August 30, 2016—Tacoma, Washington — Tacoma’s tourism experts think Portlanders might like to visit an outdoorsy Pacific Northwest city with a maker culture, love of craft beer and some really cool bridges. They might even find a thing or two familiar about Tacoma, and in the process gain an appreciation for the glass art heritage, the classic car culture and the accessible waterfront that make Tacoma a unique destination for a weekend getaway.

As it stands now, when many Portlanders think of Tacoma, they know it as an exit sign along I-5. So on Wednesday, Aug. 31 at 10:30 a.m., Travel Tacoma + Pierce County is taking over Portland with a marketing blitz and public event that will bring some Tacoma spirit (along with glass art, a classic VW van and even some golf) to downtown Portland’s Pioneer Courthouse Square.

“Portlanders have great reasons to be proud of their city,” said Jaime Vogt, Vice President of Marketing at Travel Tacoma + Pierce County. “A lot of the things they love about Portland are the same things they end up loving about Tacoma once they visit. Both cities have an adventurous, outdoors-centric culture and you won’t find a bad local beer in either place.”

The campaign to drive awareness of Tacoma and Pierce County as a tourism destination includes:

  • Online and advertising featuring Tacoma cityscape images, hotel discounts aimed specifically at Portlanders and a sweepstakes to win a weekend getaway to Tacoma (http://www.traveltacoma.com/portland), including accommodations, dining and tickets to attractions.
  • Billboards on the side of Portland buses
  • Wrapped Portland MAX Light Rail cars
  • An event in Pioneer Courthouse Square featuring:
    • Glass art: A glass-art hunt throughout downtown Portland, where participants can use clues posted to Twitter and Instagram under the hashtag #GoNorth253 to find custom glass art pieces hidden around the city. Participants who find one of the glass pieces can take it to the Travel Tacoma booth in Pioneer Courthouse Square for an additional Tacoma-themed prize.
    • Classic cars: A 1968 VW bay-window van – named Moondoggy – that’s been converted to a mobile photo booth, courtesy of 1000-Words Events, showcases both Tacoma’s love of classic collector vehicles and adventurous and quirky spirit that’s represented in both Portland and Tacoma.
    • Golf: A Tacoma-themed put-put golf hole, with custom artwork from Tacoma local Nori Kimura that showcases downtown Tacoma icons such as Tacoma Art Museum, the Museum of Glass, Tacoma Link Light Rail, the Tacoma Dome, the 21st Street Bridge and the Sounder Train.
    • Giveaways: A prize wheel with giveaways of Tacoma products: Johnny’s Seasoning, Emily’s Chocolates, Teaosophy tea and Almond Roca.

 

The booth activities in Pioneer Courthouse Square, as well as the glass-art hunt downtown both begin at 10:30 a.m. The glass-art hunt continues throughout the day, with more pieces being hidden constantly. Both the booth and the hunt end at 6:30 p.m.

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Travel Tacoma + Pierce County is the official destination marketing organization for Tacoma + Pierce County, Washington. Accredited by Destination Marketing Association International. For more information, visit www.TravelTacoma.com.

 

 

For More Information Contact:

Matt Wakefield

Communications Manager

matt@traveltacoma.com

[253] 284-3253