National Tourism Week promotion for California businesses

To the community,

In recognition of National Tourism Week, May 8-16, the California Travel & Tourism Commission (CTTC) is launching a statewide promotion called “Spend Tom”. The Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority (LTVA) invites all California-based South Lake Tahoe businesses to participate in this program.

“Tom” is Thomas Jefferson, the face on the rarely-seen $2 bill. To highlight the importance of tourism as a job creator and revenue generator, we plan to pump thousands of dollars in $2 bills into the local community and build a media relations/social marketing campaign as the bills circulate through the economy.

We are looking for business partners who are willing to offer change in $2 bills and help us distribute these bills during National Tourism Week. Here’s how it works:

You sign up to participate in the program with LTVA.

At the beginning of May we will deliver $2 bills to participating businesses and receive the corresponding amount back in cash. We will film some of the “ecash swaps” for posting on YouTube.com.

The $2 bills will be stamped “SpendTom.com”, which will direct recipients to a specially-designed CTTC microsite. Visitors go to the site and tell us where they received their “Tom” and how they spent it. Then they enter a contest to win one of several special California prizes donated by promotion participants.

Your business will be highlighted on the website as a partner in the “Spend Tom” program.

We will provide you with a small point of purchase display template which you can customize with your logo to help communicate the initiative to staff and customers.

You’ll use the $2 bills May 8-16 to make change and talk-up the National Tourism Week program.

The LTVA and the CTTC will be promoting Spend Tom through traditional and social media, offering a great boost to South Lake Tahoe’s visibility, enhancing the stature of the travel and tourism industry, and potentially drawing more visitors here in the weeks and months to come. For a look at last year’s pilot program go to www.SpendTom.com.

Yes. Sign me up! I would like to receive $_______ (enter amount) in $2 bills to use as change May 8-16, 2010. I agree to pay the Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority the equivalent amount in cash at time of receipt.

Yes. I would like to donate the following prize _________________________________

Business Name:_______________________________________________________________

Business Physical Address_______________________________________________________

Phone #_______________________ Website______________________________________

Contact Person___________________________ Email_____________________________

________________________________________________

Signature of Authorized Business Representative

Questions? Contact Sue Barton, sue@LTVA.org, (530) 544.5050, ext. 224.

FAX above form to (530) 541-7121 by March 30, 2010.

Sue Barton, LTVA assistant executive director