Wednesday, September 1, 2010

2010 Governor's Conference on Tourism

We attended the Governor’s Conference on Tourism this week with over 400+ other professionals responsible for destination marketing. The Senate and House Joint Committee on Economic Development and Tourism - along with the Secretary of State and the Governor attended to brief us on tourism success stories across Georgia.

We learned from the experts how to take our Social Media to the next level including best practices for creating your business web site, and Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube accounts. We are bringing this technology home to our members and are planning a class this month. The education seminar is titled “Web Site & Social Media Strategies” and the objectives are to assist you with - 1) reviewing web site options, 2) getting lots of fans on Facebook and 3) and getting good reviews to drive sales.

Second, we learned about the importance of hospitality and the tourist’s experience. When visitors come into our Community, the Welcome Center or your business, they may not remember your name or what you said but they will remember how they were treated. The Chamber offers Hospitality Training for our new Welcome Center Volunteers and would be happy to include sales associates from your businesses, too. Also, we offer a Secret Shopper program and can come to your business, assess the level of hospitality and report back to you.

Finally, we learned the importance of partnerships and collaboration. The Chamber has a Tourism Committee that meets the 2nd Friday of every month - and partners closely with the Toccoa Mainstreet Program to promote Tourism. Also, we are members of the Georgia Mountain Travel Association and the Lake Hartwell Marketing Alliance.

We are now calling on all our partners and associations and alliances to help us promote the upcoming Currahee Military Weekend October 1st-3rd. The mission is to preserve WWII history - and honor our veterans. It is also to share our history and heritage with about 2,500 visitors. Tourism is economic development!

Check the Chamber Calendar on our web site at www.toccoagachamber.com for the dates and details of our classes and events. Or call 706-886-2132 today!

Your Chamber has over 400 members and is growing. We give our members the Networking, Marketing and Education opportunities they need for success. Come grow with us!

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