Southampton - At the February 16 meeting of the Greater Westhampton Chamber of Commerce, The Hamptons Visitors Council chairman Hank Beck announced an advertising deal with Horizon Publications that will include a week long series of spots appearing on the giant Eyewitness News ABC 7 screen in Times Square. The screen ad will feature an image of a couple on an expansive Hamptons beach with copy that reads:

"The Hamptons.
#1 Beach in America
Just 2 Hours Away."

The HVC website and 877 phone number will also be featured. The ABC ;Times Square screen gets 1.5 million eyeballs a day. Many are foreign travelers, a key market for The Hamptons. These five second spots will appear 15 times a day during the week of April 11 to April 17, 2011. A four-color double-page spread for The Hamptons Visitors Council will be included in the spring issue of Horizon Travel Magazine. The magazine will be inserted in 100,000 copies of the New York Post. An online banner ad and links to the HVC website will also be available on the magazine's website. The major purpose of this project is to help drive new visitors to the Hamptons region and to promote Suffolk County as a year-round vacation destination.

Yves R. Michel, Commissioner of the Suffolk County Department of Economic Development and Workforce Housing, was the honored guest speaker at the meeting. During his address to the packed room at the Buoy One Restaurant, Michel commented that "This is the kind of imaginative and creative thinking and action we need to successfully promote Suffolk County and especially its many gems like the East End of Long Island and the Hamptons in particular." Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy commented, "Advertising the world's greatest beaches in the world's greatest city is a no-brainer. The Hamptons Visitors Council have cast a wide and innovative advertising net with this initiative that is sure to draw many more world travelers to the unmatched beauty of Suffolk's East End."