Communications & Film
The VGPS Communications team has been actively engaged with media both in-market and on the road March through May. This period saw significant achievements, including 141 media touch points, 34 targeted pitches, and support for 63 individual or group media visits. Notably, the team provided story support to high-profile publications such as Richesse (Japan), Travelleur (Australia), Boston Globe, National Geographic UK, Sunday Times, TASTE Cooking, Seattle Refined, and Irish Daily Mail.
With the support of our agencies, more than 143 articles were published, showcasing Greater Palm Springs in top-tier media outlets globally. Highlights include:
- Adventure.com - No Wristband Required
- Sydney Morning Herald - Palm Springs' celebrity homes are a feast of desert drama
- T: The New York Times Style Magazine Australia - In Footsteps of Giants
- Miami Herald - Why Palm Springs Should Be Your Next Girlfriend Getaway
- UK Times - LA to Palm springs road trip: Why it’s worth taking the desert route
- Sweet July - Black In Palm Springs: The Entrepreneurs Shaping Coachella Valley’s Cultural Movement
- Sunset - Wind Down After Coachella and Stagecoach at These Ultra-Relaxing Wellness Retreats
- AAA Westways - Day Trip: Palm Springs, new beginnings in the desert
- Los Angeles Magazine - Desert Bliss
March-May Production
The team attended the Visit California San Francisco Media Reception, meeting with more than 20 Bay Area travel and lifestyle media representatives. With the announcement of the IAD (Washington Dulles) nonstop flight starting in December, the team collaborated with Good Morning Washington, D.C., to re-air segments produced in March, featuring new introductions announcing the new service. The team hosted media for Coachella, focusing on arts & culture and activities to do when not at the festival. For the second weekend, the team partnered with Discover LA to host media, including representatives from Sunset, UPROXX.com, and The Hollywood Reporter.
During U.S. Travel’s IPW in Los Angeles, the team leveraged the opportunity to host media in the market, hosting 13 individual international media representatives for pre- and post-trips, as well as a group press visit for two publications in Japan. The team also had 40 scheduled one-on-one meetings at the show itself.
ABOVE: VGPS VP of Sales Carolina Viazcan is interviewed by a Mexico media outlet at IPW.
Upon returning from IPW, the team hosted InStyle Australia for a photo shoot for their upcoming summer issue. Heading straight into Greater Palm Springs Restaurant Week, the team hosted three media representatives for a culinary immersion. This was followed by the Media Preview event at Agua Caliente Spa Resort Casino, attended by 43 media representatives.
The team recently returned from the Society of American Travel Writers (SATW) Western Chapter Conference and the Public Relations Society of America’s (PRSA) Travel + Tourism Section Meeting.
ABOVE, FROM TOP: The post-IPW FAM group visits Indian Wells Tennis Garden; media participants of a Foodie FAM enjoy a meal.
Looking Ahead
The second cohort of Meet the Mentors is underway, with six mentor/mentee pairs spending three nights in the destination. The pairs will travel across the nine cities, providing them with the opportunity to meet and experience a wide and diverse group of local partners.
The team will conduct desk-side appointments with media in Los Angeles, Orange County, and San Diego. Additionally, the team will participate in SATW’s Virtual Marketplace at the end of June. In Sydney, Gate 7 (VGPS's agency of record) will host a preview event for the launch of the July/September edition of InStyle Australia, which was shot in Greater Palm Springs in May.
Upcoming, the team will travel to Tampa for Destinations International and will begin planning for fall media events, including the promotion of the new IAD-PSP flight and an activation in the UK.
