2008 LEE COUNTY VISITOR GUIDE BUSINESS RULES

PURPOSE OF GUIDEBOOK
The intent of the Guidebook is to appeal to those who have made a decision to come to The Beaches of Fort Myers & Sanibel (and also to further entice those who are desiring to come) and to be a useful tool not only for planning, but also for spontaneous exploration of the market while the visitor is here. Because of its high production quality, “cool factor,” deep research and trustworthy voice, this piece has a long shelf life. We expect people to hold on to the Guidebook and use it time and again.

GUIDEBOOK CONTENT
The Traveler’s Guide will help visitors get the most out of their vacations by providing practical tips and insider information on where to go and what to see, as well as best bets selected by the travel editor.

The beginning of the guide is dedicated to an explanation of what makes each area of Lee County unique. Next are sections crafted around the abundance of beaches and water recreation, nature and outdoors, fishing, the arts, culture and history scene, as well as recommendations on shopping and dining.

Detailed illustrations and illustrated maps show in pictures the location of top attractions, beaches and the inner workings of the natural and cultural world. It’s a valuable vacation-planning asset any traveler to Lee County will love to have.

DATA COLLECTION

• Accurate data is the backbone of the Guidebook. The Guidebook’s listings will provide useful information for readers, and accuracy is essential for several reasons - readers lose trust in a publication when they discover printed information is incorrect; advertisers and other businesses deserve to be promoted correctly; and the quality of the publication reflects on the Lee County VCB.
• We will contact each business directly, using fax, mail, phone and online forms to ensure that we receive positive verification of the information. Using this thorough process, which includes extensive proofing of the material, will produce virtually error-free, defensible data.
• All businesses previously appearing in the 2007 Visitor Guide will be collected from for the 2008 guidebook.
• MMG will request specific questions on the data collection form in order to collect the unique selling features of each business. MMG’s editorial team will rewrite the businesses (attractions and accommodations) descriptions based on its findings.
• Our intention is to perform a full collection for all data fields, and to display those amenities deemed appropriate for the Guidebook in grids, text listings and icons.
• In addition, as mentioned above, description information will be rewritten based on additional research by the editorial team, and this “color” will be fact-checked by same.

TYPE OF ADVERTISING
The following is criteria for who can advertise in the Visitor Guide:

• Ads can only be purchased by businesses that pay bed tax in Lee County and must have a physical address in Lee County.
• Ads can only be placed in the section they are physically located.

AD RULES
Advertising Photo Guidelines
This product emphasizes planning, not lifestyle at this stage. Therefore keep that in mind in terms of the advertising - it should be planning focused. People want to see specifics and details on your property - not generic people on beach.

For accommodations:

• No stock photography will be accepted.
• Depending on size, each ad will contain 2-4 photos.
• Photography must be property-specific
• Strongly recommend advertisers show interior and exterior property shots.
• The VCB has right to reject/accept photography.

For property management companies:

• No stock photography will be accepted.
• Depending on size, each ad will contain 2-4 photos.
• Photography must be representative of the properties offered by the management company.
• Strongly recommend showing representative interior and exterior shots.
• If a property management company offers condos and vacation homes, it would be acceptable to show two exterior shots (one of a vacation home and one of a condo.)
• Due to distribution restrictions, companies may not promote real estate sales, property ownership or timeshares.
• The VCB has right to change/accept photography.

Advertising Formats Guidelines – Text Only

• Style
  The VCB has established a style guide which we use for all of our vacation planning materials. These guidelines will apply to the formatted ads. It is based primarily on AP Style, with a few Chicago Style exceptions, notably the way in which titles of books, films and plays, etc., are displayed.
• Proper names
  Proper names used in ads that refer to other CVB members or well-known landmarks in the community will be edited for clarity. For instance, a hotel who wishes to describe its proximity to the Edison & Ford Winter Estates may include copy such as: close to the Edison & Ford Estates, but not close to Edison, as there may be a number of Edison monikers referring to different amenities throughout the Lee County.
• Complete sentences
  Are preferred, but not necessary.
• Sentence case is required.
  Advertisers will not be allowed to use ALL CAPS or excessive capitalization of all words in a sentence.
• Grammar and spelling
  Will be corrected.
• Numerals
  Will follow this format: Numbers from one to nine are spelled out, 10 and greater will be expressed as numerals (except addresses and phone numbers).
• Ampersands
  Will only be used if they are part of a proper name.
• Recommended character counts
  We will adhere to the recommend character counts and copy will be edited to conform accordingly if what is supplied does not.
• Advertisers will receive a “Formatted Ad Layout Form” to provide us the information and materials needed to create their ads.
• The VCB has right to change/accept all copy.