Department of Commerce Secretary Mike Gill presented Under Armour CEO and founder Kevin Plank with a framed, signed photo of the Maryland Department of Commerce team and a citation from Governor Larry Hogan recognizing the multibillion-dollar, Maryland-based sports apparel company’s 20th anniversary. Plank has worked closely with Commerce on the planned Port Covington development in South Baltimore. Plank has also demonstrated staunch commitment to Maryland’s reinvigorated horse racing industry and, through his Sagamore Spirit Distillery, has positioned himself at the vanguard of the state’s resurgent craft distilling movement, both of which are important drivers for Maryland tourism.

Secretary Gill instituted the First Monday meetings when he took the helm at Commerce last year. The meetings bring together all of the offices under the Commerce umbrella and have been an integral piece in implementing the department’s customer service-focused model. The meetings serve to create an open transfer of information and ideas within the Department of Commerce and enable synergies among the various offices. First Mondays are one of many new Commerce initiatives implemented to make Maryland a leader in forging private/public partnerships and driving home the message that Maryland is Open For Business.

As part of OTD’s continuing goal to remain at the forefront of destination marketing trends and tools, Connie Yingling and Leslie Troy, communications specialists, joined destination marketing professionals from around the nation for PRSA’s annual Travel & Tourism Conference, which was held this year in Houston, TX. As the largest and most important conference of its kind in the industry, PRSA combines roundtables and group discussions with workshops, lectures and seminars run by influential media generators including editors and writers from National Geographic, Conde Nast Traveler and others. This unique pairing makes the PRSA Travel & Tourism Conference an essential resource for tapping into the latest trends.

“It was at PRSA three years ago where we realized the absolute importance of developing new tools to measure the impact of emerging media,” says Cox. “By recognizing that trend, we were able to develop and implement our M3 tool. That put us firmly ahead of a lot of other destinations. The takeaway this year is that we need to develop a system for quantifying social media hits.” But those tools are only part of the picture. “It’s an important networking opportunity,” Troy continues. “Not only are we hearing directly from content generators and learning what is important to them, we are developing relationships. These opportunities are invaluable for us when it comes to getting out the Maryland message.”

Five influential Brazilian journalists toured Annapolis last week as part of a Capital Region USA familiarization tour focusing on luxury travel. Luxury travel is an important and growing piece of the international travel market, and a natural fit for Annapolis. The writers toured Great Frogs Winery, dined at Pusser’s Caribbean Grille, and topped off the evening with a sail on the schooner Woodwind. This most recent tour is part of OTD’s continuing campaign to promote Maryland travel around the globe and highlight the state’s diverse tourism assets.

After hosting a series of workshops across the state, OTD is ready to begin the next phase of implementation. Data collection using the DestinationNext web-based diagnostic tool measures 20 variables related to destination strength and community support and engagement. By objectively measuring these factors, DestinationNEXT enables OTD, DMOs and their industry partners to identify strengths, priorities, areas for potential improvement, and develop strategies for future growth.

Each week, the Maryland Minute provides highlights and insights on this weekend’s events around the state. Maryland Minute is featured on CBS radio stations in Baltimore and Washington, D.C. and on Baltimore’s WBAL-AM 1090.