Tourism Expo 2008

On February 25, 2008, the Second Annual Tourism Expo was held at the University Center at Kent State University Stark Campus. The expo combined an educational format with a small trade show environment. Sixteen educational sessions were offered to tourism industry participants from Tuscarawas, Wayne, Carroll, Coshocton, Summit, Stark, Portage, Medina and Holmes Counties.



Debbie Robinson, executive director of the Cambridge/Guernsey County Visitors & Convention Bureau, Marty Starkey, executive director of the Wayne County Convention & Visitors Bureau and Glenda Lehman Ervin, vice president of marketing at Lehman's presented a panel discussion to the participants on cooperative marketing. Using examples in their communities of good marketing practices, the panelists explored a vast array of opportunities for cooperative marketing and cutting edge trends for cross promotional ideas that work.



Pictured here are L-Starkey, Ervin and Robinson.

To learn more, log on to http://www.visitguernseycounty.com/, http://www.waynecountycvb.org/.org and http://www.lehmans.com/.

Marketing & Hospitality Teachers in Cambridge

On Friday, February 22nd, Dee Sturgill, Marketing Education Consultant for the Ohio Department of Education (ODE), led a pre-conference field trip to Cambridge for marketing & hospitality high school teachers. Planned by Toni Keller, marketing and communications manager at the Wilds, the day was spent exploring marketing trends, real world applications and the economic impact of tourism.



Speakers included Toni Kellar, Buddy Butler, account director for Stonewall Marketing, Debbie Robinson, executive director of the Cambridge/Guernsey County Visitors & Convention Bureau, and Jonett Haberfield, owner of A Taste of Ohio who presented a program on the history of Dickens Victorian Village.



Picture here are L-Kellar, Haberfield, Sturgill, Robinson, and Butler. To learn more about ODE, visit http://www.ode.state.oh.us/.

Glass Pass Consortium Meets at Fenton

Members of the Glass Pass consortium comprised of 11 glass museums and factories in Ohio, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania held their quarterly meeting recently at Fenton Glass Factory and Gift Shop in Williamstown, West Virginia. The consortium is planning to launch a Glass Pass website in 2008.





Pictured here are L - Dawn Beasley, Cambridge/Guernsey County Visitors & Convention Bureau, Dean Six, The West Virginia Museum of American Glass, Ltd. in Weston, WV and site of the July 2008 Glass Pass meeting, and Debbie Robinson, Cambridge/Guernsey County VCB.





To learn more about Fenton Glass, visit http://www.fentonartglass.com/.

Experiential Tourism Discussed at OAC Meeting

Ohio's Appalachian Country (OAC) recently gathered at the Ohio Historical Society for their quarterly meeting. Comprised of the 29 Appalachian Counties in Ohio, OAC exists to promote tourism and to market the region to visitors.

During the meeting, Amy Tatman, Tourism Sales Manager for Experience Columbus, shared with OAC members information on experiential tourism, what exactly it is, and tips on how to create packages and then market them. She also shared examples of group tour experiential packages that she and her tourism partners created for Columbus.

Ohio Division of Travel & Tourism's director, Amir Eylon and the Governor's Office of Appalachia's director, Fred Deel, were also on hand during the meeting.



Taking part in the meeting were L - Toni Kellar, the Wilds, Mark Holbrook - Ohio Historical Society and host for the meeting, Amy Tatman, Shauna Hearing and Debbie Robinson - Cambridge/Guernsey County Visitors & Convention Bureau.

For information on Ohio's Appalachian Country, visit http://www.appalachianohio.com/tourism. To learn more about Experience Columbus and their experiential group tour packages, go to http://www.experiencecolumbus.com/.