Scottsdale Convention & Visitors Bureau 2009-2010
Group & Individual Media Familiarization Tours

The Scottsdale Convention & Visitors Bureau's public relations team will coordinate the following press trips and media tours for fiscal year 2009-10. Unless otherwise noted, these familiarization tours (FAM's) are offered to local, domestic and international travel editors, staff writers, and qualified freelance travel journalists. Each FAM tour is limited to three to 10 journalists depending on the tour, and media 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 marketing these topics. Preference will be given to media with confirmed letters of assignment. Please note: dates, themes and markets are subject to change. 

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: LM@scottsdalecvb.com

EXPLORE THE AMERICAN SOUTHWEST
October 2009

(Open to domestic meetings and trade media only)
This is a specially designed tour for meeting and incentive planners and the media that cover these markets. You can be one of three journalists who experience many of Scottsdale's new amenities, meetings activities, and event facilities for groups along with approximately 25 meeting planners from association, corporate, incentive, and SMERF markets. In addition to touring and experiencing more than 15 hotels and resorts, this year's ninth annual FAM may include off-road Sonoran Desert tours, rejuvenating spa treatments, delectable Southwestern cuisine, spectacular shopping, and more. And because we recognize that you may have different needs than meeting planners, the itinerary will be customized to accommodate your story assignment(s).

ARIZONA INTERNATIONAL MEDIA GOLF SHOOT OUT
Dec. 1-5, 2009

(Open to international golf media only)
For the eighth year, the Arizona Office of Tourism will host the International Media Golf Shoot Out. Ten international journalists from Canada, Mexico, Germany and the United Kingdom will be invited to play five championship golf courses in Scottsdale and Phoenix along with experiencing the area's luxury resorts, tantalizing restaurants, pampering spas, dynamic nightlife and much more. This one-of-a-kind media tour only takes place in Scottsdale and Phoenix once every four years so don't miss your chance to experience the area's premier golf offerings firsthand!

8th ANNUAL XONA RESORT SUITES SCOTTSDALE MEDIA GOLF CLASSIC
Dec. 6-10, 2009

(Open to golf media only)
For generations, Scottsdale has been heralded as one of the world's finest golf destinations. The beautiful year-round weather and championship courses coupled with the unparalleled desert setting and a vast selection of hotels and resorts means this golfer's paradise has no rival. Plus, the city plays host to the largest PGA Tour event every year, and a number of golf pros make their home here. For the eighth year in a row, the Scottsdale CVB will partner with XONA Resort Suites and Arizona golf journalist Bill Huffman to host the Scottsdale Media Golf Classic, an invitation-only media tour, which includes accommodations at the newly renovated XONA Resort Suites and a four-day golf tournament played on several Scottsdale courses. And if that's not enough, extend your stay before or after the Golf Classic to experience the best of Scottsdale's dining, outdoor adventure, attractions, shopping, and more. http://www.xonaresort.com/

FBR OPEN - "THE GREATEST PARTY ON GRASS"
Feb. 22-28, 2010

(Open to domestic and international golf, travel, and lifestyle media)
The world's best attended golf event. Scottsdale's version of Mardi Gras. "The Greatest Party on Grass." This is the legendary FBR Open where an estimated 500,000 spectators make their way to Scottsdale each year to experience fierce competition on the course and a fun-loving ambiance in the galleries. The tournament features four days of serious golf at TPC Scottsdale, four pro-am events, a skills challenge, pro-celebrity shoot out, Special Olympics putting contest, and golf clinics for juniors and ladies plus nonstop partying at the famous Birds Nest, football stadium type crowds on the 16^th hole and that's just the beginning. Stay at the Fairmont Scottsdale (adjacent to TPC Scottsdale), experience the many lifestyle events surrounding the golf tournament, check out the city's 19^th hole offerings, and test your skills on some of Scottsdale's other championship courses like Troon North, Grayhawk, and We-Ko-Pa golf clubs to name a few. http://www.fbropen.com/

DISTINCTIVELY SCOTTSDALE
April 12-16, 2010

(Open to domestic and international travel and lifestyle media)
Scottsdale evokes images of luxury resorts, rejuvenating spas and championship golf courses with the majestic Sonoran Desert as the backdrop. Travelers also come to this world-class travel destination to get a taste of the Southwest with the Native American and cowboy cultures, vast collection of arts and cultural experiences, and diverse culinary offerings. Experience all things Scottsdale by staying at an independent boutique hotel; visiting Frank Lloyd Wright's winter camp Taliesin West; relaxing with a desert-inspired spa treatment; attending the weekly Scottsdale ArtWalk; experiencing the Sonoran Desert through hiking, a off-road Jeep or Hummer tour, or a hot air balloon ride; and enjoying culinary creations that taste as though the chef delivered them straight from the desert to the table.

22nd ANNUAL SCOTTSDALE SUNSATIONAL MEETINGS FAM
May 2010

(Open to domestic meetings and trade media only)
This FAM is one of the most celebrated tours held annually for the past 22 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:
 

• Fry's.com Open (Oct. 21-25, 2009) - For the third consecutive year, Grayhawk Golf Club will welcome back the Fry's.com Open, which will feature a full field of 132 golfers and a purse of $5 million. http://www.frysopengolf.com/
• Crave Arizona (Oct. 22-24, 2009) - Formerly Eats³, Crave Arizona invites visitors to "Taste the Desert" with in-gallery private dinners, the 2009 National Mix-It-Up Competition and kick-off party at the SouthBridge district, the signature BBQ & Bubbles event, and the Arizona Grand Tasting with more than 40 of the state's top signature restaurants. http://www.craveaz.com/
• Scottsdale Fashion Week (Nov. 5-7, 2009) - The fourth annual fashion event will descend upon downtown Scottsdale, highlighting the area's world-class design, art, nightlife, and shopping scenes and showcasing fashions from up-and-coming designers as well as national and internationally renowned names. http://www.scottsdalefashionweek.com/
• Auto Week (January 2010) - 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. 17-24 for the "World's Greatest Collector Car Auction" featuring the finest selection of quality collector vehicles, art, fashion, and more. And just down the road, Russo and Steele Collector Automobile Auction offers premium European Sports and American Muscle cars in an intimate setting. http://www.barrett-jackson.com/, http://www.russoandsteele.com/
• Spring Training (March 2010) - Every spring, thousands of baseball fans from across the country make their way to Scottsdale to enjoy Cactus League spring training at Scottsdale Stadium. After watching the San Francisco Giants play 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. http://www.springtraining.com/
• Scottsdale Culinary Festival (April 13-18, 2010) - 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. http://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. http://www.cowboycollege.com/
• Scottsdale and Sedona - The Best of Both Worlds (year-round) - Scottsdale and Sedona, Ariz. are two of Arizona's most beautiful destinations yet each maintains its own unique personality. Within a two-hour drive, experience statuesque saguaros and towering red rocks, luxury resorts and Southwestern bed and breakfast inns, Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin West and Tlaquepaque art galleries, desert-inspired spa treatments and vortex meditation, and much more. The Scottsdale CVB and Sedona Chamber of Commerce Tourism Bureau have an alliance that cross promotes the two travel destinations to visitors and make it effortless for you to see it all during one visit. http://www.scottsdale-sedona.com