Market Opportunities: Tourism

When most people think of the term “tourism” the first thing that springs to mind are the big operations like Disney World or Universal Studios, that feature multiple theme parks, hotels and shopping, and spend millions — if not billions — on signage and marketing materials. But while big-name clients like these would be a feather in any print service provider’s proverbial cap, they aren’t the only potential clients in the tourism industry.

No matter where in the United States your shop is based, there is going to be a state tourism board. Those organizations are the ones responsible for the “Visit XX State” campaigns you see on television, on billboards and in direct marketing campaigns — all of which require having print partners to help produce. In addition, in many states the tourism boards have a relationship with the local attractions, widening the opportunity even further.

The trick, however, is getting in front of the right people.

For SpeedPro Imaging South Jersey, the “foot in the door” was building on prior relationships. Megan Varrell, the location’s marketing & sales coordinator, spent several years working directly for the New Jersey Motorsports Park, a 500-acre entertainment complex focused on motorsports supported in part by the state’s tourism board. When she came to SpeedPro, she saw an opportunity to bring the two organizations together.

“I did have an advantage knowing exactly who the decision makers were – the Director of Marketing & Sales and the COO at the time,” Varrell said. “To start the process, I sat down with the gentleman at NJMP and showed them better, more cost efficient graphics we could use for their advertising purposes.”

And leveraging that relationship paid off. Today, SpeedPro South Jersey produces all of the park’s signage; Varrell noted that from this one client alone, the shop has seen more than $15,000 in revenue over the past two years. It has also opened up additional doors in the tourism market that would have otherwise been closed. Through the relationship with NJMP, the PSP was introduced to executives at Kawasaki, a hospitality group that operates several hotels in the area, as well as introductions to many other local businesses.

On the other side of the country, another SpeedPro location took a very different path into the tourism market, although, like their South Jersey counterparts, they also ended up working with tourism boards, this time for a city, rather than the whole state.

SpeedPro Imaging in Long Beach, CA spent years cultivating a reputation in the market for high-quality work. So when the City of Long Beach embarked on a beautification project, they were recommended by several different sources.

“The City of Long Beach found us through two referrals: An advertising agency we worked with that works closely with the city of Long Beach and through the Long Beach Transit who highly recommended us through some ‘HOT’ projects we assisted with,” said the location’s president, Hugh Wolf. “I guess you can say they were attracted to our reputation.”

The city got in touch with the shop, and after a conversation about what the project would entail, they were handed the job. And like with the South Jersey location, that work has led to additional opportunities down the line. “It broadens our portfolio with other established government agencies and businesses that might not have given us a second look,” Wolf noted.

Detail-Oriented

One thing that both shops noted is that work for this sector is often done on very tight deadlines, with very little room for error. “It’s profitable, but also highly volatile, so an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of mistakes,” Wolf cautioned.

“There are tight turnarounds, with graphic design and hardware installs,” said Varrell. She did note, however, that some of the work is planned campaigns, which can have a longer turnaround time than some of the other signage.

Wolf put it best when she broke down the attention to detail that is needed to be successful in this sector: “Patience — don’t rush anything and also measure three to four times if need be to make sure it’s done right the first time. The learning process came from working with high profile deadlines. It’s more of a behavioral adjustment that needs to be made from client to client. The knowledge base growth comes from working on projects outside of our core like monument signage, which introduces city regulations in which we rely heavily upon our partners to guide us and our clients through the process.”

And having the right partners is another key. While SpeedPro South Jersey noted that they do almost all of the work on their HP hybrid digital press, Wolf noted that while they also do much of their work on an HP Latex 10000, they have also cultivated relationships with other shops that have expertise in areas they might not, such as the monument signage she mentioned. SpeedPro Imaging Long Beach does jobs that span a wide range of printed materials, including vehicle wraps, marketing collateral and wayfinding signage, so having reliable partners who can fill in any gaps ensures every job is done right the first time.

But having the right equipment, the right connections and the right partners will only take a shop so far. Most of the clients in this space are also looking for a high level of creativity, and they welcome suggestions on what they can do better to gain more attention and attract more people to their locations and events. “Simply being a creative thinker with a sales driven focus [is important],” said Varrell. “The director of marketing & sales at NJMP and myself have been able to come up with creative graphic solutions.”

Getting a foot in the door in the tourism market can be an uphill battle, one that could take years of cultivating relationships and building a reputation for the highest-quality work available. But the payoff is often work that is seen by thousands — if not more — that can show off everything a shop is capable of doing. This kind of high-profile work might be wider ranging and at times more difficult, but it can also be more profitable and lead to more new clients than any other vertical.