyce Embery, LTD Accessible Services Specialist, was recognized by Mass Transit magazine as an emerging transit industry leader in the publication’s 15th annual 40 Under 40 awards.  

In other news, LTD opened a customer service function in the Downtown Springfield Station in August.

Congratulations Shelton McMurphey Johnson House 

The Institute of Museum and Library Services just announced the recipients of several of their grant programs including the Shelton McMurphey Johnson House that was selected as one of the recipients for an Inspire! Grant for Small Museums!

2023 Oregon Main Street Conference October 4-6

Main Street organizations to think creatively about the issues and opportunities impacting their communities and develop concrete programs and activities to bring about meaningful change. Sessions cover a variety of topics for both beginners and those with experience. The format includes keynotes, interactive workshops, and networking time. 

Learn more about the conference here.

Travel Oregon Honored with Two Mercury Awards

The Mercury Awards recognize excellence and creative accomplishment in state and territory destination marketing and promotion; and inspire, through showcasing outstanding work, the continued development of imaginative and exciting marketing and promotional programs.

The product of a partnership between Travel Oregon and a collective of representatives from Oregon’s nine federally recognized tribes, the Travel Guide to Oregon Indian Country was honored in the Outstanding Print Collateral category. Hidden Trails of Oregon, which featured 10 Oregon cities and 10 guided experiences with documentary-style audio, was honored by NCTSD as Outstanding Video, Film or Podcast Series. 

Travel Oregon launched a new advertising campaign platform called Travel Oregon with Travel Oregon that promotes the idea that the best way to experience Oregon is with an Oregonian—a guide, a podcast host with in-the-know recommendations or perhaps even a state park ranger with knowledge of Oregon’s dark skies. 

Inclusion & Diversity

Museum of Natural and Cultural History Looped

Nearly 30 hotels and attractions now have hearing loops and recently the University of Oregon's Museum of Natural and Cultural History got looped for presentations. Our hearing loop program will pay up to 50% for larger venue spaces. Interested in learning if your meeting or performance space is a good candidate for hearing loop technology? Reach out to Destination Development Manager Connor Nolan for more information. Together we can make Lane County more accessible for visitors and residents.

Tri-County Golfers Hit for Pinot Noir

Travel Lane County sponsored the range for the Tri-County Chamber of Commerce Golf Tournament at Diamond Woods Golf Course. We partnered with Brigadoon Wine Company and provided players an opportunity to win a bottle of Pinot Noir. After warming up the players were given a pink game ball for a shot at a hula hoop next to signs calling out the Eugene, Cascades & Coast region. Matt McCarl of New Leaf Hyperbarics & Wellness came within inches of getting his ball with the hoop. We decided to give the closest two shots to each target a prize, so six golfers went home with a great bottle of wine. 

Corporate Matching Aids Oregon Parks

Some employers offer matching gifts, allowing you to double your contribution to our state parks. Many companies provide this employee benefit and some even extend it to spouses and retirees. By simply completing a matching gift form, you may be able to double or even triple the impact of your gift! Contributions of any amount help enhance the experience in Oregon’s beloved parks.

Over 26 million people work for companies with matching gift programs. So that means about 10% of the US workforce is eligible for corporate matching gifts. There is no cost to you to check and see if your membership contributions to Oregon Parks Forever will be matched by your employer. The app will lead you through requesting the information from your job. Check it out now.

Your gift makes such a great impact on Oregon Parks Forever and for Oregon's outdoor recreationists. By requesting a corporate match, you can stretch your contribution even further without giving another dollar. Interested in getting your gift matched? Click here to access your employer’s corporate match submission form. Also on our donation form, there is a checkbox. 

Before going out into the State parks in the Eugene, Cascades & Coast region, please take a look at our Adventure Checklist to ensure you are prepared for a great Oregon experience! 

The Eugene, Cascades & Coast Sports Commission assists local event organizers develop and grow their events and actively markets our region to sports planners throughout the nation. Stay abreast of Sports Commission activities by signing up for this monthly e-newsletter.

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