Viewpoint: Enhancing El Paso’s Image
El Paso Convention and Visitors Bureau Director Bill Blaziek recently lost out on a proposal to bring 700 ? 800 people to El Paso for a 2012 Catholic Youth Conference.
Bill brought gifts, showed a Power Point presentation and produced a pitch far superior to three other Southwestern cities.
It didn?t matter.
The stigma of the drug related violence across the border cost El Paso a significant group of visitors. This past week I joined El Paso business and community leaders in hearing multiple accounts of how Juarez is hurting our tourism, convention and business recruitment endeavors.
A strategic taskforce is meeting to determine ways to enhance El Paso?s image outside of our city limits. We all know El Paso is the safest large city in America. We know about the great weather, the favorable business climate, the low cost of living, the eager bilingual work force bolstered by a new medical school, a great university and blossoming community college.
The City, with facilitation experts from UTEP, is putting great minds together to try to find a way to get the good word out about El Paso.
The City, Convention Center and Texas Tech Health Science Center are among those that already stress safety in their promotional messages. It?s agreed that a focus on safety unto itself is not sufficient. We must highlight the positive quality of life, cultural, entertainment and educational opportunities.
This week El Paso will get another chance to put its best foot forward as UTEP hosts the Conference USA basketball tournament. The great job El Paso did with last year?s women?s bowling tournament and rapidly sold out Sun Bowl game prompted Hispanic Chamber Board Chair Alexandra Swann to profess, ?when people see and experience El Paso ? they like it.?
El Paso cannot afford a nationwide promotional blitz. As UTEP?s Howard Daudistel and others noted, part of the solution might be with enhanced web sites and other social media platforms promoting a united message.
The next steps include surveying what key messages organizations are currently disseminating and better understanding how the media works. I strongly suggested that the taskforce publicize its progress and keep the media, and ultimately the public, fully informed on the initiative to enhance El Paso?s image.
I think energetic Fort Bliss Garrison Commander Joseph Simonelli might be the one to lead the charge: ?I always push good things going on in El Paso!? As we all should.
