Dallas’ first ever multimillion-dollar multimedia campaign will be announced at today’s annual meeting of the Dallas Convention & Visitors Bureau. The $5 million branding and marketing campaign will help Dallas rise in the ranks as a top convention destination city. The campaign took eight months to craft and used input from Dallas residents and Dallas-based marketing agency TracyLocke. With millions in potential revenue for hotels, restaurants and taxi drivers at stake, Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings believes the campaign “is not just about the hotel rooms. This is about creating, year after year,” a reason for visitors to come back.
The campaign was made possible this year when the creation of the Dallas Tourism Public Improvement District was approved. It will last at least five years and will include 100-plus hotels within the city limits including the NYLO in South Dallas and the Omni Hotel in Downtown Dallas. Hotel owners agreed to be taxed to create the money pot used to boost marketing in the city. The tax, which hotels began collecting this summer, is paid by a 2 percent fee charged to hotel guest and is estimated to bring in up to $10 million a year. Philip Jones, chief executive of the Dallas Convention & Visitors Bureau, estimated the new Dallas branding campaign will cost up to $5 million.
