Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage press trip selection process makes a big splash with professional journos

With Disney Parks looking for top Australian and New Zealand journalists to join press from around the world for the launch of its latest attraction, Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage, Disney recently took a very new and highly innovative approach to selecting journos to participate.

Disney says that the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California at the launch of Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage will be a celebrity studded International Media event offering the opportunity for diverse coverage.

So, to ensure that they obtained the very best quality and level of coverage in Australia, they invited a very broad range of travel trade, travel and the broader consumer press, with their media list representing mass and diverse market segments ranging from seniors, to lifestyle, business, fashion and tweens to national newspapers and TV.

So what’s new about that?

In the spirit of innovation for which Disney is well known, Disney Destinations International developed an online, state-of-the-art information and booking portal that allows journalists to register their interest, propose story ideas on numerous topics including, the new attraction, Disneyland Resort and the flight partners who will be getting them to California. 

Then from the information loaded, gathered itineraries can then be developed specifically around what the journalists need and more importantly allowing Disney enter all this material into a sophisticated reporting system that allows for an efficient selection process to choose the journalists they want to take on the four day press famil.

Clinton White, Sydney based Sales and Marketing Director of Disney Destinations International launched last week, said that the website has been an amazing success, adding, “We’ve been very pleased by the response from journalists across Australia and New Zealand,” adding, “Journalists are not only registering their interest, they are offering up multiple stories and media opportunities in order to secure their places in the group.”

He added, “We’ve never attempted a registration system like this before and its success is being watched with some interest by Disney Parks around the globe.”

“The participating flight partners, Qantas, Air Tahiti Nui and Air New Zealand also have offered new interview experiences in order to assist journalists to create story angles relevant to their readership.”

Journalists are also praising the site, which has been pre-populated with over 260 selected journalists names and publications making it easy to use, with one journalist commenting, “I get invited to dozens of press famils and this website is the first time in a long time that I became enrolled and excited about the tour after simply reading the first page.”  

Others have called it an “excellent process” and something that makes “great business sense”.

TravelMole MD John Alwyn-Jones said, “It is a really great and very simple process and while aimed at getting the best value for money and coverage for Disney, which at at the end of the day we have to deliver, the process also does an excellent job of getting rid of the freeloading, non-productive, non-professional journalist, with the selected attendees going to be the ones that make the best pitch and ultimately producing the goods and getting the coverage they promised.” 

He added, “I think it is a fantastic step forward for travel journalists and travel journalism in Australia and one that others should emulate – it is in our interests as journalists to encourage programmes like this.”

The website includes a Story Ideas section, with these ideas designed by Disney Parks and provide journalists with story opportunities that include:

** Interviews with Imagineers – the creative geniuses behind every attraction, innovation and piece of Park magic;

** Interactive experiences designed to immerse you into to a customised Disney adventure;

** Disneyland Resort Fine Dining;

** Year of a Million Dreams activities;

** Interview with Senior Disneyland Management;

** High School Musical Previews;

** Earth Day;

** The power of imagination and creativity in peoples lives;

** The Future of Disney Parks and Resorts; and

** Celebrities in the Park;

To view the website for yourself, please visit www.fnsvpresstour.com

Report by The Mole