Ms. InterPReted Fletcher Marketing + PR

On this episode of MsInterPReted, Fletcher’s director of media relations, Allison Lester, talks about travel writing, pitching and hosting media tours. We welcome two travel writers to talk about their experiences in travel writing. They provide advice and talk about the trends in the travel journalism industry.
Susan Barnes has more than 20 years of journalism experience and writes for multiple outlets including USA Today, Food and Wine, Garden and Gun, Travel + Leisure - just to name a few. She writes about travel, lifestyle, food and beverage. 
Ashlee Fechino is the founder of the Happiness Function, which is a travel outlet she started to inspire happiness through travel and outdoor recreation in the U. S. She's also a nationally syndicated travel writer.
On this episode, we discuss multiple topics:
·       How our guests got into travel writing and what it’s like as a career.
·       The dos and don’ts of pitching travel journalists.
·       What qualities make for a great press trip.
·       How to get coverage in some of the travel industry’s biggest outlets.
·       Trends in the rise of wellness travel.

In this episode of MsInterPReted, we’re talking about tourism in Tennessee. Tennessee tourism generated $29 billion in direct visitor spending and saw 141 million visitors to the state in 2022, Tennessee ranks 11th in the nation for travel spending, the highest rank ever for our state.
 
Tennessee has approximately 13, 372 restaurants in the state, which is roughly one restaurant per every 500 people if you look at our population numbers and over 1600 hotels.
 
Sarah Beth is the CEO and president of the Tennessee Hospitality & Tourism Association. Her experience includes being Executive Director of the Tennessee Whiskey Trail and before that was also a part of the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development as the Middle Tennessee Division Manager. HospitalityTN represents the interests of Tennessee’s lodging, dining, and tourism establishments and the related businesses involved in the hospitality & tourism industry.
 
Kim Mitchell joined the Blount Partnership in July 2014 after serving the past 2 ½ years as the special events coordinator for the Helen Ross McNabb Center where she contributed to the successful planning, management and execution of many Blount County special events with specific responsibility for achieving all fundraising goals and community awareness objectives. 
Her position with the Blount Partnership consists of recruiting events in the areas of leisure, business and group travel to the county for overnight stays.   A graduate of the University of Tennessee, Mitchell has worn many hats in a variety of industries during her career ranging from being director of catering for a national hotel chain to serving as a marketing and public relations specialist for a local marketing group.
 
Topics Discussed:
·        What brought these two professionals to the tourism industry
·        They describe the tourism boom they see in their respective geographic locations
·        How the Tennessee Hospitality & Tourism Association partners with tourism businesses
·        The tactics most effective in getting the word out to travelers about all that Tennessee has to offer
·        The rise of outdoor adventure and leisure travel 
·        The influence of the Tennessee Whiskey Trail on tourism
·        What’s on the horizon for Tennessee tourism

Tiffany Carpenter started her career in the public relations agency world and went on to manage communications for the athletics department at the University of Tennessee, including managing the reins of Mike Hamilton, Joan Cronin, Pat Summitt, Phillip Fulmer, Buzz Peterson, Bruce Pearl the infamous Lane Kiffin and Derek Dooley.
She went from there to the University of Tennessee Foundation as Assistant Vice President for Communications and Marketing and she managed communication with 355,000 alumni across four campuses. She has gone to serve the University of Tennessee system-wide as Vice President of Communications and Marketing; Associate Vice President of Communications and Marketing; and Assistant Vice President of Marketing where she works directly with Randy Boyd, the President of the University of Tennessee System.

She recently launched a successful public relations campaign - the "Everywhere UT" campaign statewide. She was named Public Relations Alumnus of the Year in 2016 by the UT College of Communications and Information Sciences and was included on Knoxville Business Journal's 40 Under 40 list.
In this episode, we discuss:
Tiffany’s career in communicationsStories of working such a high-stress job as a momGrowth plans for the University of Tennessee SystemCrisis managementPublic Relations and Marketing tactics to reach students

Google Analytics is transitioning to GA4 this year. Experts Greg Jarboe and Katie Paine talk with Fletcher Marketing PR's Director of Media Relations, Allison Lester, about the transition and the important things that everyone needs to know.

Tanisha Fitzgerald Baker is the manager of DEI for Knoxville Utilities Board, where she works on creating a diverse and inclusive work environment with equitable opportunities for all. She supports areas that impact the employee and customer experience through the lens of DEI. Tanisha is a native of Knoxville, Tennessee and she's a graduate, valedictorian, and Ms. Austin East from the Austin East High School class of 1988. She continued her education, graduating from both Florida A&M and the University of Tennessee with degrees in Actuarial Science and Education. She spent more than 20 years working for equity, access and education as an educator and leader with Project Grad Knoxville.
She retired from Project Grad in 2021 and started a new career with Knoxville Utilities. 
She completed her certificate in social enterprise effectiveness from the University of Tennessee's Haslam School of Business. She's a graduate of Leadership Knoxville class of 2020. She was one of 30 across the state of Tennessee chosen for the 2021 Complete Tennessee Leadership Institute which she completed, along with the Mosaic Change Fellowship 2021 cohort as one of 21 across the state of Tennessee.
She's the recipient of numerous awards and recognitions including the 2020 MLK Community Service Award. In addition to her professional responsibilities, she's a sought-after panelist, presenter and consultant. She's passionate about her calling to educate and elevate others.
She founded Educational Enhancement Services Incorporated in 1998. She's also a founding member and current president of the Five Points Up Community Action Group. Founding member of East Knox Lions Club, founder of the unifying concept of the Village of Knoxville, and the host of a weekly radio show: Talking with T.
She serves on several community boards as well as serving as the chair of the city of Knoxville's African-American Equity Task Force. She is a member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority and continues to reside in the East Knoxville community. 
On this week’s episode of MsInterPReted, Tanisha, and Kelly talk about what DEI looks like in various spaces and how to apply DEI to a multitude of aspects in the work place:
DEI as it relates to hiring and human resourcesWhat diversity looks like in different spacesHow to integrate DEI practices into every part of businessDEI data conversionsDEI in virtual workplacesGood DEI practices
Follow Tanisha on:
Website:  https://www.talkingwitht.com
On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/talkingwitht/
On Twitter:  @talkingwitht
 
 
Follow Fletcher Marketing PR on:
Website:  https://www.fletchermarketingpr.com/
On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Fletchermarketingpr
On Twitter:  @fletcherpr
On Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/fletcher.pr/
Follow Kelly on Twitter: @KDFletcher
Follow Mary Beth on Twitter: @marybethwest 

Artificial Intelligence is no longer a futuristic idea, it is here. And now programs like ChatGPT are introducing AI to the world of writing, content creation and public relations, bringing with it a myriad of benefits, questions and ethical concerns.
Matthew Pittman is an assistant professor of Advertising and Public Relations at the Tombras School at the University of Tennessee. He has a Ph.D. in Communications and also serves as a consultant. He talks with Sarah Merrell, Fletcher Marketing PR Vice President, about the AI writing software ChatGPT. 

On this episode of MsInterPReted, Sarah and Matthew discuss what AI looks like in the world of PR and marketing, what the limitations of AI are and what the implications are for humans including:
The extent to which AI can be utilized for writing. ChatGPT can be utilized for research, organizing outlines, and cutting down on writing time. Where is the line that separates an article written by a person and an article written by ChatGPT?The ethics behind utilizing AI as a writing assistant. Are PR and marketing professionals ethically obligated to notify clients or the public that AI is being utilized in the writing process? What does the ethical use of AI look like in an academic setting? Are there ways to know when students are using AI to write their entire paper or is AI so close to human writing that it is undetectable?Can AI be used for strategy? ChatGPT is proving to be a creative tool but still lacks a specific element of creativity. That element is human creativity. ChatGPT works based on prompts that are typed in. The program then spits out suggestions and ideas. Without the initial idea from human creativity, ChatGPT would not be able to create an article or blog post for that idea. Will AI remove humans from jobs in the communication field? Will there be a time where PR and marketing professionals are no longer needed due to AI taking over the field? Follow Matthew on:
On Twitter:  @matthewcpittman
Follow Fletcher Marketing PR:
On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Fletchermarketingpr
On Twitter:  @fletcherpr
On Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/fletcher.pr/
Follow Kelly on Twitter: @KDFletcher
Follow Mary Beth on Twitter: @marybethwest