July 8th
2015

DCVB Partner Newsletter

Saris Parking - Cycle Rescue Station

I hope your summer is off to a great start. Just a couple of quick items for you this week.

This will be the last call for this order of bike maintenance stations, I'll be placing an order early next week. We did not reach ten units. I will confirm with those of you that contacted me to make sure you want me to go ahead and order the bike maintenance station for you at the list price. If you decide you want one, please let me know by Monday evening at 5:00.

Secondly, lodging owner's vacancy calendars. I realize that there are a million things to do this time of year, but if you have a vacancy calendar for your lodging establishment, please make sure that it is up to date. It is tremendously difficult to help potential visitors when we aren't really sure what is available.

Brochures for the Welcome Center. If you are unsure if we need more of your brochures for the visitors, please contact Mary Beth in the Welcome Center at MaryBeth@doorcounty.com and she will be happy to check for you.

If you need anything, please let us know.

Best Regards,

Jack Signature

Jack Moneypenny, President/CEO

jack@doorcounty.com

920-818-1131

MARKETING & SALES

Michelle Rasmusson, Director

So Delicious, So Door County Fall Promotion (Sept 5 - Oct 25)

RESTAURANT WEEK (Sept 20 - 26) - Deadline to submit Restaurant Week menus has been extended to July 15th. For details on how to participate, CLICK HERE.

LODGING PACKAGES - Deadline to submit lodging packages is July 15th. For details on how to participate, CLICK HERE.

There is NO COST to participate in any of these opportunities. We only ask that you submit a gift certificate (for our use in promos/contests throughout the year) in exchange for your online listing. SIGN UP TODAY!

Questions? Contact Laura Bradley 920-818-1137 or laurab@doorcounty.com

Co-op Advertising

Give your current marketing plan a boost with our 2015 Co-op program

WI Gazette: 3 spots left in 9/10 issue ($115); 25k circulation throughout SE WI
eNewsletter: 2 spots left in Oct ($500); sent to approx. 200k subscribers
Experience WI: 4 spots left in Fall/Winter issue ($375); 55k distribution in N Illinois
Trip Advisor: 3 spots left in Oct ($600)
Social Media Posts: Inquire for availability ($50-$250)

View full co-op plan, here.

Questions? Contact Laura Bradley at 920-818-1137 or laurab@doorcounty.com

Michelle Rasmusson: 920-818-1132

Laura Bradley: 920-818-1137

COMMUNICATIONS & PR

Jon Jarosh, Director

Media

Media assistance was provided to 28 journalists/media outlets in June and 7 thus far in July by providing images, information, on-air/on-camera interviews and/or support for Door County based articles and stories. A few highlights included WMAQ NBC 5 (Chicago), American Pickers TV Show, WGBA NBC 26 (Green Bay), Northwest Quarterly magazine, WFRV CBS 5 (Green Bay) and Leisure Group Travel magazine.

Media Coverage Highlights

Door County was highlighted in a story on Fodors Travel online in a story titled "5 Perfect Shoulder-Season Destinations in the U.S." that posted on June 8, 2015. Check out the story on Fodors.com here.

Rider Magazine posted a story online about motorcycle riding in Door County on June 5, 2015. Check out the story on ridermagazine.com here.

Door County was the focus of an in-studio interview on NBC 5 WMAQ in Chicago on June 30 with reporter/anchor Stefan Holt. A few of the county's culinary attributes and activities were highlighted along with a local beverage and recipes. Check out the interview on nbcchicago.com here.

The Door County art scene was the focus of a story that ran on Midwest Living online. Read the online article, which posted on July 7, 2015, on MidwestLiving.com here.

Media Marketing Program Update

Our press trip program with Geiger & Associates Public Relations continues later this month from July 27-30 with a press trip highlighting the county's infamous cherry industry. We have already conducted 4 trips this year, with 4 more to go, including the aforementioned cherry themed trip. If you are interested in hosting journalists at your business on one of our tours, please let me know.

To date, our press trip program has generated over $13.7 million worth of media coverage and nearly 1.1 billion impressions for Door County. View PDFs of the more than 1,400 articles that have been written via Google Drive here. New articles are added each month.

Jon Jarosh: 920-818-1133

MEMBERSHIP

Phil Berndt, Director

A HUGE Success!

As most of you know, J-1 Student Employees are typically not allowed to drive during their stint in the USA. Who knew that we could make such a difference when we pursued the idea of petitioning the Social Security Administration office to come to Door County to help reduce the number of employers having to drive each of their students to Green Bay and back to apply for a Social Security number? With a second sign-up day under our belts, I can tell you that it was well worth our efforts to work with the Social Security Administration out of Green Bay to coordinate a Door County Social Security Number sign-up day in Door County. Between our two events we were able to help more than half of this season's J-1 student employees apply for a Social Security number and, conservatively, our efforts saved much more than 9,841 miles and 1,040+ personnel hours on the road to drive each student to the Green Bay office and back - and that doesn't count all of the extra time and miles for those who live and work north of Ephraim!

A huge Thank You to Dolores Watson of the Social Security Administration's Green Bay office and to her regional staff members who traveled all the way from Manitowoc, Marinette and Green Bay to make this possible, with special thanks to Carol Mooney - co-coordinator for the BRIDGES's American Connection and owner of Changing Hearts (promotional) Giftware - whose unselfish drive and dedication to making a difference in Door County and in the lives of our international students, has truly made all the difference in the World! Thank You! Thank You! Thank You!

Want To Learn More About Employing International Students?

The purpose of the J-1 program is to foster peace through mutual understanding by offering post-secondary students the opportunity to experience life in the United States while sharing their culture and ideas with our citizens.

A primary requirement of the J-1 Visa - Summer Work Travel Program is securing gainful employment and a place to live PRIOR to their arrival in the United States and the organizations tasked with the job of vetting out potential employees and employers are the Designated Sponsors - there are 41 Designated Sponsors listed on the Department of State's website and I was actually surprised to learn that many, if not most of them, have students placed in Door County.

Hiring J-1 students is no quick fix for your employment woes and taking an international student under your wing is much more of vocation than a vacation but, if you're up for it, the rewards can last a lifetime!

Click HERE to let Phil know that you would like to learn more about the Summer Work Travel Program and, if there's enough interest, we'll see if we can pull together a program later this season - so you still have time to get involved in the hiring process for next summer.

Plain and simple.

Your efforts to stay engaged and informed mean much more than you could ever know.

You are appreciated!

Door County Visitor Bureau
743-4456 / 800-527-3529
phil@doorcounty.com
http://www.doorcounty.com/members