| Athens Now:
The monthly newsletter of the Athens Convention & Visitors Bureau |
 Governor's Tourism Conference -- We Did It!
Georgia's tourism industry gathered in Athens Aug. 30 - Sept. 1 and Athens' tourism industry Banded Together to put on a great show! Attendance of approximately 500 set records and brought direct spending of $626,000 to Athens. A huge THANK YOU to all of our local and conference sponsors, all those who attended, and everyone who worked behind the scenes to make the conference such a success.
This month's newsletter is devoted to conference reflections, tips, and takeaways, courtesy of the CVB staff. Enjoy! |
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Our Favorite Sights & Sounds
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Unveiling of the first General Session, when the lights went on, the curtain was drawn, and "Who Let the Dawgs Out" had attendees strutting and dancing down the aisles (Chuck)
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William Tonks's cool guitar strummings (Venessa)
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Paul Cramer busing tables; won't ask anyone to do anything he won't do himself (Megan & Venessa)
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Amazing garden-themed luncheon decor (Megan) -- including a
Fun with Hairy Dog @ Terrapin! | live cricket chirping in the foliage; how authentic was that! (Venessa) -
Terrapin: The look on attendees' faces when greeted by Hairy Dog (Mark) -- Who doesn't love a bulldog? (Amy) -- Folks talking beer with John and Spike in person (Hannah)
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The Melting Point: Great vibe, hearing lots of folks planning to return (Mark)
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Great food at the luncheons, plus eating for the first time at Copper Creek during dine-around (Mark)
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New favorite Athens band-- The Heap! (Amy)
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Taking the Athens Food Tour and hearing firsthand from those who
Just lovely! | hand-crafted the food & drink we sampled (Hannah) - It takes a village to mount a tourism conference, including the sea of Garden Club vounteers designing centerpieces (Amy)
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Rialto Room: Intense and continual laughter from folks enjoying the hospitality suite (Chuck) - and overhearing "Y'all-- they didn't just remove beds from a guest room-- it's like a real European club in there!" (Hannah)
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Sharing the thrill of a tradeshow floor and tourism event with my sons (Chuck)
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Watching, with pride, the high level of service provided by The Classic Center (Chuck)
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 Tips and Trends |
 Takeaways-
Do something different just to be different (Mark, via Bill Geist)
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Don't neglect Search Engine Optimization. Social media and paid online ads not only build from, but rely upon your ability to be found online. (Hannah, via Steve Chandler & Hillary Bressler)
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Consumers choose a destination first, before a hotel, car rental company, etc. (Chuck, via Roger Dow)
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Customer service is king: You want the people providing a product to be nice to you. People talk a lot about good customer service; it is more rare that they actually deliver it (Chuck & Mark, via Horst Schultze)
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There will be at least 45 new state legislators out of the 236 come Jan. Georgia's travel industry must determine the message we want to send to legislators and be able to communicate and prove it. (Chuck, via Tourism Development Alliance of Ga. board meeting)
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A $15 mil. state marketing plan is expected to yield $1 bil. in expenditures. (Chuck, via Georgia Tourism Foundation board meeting)
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What They're Saying About Athens
Bill Geist |
- "Congratulations! You and your Team ROCKED! And, I'm now officially a big fan of your destination." -- Bill Geist, keynote speaker, Zeitgeist Consulting
- "Simply flawless comes to mind; this dog hunts! Not a hitch to be seen or experienced by any attendee. We are all grateful to your team for your tireless efforts of showcasing your destination and being such terrific hosts."
-- Jeff Mills, President, Mills Marketing Group
- "It truly was one of the best . . upbeat, smooth, great facility and great attendance numbers. I know your staff and volunteers worked really hard and it sure did show."
-- Marguerite Copelan, Director, Madison CVB - "The entire conference was the best I've attended - and your staff (heck, just about everyone in the whole city) were great. There was a tremendous mix of options for times that you weren't in meetings and the "planned" activities (especially the tailgate party at the brewery) were fantastic. Chuck, you know me well enough that I wouldn't just write a note to be nice. You guys really showed me what a great town Athens is. Thanks for opening my eyes to a great destination."
Kevin Langston | -- Joel Meyer, Owner, Lodge on Little St. Simons Island
- "Congratulations on a terrific Governor's Conference. I was blown away by the service at both the Classic Center and the Indigo. Truly world class properties both!"
-- Kevin Langston, Deputy Commissioner for Tourism, GDEcD
- "You did a fantastic job with this year's Tourism Conference. Thank you for your hard work. This was the best organized and most successful tourism conference I've attended."
-- Spurgeon Richardson, retired Atlanta CVB President and Chair of the Governor's Tourism Conference Program Committee
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 SAVE THE DATE: | |
October 21 CVB Advisory Board Meeting Location TBA Athens, GA 8:45 a.m. networking 9:00 a.m. meeting RSVP: Venessa Banks706.357.4432
November 3 - 5 Georgia Agritourism Conference February 22 - 24, 2011 Travel South
Showcase Atlanta, GA Registration now open! More info here, or Contact: Rob Nolen 404.231.1790
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