Agency targeting fans of the flower show
Campaign focuses on areas within 120 miles
UPPER MERION » The Valley Forge Tourism and Convention Board has focused its marketing and advertising attention on travelers planning to visit the Philadelphia Flower Show, which runs from March 3 through 11.
Specifically, the agency wants those visitors to stay at one of Montgomery County’s 77 hotels and take SEPTA into the city.
The “Montco to Flower Show” ad campaign highlights accommodations, transportation and attractions throughout Montgomery County and showcases the county’s easy accessibility and proximity to Philadelphia.
“Being minutes away from Philly, with affordable hotel rates, 1,600 restaurants, the best shopping in the country, free parking, and discounts to area attractions through our I SEPTA Montco perks program, it’s a no-brainer to stay overnight here in Montco,” Edward Harris, chief marketing officer for the Valley Forge Tourism and Convention Board said in a release.
The ISEPTAMontco program was launched by the Valley Forge Tourism and Convention Board and SEPTA in November 2017 — to show Philadelphia visitors and residents just how easy it is to get to the county by riding SEPTA.
ISEPTAMONTCO provides trip planning tips and highlights things to do in Montgom-
ery County and is an expansion of the successful ISEPTAPHILLY initiative, which started in 2012.
The “Montco to Flower Show” campaign kicked off Feb. 15, a multi-faceted digital ad campaign that is using social media, digital billboards and a dedicated web page — valleyforge.org/ flowershow.
According to Harris, the campaign has targeted areas within a 120-mile radius of hotels in Montgomery County and includes: Baltimore, Washington,D.C. and central and northern New Jersey — markets the agency has previously targeted in its ShopMontco campaigns and its winter hotel marketing campaign “The Thrill of the Chill.
“We’re encouraging them to take SEPTA because there’s a SEPTA stop at the Pennsylvania Convention Center that they can access via 49 stations throughout Montgomery County,” Harris said.
He added that the “Montco to Flower Show” campaign is the, “first 2018 initiative that leverages the partnership with iSEPTA Philly.”
Harris added that the agency is also using geotargeting in its messaging to gauge a visitor’s interest in the area while they’re in Philadelphia for the Flower Show, and to track and encourage return visits.
For the third consecutive year, the Valley Forge Tourism and Convention Board will sponsor a booth at the Philadelphia Flower Show that will highlight Montgomery County’s attractions, including information about the new Cirque du Soleil show coming to Oaks this summer. The tourism board will also distribute the organization’s first Montgomery County Arts Guide.
In addition, Harris said SEPTA will be giving something out at the Valley Forge Tourism and Convention Board booth to try to increase visitation using trains.
The Philadelphia Flower Show attracts 250,000 visitors annually. It is being held at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, 12th & Arch Streets, Philadelphia.