FACEBOOK - HOTEL INDUSTRY PRESENCE

February 6, 2013   HotelNewsNow.com

Facebook recently rolled out two new products that have the potential to greatly affect hotel traffic: Graph Search and Nearby. Nearby is a tool that allows users to use their mobile device to see what hotels are near them at any particular time; the application also will serve up comments and recommendations from Facebook friends who have stayed at those particular hotels. Graph Search operates on the same concept—when a Facebook user does a search within Facebook, the search results will return friend comments and recommendations. Read more 

YCLA FEBRUARY MEMBERS' MTG CANCELLED

The next YCLA members' meeting will be March 20. Watch for the details in next month's newsletter.

TBID PRESENTATIONS - BIG THANKS

John, Alex, & Kelly not only gave us an incredibly valuable presentation last month – they also bought lunch!  If you missed the presentation, or if you want to review it and keep it on file, here are the links.

The presentation: http://www.visitbillings.com/staging/files/50f6eac5a02cf.pdf
And, a link to the newsletter: http://send.boingomail.com/t/r-A722C974D02A5681

EVENTS TO PLAN ON

MetraPark – Great events likely to bring out-of-town guests to Billings!

• All Class State High School Wrestling – Feb 8 & 9
• Sports Connection Gun Show – Feb 8-10
• Carrie Underwood in Concert – Feb 19
• Boys & Girls Eastern A Divisional Basketball – Feb 21-23
• Southern B Divisional Boys & Girls Basketball – Feb 28-Mar 2
• State A Boys Basketball – Mar 7-9
• Montana Open Wrestling – Mar 23-24
• PBR Stanley Tools Invitational presented by NILE - Apr 5, 6, & 7
• Women of Faith: Celebrate What Matters: Up Close – Apr 13
• Jeff Dunham – Disorderly Conduct – Apr 26
• Billings Market Association (Private Show) – Apr 26-28
• MSU Billings Graduation – May 4
• FSA Food Show – May 15
• All-Breed Open Arabian Horse Show – May 24-26
• Watchtower Convention – June 6-9
• Jewel of the Big Sky Appaloosa Show – June 15 & 16
• YVKC Dog Show – June 18-20
• The Dirty Dash, Billings 5K – July 27
• MontanaFair – Aug 9-17

Great Job CVB/TBID! – Scheduled

• Girl Scouts of MT and WY: 150 room nights, 4/2013
• AAU Annual Meeting - 150 rooms for May 2013, location TBD.
• AAU Grand Nationals - 1500 rooms for June 2013, primary location TBD.
  The rooms for this booking will be citywide.
• ASTSWMO: 600 room nights, 7/2013
• NOWCAP- Black Lung and Resp. Disease: 1,000 room nights, 9/2013

From CVB/TBID – Pending

• Nat’l Assoc. of Extradition Officials: 400 room nights for July 2014.
• International Assoc. of Work Force Professionals: 950 room nights for 2016.

BAKKEN BUSINESS

UNITED AIRLINES TO FLY BETWEEN DICKINSON, DENVER

February 4, 2013   Bakken Breakout

Two daily flights between Dickinson’s Theodore Roosevelt Regional Airport and Denver International Airport will start June 6. … Tickets for the flights will be for sale starting Saturday. Flights will depart Dickinson at 7:30 a.m. and 11:57 a.m. Denver flights to Dickinson will depart at 10 a.m. and 8:15 p.m.
Read more

Reminder: 2013 BAKKEN INVESTOR CONFERENCE