ARLINGTON, TX: Arlington Convention & Visitors Bureau, the official destination marketing organization for Arlington, Texas, has appointed Coyne PR as its PR AOR.
Coyne PR is leading ongoing PR efforts, including annual PR planning, proactive storytelling, integrated media and influencer targets and support for high-impact press engagements like familiarization (FAM) trips and desksides, the agency said in a statement.
Coyne is also providing media relations, strategic counsel and influencer engagement, while supporting media visits and FAM tours to showcase Arlington’s evolving story and amplify its position as a must-visit destination, according to the firm.
The bureau put out an RFP for this work at the beginning of September, VP of marketing Caroline Stoeckel explained. Coyne officially started working with the organization as its PR partner on October 1.
Stoeckel noted that the organization previously worked with one agency, creative-led integrated marketing agency PeterMayer, across its entire business. That relationship has ended.
After working with one firm for so long, the bureau wanted to seek out an agency partner with deep experience in the travel space, said Stoeckel.
“Being a destination marketing organization ourselves, that was important for us to make sure that whoever we partner with has a good understanding of tourism,” she said.
The bureau was also looking for an agency with extensive relationships with media and influencers that can funnel up to top publications across the U.S.
Coyne PR SVP Lauren Mackiel, who’s leading the account alongside a dedicated team of four, explained that the agency learned a lot about Arlington, Texas, during the process and immediately felt the opportunity was a “natural fit.”
In addition to addressing the upcoming events and trending topics for the city, such as the America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Netflix series, Coyne is focused on education around what Arlington has to offer, she said.
The new partnership comes as the Arlington Convention & Visitors Bureau gears up for a lineup of events and attractions in 2026, from the inaugural INDYCAR Grand Prix of Arlington and 2026 FIFA World Cup festivities to the Game of Thrones: The Exhibition and new National Medal of Honor Museum.
Arlington will host nine of the World Cup matches at AT&T Stadium, which will be rebranded to Dallas Stadium for the event, and will kick off the first of three years of the Grand Prix of Arlington in 2026, bringing visitors from all over the world to the city.
Alongside Coyne, the bureau is preparing for a number of efforts across the metroplex, including roadwork for the Grand Prix as well as safety protocols in relation to air travel and attendance that are still in the works, according to Stoeckel.
“We’re actively planning for the best approach and the most strategic, efficient way in for media and the storylines that we want to help tell as part of the larger events themselves,” Mackiel said, including hosting media or earned influencers from the region or nationally.
The partnership’s retainer is approximately $10,000 a month, according to Stoeckel.
Heading into 2026, Stoeckel said her goal for the agency relationship is to get Arlington exposure in top media outlets where it hasn’t had the opportunity to do so previously and lean into Coyne’s pitching, newsjacking and influencing abilities to bring individual press trips to the destination.
“People can’t get a feel for Arlington until they come and visit and understand the breadth of what the destination has to offer,” Stoeckel explained. “That’s one of our biggest goals: getting more individual press trips to the destination and leveraging interesting fans to hopefully gain additional national exposure for Arlington.”
Coyne is also focused on driving local storytelling, such as Arlington’s Christmas markets this holiday season, and bubbling it up to drive more coverage.
“It’s about bringing what’s happening on that local community level up on a national level,” Mackiel said, emphasizing the rising number of people who will be headed to the city as a travel or road trip destination early next year. “That’s the goal: more talkability.”
The bureau now also employs two additional agency relationships, including local Dallas agency Firehouse Agency for brand positioning; and a separate local agency, The Ward Group, which supports media buying and planning.
The Arlington Convention & Visitors Bureau markets, sells and promotes the city of Arlington as a premier sports, business and leisure entertainment destination to generate visitor spending, tax revenue and jobs. Arlington’s tourism and hospitality industry employs more than 18,000 people with 16.3 million visitors annually, according to the organization’s website.
Coyne PR is an independent PR agency headquartered in Parsippany, New Jersey. Founded in 1991, the firm offers services in PR, influencer and social media and digital, marketing and content.
Coyne posted flat revenue growth of $37 million in 2024, according to PRWeek’s Agency Business Report 2025.