For an organization that is supposed to serve as a local tourism booster, NYC & Company sure was a bust this week.
NYC & Company is New York City’s official tourism organization. Its mission is to separate visitors from their money. It took this function over when the three-card monte dealers, who had previously filled that role, were chased out of midtown more than a decade ago.
The gents who used to toss the monte knew one invaluable lesson apparently missed by NYC & Company: Fish where the fish are.
But NYC & Company ignored an obvious market — the quarter-million anticipated protesters of the Republican National Convention — in favor of the 10,000 or so delegates, alternates and family members the city expected. This might have been appropriate for a partisan political organization, but ostensibly NYC & Company serves only one master, and that is the economic well being of every business in New York City.
The chatter surrounding the number of protesters coming to the city wasn’t just a buzz; it was a blaring klaxon horn. It must have taken a willful act of deafness to disregard it.
Where was Mike Bloomberg, the city’s CEO mayor? Before taking office, he built a media company, in part by using marketing. Did he take leave of his marketing savvy when he took the oath of office?
Where was Blockbuster Video, suggesting that for every night of the convention folks unwind with a movie? Four nights of the convention, multiplied by 250,000 protesters… did the chain just not feel it could meet the demand for a million copies of “Patton,” “Bowling for Columbine,” or even “The Man From Hope”?
Where was Nathan’s, suggesting that if an army of 250,000 protesters travels on its stomach, those stomachs should be filled with hot dogs and clam strips?
NYC & Company arranged well in advance for a very nice package of discounts and other come-hithers for the visiting convention delegates. Yet it wasn’t until two weeks before the convention that it quickly cobbled together a separate set of offerings for the protesters.
Conventioneers were given credentials they could present to garner their goodies, but the 250,000 anticipated protesters also needed some sort of identifier. So NYC & Company printed up “Welcome Peaceful Political Activists” buttons, which could be picked up at the organization’s headquarters.
Problem is, they only printed up 1,000 of ’em. Which meant that 249,000 protesters were left out of this promotion, and retailers throughout the city were denied access to a very large source of potential revenue. This doubly missed the mark because, unlike the GOP convention attendees who are being tightly scheduled and feted at prepaid functions within a very small section of the city, the protesters have a lot more fluidity in their dining and entertainment plans.
Yes, NYC & Company did slap a “Peaceful Political Activist” card up on its Web site, suitable for printing. But it sure didn’t promote this. I found it only by logging on to the site to find out if they planned to print up any more of those buttons. I wonder if they even bothered to follow through to make sure retailers knew to honor these cards.
So where are the 249,000 protesters being directed to spend their money? Damned if I know, and damned if NYC & Company knows either. Were I in charge of a New York City-based retail operation, I’d be screaming for somebody’s head.
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