Portland Oregon Visitors Association Unveils New Name, New Brand

PORTLAND, Ore. – On January 17, 2008, the Portland Oregon Visitors Association (POVA) will change its name to Travel Portland. That same day, Travel Portland also will unveil its new logo and launch a redesigned website. These changes, which will be followed by others throughout the year, represent the most visible public elements of Travel Portland’s new brand.

PORTLAND, Ore. – On January 17, 2008, the Portland Oregon Visitors Association (POVA) will change its name to Travel Portland. That same day, Travel Portland also will unveil its new logo and launch a redesigned website. These changes, which will be followed by others throughout the year, represent the most visible public elements of Travel Portland’s new brand.

Although Travel Portland is new as the moniker for the association, the wording has been in use for several years now, both as the address for Travel Portland’s website (www.travelportland.com) and as the title of the city’s official visitor magazine. The rechristening of the association now unifies all components of the Travel Portland brand under the same umbrella.

“It’s exciting to see the brand make its debut,” said Jeff Miller, Travel Portland’s president and CEO. “One of the things we wanted the brand to capture was Portland’s warm and authentic feel. The new name accomplishes that – it definitely has friendlier, more welcoming ring to it.”

Sockeye Creative, Inc., a local branding agency, has been working with Travel Portland since May 2007 to define and develop the destination’s voice. Sockeye’s work included identifying Portland’s key personality traits, gathering visitor perceptions, and then incorporating those elements into both an overall messaging strategy and a new look.

“We had always positioned Portland as environmentally conscious, outdoorsy, independent, creative, friendly and unfiltered,” explained Miller. “Our goal with the new brand was to not only continue to highlight these traits but to add a sophisticated urban element – something we hadn’t focused on heavily before.”

Travel Portland’s name change will be accompanied by an updating of all staff e-mail addresses. Previously these addresses ended in @pova.com; the new addresses use @travelportland.com as their extension (example: [email protected] becomes [email protected].) All other contact information for Travel Portland – street address, phone and fax numbers, and website URL – remains the same.

To view Travel Portland’s revamped website on Jan. 17, visit www.travelportland.com.

Travel Portland serves as the official destination marketing office for Portland, Oregon. The agency’s mission is to strengthen the region’s economy by marketing the metropolitan Portland area as a preferred destination for meetings, conventions, and leisure travel.

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Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

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