IT’S PITTSBURGH’S BIGGEST BIRTHDAY PARTY: 250!

(We go behind the scenes of one organization helping to throw this bash)

By Jack Etzel

2008 marks the 250th birthday of the Pittsburgh region, so first a piece of Pittsburgh trivia: Are you aware that you, and all of the rest of us, came very close to not living in the “Burgh,” but instead, living in a place called Pittsborough? In the wake of British General John Forbes’ troops capturing Fort Duquesne from the French, Forbes ordered that the fort be renamed Fort Pitt, honoring the name of the British Secretary of State, William Pitt the Elder, and that the triangular land between the rivers be named Pittsborough. That was in November of 1758. As time went by, more and more of the early settlers started pronouncing it Pittsburgh and that was the name that stuck.

This yearlong 2008 party focuses on tourism. In the vanguard of that celebration is VisitPittsburgh (yes, one word), and it is Pittsburgh and Allegheny County’s official convention marketing and tourist cheerleader. We wanted to know more about this group of people who are so involved with the area’s 250th birthday. For this Perspective we interviewed Joseph McGrath, President and CEO of VisitPittsburgh.

North Hills Monthly Magazine: Whatever happened to the Greater Pittsburgh Convention and Visitors Bureau?

Joseph McGrath: We changed the name in 2006 to create the much simpler moniker. The primary reason was to eliminate the historical confusion about who we are and what we do. And, just so people know, VisitPittsburgh is dedicated to generating convention trade shows and leisure travel business for the Pittsburgh region. We remain the official tourism promotion agency for Allegheny County.

NHMM: What does VisitPittsburgh have in store to celebrate Pittsburgh’s – pardon the expression – semiquincentennial?

McGrath: There’s absolutely no question that 2008 is going to be a very big year for the whole Pittsburgh region. We’re working with the Allegheny Conference of Community Development, the Heinz History Center and the mayor’s office and county executive to promote a number of exciting events. Among them are the scheduled completion of the Great Allegheny Passage, The American Eagle Outfitters Tour of Pennsylvania, Forbes Trail Driving Guide and the Point State Park renovations. For more info, go to www.pittsburgh250.org. I would recommend that anyone who has access to the Internet visit this site.

One of the key components of the 250th anniversary celebration that VisitPittsburgh is most directly involved with is the Reunion Campaign. This initiative encourages corporations, institutions and families to bring their reunions to Pittsburgh in 2008. To date, VisitPittsburgh has registered more than 60 reunions, including six class reunions, one ballet reunion and 39 family reunions. Among the reunions is the Jim Smith Society, a group comprised of males all named Jim Smith, Vassar College Class of 1955 and Taylor Allderdice High School Multi-year Reunion. On the corporate reunion side we have confirmed 29 “Bring It Home” events.

NHMM: How well is the Convention Center doing?

McGrath: Bookings are doing very well. It’s too early to total 2007 figures, but 2006 marked a banner year for our Convention Sales staff. In 2006, VisitPittsburgh booked 36 meetings and conventions at the center. This, together with all of the local public shows, provides an excellent calendar each year since the opening of the center. On that note, the occupancy and utilization of the Convention Center have exceeded expectations.

NHMM: VisitPittsburgh goes beyond the Convention Center doesn’t it?

McGrath: Yes, our scope does indeed go beyond that. To clarify, VisitPittsburgh does not own or operate the Convention Center. We book meetings and conventions for the Convention Center and for other venues in and around town. All told, VisitPittsburgh booked 441 meetings and conventions in 2006.

Outside of that, you could say that we market the Pittsburgh region to the world. A lot of what we do, you won’t actually see in Pittsburgh. But if you live in Buffalo, Erie, Harrisburg or eight other cities within a 300 mile drive of Pittsburgh, you will see our advertising in the form of direct mail, newspaper and radio ads.

NHMM: Can you cite some specific successes?

McGrath: For those I’d point to our public relations efforts, which are truly worth noting. For example, last year our team hosted 80 international and American writers. As a result of the proactive media relations campaign, Pittsburgh and countryside received a total of 1,240 positive articles generating an ad value of more than $4 million. Recently, we’ve had great stories published in the New York Times, The Baltimore Sun, US Airways Magazine and Interior Design Magazine.

Because many Pittsburghers actually don’t know who we are, we instituted a modest local awareness campaign using billboards and radio advertising to inform locals.

NHMM: How important is your involvement with the “Green Revolution” here?

McGrath: Having Pittsburgh be considered a leader in the “Green Revolution” is absolutely important to our mission. In fact, Pittsburgh is repeatedly ranked among the best cities to host “green meetings,” a niche that we continue to aggressively pursue. It also helps that the journalists we host on press tours are solidifying Pittsburgh’s place on the map as an environmentally friendly city. It goes a long way when people read in Continental Airline’s inflight magazine that Pittsburgh is a “clean, green metropolis” and when they see headlines in Interior Design magazine that read “From Steel City to Emerald City.”