Montco to push high end retail to tourists
Valley Forge Tourism and Convention Board wants visitors to shop, dine and stay
KING OF PRUSSIA >> It’s no secret to Montgomery County residents that the county has some of the best shopping around. The Valley Forge Tourism and Convention Board is spreading the word.
The agency has launched a new marketing campaign — Destination Shop Montco — that invites visitors nationwide to shop, dine and stay in Montgomery County.
“Montgomery County, Pennsylvania owns shopping. We have the best shopping in the entire northeast. We have every major brand New York has. No other destination in the country can come close.” — Mike Bowman, president, Valley Forge Tourism and Convention Board
The new marketing campaign includes billboards, a television ad and social media components. A new microsite — shopmontcopa.com — highlights the county’s retailers as well as dining and hotel offerings.
“We own shopping. Montgomery County, Pennsylvania owns shopping,” said Mike Bowman,
president of the Valley Forge Tourism and Convention Board in an interview. “We have the best shopping in the entire northeast. We have every major brand New York has. No other destination in the country can come close.”
The campaign focuses on the variety of shopping options throughout the county — including high-end stores offering global luxury brands, outlet savings and artists selling hand-crafted accessories along walkable main streets.
Ed Harris, Valley Forge Tourism and Convention Board vice president, marketing and communications said billboards are located along I-95, I-76 and the eastand westbound lanes of the Pennsylvania Turnpike. A television commercial is currently airing in the region on 6ABC and in the Washington, D.C. market.
The commercial — which includes two Tourism and Convention Board staff members and an intern — celebrates a weekend getaway to Montgomery County. The group’s steady stream of social media sharing catches the eye of another friend that didn’t go on the trip, according to a press release.
“It’s the social media FOMO factor: Fear of Missing Out,” Harris said.
Bowman’s claim that the county “owns shopping,” is more than just anecdotal.
“When you look at the stores at King of Prussia and then all the shopping in small towns and outlets — proximity wise for the size of Montgomery County, we own it,” he said. “The numbers speak for themselves, in terms of the amount of square footage tied to retail and then from the diversity of the types of shopping we have.”
The county boasts more than 4,500 retail locations, more than 29 million square feet of retail space and more than 500 restaurants that Bowman adds hit every price point a visitor might want.
The King of Prussia Mall recently celebrated its expansion with the opening of a new corridor linking The Court and The Plaza, which will add 50 new stores and restaurants. The mall annually attracts 20 million visitors.
Bowman stressed that the agency’s newest campaign is not a short-term effort.
“It’s not one of these things where we’ll launch and then walk away. This is a long-term strategy — it’s a brand for us. This will strategically be something that will always be part of us,” he said.
Bowman added that his agency’s number one goal is to boost tourism.
“I want the hotels filled. If the hotels are filled in Montgomery County and our year over year occupancy is up, everyone else will benefit,” he said, adding that when people visit they’ll go back and talk about the county. “That’s our best marketing.”
In the past year, the Valley Forge Tourism and Convention Board has launched more branding and microsites, including weddings, golf and most recently its Pokémontco site. Online visitors to the agency have increased dramatically.
According to statistics from the Valley Forge Tourism and Convention Board, the agency saw a 114 percent increase for site visitors in the past year, as well as an 88 percent increase in page views. On the social media side, the agency’s Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat usage has more than doubled over the past year — reflecting a 92 percent jump in followers.
For more information about the Valley Forge Tourism and Convention Board visit www.valleyforge.org