Visit Pasadena
Photo: Courtesy of The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens
Located 10 miles from downtown Los Angeles, Pasadena offers transplants and visitors an enticing combination of modern sophistication and charm. Known for its historical landmarks, famous Rose Parade, and 22 blocks of shopping and entertainment in Old Pasadena, the pedestrian-friendly city also has over 600 restaurants (per capita than New York City).
From 2017 to 2020, while working at Pasadena Convention & Visitors Bureau, Crystal Williams was tasked with increasing the City of Pasadena's tourism through the use of new and traditional media campaigns, creative and engaging content, and high-profile coverage that would bring awareness to the "Crown of the Valley." In the newly created role, she led all publicity and communications efforts and immediately saw an opportunity to reintroduce Pasadena as a premier destination food, travel, and lifestyle journalists should know about, experience, and feature. By developing a robust list of regional, national, and international media contacts, Crystal organized quarterly experiential press trips with influencers and journalists that shined a light on the city's national landmarks, growing culinary scene, popular outdoor music festivals, and wellness attractions.
In addition, Crystal frequently partnered with notable SoCal tourism boards to create in-market pop-up events in Chicago and New York City to promote each destination's offerings. These events and trips, including proactive pitching and reactive networking with journalists, produced placements in The Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, USA Today, New York Times, Alaska Beyond, WestJet, Travel + Leisure, Sunset, National Geographic, and more.
With the desire to showcase Pasadena's history as one of Hollywood's famous playgrounds for film and television locations, including several actors of the Golden Era, Crystal used her prior experience in the television industry to call upon, engage, and navigate conversations with writers from but not limited to Forbes, NBC Los Angeles, Architectural Digest, and Delta Sky Magazine. The behind-the-scenes experience not only cemented new relationships and resulted in editorial coverage, but also introduced Pasadena in a way never done before. Diving deeper and understanding that not all travelers are alike, she also crafted unique story angles promoting the city as a destination for solo and bleisure travelers, millennials with families, and luxury jet setters, all while keeping the messaging fresh, welcoming, and in line with Pasadena Convention & Visitors Bureau's social media channels.
Having elevated the brand's presence and goals, Crystal exceeded her targeted media coverage in 2019 by generating over 150 million in earned media value. Similarly, in the fiscal year 2020, she garnered over 120 million in consumer, trade and broadcast outlets. Both years surpassed the Marketing and Communications expectations.
Photo: Courtesy of Visit Pasadena