Miami-Dade County Launches $2 Million Global Marketing Campaign To Promote Destination for Business, Vacation and Meetings

PARIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--A new $2 million global marketing campaign to promote Miami-Dade County as a dynamic, world-class destination for business, vacation and meetings was officially unveiled in Europe today.

The multifaceted "Miami: Where Worlds Meet" initiative – which spans North and South America, as well as Europe – is a collaboration of The Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau (GMCVB), The Beacon Council and American Airlines. Additional support is being provided by Miami-Dade County, the Port of Miami and Miami International Airport.

Unprecedented in its scope, the campaign is bringing together Miami's two primary marketing agencies for business and tourism attraction – The Beacon Council and GMCVB – to leverage resources. Commitment from American Airlines was considered the impetus to the new campaign, as well as extraordinary, given a time when most airlines are cutting back on service.

"In today's economy, it makes more sense than ever for Miami-Dade County to bolster its marketing efforts worldwide and for the key agencies that work to attract both business and visitors to the area to partner together for maximum impact," said Frank Nero, President & CEO of The Beacon Council, Miami-Dade County's economic development organization. "We are especially delighted that American Airlines is investing in this partnership."

“People today work hard and play hard,” noted William D. Talbert III, CDME, GMCVB President & CEO. “This campaign promotes Miami as the ultimate tropical, cosmopolitan tourism destination while showcasing our unique assets as a premier location to host meetings and conventions or to establish a business. Tourism and business often overlap and this collaboration capitalizes on that global trend."

“Those of us who call Miami home are aware of our communities' many wonderful attributes, so this initiative serves as a strong reminder to those living in the rest of the world that we have an abundance of business and leisure opportunities to offer them,” said Peter J. Dolara, American Airlines Senior Vice President for Miami, the Caribbean and Latin America. “American Airlines is proud to support this campaign, as it reinforces our commitment to help this community grow by establishing our major connecting hub at Miami International Airport.”

The "Miami: Where Worlds Meet" campaign is targeting both consumers and the trade, including meeting planners and site selectors who advise companies on where to locate businesses. The initiative will focus on six primary areas of commerce: life sciences/biomedical, fashion design and architecture, aviation and aerospace, financial services, technology and tourism.

The highly integrated campaign is debuting in seven key markets: New York, Canada, Brazil, Argentina, Spain, France and Italy. It blends an online viral campaign encompassing a new website (www.MiamiWhereWorldsMeet.com), banner ads and targeted e-marketing, with more traditional print advertising and direct marketing efforts.

Advertisements are running in leading daily newspapers around the globe, as well as in three American Airlines' in-flight publications – Celebrated Living, American Way and Nexos, which serves the Pan American market. Television is being utilized in Europe and Latin America, with "billboards" that lead into commercials on CNN International and CNN en Español. Among nearly two dozen websites that will carry "Miami: Where Worlds Meet" advertising are: nytimes.com, cnn.com, wsj.com, yahoo.com, terra.com, uol.com, tripadvisor.com and msntravel.com.

The marketing campaign is being created by Turkel, the Coconut Grove, Florida advertising agency that handles all of GMCVB's advertising and branding campaigns and has worked with The Beacon Council in the past on its highly successful "Give Your Business a Life" business attraction campaign that was launched in 2000.

About The Beacon Council

The Beacon Council, Miami-Dade County's official economic development partnership, is a not-for-profit, public-private organization that focuses on job creation and economic growth by coordinating community-wide programs; promoting minority business and urban economic revitalization; providing assistance to local businesses in their expansion efforts; and marketing Greater Miami throughout the world. For more information, call 305-579-1300 or visit www.beaconcouncil.com.

About Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau

The Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau (GMCVB) is an independent not-for-profit sales and marketing organization whose mission is to attract visitors to Greater Miami and the Beaches for leisure, business and conventions. For a vacation guide, visit www.miamiandbeaches.com or call 1-888-76-Miami (US/Canada only) or 305-447-7777. To reach the GMCVB offices, dial 305-539-3000. Meeting planners may call 1-800-933-8448 (US/Canada only) or 305-539-3071 or visit www.miamimeetings.com.

About American Airlines

American Airlines is the world's largest airline. American, American Eagle and the AmericanConnection® airlines serves over 240 cities in 40 countries with more than 4,000 daily flights. The combined network fleet numbers more than 1,000 aircraft. For more information, visit www.aa.com or call 800-433-7300 for reservations.