Once a month in an issue of Membership Matters, a Tourism Victoria staff member is interviewed on their role in the organization.
This month: Holly Lenk, Manager, Travel Media
How long have you been with Tourism Victoria?
I started with Tourism Victoria in September 2000. *Gasp* almost nine years… My very first role was doing reception for two months, and then I worked the membership department coordinating events – specifically the travel auction. Then I slowly worked my way into the Travel Media Department in 2004 and the rest is history.
So you have a unique view on Tourism Victoria after having spent time in a variety of roles and departments. (not a question – no need for question mark)
Yes, I think that would be fair to say. I feel well rounded, working with so many different departments, people and members. A highlight of my time was the travel auction, it was a great opportunity – I gained a lot of first hand knowledge about members and their products and it has really helped me working for the Travel Media Relations Department.
Holly, give me a run-though of an average day for you at Tourism Victoria. What do you do?
My goal, and the goal of the entire Travel Media Relations Department, is to garner editorial coverage for the destination. I do that in a variety of ways – making my days very different. A lot of what I do is based in the office; reaching out to media contacts, providing them with new and fresh story ideas on the destination and trying to get media to visit Victoria. Once I’ve lure them to Victoria to experience everything first hand, I meet with them to further build our relationship and in many cases tour them around the city. I could be whale watching with the media one morning, in my office fact checking a guide book or gathering images for a travel writer’s story later that day.
We are constantly researching in this department; we need to be on top of story ideas to properly promote the destination as full of life. One of the challenges we face is the perceptions of Victoria. People think they’ve seen it, they’ve done it, they know what’s here. For us in Travel Media it’s exciting when you bring a journalist here who hasn’t been here for a while or has never been here and you provide them with an experience they didn’t expect. Many times I’ve heard them say “Oh wow – I had no idea.”
What does the editorial coverage garnered by the Travel Media Relations Department mean for the destination?
Editorial coverage has a higher resonance with readers. When potential visitors read something a travel writer, who is supposed to be unbiased, experienced – that carries a lot of credibility. For example, if you were reading a four page article in a provincial newspaper by a journalist who has come with their family to experience the destination and see the value Victoria has to offer, that will carry a lot more weight to many readers than if our Marketing department were to take out a four page ad. We push hard to ensure Victoria’s brand is always out there, it’s an extremely competitive market and the more we get Victoria’s name in print the more people are likely to visit.
Beyond generating editorial content, what else do you do in the Travel Media Relations Department?
One of the most important things we do in the Travel Media Department is develop relationships with the media. If we don’t have strong relationships established they are not going to come to Victoria and write an article about the region.
One way we develop our relationships is attend marketplaces and participate in an event that’s a bit like speed-dating. I select which media I would like to speak with, they do the same, the organizers match everyone up, then we have 10 to 15 minutes together and it’s essentially ready-set-go. I will sit and talk to them about Victoria as it pertains to their interests and we have a discussion about the destination. Once that relationship is established we work to get the journalist to the destination and create the much coveted editorial coverage.
Another way we establish and develop relationships is specific to our key markets; for me that covers Alberta, BC and Ontario. We travel to these key geographic markets and meet with freelance writers, editors and journalists to talk about the destination, what’s new and upcoming in an effort to constantly build relationships.
How do you measure your success in Travel Media?
There is a formula to calculate the advertising equivalency from editorial coverage. Tourism Victoria is very conservative with the calculation. Some organizations will multiply the advertising value of the article several time whereas Tourism Victoria base their advertising equivalency on a one to one ratio.
What’s the most interesting or bizarre part of your job?
In the course of hosting a journalist or film crew you inevitably become a part of a photo or shoot and are often present in the background. As a result occasionally, when the writer is kind enough to forward the article along, you open the publications and WHAM – there’s a picture of you in all your glory… it’s always funny to see.
What can TVIC members do to assist the Travel Media Relations Department?
Membership can never feel they send us too much information. Let us know something new you are doing, something unique. When you’re thinking from a media’s perspective there needs to be a ‘hook’ to their story. Story ideas like a new green initiatives, new outdoor adventure philosophy, or perhaps you’re now using all locally grown produce. Let us know, because we are constantly face to face with the media and they want to know what’s new and when we have such a large member base it’s difficult to stay on top of each and every member.
