In 1985, POVA collaborated with the
Port of Portland and tourism officials in Oregon and
Washington to bring Japanese tourists to the
Pacific Northwest. The organization has also promoted Portland to industry travel planners in Europe and other parts of the U.S. In the 1990s, POVA was a major contributor to the Travel Industry Council of Oregon. POVA co-sponsored astronaut
Richard O. Covey's publicity tour of Portland. POVA was among groups opposing
1994 Oregon Ballot Measure 13, which focused on restricting
LGBTQ rights in public education. In 1998, POVA installed a live camera at
Pittock Mansion, offering views of downtown Portland and
Mount Hood on clear days. POVA also produced an album called
Sounds of Portland in collaboration with
KXL-FM and other companies. The album featured fourteen local musicians and raised funds for the
Oregon Museum of Science and Industry and music programs in local schools.
Fareless Square was also expanded to cover the
Lloyd District,
Oregon Convention Center (OCC), and Rose Quarter as part of an agreement between the city, Multnomah County,
Metro, the Tri-County Lodging Association, national rental car companies, and POVA. Additionally, the
Oregon Legislative Assembly amended state law to exempt trade shows from a ban on vendors displaying
slot machines and
video lottery terminals outside
Oregon Lottery and tribal casinos, based on a request from POVA and the
Oregon Tourism Commission; the reversal allowed Portland to host an
Indian Gaming Association convention at the OCC in 2000. In 2000, POVA helped fund a task force to improve east
Multnomah County tourism. Mayor
Vera Katz announced the formation of the Pacific Gateway Alliance in 2001; the agreement between the cities and ports of Portland and
Vancouver, Washington, as well as POVA and the
Portland Development Commission (PDC), was created to "promote our companies to the world as never before, with the goal of creating new markets for exports, tourism and business investment". Katz said the alliance would "support local efforts such as deepening the Columbia River navigation channel while complementing our environmental clean-up in the Portland harbor". In 2001,
The Oregonian said POVA's annual "Big Deal" campaign historically promoted Portland tourism in California, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington from October through May. POVA spent $120,000 on the campaign starting in October 2001, which was more focused on Oregon and Washington than in past years.'', a
bronze sculpture in
Pioneer Courthouse Square of a man holding an umbrella, in acknowledgment of the city's rainy weather.|left In the early 2000s, POVA used the slogan "It's not easy being green" to acknowledge the Portland area's forests and rain. POVA had previously tried to avoid acknowledgment of rainy weather, but by 2004, the organization was using imagery to appreciate rain. POVA's promotional video featured
Allow Me,
John Seward Johnson II's 1983
bronze sculpture at Pioneer Courthouse Square of a man holding an umbrella, and the organization used business cards depicting raindrops. After the
Mt. Hood Jazz Festival's relaunch and second festival by new leadership in 2003, POVA helped organizers acquire a $25,000 contribution from Multnomah County's hotel and motel tax. The organization also offered 25 percent discounts on
Amtrak service between
Eugene and
Vancouver. In 2005, POVA was among the sponsors of a fundraiser organized by the
Portland Business Alliance to help mayor
Tom Potter and commissioner
Sam Adams pay off
political campaign debts. In mid-2005, POVA supported the potential use of the aircraft carrier USS
Ranger to become a local memorial and museum. POVA,
Mercy Corps,
Qwest, and
VH1 collaborated with the
Portland Jazz Festival to secure temporary housing for New Orleans-based
jazz musicians,
agents, and
promoters following
Hurricane Katrina (2005). (
pictured) have been used by the organization to promote Portland. POVA has advocated for the construction of a hotel large enough to host conventions. In 2006,
The Oregonian said POVA and
Gordon Sondland of Aspen Investments of Portland "pushed for a minimum of 400 rooms, which would require less public subsidy". POVA,
U.S. Bank, and other organizations sponsored
Portland: The View from Here, a pictorial biography by photographer Robert Reynolds, in 2006. Melissa Jones of
The Oregonian said the project "[became] popular with businesses looking to impress prospective employees, clients and visitors". In 2007, the newspaper said POVA "dangles the story" of Portland's
Shanghai tunnels "as a lure to out-of-towners" and "concentrates on selling not only the city, but also its proximity to adventure". In 2014, Travel Portland launched a winter tourism campaign by installing a 7,000-pound, tall
cuckoo clock carved from an Oregon maple tree at
Portland International Airport after visits to Seattle and Vancouver. Dubbed the nation's tallest freestanding cuckoo clock, the clock was disassembled in late 2016. Travel Portland launched an animated advertising campaign in 2015 and a campaign featuring the Bondi Hipsters in 2017. It had a
stop motion campaign during 2017–2018, in collaboration with the studio House Special and
Wieden+Kennedy. In 2019, Travel Portland, the city, and the
Portland Business Alliance offered deals and free parking to make up for revenue lost during protests. In 2021, Travel Portland placed an advertisement in
The New York Times and other major newspapers. The "This Is Portland" campaign received a mixed reaction.
Delegations ,
Sho Dozono (
pictured in 2008), led a delegation to New York City after the
September 11 attacks.In September 2001, following the
September 11 attacks, POVA supported a delegation led by Dozono to visit New York City. Other supporters of the "Flight for Freedom" included the city of Eugene and the Bend Chamber of Commerce, as well as the Port of Portland,
Portland State University, U.S. Bank, and
Wells Fargo. More than 500 people signed up to join the delegation, including Katz, Eugene's mayor
Jim Torrey, state senator
Margaret Carter,
Ron Saxton, representatives from Portland Public Schools and the
Urban League of Portland, and other business and community leaders. According to
The Oregonian, the delegation "captured the attention of New York media", and Katz and others were scheduled to appear on the television programs
Today and
NBC Nightly News. POVA representatives were also part of a 50-member delegation to travel to Sapporo, one of Portland's sister cities, with Potter in early 2005.
Dining, hotel, and shopping campaigns In late 2005, POVA, the city of Portland, and the Portland Business Alliance's Downtown Retail Council launched an
advertising campaign for the holiday season to promote shopping in downtown Portland. The campaign included events, a website, and "green-clad sidewalk ambassadors with handheld computers to answer questions". In 2022, POVA's "Cool Summer Deals" program offered discounts on attractions, restaurants, shopping, and transportation to visitors who made reservations at 28 participating hotels, and December's "Portland Big Deal" campaign saw approximately 30 local hotels offer special holiday packages, some of which included gift wrapping, tickets to the arts, wine tastings, and mistletoe left on pillows. In 2023 and 2024, Travel Portland ran a campaign called "Ticket to Dine" to encourage dining in downtown Portland.
Events In , POVA began working with the
United States Junior Chamber (USJC) to host the service organization's annual meeting in Portland. Following a commitment in 1988, USJC's meeting in 1992 was its first in Portland since 1971. POVA was involved in the early development of the Portland Jazz Festival. Promoter Bill Royston approached POVA "about a downtown event that would be a cultural tourism event to provide support for hotels, restaurants and related businesses". POVA partnered with Royston Company to help bring the annual event to fruition in 2003. POVA has also supported the Mt. Hood Jazz Festival. In 2000,
The Oregonian said festival organizers "enlisted" POVA by including the organization's phone number on every advertisement "so travel groups could be funneled to hotels, restaurants and special package deals". POVA was a sponsor of the festival in 2001. In 2000, POVA co-sponsored "Portlandances", described by
The Oregonian as a new "celebration of dance". The
Portland Center for the Performing Arts and the
Regional Arts & Culture Council (RACC) also co-sponsored the event series. In 2022, POVA and Oregon's
State Historic Preservation Office "lured" the
National Trust for Historic Preservation to have a national conference in Portland in 2005. In 2003, POVA supported a local foundation's bid to host the U.S. Transplant Games, described by
The Oregonian as an "Olympic-style festival for athletes who have received life-sustaining organ transplants", in 2004 or 2006. POVA was also among groups working to keep the
G.I. Joe's 200 (now the Grand Prix of Portland) in the city. POVA was part of the business community supporting
Harley-Davidson's 2003 event at the
South Park Blocks. The
Portland Institute for Contemporary Art partnered with POVA to market the
Time-Based Art Festival to people outside the region in 2003. POVA supported and helped fund the bid to bring the
U.S. Figure Skating Championships to the
Rose Garden arena (now Moda Center) and
Veterans Memorial Coliseum in
2005. Travel Portland, the PDC, and mayor Adams were credited for recruiting the North American Handmade Bicycle Show, which was held at the OCC in February 2008. In March, Travel Portland launched a three-day "Green Familiarization Tour" to "persuade meeting planners from across the country that Portland is the place to convene", according to
The Oregonian.
LGBTQ tourism festival (
pictured in 2014). POVA has marketed Portland to the
LGBTQ community. In 2003, the organization launched an
LGBTQ-focused brochure, which was updated in 2005 to highlight "new gay friendly clubs and culture – along with the beautiful scenery, vibrant culinary scene and tax-free shopping". Between 2003 and 2005, POVA spent $24,000 on advertising and trade shows promoting
LGBTQ tourism. POVA had a booth at the Gay and Lesbian World Travel Expo in Seattle in 2005.
Mr. Dude Mr. Dude was Travel Portland's mascot to market the city to Japanese tourists. The "blue furry, Sasquatch-like creature" was created in 2016 as part of a campaign called the "World of Odnarotoop", a name derived from the Japanese pronunciation of Portland, spelled backwards. The bearded character was introduced in a video hosted on the website Odnarotoop.com. The video's
theme music is performed by the Portland-based rock band
Ages and Ages in Japanese, with some English words and phrases such as "breakfast", "crazy donuts", and "ice cream". Mr. Dude is featured on the website, saying, "Are you the one who want to go to Odnarotoop? I am your guide/camera man. Nice to meet you. Let's take a picture to start the trip." In September 2016, Travel Portland credited Mr. Dude and the "World of Odnarotoop" campaign with helping to increase Japanese visitation to Portland by as much as 11 percent in the preceding 18 months.
Animation Magazine called the campaign "bizarre" in 2018.
Oregon Convention Center (
pictured in 2017) and supported the funding of its expansion.The organization has marketed the OCC nationally. In 1998,
The Oregonian said POVA had "a contract to find events to fill" the venue. As of 1999, POVA worked with the Oregon Convention and Visitor Services Network "to promote Portland as a convention destination", according to
The Oregonian. The Metropolitan Exposition-Recreation Commission's marketing contract with POVA increased from $1.6 million in 1998 to $2.3 million in 2000. In 2001, D'Alessandro and POVA helped to lead a
public–private partnership to fund the convention center's expansion.
Portland City Council approved $100 million in
bonds funded by a 2.5 percent tax on hotel and car rentals.
The Oregonian credited Katz for uniting Metro, Multnomah County, POVA, and TriMet to make the Visitor Development Initiative possible. In 2003, a commission by the Metropolitan Exposition-Recreation Commission cut the budget for POVA's marketing of the OCC by $250,000. POVA booked events at the OCC as of 2007.
Public art collaborated with the
Hollywood Theatre (
pictured in 2014) on an art project at
Portland International Airport. In 2000, POVA co-sponsored an updated edition of
Art in Unexpected Places, a map of
public art in
Clackamas County. Other sponsors included
Barnes & Noble, the Clackamas Community College Foundation, the Clackamas County Tourism Development Council, and RACC. POVA and RACC published a new
walking tour brochure and map featuring approximately 100 public artworks in the
Portland metropolitan area in 2005. In 2018, Travel Portland, the
Hollywood Theatre,
Travel Oregon, and other companies collaborated on an art project at Portland International Airport's south pedestrian tunnel. The project displayed a series of posters for films and television shows shot in Oregon over a mural by Darren Cools. The work was slated to remain until 2020. Travel Portland has funded beautification projects via the Visitor Experience Enhancement Grant program. The organization funded a mural visible from
Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in
southeast Portland with the text "support working artists" in 2023. Travel Portland funded the Viaduct Arts Column Mural Initiative in 2024. The project by the Portland Street Art Alliance and artist Hayden Senter included four bridge column murals in the
Central Eastside. Two of the columns commemorate the
Pearl District's
Lovejoy Columns, one honors the
Portland Rose Festival's
dragon boat races, and another is about the Ground Score Association, which the
Portland Tribune described as the city's "democratic worker association of dumpster divers, canners and waste pickers". POVA asked
Adidas and
Nike to sponsor
fun runs during annual
trade shows for national engineering and science associations. POVA handed out fliers promoting
Columbia Sportswear and Nike stores at the conventions. POVA has also helped organize tours of the
Nike World Headquarters "for out-of-town VIPs", including officials from
Bologna (one of Portland's
sister cities) in June 2003. POVA has influenced Portland's
taxi industry. In 1999, the organization proposed an analysis of ground transportation services to reduce conflict during a time of "brutal competition among cabs, town cars, shuttles and limos for fares at the airport", according to
The Oregonian. In 2001, POVA was among ten members of the city's Taxicab Board of Review, which advises City Council on the taxi industry. == See also ==