Cleveland battles with St. Petersburg-Clearwater for chance at Social Media Tourism Symposium

CLEVELAND - UPDATE 10:58: Positively Cleveland beat Visit St. Pete/Clearwater by 464 votes and advances to the final four, along with Branson, Missouri.

----

Cleveland is in a tight race with the St. Petersburg-Clearwater area for the 2013 Social Media Tourism Symposium.

Positively Cleveland is asking people to vote so our city can make the final four and have a chance to host this year’s conference.  Last year, Cleveland lost by about 300 votes to El Paso in the finals.

The Social Media Tourism Symposium attracts more than 200 people, which equals more than $250,000 in economic impact, Positively Cleveland said. The attendees are also some of the top social media representatives from hotels, resorts and attractions that can help spread the word about Cleveland.

“Now in its fourth year, the conference allows attendees to share ideas and learn more about how social media is effecting the promotion of the travel industry. The conference is unique in that potential attendees have a voice in everything - from the location to the session topics and presenters,” Positively Cleveland said in a news release on Tuesday.

The group Visit St. Pete/Clearwater is even using the hashtag #BeatCLE in its efforts to more on in the bracket. Voting ends at 10 p.m. Tuesday.

Cast your vote at facebook.com/SoMeTourism