Bratton speaks at Rural Round-up

	Travel industry research expert discusses ways small destinations can afford to conduct market research
	SAN FRANCISCO, CA (April 5, 2006) — Destination Analysts founder David Bratton (www.destinationanalysts.com), spoke today at the Nevada Commission on Tourism’s annual Rural Round-up Convention at held at the Pinon Plaza Resort in Carson City. His speech, titled “Guerilla research: A beginner’s guide to conducting affordable and effective market research,” covered essential market research concepts for beginners and provided an array of valuable tips for conducting research without financial resources.
	Bratton has been at the forefront of creating new techniques in destination research for years, most recently in an almost 9 year stint with the San Francisco Convention & Visitors Bureau. “Our research department in San Francisco,” he said “was charged with conducting a tremendous array of market research, ranging from economic impact modeling to survey-based consumer research to brand audits, advertising effectiveness studies, conversion studies and qualitative studies. You might be surprised to know that our research budget was almost always under-funded, if it was funded at all. We became masters of making good research happen, without spending much money.”
	Most destinations, according to Bratton, have many resources at their fingertips that can offset many of the more imposing costs of doing research. “It’s usually a matter of careful planning and assessment of the resources you have at hand. Creativity is also a key—both in how you develop your research plan and how you work with your vendors.” Bratton offered the group a menu of cost saving tips, including: Eight creative uses of the Internet, numerous DIY techniques for destinations, ideas for deferring sample purchase costs, how to use a visitor center and other venues to implement high-impact qualitative studies, strategies for cutting deals with research vendors and tactics for pooling resources with other destinations with similar research needs.
	For more information on Bratton’s speech or on this topic, contact Destination Analysts.
	About Destination Analysts: Based in San Francisco, California, Destination Analysts (www.destinationanalysts.com) is one of the travel industry’s premier boutique marketing and research consultancies. As a relatively new, but fast growing independent consulting firm, Destination Analysts work has served major travel industry players such as the San Francisco Convention & Visitors Bureau, DDB Seattle, the Fiji Visitors Bureau, the USDA Forest Service, and Mering & Associates. The needs of our clients are carefully analyzed and are the centerpiece of everything we do. David Bratton, founder of Destination Analysts, says it best, "Our entire reason for existing is to help our clients thrive, and our goal is always to provide them with affordable and innovative methods to make their marketing soar."