Everywhere you look and everything you read reinforces that we are indeed in challenging economic times. Now more than ever it is essential to revisit marketing goals, strategics and tactics. To assist you, here are eight quick tips for tourism and attractions to marketing in challenging times.

1. Forge Partnerships: With shrinking marketing budgets, now is the time to partner with like-minded organizations for cross-marketing opportunities.
2. Maximize Per Cap Spending: With attendance in holding or declining patterns, it is key to maximize the spending by each customer through add-on experiences and on-site opportunities.
3. Add Urgency to Visitation: Like most consumers, your customers may be looking to postpone visiting. Special limited time features, on site giveaways and special offers can create an urgency to visit now.
4. Enhance Customer Service: Now more than ever, all of your audiences - from visitors to donors -- need to be reminded that they matter, that their opinions count and that you are open to working with them.
5. Refine Search Engine Optimizations: Even search engine marketing may be on the cutting block. Now is an ideal time to optimize your website for natural searches.
6. Evaluate Advertising Seasons: With every dollar under scrutiny, marketers should reevaluate attendance patterns to tailor spending to meet the times of greatest flexibility.
7. Revisit Moderate Term Plans: Long-term plans will stay the course and annual plans are midway through implementation. But now is a great time to review three year and five year objectives to see if modifications are in order.
8. Diversify Funding Streams: No industries are immune from economic downturns. Now is a critical time to diversify funding sources wherever possible.

Save the date for the seventh annual Women Against MS Luncheon, an empowering way for women to unite with women in the movement to create a world free of multiple sclerosis. The luncheon will be held Thursday, June 4 at the Park Hyatt at the Bellevue.

Honorees for 2009 are Estelle Richman, Pennsylvania Secretary of Public Welfare; Romona Riscoe Benson, President and CEO, African American Museum and Cindy Bertrando, Partner, KPMG.

For ticket information, contact Kristen Frankel at Kristina.Fransel@PAE.NMSS.ORG.

For raffle information, contact Fran Feldman Walish at fwalish@eightmarketing.com.

Eight Marketing is a tourism and attractions marketing firm that specializes in increasing revenue for its clients through partnerships, promotions and strategic planning.

To learn more, call us at (610) 667-2400.