Scottsdale Tourism's 'Take Pity on Me!' Campaign Names New York and Minnesota Residents Most Pitiful: Campaign Draws Record Number of Visitors to

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (BusinessWire EON) March 5, 2007 --     Web site visitors chose Steve Stone from Amherst, N.Y., for his photo submission - enjoying an ice bath outside in his hot tub - and Alisa Blackwood of Saint Paul, Minn., for her video submission - proudly showing off her "snotsicles" - out of nearly 170 "pitiful" people who entered to win a Scottsdale vacation.

The second year of the Scottsdale CVB's promotion generated nearly 65,000 page views for the Scottsdale CVB Web site, more than twice as many as received from last year's contest. In addition, the contest generated nearly 170 photo and video entries, an increase of 41 percent over last year.



All total, more than 4,850 votes were received for the contest finalists. To see the winning photo and video, visit www.PleasePityMe.com. This year's top photos and videos come from residents of Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota, New Jersey and New York.

"We are thrilled with the results of this year's contest," said Lauren Simons, vice president of marketing for the Scottsdale Convention & Visitors Bureau. "With growing competition and new generations of visitors discovering our destination, the CVB is always seeking innovative ways to interact with potential visitors in cold-weather destinations."

Steve Stone will receive a getaway to Scottsdale, including roundtrip airfare, a three-night stay at the Hotel Valley Ho, breakfast daily at Cafe ZuZu, dinner for two at Trader Vic's, and golf for two at ASU Karsten Golf Course.

Alisa Blackwood's prize package to Scottsdale includes roundtrip airfare, a three-night stay at Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale at Troon North, dinner for two at Acacia, two 50-minute spa treatments, breakfast daily, two fitness classes, and golf for two at Troon North Golf Club.

The "Take Pity on Me!" contest was part of the Scottsdale Convention & Visitors Bureau's winter creative marketing campaign targeting cold-weather destinations with a warm-weather message from January through March. The contest was promoted in the New York and Chicago area, but attracted cold-weather residents around the country.

For more information on planning your next Scottsdale vacation and for seasonal packages, visit www.ExperienceScottsdale.com.

For more Scottsdale travel news, subscribe to the Scottsdale Convention & Visitors Bureau RSS feeds.