Background

Elissa came to DCI from the Pennsylvania Newspaper Association (PNA). A self-proclaimed “news junkie,” Elissa studied public relations at Penn State, and then found herself at the PNA planning conferences for newspaper executives, both in-state and nationally.

Elissa's Passion for Places

Born and raised in a small town outside of Pittsburgh, PA (or “Picksburgh,” as real Pittsburghers call it), Elissa always knew there was more to see outside the boundaries of the three rivers.

After graduating from Penn State, she was determined to find a job that would allow her to travel and explore the world. While working at PNA, she started small and went to locations all over the state. Later she took off, and planned conferences in cities such as Washington DC, Denver, and San Antonio. Along the way, Elissa has also enjoyed vacations in Miami and London, and has visited almost every island in the Caribbean.

Notable Results

• In May 2009 Elissa implemented the campaign for the US Travel Association to launch the domestic site for DiscoverAmerica.com. The initiative included organizing a media reception with 35 top tier journalists, media appointments with the Wall St. Journal, Budget Travel and Travel + Leisure, as well as an article on the Associated Press wire that ran nationally in newspapers and top travel industry sites. The national coverage increased weekly web traffic by 219%, and Return on Investment for the campaign was 3 to 1

• For her Finger Lakes Wine Country client, Elissa arranged media appointments with travel, food and wine writers throughout New York City. That particular media tour has resulted in placements in Budget Travel, Wine Spectator, and Wine & Spirits. Elissa continues to focus on the New York City market in her pitching efforts and has successfully placed Finger Lakes Wine Country in the New York Daily News and New York Post.

• As a former meeting and event planner, Elissa is very happy to continue using her event planning experience at DCI. She has organized media events in New York City for Park City, Finger Lakes Wine Country and Pennsylvania clients. All of the events were attended by strategic and top tier media from publications like the New York Times, Conde Nast Traveler, Travel + Leisure, AAA Car & Travel, Elite Traveler, Martha Stewart Living, Modern Bride and SELF.

• In January of 2009, Elissa organized a campaign for Adventures in Travel Expo, to garner media attention for the Expo in Chicago, January 10-11, and eventually drive consumer traffic to the show. Elissa successfully organized broadcast segments including client interviews on all five of the local television news stations, segments and ticket giveaways on 10 radio segments, and articles in the Chicago Tribune, TimeOut Chicago, and BizBash Chicago. The campaign generated 9 to 1 Return on Investment and 13,000 attendees at the Expo, despite a snow storm!