Table of Contents
Executive Summary………………………………………………2
Press Releases……………………………………………………...3
Publicity Plan……………………………………………...……….7
Media Inquiry………………………………………………………9
Newsletter…………………………………………………………10
Website Copy……………………………………………...………12
Research and Marketing Plan…………………………………14
Blog ………………………………………………………………….15
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This portfolio is a compilation of examples of my body of professional
work. Included are press releases written for the Louisville Convention and
Visitors Bureau as well as a practice press release and publicity plan.
Following those pieces is an article written for a media inquiry for PCMA, the
Professional Convention Management Association, a weekly newsletter for
the Louisville Convention and Visitors Bureau and a bi-monthly newsletter
sent out for leisure travel, and examples of copy that I wrote for
www.BourbonCountry.com and www.GoToLouisville.com. These are
collections of themed itineraries for travelers. Next are two examples of
research work I have done. The first example, Whiskey Women: The Untold
Story of How Women Saved Bourbon, Scotch, and Irish Whiskey was a
research project for New York Times best seller Fred Minnick. Research I
provided him inspired a whole chapter in the book. The second example is
the Louisville Hot Brown Hop, I researched restaurants in Louisville that
served the sandwich and completed a marketing plan to highlight them.
Finally, I have included two entries I wrote that are to be used for the
Louisville Convention and Visitors Bureaus’ upcoming blog.
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For more information, contact the Louisville CVB Press Office:
Kate Vance, kvance@gotolouisville.com , 502-584-2121
Louisville Science Center’s Science in Play Returns
A sensory exhibit for the Center’s smallest visitors.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (July 18, 2013)- The Louisville Science Center has once again
opened the exhibit Science in Play, an interactive experience for visitors 0-7 years old,
and their adult caregivers. Science in Play features visitor favorites from the first
introduction of the exhibit, which ran from May 2012 to January 2013, and also
includes innovative new experiences to delight senses, inspire imagination, and tickle
curious minds.
Science in Play brings hands-on everyday science experiences to life in several activity
zones including the popular “Noodle Forest,” “Build Your Own Roller Coaster,” “Small
Build,” and the new “Get Moving,” “Mirror Maze” and “Rope Maze,” and “Climbing
Wall”. The “Shapes and Stuff Store,” is designed to encourage early math literacy
skills by inviting children to sort, count, categorize, design, and visualize. Science in
Play ensures that children and their caregivers have plenty of opportunity to work
together and practice a wide range of skills through experimentation and
collaboration.
Admission to Science in Play is included with regular Science Center exhibit
admission, which is $13 for adults and $11 for children 2 to 12. Combination tickets,
which include an IMAX film, are $18 for adults and $16 for children. Tickets are
available in advance by calling (502) 561-6100, ext. 6111 or
visiting www.KYScienceCenter.org.
To plan a visit to Louisville, visit www.gotolouisville.com for vacation packages and
family-friendly itineraries or call 1-888-LOUISVILLE (1-888-568-4784).
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Since 1968, the Louisville Convention & Visitors Bureau's(LCVB) primary goal has been to enhance the city and county's
economy through tourism development - to promote and sell Louisville as a destination for conventions, trade shows, corporate
meetings and pleasure and business travel on a worldwide basis. The LCVB was one of the first Destination Marketing
Organizations to become accredited in 2006, through the Destination Marketing Accreditation Program, an independent,
international standards program developed by the Washington, D.C. based Destination Marketing Association International.
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Lonely Planet Guidebooks recognized Louisville as its top U.S. travel destination for
2013.
For more information, contact the Louisville CVB Press Office:
Kate Vance, kvance@gotolouisville.com , 502-584-2121
Sukoshi Con presents: PokѐCon in Louisville
Event Planners Expect this to be the Largest Louisville Anime Convention in Three
Consecutive Years
LOUISVILLE, KY (June 19, 2013)- Sukoshi Con presents: PokѐCon, their largest anticipated
anime convention in three consecutive years. The event will take place July 19-21 at the
Crowne Plaza Airport Expo Center, 830 Phillips Lane. The public is welcomed to meet and greet
with special guests and fellow fans for an interactive and social weekend.
Admission:
Online pre-registration:
$25.00 3-day pass
At door:
$30.00 3-day pass
$20.00 Friday pass (12pm-12am)
$25.00 Saturday pass (10am-12am)
$15.00 Sunday pass (10am-6pm)
Louisville has been very receptive to Sukoshi Con’s previous conventions, doubling in size every
year. PokѐCon is projected to be their biggest event to date. There will be scheduled events all
three days with photo opportunities and meet and greets with featured guests.
Voice Actors: Veronica Taylor, Eric Stuart, Stuart Zagnit, Bella Hudson
Music Guests: Eric Stuart Band, Warky T. Chocobo, Final Weapon, DJ Giant Robot, DJ
Awesome, Shadow Clone, Solarbear
Industry Guests: Jrock Revolution4
“Louisville has a large community of Anime enthusiasts, upon realizing that the large
metropolitan area had no existing Anime convention, Sukoshi Con established the city’s first
Anime convention ‘Sukoshi Con: Louisville’ in 2011” said James Carroll, Chairman of Sukoshi
Con and Founder and President of Gaijin Global Enterprises.
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Sukoshi Con was founded by Carroll as a way to give Anime fans access to Anime, Cosplay,
and Gaming. The company’s core focus is to promote interacting with fellow fans, and maintain
a sub-culture feel. The company operates multiple Anime Conventions throughout the year in
various states in the southeast. Their conventions represent fans from every state in the United
States, as well as Denmark and Germany.
For more information about Sukoshi Con including schedules of events, contact: James Carrol,
Chairman/Marketing Director at james@sukoshicon.com or at 205-532-1772. Also be sure to
visit www.pokecon.us or www.sukoshicon.com.
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Since 1968, the Louisville Convention & Visitors Bureau's(LCVB) primary goal has been to enhance the city and county's
economy through tourism development - to promote and sell Louisville as a destination for conventions, trade shows,
corporate meetings and pleasure and business travel on a worldwide basis. The LCVB was one of the first Destination
Marketing Organizations to become accredited in 2006, through the Destination Marketing Accreditation Program, an
independent, international standards program developed by the Washington, D.C. based Destination Marketing
Association International. Lonely Planet Guidebooks recognized Louisville as its top U.S. travel destination for 2013.
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For more information, contact the Beer N’ Burgoo Press Office:
Kate Vance, kate_vance@ymail.com 502.533.8659
“B” is for Beer and Burgoo
Savor the fall season over local originals
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (July 14, 2014)- The first ever Louisville Beer N’ Burgoo
festival will be hosted on the Belvedere October 3-4. Local brewers will raise
glasses of their finest crafts. Food trucks and chefs will serve their renditions of
the Kentucky classic. The event is intended for all ages, children under 12 can
enter for free, and adults pay only $10. Convention attendees for the weekend
receive a $3 discount with their convention badge.
Chefs will be serving by the gallon, bowl, or taste and attendees can vote
for their favorite take on the savory stew. In addition to the eating and
imbibing, guests can purchase locally made wares and art and enjoy a live
music ranging from bluegrass to alternative rock. The festival is truly an event
for all.
Local breweries participating in this festival include Bluegrass Brewing
Company, Cumberland Falls, Red Yeti, Apocalypse, and Falls City. Food trucks
partaking in the event include Hole Mole! Lil’Cheezers, Grind, and Boss Hog’s
BBQ. Chefs from Food 4 ur Soul, Irish Rover, Sway, The Oakroom, and Proof
on Main will be competing as well.
The Louisville Beer N’ Burgoo Festival is partnered with the Louisville
Food Truck Association, Metro Parks, and the Louisville Independent Business
Alliance. More information can be found online at www.beernburgoo.com or on
their social media platforms. Follow @beernburgoo on Twitter, Vine, and
Instagram, and be sure to “like” their Facebook Page, Louisville Beer N’ Burgoo
Festival.
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Louisville Beer N’ Burgoo Festival
On the Belvedere
Executive Summary
The Louisville Beer and Burgoo Festival will celebrate the craft beer movement in Louisville, as well as a
lesser known traditional dish of Kentucky, burgoo. Participating breweries will gather to showcase their microbrews to the public and local food trucks and restaurateurs will put their own spin on the culinary classic. Festival
attendees can sample the dishes and vote for their favorite rendition. The event will take place at the Belvedere, the
first Friday and Saturday of October of 2014 on the 3 and 4.
Information about the festival will be provided for guests online on the website www.beernburgoo.com and
promotional material will be posted on various social media platforms (including but not limited to Facebook,
Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and Vine) and to in-town conventions. Participating brewers and restaurants will also
be encouraged to promote the event by word of mouth and through interaction online.
The targeted market for this event is not limited to the 21 and older crowd. Families are encouraged to
bring their children to try the food from their home state. The goal is to attract locals and culinary tourists who are
active online and eager to support local businesses.
Target Markets
Demographics: 21 and older, interested in trying local foods
 “Foodies”
 Culinary travelers
 Craft beer drinkers
 Local business supporters
 “Regulars” from local, participating restaurants
 People who watch Food Network
Psychographics: Active on social media, dines out frequently, interested in microbrewers and local fare and culture
Geographics: local, from smaller cities and towns in Kentucky, Cincinnati, Lexington, Nashville, St. Louis,
Indianapolis, Chicago, Atlanta
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Strengths
Belvedere is close to hotels for out of town
guests
Lots of nearby parking, and first Friday Trolley
Hop can move more people closer
Craft brew and culinary trends scene are
flourishing
Estimated 10,000 guests coming in town for
IdeaFest without a scheduled event Friday night
Opportunities
Local chefs participate with their burgoo
Pitch to travel and culinary writers
“Show Your Badge” program for discounted
tickets to convention goers
Photos and recipes to be used for social media,
and correspondence with the local
chefs/brewers
Strategies and Tactics
Press Releases:
Media advisory
Press Conference
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Weaknesses
During fall there are many other festivals to
compete with
Will require many partnerships with local
brewers and restaurants
Downtown is not very central to residential
neighborhoods and people may not want to
travel and drink
Cost
Threats
Families may be deterred due to 21 and over
nature of a beer celebration
Chefs may not want to leave their restaurant on
a weekend
Burgoo is not a health conscious menu item and
it isn’t vegetarian
Acclimate weather
July 2
July 16
Press Release
Post-event release/ photo release
Scheduled Radio and TV Interviews
July 16
October 6
 Burgoo how-to’s and tastings to sunrise shows
o Louisville WDRB, WHAS, WAVE, WLKY
o September 18, 23, 25, 30, October 2
o Indianapolis WRTV, WISH TV, WTHR, WHMB, WXIB
o Cincinnati WXIX, WLTT, WCPO, WKRC-TV
o Lexington WLEX, WKYT, WTVQ, WDKY
 Beer and burgoo tastings during daytime and evening shows
o Louisville WDRB, WHAS, WAVE, WLKY
o September 17, 22, 24
 Pitch to local and regional radio stations
o Louisville 84WHAS, Main Line, Public Radio,
WNDA
o Indianapolis WRZX, WNOW-FM, WHHH, WFBQ
o Cincinnati WKRQ, WHKO, WFTK, WYGY, WKFS
o Lexington WLXX, WKQQ, WXZZ, W280DO,
WCDA
o Morning and evening commutes
Story Pitches
Business First
Chevy Chaser
Cincinnati Magazine
CityBeat
Courier Journal
Indianapolis Star
Leo Weekly
Lexington Herald-Leader
Louisville Magazine
NUVO
Southsider
Today’s Woman
Travel bloggers/travel writers
Velocity
Calendar Listings/Newsletters
AAA Traveler Kentucky
About.com
Bellarmine
Business First
Convention and Visitors Bureau
Insiders Louisville
Kentucky Monthly
Louisville Metromix
Metrofest
The Highlander
Voice Tribune
Social Media
Louisville Beer N’ Burgoo Festival
@beernburgoo #beernburgoo
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Business angle, production aspect of craft beer
Weekend trip
Weekend trip
Weekend trip
Basic, pre promotion
Weekend trip
Edgy angle, micro brews
Weekend trip
Best of Louisville chefs featured
Edgy angle, micro brews, weekend trip
Weekend trip
Female brewmiester
Culinary tourism
Weekend activity
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PCMA Article for July 2014
Louisville was named one of the “Best Foodie Getaways around the World” by Zagat for a
reason. A rich culinary heritage, the birthplace of America’s only native spirit, growing
recognition by national magazines, more than a dozen James Beard chefs…Louisville is a
food town.
In Louisville, culinary twists on tradition are the norm and famously hearty Southern
cuisine is alive with fresh local produce. Surrounded by agricultural and rural farmland,
Louisville is in the heart of the American garden, with abundant access to great meats,
fruits, grains, vegetables and cheeses. And our restaurants take advantage of it. Farm to
table dining isn’t just a movement in Louisville, it is a way of life for many of the
restaurateurs.
NuLu, a food and shopping district on East Main Street, features some of the finest farm
to table faire in the city at Decca, Garage Bar, Rye, and Harvest-who boasts that over
80% of everything on their menus comes from within 50 miles of the store. Across the
street, Chef Ucan at Mayan Café grows his own produce and bases his menu off of what
he pulls from the warm soil in his garden.
Waves of immigrants have also brought flavors to Louisville from around the world.
Restaurant rows boast tastes from the Mediterranean to Korea, to South America,
Europe, and Africa. There are restaurants representing almost every continent on Earth
and endless languages and accents can be heard amongst the walls of each
establishment.
Response
Media
Inquiry
There is more to a meal in Louisville
thantojust
fulfilling
a hunger. Southern roots have
taught Louisville natives that meals are experiences-an experience of flavors, smells, and
sounds associated with a meal, like the laughing of a friend or the smell of Grandma’s
kitchen.10
Louisville loves food, in fact, Louisville lives food.
Weekly Newsletter
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Bi-monthly Newsletter
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Website Copy
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Website Copy
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Research
Research and Marketing Plan
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Evan Williams Bourbon Experience
One of my favorite parts of Louisville is downtown Main Street. Once known as Whiskey
Row, the stretch is making a long awaited come back. I’ll focus more on the street as a
whole in a later post, but I have recently visited the new Evan Williams Bourbon
Experience and am really excited to share it. I first visited this location for a hard hat tour
in June of 2013, I was able to see the drawings and conceptual ideas before they were
made. In October the distillery experience opened and I got the grand tour of the
completed attraction.
Located at 528 West Main Street, the Evan Williams Bourbon Experience
is not to be missed with it’s multi-story silhouette of an upside down bottle pouring into a
rocks glass. Step inside and you can walk right beside that glass, a larger than life
bourbon on the rocks fountain-a beautiful sight to bourbon lovers like myself. A few steps
further and there is a timeline of the company along the wall.
Once you sign up for a tour, the guide leads you into a 1793 town meeting where you meet
Evan Williams, the man to started it all. The tour progresses into an multimedia step by
step process of how bourbon is made. Because the facility is actually a distillery,
sometimes you even get to see distillers working with the stills, checking the mashes, and
overseeing that everything is just right.
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Next is my favorite part-the walk to the tasting room! The hallway leading to the tasting is
a recreation of Main Street, Whiskey Row, though different time periods, complete with ads
and newspapers from the respected times. Finally, there are two rooms for tasting. One is
reminiscent of the cabin the tour began in, the other is a retro room that would feel at
home on the set of Mad Men. Both have you seated at tables that open up and
have Glencairn glasses of bourbon.
The facility also has a meeting space upstairs with repurposed barrel wood features and
light fixtures made of bourbon bottles. Several floors below is a hidden Speakeasy-the
entrance is through a safe! The Speakeasy is a retro themed space decorated with antique
photos and ads from Louisville in the 1920’s.
Below are some pictures from my hard hat tour-visit for yourself to see how it looks
finished!
Blog
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Bourbon Five Ways
When I sip bourbon, I like to appreciate it using all of my senses.
It starts with the subtle crack of wax, then the whisper of a pop from the cork- which can
barely be heard over the voices of friends. Once I bring the glass to my face, tilt it towards
me and breathe in the smell of vanilla and smoke. The combination is relaxing, a memory
of good times. When I close my eyes I see the strong white oak tree from which the barrel
was made from before it housed the aging spirit. It was tall and straight, like the legs of
the liquid that slide down my glass when it swirl it.
When the bourbon passes my lips I feel warm, it coats my mouth and awakens different
parts of tongue. Adding ice to cool it provides a different wave of feeling. I can still taste it
when I exhale from my mouth. I like to savor the char from the barrel and imagine all the
seasons of it being absorbed in and out of the oak. The crisp, local, limestone filtered ice
melts and causes the glass to sweat in my hand. It’s telling me to take another sip.
I’m fortunate to live in the Gateway to Bourbon Country®, where the American spirit
flows as free as the rivers and as vast as the fields of bluegrass. Bourbon is a part of our
culture here. It’s what relaxes us when we’ve worked with our hands all day, and what we
pair with fine dining. We give it as gifts, and celebrate it. We share it with friends, and
with the world.
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Blog