The Sunday, Oct 22 issue of the Reno Gazette-Journal contains two interesting articles on how technology is changing how politicians campaign.

The first, “If you’re not online, you’re not credible, candidates discover,” notes that — to be credible — candidates needs to at least maintain a website, and that many also have blogs. These websites not only allow candidates to communicate with voters but can also be instrumental in fund-raising, as demonstrated by John McCain and Howard Dean during the last presidential election.

The second, “Some are calling ‘06 campaign ‘the YouTube elections’,” discusses the growing influence of social networking sites such as YouTube. These sites are especially successful in reaching younger voters, who see these sites as important sources of information. The article notes that the “online forum has become so popular among campaigns that some have begun using the phrase, ‘the YouTube elections,’ to describe the phenomenon.” (YouTube was recently acquired by Google for $1.6 billion and claims 100 million video views a day.)

, reno, marketing

Erika Olsen, who appeared at the AMA’s September luncheon entitled “To blog or not to blog,” has written a new book entitled, “Strategic Planning for Dummies.”  One of the principals at Reno’s M3 Planning, Erika is strategic consultant and a business planner with seven years of experience helping entrepreneurs articulate their visions and bring them to fruition. Erica also lectures at University of Nevada Reno and University of Phoenix.

Strategic Planning For Dummies” is for business owners and entrepreneurs who seek to build and sustain a competitive edge, and shows readers how to design and implement proven strategies for sustained business growth.

Krys Bart, Reno-Tahoe International Airport’s Executive Director, was named by Airport Revenue News as its 2006 Best Director of the Year in the Small Airports Category.  Ms. Bart will be the Reno-Tahoe AMA’s speaker at its November 15 luncheon when she discusses “Airport Marketing - a non-stop effort!”

Airport Revenue News (ARN) has named Reno-Tahoe International’s (RNO) Airport Director, Krys T. Bart, as its 2006 Best Director of the Year in the Small Airports Category. For the purposes of this competition small airports are those with less than five million total passengers. The ARN editorial staff chose Ms. Bart for this prestigious award due to her successes in the areas of leadership, innovation, revenue generation, marketing, customer service, and charitable acts.

ARN solicited for candidates by asking airport staff to describe their director’s successes in the six above-mentioned areas. After poring through the written responses and scoring each, the ARN staff established that Ms. Bart excelled in this competition. “We are proud to present this award to Ms. Bart,” says Pauline Armbrust, president and CEO of Armbrust Aviation Group, which publishes ARN. “In the November issue readers will get to see why she deserves this designation and what it takes to win this coveted award.”

Prior to Ms. Bart’s tenure, Reno-Tahoe International Airport had been vilified by the media and embroiled in controversy. In the years since her December 1998 arrival, Ms. Bart has successfully reversed that negative impression. She began by putting an end to all suggestive advertising and shifted the focus to the area’s incomparable landscape and allure as an outdoor enthusiast’s playground, a theme reflected in the airport’s retail shops and the artwork found in the terminals. During Ms. Bart’s tenure, revenues have increased across the board in the categories of operations, auto rental, total concessions and advertising. She has also spearheaded many programs that have resulted in several awards recognizing the airport for its successes.

Details of Ms. Bart’s accomplishments will be highlighted in the ARN November issue. Additionally she will be featured on the front cover of the issue, become a member of ARN’s Advisory Board and receive a special hand-engraved crystal trophy at ARN’s 2007 Airport Revenue Conference on February 18-20, 2006 in Orlando, Florida during the publication’s much-anticipated Awards Show.

Airport Revenue News (ARN) is a monthly trade magazine devoted to coverage of all revenue generating issues affecting the airport industry. The publication is the foremost news and information resource for airport executives, concessionaires, consultants and others involved in the aviation industry. ARN also conducts a Best Concessions awards competition in February. The ARN awards are highly coveted and considered the most prestigious in the airport industry.