Tampa Film Fan

new website for the tampa bay film commission; new name, logo and website for the convention and visitors bureau

(h/t to the Tampa Bay Film Commission)

The Tampa Bay Convention and Visitors Bureau launched its new logo, name and web design a couple of months ago. I don’t care for the new look, but the fact that it’s taken me so long to notice — and to write about it — is a good thing. (If it hasn’t affected my life by now, it probably never will.)

Another good thing is that the Tampa Bay Film Commission finally has its own URL at www.FilmTampaBay.com. (You can still find it through the main website, just like before).

Now, on to the not-so-good things. The Tampa Bay Convention and Visitors Bureau is now known as Tampa Bay and Company. In addition to the new name, there’s a new logo and a redesigned website. I can’t remember what the previous logo for the Convention and Visitors Bureau looked like, but I don’t care much for the new one. It’s boring. Bland. Blah.

And I really don’t care much for the new name. Why the change from an easily-understood name to a vague, ambiguous one? If a name change was absolutely required, why not use Visit Tampa Bay? The website URL is still www.visittampabay.com. The staff email addresses still use visittampabay.com. (This name was considered and rejected.) The name “Tampa Bay and Company” doesn’t even hint at the organization’s purpose . Is it a new improv group? A restaurant like the Atlanta Bread Company? A new local blog?

Oh well. They didn’t ask my opinion. It’s a free country. It hasn’t disrupted my life so far. I don’t even have a logo at all, so who am I to judge? Plus, the whole Rays rename/redesign was much worse.