Facilitating a FAM trip – a free or reduced-rate trip offered to travel professionals to familiarize them with what a destination has to offer – is a great opportunity to build relationships with media as well as provide an experience that they can recreate for their audience.
In the case of our client Wuksachi Lodge, a full-service hotel nestled in the heart of Sequoia National Park and operated by Delaware North Companies Parks & Resorts, our FAMs have focused on what sets the hotel and surrounding area apart from other destinations. By customizing itineraries that showcase unique seasonal and year-round elements (versus one-off news items that have a quick shelf life), we are able to host media from short and long-lead outlets simultaneously. This is important, as long-lead magazines and television shows typically plan two months to a year in advance.
Executing a successful FAM trip requires a great deal of organization and there are a number of items to consider from start to finish. Here are just a few preliminary steps that will help ensure smooth sailing once guests are onsite:
Consider Timing and Resources
You need to first decide on dates for the trip, length of stay and the appropriate number of guests. Media generally prefer midweek to weekends and at least a two-night stay. Avoid holidays if possible. When contemplating how many guests to accommodate be sure to think about sightseeing opportunities. Will your guests walk or do you have a passenger van and trusted driver? And don’t overlook potential weather issues! If it rains on your outdoor activity or a heavy snow shuts down a thoroughfare, what’s the contingency plan?
Design an Invitation
Your invitation serves as pitch to entice media. In addition to the five W’s – who, what, why, when and where – it should convey the answer to the question: What’s in it for me? With all the invitations travel media receive to explore various destinations throughout the world, what makes yours worth saying “Yes!” to?
Find Qualified Participants
A great way to attract media to your FAM is to send your invitation through a professional database that specializes in the travel journalism. But just because someone accepts your invitation doesn’t mean you have to book them as part of the FAM. As part of the qualifying process you’ll want to request credentials, writing samples, links to published articles, etc. You can also pick up qualified leads from trade publications, sales and trade show activity and referrals.
Create an Itinerary
A well-thought out itinerary is imperative. Sightseeing destinations in Sequoia National Park, for example, are a great distance apart. Many require a vehicle as well as walking time. This is the sort of thing that needs to be accounted for when trying to get a media group to a tour on time. Also imperative is providing plenty of down time between activities. Sure, you want to showcase the place, but don’t pack the daily schedule so tight that media have no time to rest or explore at their own pace.
Supply Travel Tips
Before media depart for your destination you'll want to send them a list of travel tips, from driving and/or flight directions to important phone numbers to all the localized things in between. Since there are no gas stations within Sequoia National Park, we provide a list of the last gas stations you can fill up at before ascending the mountain. Because Sequoia is home to black bear, we provide bear safety information. And, as weather in the mountains can be unpredictable, we always offer suggestions for what to wear and what to pack.
These tips merely scratch the surface of what it takes to pull off a successful FAM trip. They do require a lot of organization in advance, but the results can be very beneficial for a client when all goes well!
3 comments:
As a journalist on the Sequoia FAM trip in June, I can attest that Rebecca did everything right. Of course we had a wonderful time, but more importantly, I had a ton of experiences to write about and plenty of much-appreciated background. I also like to talk to some of the "boots on the ground" - the folks in the trenches who really make things happen at the destination - and Rebecca and Elyse made those people available. The trip was also an excellent opportunity to network with other travel writers. I wrote two stories (ran a month apart) about visiting Sequoia and Wuksachi Lodge. My aim was not to make my stories look like ads, but to give people reasons to visit the park and stay at the Lodge. From my perspective, the trip couldn't have gone better, and i'm sure that was due to all the preparations and excellent planning by Rebecca and her crew. Thanks for making my job easy.
Thank you for such a thoughtful comment. E'Louise. I enjoyed reading it nearly as much as I enjoyed your travel columns on the trip itself. Very nice...
I agree with E'Louise--the fam trip I attended that was organized by Rebecca was very thorough and many details were attended to before and during the trip. It was inspiring and well-balanced with organized activities and time to explore on our own. I primarily write for websites where shorter articles are the norm and was able to write six articles, each with a different focus. Rebecca makes some very good points in this article.
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