Destination Marketing Organization Visit Newport Beach Inc. orchestrated a Publisher’s Clearing House-style ambush for Florida meeting planner Liz Planz to surprise her with the news that she was the grand prize winner of the ‘Live The Dream’ sweepstakes and a luxury vacation to Newport Beach, California.

Ms. Planz, who is a meeting planner for financial services firm Raymond James Financial, Inc., was meeting the DMO’s national sales manager Lori Hoy in what was seemingly a routine sales call when she found out the great news. The Live The Dream luxury vacation package includes: airfare for two; a week’s stay in a multi-million dollar Burr White beach-front home; use of a luxury car from Beverly Hills Rent-A-Car; private dining on a Hornblower yacht; harbor tour on a Duffy boat; spa services; golf; shopping vouchers and much more.

“I’m thrilled to be the winner of the Live the Dream sweepstakes,” said Liz Planz. “Now I get to experience Newport Beach from an attendee’s perspective and get to Live the Dream!”

The Live the Dream sweepstakes was first announced in 2011, and for meeting planners across the county who submitted a qualified RFP, they were entered into the drawing that took in January. The sweepstakes coincided with a marketing and PR campaign that encouraged planners to “Turn Your RFP into an OMG!” hoping to encourage bookings in the destination.

The campaign was so popular with planners across the country that Visit Newport Beach Inc. has announced the continuation of the sweepstakes through the end of 2012. The extended promotion is from February 13 through December 31, 2012, with the second winner to be announced in January 2013.

Qualifying for the ‘Live The Dream’ sweepstakes is easy. Planners that submit a qualified RFP** to Visit Newport Beach Inc. automatically received a $100 Nordstrom gift card. What’s more, when planners book that meeting sourced through Visit Newport Beach Inc., they then receive a $250 American Express® Gift Card and are automatically entered into the ‘Live The Dream’ Sweepstakes for a chance to win the luxury Newport Beach getaway. (For complete details and official rules, go to visitnewportbeach.com/dream.)

“The idea of living like the Rich and Famous for a week really resonated with planners across the country which is why we have extended the promotion through the end of 2012,” said Tom Bennett, Senior Vice President of Sales for Visit Newport Beach Inc. “This will give more planners an opportunity to participate and turn their RFPs into an OMG!”

_{** A qualified RFP consists of 50 rooms or more for a single meeting, one year history required, one gift card per program, gift card issued upon conversion to solid lead in a participating Newport Beach hotel, RFP must be sourced directly through a Visit Newport Beach representative.}