JackGordon.org

Another Press release that reads like something that Jack Gordon wrote.

(This is not a suggested speech. This information is merely to provide back-ground material for your talk, which should stress the operation of this year, dividends, and program events.)

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     At the time of the formation of Greater Seattle, Inc., a group of representative businessmen, members of the Chamber of Commerce, and city officials, studied the pattern of civic business over the country in an effort to ascertain how best to cash in on the advantages of Seattle and the Pacific Northwest. One thing was apparent immediately and that was that in this day and age a metropolitan city must operate like any large business organization. It must, like any successful company, do its share of advertising and promotion.

     Chambers of Commerce do a good job with their convention bureaus in bringing new business, and with their many aids to industry, but most major cities have found that a separate promotion organization can do the best job of attracting its share of the tourist business.

     Seventy-two million tourists travel the highways of the nation annually. On their trips they spend over ten billion dollars each year. Sixteen states list the tourist trade as one of the top three industries. The last survey made shows that the State of Washington in 1958 entertained U,2$0,000 tourists who spent 300 million dollars in the State. There is an indication of steady growth in the tourist business in Washington although tourists are following the national trends in that they are making shorter stops and operating with curtailed expense.

     It is interesting to note that according to the surveys 61 per cent of all the tourists who entered the State of Washington reached Seattle. It is estimated they added .$201,000,000 to our economy here.

     This represents a crop of money to be harvested with small cash outlay. Our principal products are scenery, fishing, boating, which may be sold over and over again.

     Surveys also have indicated that normal tourist business practically follows a straight line between New York and Los Angeles. Cities off that beaten path must, by spectacular means, attract their share of tourist money. In this day and age of fast transportation the Americans are always on the move. They will travel great distances, but being Americans, they insist upon entertainment wherever they may be. Nationally, the civic entertainment pattern started with the Bowl games. Not too many years ago the Rose Bowl was by itself. Now we have tobacco bowls, orange bowls, cotton bowls, all spectacular promotions designed to attract new patronage. In the pattern of civic promotions, the next step was obvious. If the citizens could be organized to present one successful promotion, why not expand the program and use that same effort in year-round schedules designed to lengthen and spread the normal season for travel.

     As in all advertising, "word-of-mouth" still provides the most convincing selling. Therefore, a civic promotion group must operate with everybody in the act. The normal method of achieving that goal is through an ever-expanding group of volunteer committees,

     Greater Seattle, Inc., started operation on March 15, 1950. It is strictly a promotion organization operating within prescribed limits. It is a non-profit corporation with 100 officers and directors who devote a tremendous amount of time and effort shaping the policy of the corporation.

     We operate the year 'round with eight paid employees, all ether activity is handled by volunteers. The three prime tenets of our operation are: (1) to organize the citizens for the common good; (2) by our activities to make Seattle a more exciting place in which to live; (3) to do a job of selling Pacific Northwest assets which will result in a flow of tourist dollars into the coffers of business in our city. The tremendous natural aquatic advantages made the water and water sports the most logical activity to dramatize. We established a mythology under which King Neptune rules his favorite port, Seattle, and for a period of ten summer days calls all who love the sea to join him in a period of fun and revelry. From the princesses of his realm he elects the loveliest to rule as his Queen of the Seas. Visiting queens come from surrounding cities to represent outside communities in the celebration. His arch-enemy is Davy Jones and his rowdy band of pirates who provide comic relief in their attempts to upset the dignity of the royal court. For the pleasure of his subjects, a ten-day program averaging from 68 to 70 separate events takes place each August. These events are presented by 102 committees with a membership of 3,000 workers. Some events, such as the Aqua Follies, unquestionably the world's greatest musical water and stage show, spectacular parades, Fleet Day, and the famous hydroplane races, are major in character. There are many minor events, particularly among the sports and hobby groups, all of which serve two purposes in the program. The first, each sport and hobby group attracts numbers of people who otherwise would not be actual participants in the program. A second reason is that each in its way contributes to the ever-increasing flow of national publicity. Contract Bridge is a good example. A Contract Bridge tournament in a water show may seem incongruous, but a check into the operation of that group will show that they have city, district, and division offices. They have, of course, national offices in New York. That office publishes a monthly magazine with a circulation of one and one-quarter million. A Seafair Contract Bridge tournament will be mentioned at least three or four times during a year in the columns of that magazine. All other sports and hobbies have a set-up similar in character. All contribute to the national publicity coverage. In addition to such miscellaneous methods, we take advantage of all other advertising media covering wire services, national radio hook-ups, television, newspapers, magazines, travel publications, trade publications, transportation lines and newsreels.

     Greater Seattle, Inc., in addition to its annual Seafair, has been gradually expanding its program to include many shows, championships of all sorts, and have assisted in making Seattle a sports mecca. The American Bowling Congress in 1951; was a typical example of the value of such activities. Thanks to a $9,000 promotional program, the Congress met in Seattle in 1954. 16,000 bowlers from all over the United States and Canada competed in a program lasting hh days. I am sure you are aware of the tremendous increase in interest in boiling. It has resulted in large part from television coverage of championship bowling events. Knowing that participation in the Congress itself is increasing each year, Greater Seattle, Inc., is starting a campaign this spring to try to bring the Bowling Congress back to Seattle in 1961. We will be in competition with all of the major West Coast cities, but we hope that we will be successful in our bid a second time,

      A normal summer program includes 3 or 4 musical shows. Aqua Follies is, of course, the most elaborate, but we have established a policy of importing Broadway stars to headline other productions to keep the entire series "big time" in character. We are in the process now of making arrangements for a most exciting musical program for this year. We have expanded into the fall with an annual professional football exhibition game. Recently, we had a most successful professional basketball game between the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers. We try by careful management to come out with a surplus on these events which added to our Skipper Pin and membership monies helps to provide an ever larger promotion program.

     Another activity which resulted in tremendous national good will was our Korean Veterans' Welcome program. Operating again on the theory that "word-of-mouth" is still the best type of advertising, a fine volunteer committee greeted for the city and the nation over three hundred thousand boys returning from service. While this is sort of a civic institutional type of advertising, hundreds of letters in our office attest to the good will we have gained.

     The basic financing of Greater Seattle, Inc., is through the sale of memberships: $12 for individuals, $100 for firms. Our type of operation is such that a great many of our activities are self-supporting. It is note�worthy that during the first twelve years of operation our total receipts amounted to $6,636,516; our expenditures, $6,628,425. There is a surplus to date of $8,091. We hope to build a surplus this year to a point where we can expand our activities with new major attractions during the winter months---our slow tourist season.