RBFF hosts fish, wildlife agency marketing workshop

ALEXANDRIA, Va. - The Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation welcomed 45 state fish and wildlife agencies for a marketing workshop Dec. 6-8 in Phoenix. The workshop focused on integrated marketing efforts between the agencies designed to drive fishing license sales in 2012.

The 2011 workshop went over the program's results from 2011 and discussed direction for the State Fishing License Marketing Program in 2012. The program was established in 2008 to bring together participants form RBFF's State Fishing License Marketing Program, and in 2010 the RBFF expanded it to include all 50 states.

This year's keynote speaker, John Seabreeze, shared successful marketing campaigns from the golf industry and compared them with recreational fishing and boating, giving agencies ideas for consumer acquisition and retention plans to bring to the fishing and boating industry.

"Convening state agencies at the state marketing workshop and getting them to engage in a dialogue about marketing efforts is critical," RBFF President and CEO Frank Peterson said in a release. "We're working to advance these state agency partnerships in an effort to increase fishing license sales and boat registrations nationwide, which in turn, generates funds needed for state conservation projects."

The RBFF's State Fishing License Marketing Program was launched in March 2008 to increase participation in fishing and generate awareness of the link between license sales and conservation efforts. Currently the RBFF partners with 34 states through the program.