Scottsdale Convention & Visitors Bureau 2011-2012
Group & Individual Media Press Trips

The Scottsdale Convention & Visitors Bureau's public relations team will coordinate the following press trips and media tours for fiscal year 2011-12. Unless otherwise noted, these familiarization tours (FAM's) are offered to domestic and international travel editors, staff writers, and qualified freelance travel journalists. Each media tour is limited to three to 10 journalists depending on the tour, and journalists are selected according to eligibility, tour preference, and assignment. 

If you would like to be considered for any of these trips, please provide documentation of assignments for covering these story topics or a selection of recent article clippings from publications to which you will be pitching these topics. Preference will be given to media with confirmed letters of assignment, and we will work with the host properties to confirm attendees. Please note: dates, themes and markets are subject to change. The most up-to-date schedule can be found at www.scottsdalepressroom.com. 

If you have questions about these FAMs, please contact:
Tatum Luoma, Director of Public Relations
Phone: 480-889-2719 Fax: 480-421-9733
E-mail: TLuoma@scottsdalecvb.com

Laura McMurchie, VP of Communications
Phone: 480-429-2253 Fax: 480-421-9733
E-mail: LMcMurchie@scottsdalecvb.com

Girlfriends Get Away in Scottsdale
April 27 - May 1, 2012

(Open to domestic and international travel and lifestyle media)
With an estimated 32 million single American women traveling at least once in 2009, according to the Travel Industry Association, women are making time to get away with their girlfriends for some R&R. Maybe they are using their vacation time to celebrate one of life's many milestones like an upcoming wedding or a birthday or perhaps they just need a break from their daily routine. Well, ladies looking for female bonding time will find exactly what they want in Scottsdale. This world-class travel destination offers luxury resorts, pampering spas and rejuvenating fitness activities with the majestic Sonoran Desert as the backdrop. Get a taste of Scottsdale by staying at a hip downtown hotel, sampling a variety of boutiques only locals know about, relaxing with a desert-inspired spa treatment, enjoying culinary creations from a Food Network star, and experiencing the Sonoran Desert through hiking, an off-road Jeep or Hummer tour, or a hot air balloon ride. 
 

24th Annual Scottsdale Sunsational Meeting FAM
May 20-23, 2012

(Open to U.S. and Canadian meetings and trade media only)
This FAM is one of the most celebrated tours held annually for the past 24 years by the Scottsdale CVB's convention sales staff and specially designed for meeting and incentive planners as well as the media that cover these markets. You can be one of three journalists who experience Scottsdale's newest amenities, meetings activities, and event facilities for groups along with approximately 25 meeting planners from association, corporate, incentive, and SMERF markets. Stay at one host property in addition to touring and experiencing more than 15 others. And because we recognize that you may have different needs than meeting planners, the itinerary will be customized to accommodate your story assignment(s).

INDIVIDUAL MEDIA TOURS
(Year-round) 
The Scottsdale CVB understands that not every journalist or story angle is suited for the group media tour format. If you are a journalist with a confirmed assignment for any of the above story ideas or are planning your own media tour to Scottsdale and require assistance, the CVB public relations team is available to facilitate your visit. Our team can offer a wide range of support services. From supplying contacts and recommendations on what to see and do to coordinating hour-by-hour itineraries of the Scottsdale experience, we look forward to the opportunity of assisting you in putting together the perfect customized itinerary based on your interests and assignments.

THEMES FOR INDIVIDUAL VISITS
The Scottsdale CVB hosts individual writers throughout the year for specific themed visits. Following are a number of events and ideas to incorporate into your Scottsdale itinerary:

•  Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin West - From the moment he first set eyes upon the Sonoran Desert in the late 1920s, Wright was smitten. He purchased land in what was then the distant outskirts of Scottsdale, where he spent more than two decades carving a residence and architecture school out of the McDowell Mountain foothills. Now a National Historic Landmark, Taliesin West is celebrating 75 years in 2012 and will mark this milestone with events ranging from symposiums and concerts to fashion shows and special tours along with the Frank Lloyd Wright: Organic Architecture for the 21st Century exhibit at the Phoenix Art Museum starting in December 2011. http://www.franklloydwright.org/, www.phxart.org 
• Auto Week (January 2012) -  Car fans from around the world cruise into Scottsdale every January to be a part of the city's month-long celebration of the automobile. Barrett-Jackson Classic Car Auction revs up Jan. 16-22 for the "World's Greatest Collector Car Auction" featuring the finest selection of quality collector vehicles, art, fashion and more. Just down the road, Russo and Steele Collector Automobile Auction offers premium European Sports and American Muscle cars in an intimate setting. Gooding & Company Auto Auction rounds out this car extravaganza Jan. 20-21 with high quality collector vehicles. www.barrett-jackson.com, www.russoandsteele.com, www.goodingco.com
• Spring Training (March 2011) -  Every spring, thousands of baseball fans from across the country make their way to Scottsdale to enjoy Cactus League spring training at Scottsdale Stadium. And just minutes away, the Arizona Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies will take the field at the new Salt River Fields at Talking Stick ballpark on the nearby Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community. After catching a game of America's favorite pastime, enjoy Scottsdale's idyllic weather, sample the cuisine at one of the tantalizing restaurants, party at downtown Scottsdale's 50 nightlife offerings, play golf on one of the area's 200 courses, and much more. www.springtraining.com
• Native Trails (Jan. 26 - April 14, 2012) -  Experience a true sensory journey of Native American song and dance showcasing the vivid first nations of Arizona and North America at this free event. Celebrating its tenth season, Native Trails brings together colorful dances, traditional costumes and inspirational music as an expression of the Native American community that continues to shape the city of Scottsdale and state of Arizona today. Takes place most Thursdays and Saturdays in downtown Scottsdale. www.scottsdalenativetrails.com
• Spring Training (March 2012) -  Every spring, thousands of baseball fans from across the country make their way to Scottsdale to enjoy Cactus League spring training at Scottsdale Stadium. Just minutes away, the Arizona Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies take the field at the new Salt River Fields at Talking Stick ballpark on the nearby Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community. After catching a game of America's favorite pastime, enjoy Scottsdale's idyllic weather, sample the cuisine at one of the tantalizing restaurants, party at downtown Scottsdale's 30 plus nightlife spots, play golf on one of the area's 200 courses, and much more. www.springtraining.com
• Scottsdale Culinary Festival (April 17-22, 2012) - Join 40,000 fellow foodies for a six-day celebration of the senses at the annual Scottsdale Culinary Festival, the longest-running festival of its kind in the United States. From cooking demonstrations and meet-and-greets with celebrity chefs to two days of fun in the sun at the Great Arizona Picnic, this is truly a celebration of the palate. www.scottsdaleculinaryfestival.org
• Arizona Cowboy College (select dates throughout the year) - Arizona Cowboy College offers week-long sessions year-round at their equestrian center in Scottsdale. Promising more than trail rides and cookouts, Arizona Cowboy College features rigorous classes about cattle and horsemanship followed by an intense, on-the-range experience at an Arizona ranch. www.cowboycollege.com