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Just a reminder that next Wednesday, April 6 is the Tourism Education Summit at Stone Harbor Resort. We have some great speakers lined up that we believe will be beneficial to small and large businesses alike. Go here for details and to register for the conference.
I would like to thank all the great men and women of the County Board of Supervisors for once again approving a proclamation declaring May 1-7, 2016 Travel & Tourism Week in Door County. We understand that tourism is not the only industry in Door County and we are grateful for the recognition from the County Board of Supervisors. Our National Tourism week breakfast will be held on Tuesday May 3rd at Maxwelton Braes in Baileys Harbor. We certainly hope you will be able to join us for a festive breakfast celebrating tourism in Door County - please watch for details in our next newsletter.
I was in the lobby today and counted 72 empty brochure holders and 20 of them were for businesses open during the winter. I am bringing this to your attention so you can make sure when your new brochures are ready that we get some to ensure that you are visible to visitors stopping into the lobby. If you have any questions regarding brochures, please contact Mary Beth in the visitor information center at marybeth@doorcounty.com .
It isn't very often that we have a job opening at the DCVB. However, due to some reorganization, we are currently searching for a Communication & PR Manager that will report directly to the Director of Communications and PR. If you know of an eligible candidate that is looking for a new challenge, please let them know about this opportunity. To see the full requirements for this position please check out the job listing on our JobsInDoorCounty.com site here. This is a full time job with a portion of the time devoted to being an administrative assistant and the balance spent in the Communication & PR department. The DCVB is an equal opportunity employer.
Best Regards,
Jack Moneypenny, President/CEO
920-818-1131
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MARKETING & SALES
Michelle Rasmusson, Director
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WELCOME BAG ITEM REQUEST
On April 28th, the Catholic Order of Foresters will be holding their annual meeting at Stone Harbor Resort. We will be supplying them with 125 welcome bags. If you have any items/products/coupons you'd like to be included in these bags, please submit no later than Friday, April 8th.
CO-OP ADVERTISING OPPORTUNITIES
General Advertising
- Only 1 spot left! July eNewsletter (Partner Feature or Partner Ad) $250-$500
- DCVB Lobby TV Spot (:30 spot) $100/month or $50/week
Event Promotion
- eNewsletter Featured Event (sent to over 200K subscribers) $100
- Events Page Featured Event (2nd most visited page on DoorCounty.com). $250
Social Media Advertising
- Social Posts AND Social Ads (FB, Twitter, Instagram) $75 - $750
Wedding Market
- WI Bride Magazine Ad (distribution of 16,000) $400
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COMMUNICATIONS & PR
Jon Jarosh, Director
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Media
Media assistance was provided to 20 journalists/media outlets in March by providing images, information, on-air/on-camera interviews and/or support for Door County based articles and stories. A few highlights included Coastal Living, Country Gardens, AAA Living, Discover Wisconsin, Lifetime TV Network, NBC 5 TV (Chicago) and Redbook.
Media Coverage Highlights
Door County was the focus of a Chicago Tribune travel story that recently posted online here and is scheduled to run in the travel section of this coming Sunday's (4/3/2015) print edition of the Chicago Tribune. In the piece, travel journalist Jay Jones explores the backroads of Door County, which he says lead to surprises and solitude.
The Wisconsin Department of Tourism recently posted a couple of editorial items highlighting Door County, including:
Travel journalist Brain Clark wrote a story about the Ridges Sanctuary that ran in the Sunday March 13, 2016 travel section of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Check out the online version of the story on JSOnline.com here.
Discover Wisconsin TV Show Premiere's "Made in Door County" Episode
The popular television program Discover Wisconsin will once again highlight Door County in a new episode of the long-running travel show. Titled "Made in Door County," the show will feature local products made in Door County and will premiere locally at 6:30 PM on Saturday April 9 on WFRV Channel 5. It will also air on FSN at 10 AM that same day. The show will be available to watch online at DiscoverWisconsin.com following the TV premiere, and the episode will be rebroadcast throughout the Midwest two more times including later this year as well as in September of 2017. The episode will reach an estimated 500,000 viewers through the Discover Wisconsin broadcast network. Attendees of our Tourism Summit on April 6 will be treated to the world-premiere of this episode.
Communications & PR Manager Position
As Jack mentioned in his section of this newsletter, we are currently searching for a Communications & PR Manager to join our team here at the DCVB. Interested candidates can check out the job posting and find out how to apply on our employee web site, JobsInDoorCounty.com, here.
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MEMBERSHIP
Phil Berndt, Director
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Do You Offer Employee Housing?
If you or your business offers employee housing options, here are two ways we can help!
- Post your available housing on the Door County Seasonal Housing Leads Facebook Page! (Making your house, apartment, extra room or trailer available for rent will make a difference.) We are constantly fielding calls from potential employees who have been offered multiple jobs but can't accept them until they have secured their housing for the season. Let's make sure we aren't forcing our best employees to find work outside of Door County.
- Add your Job Posting on www.JobsInDoorCounty.com to the Employee Housing Offered category. This is a new searchable category on the jobs website, so if you already have your job(s) posted on the site, make sure you update your listing category.
Post Your Job Openings - NOW - Especially Summer Jobs!
If you haven't posted your job openings yet - whether you offer housing or not - do it NOW! As a member of the Door County Visitor Bureau, you can post your job openings at no additional charge on JobsInDoorCounty.com. (Members RAVE about the qualified employees they have hired from our job site - and often the most organized and qualified applicants are searching online NOW!)
J-1 Visa - EMPLOYER FORUM - April 11th Employers, community leaders, host families and all interested parties are invited to join us for a morning of insight and dialog in preparation of another successful season for everyone involved in this vital cultural exchange program. Monday, April 11, 2016 Starting at 9:00 AM and finishing by Noon Sister Bay - Liberty Grove South Fire Station 2258 Mill Road, Sister Bay, WI 54234 Information to be presented: - Responsibilities of stakeholders (employer, participant, sponsor)
- Preparations for hiring and managing participants
- Best practices for Social Security, housing, banking, transportation, and departure.
- What you as a community can do to make the season easier
- Community and cultural exchange support for participants
Presenters: - Door County Visitor Bureau
- Door County BRIDGES of Friendship to International Students
- U.S. Department of State representative
- Social Security Administration
- Representative from the Wisconsin Dells & Lake Delton J1 International Student Consortium
- Leaders in the Door County community
- Sponsor representatives
The favor of your reply is requested ASAP - so we can plan for your attendance.
Questions? Please contact Forum Co-planner Haldis Toppen (Director of Employer Relations and Outreach for CCI Greenheart) at: htoppen@ccigreenheart.org
Working Together to Strengthen our Local Ecomomy
It is our collective efforts to promote Door County that make us so effective, so as you make new friends in our business community, please let them know how important their support really is. You just never know what is going to tip the scales in our favor when someone is deciding where their next trip is going to take them - and it could be one little thing about that business that gets them up here - and into YOUR business while they are HERE!
For everyone's convenience, membership information and applications are available on our members site at: members.doorcounty.com or upon request.
If you have someone you would like us to reach out to, let us know who we should contact.
Please know we will NEVER pounce on anyone or make them feel pressured - we're here to help.
* Yvonne Torres, Member Liaison & New Member Services: 920-818-1139
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CERTIFIED TOURISM AMBASSADOR PROGRAM 
Christine Salmon, Program Coordinator
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BECOME A PART OF SOMETHING BIG!
Did you know that, since March, 2009 when the Door County Tourism Ambassador Program began, 779 workers, residents & volunteers have become Certified? Nationwide, more than 34,000 people have become champions of their destination. If you haven't become a Certified Tourism Ambassador, yet, or know someone who should....
 please visit www.CTANetwork.com to register for one of the remaining classes scheduled in 2016.
-The $25 fee includes class materials, 4-hour class, Certificate, and gold CTA pin.
-The training is informative and interactive, teaching about Door County history, tourism, attractions, resources & customer service.
We look forward to seeing you in a class soon!
2016 Upcoming Classes
Thursday, April 21, 8:30 am - 1:00 pm
Lautenbach's Orchard Country Winery, Fish Creek **REGISTRATION ENDS APRIL 11**
Tuesday, May 24, 12:30 - 5:00 pm The Clearing, Ellison Bay Monday, June 27, 9:30 am - 2:30 pm Trueblood Performing Arts Center, Washington Island
NOMINATION DEADLINE IS FAST APPROACHING
We all know at least one person who deserves to be recognized for the job that they do, serving us and serving others, and making Door County a great place to live. CTAs who are eligible for nomination can be found here (by first name), or here (by company)... and click here to a link to the nomination form and instructions.
Door County Tourism Ambassadors take pride in their knowledge of Door County, they make visitors smile... and they should be acknowledged for their dedication to the tourism industry. This is the main reason for the CTA of the Year Star Award! We have proudly given out this award for 5 years, and it's time to submit nominations for 2016's CTA of the Year.
The deadline to submit the nomination form is Monday, April 4 and the winner will be announced at the National Travel & Tourism Week breakfast on Tuesday, May 3 in front of an enthusiastic crowd!
Nominations can be submitted by: Managers, Co-workers, Customers, even Self-Nominations (one of our past winners was self-nominated). If you have any questions, please contact Christine at (920) 743-4456 or christine@doorcounty.com.
WHO WILL BE THE NEXT AWARD WINNER?
For more information on the CTA program and how it can benefit you and your business, please contact Christine at christine@doorcounty.com or (920) 818-1134.
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Send Your Guests A Visitor Guide
When taking reservations, be sure to offer to send your guests a Door County Visitor Guide!
Simply enter their addresses and email online and we'll send it right out along with an email confirmation. It's quick and easy and you'll be the hero for helping them make the most of their stay! (If you have larger lists from Brides or Reunion Planners, email the list to jennifer@doorcounty.com and we'll send everyone a copy!) (Addresses are used exclusively for sending out this year's Visitor Guide and not saved, sold or shared.)
Detour Maps 
Unlike previous years, this spring's detour follows one path and construction promises to be completed before the July 4th weekend.
If you need a map you can share with guests & customers
Need a Link to the Detour Map?
Here's a link you can hyperlink into emails, email signatures, confirmation letters, websites, etc.
If you would like a shortened link to share, here it is, HOWEVER, if you try to copy a shortened link when it's active, it will jump to the original URL so, to avoid this frustration, I inserted 2 spaces after the http to keep it from activating. To use it, copy the address and paste it wherever you want - and then delete the 2 spaces after the http to activate the hyperlink. ( Click HERE to let me know if you found this helpful)
http ://j.mp/2016Detour
( Click HERE to let me know that you found this helpful. Phil)
Visitor Guides, Maps or Niche Brochures Delivered to Your Door
Requests for Visitor Guides (25/box), Maps or Niche Brochures received by Tuesday will be delivered on Thursday. Call in your request to 920-493-4456 or e-mail Jennifer@doorcounty.com
Brochure or Rate Sheet Updates for 2016?
If you have new rate sheets, please remember to stop in to swap them out and, if you have updated brochures, bring them in - we can hold 500 or more! If you didn't drop off printed brochures for our Welcome Center last year, but intend to this year, please contact Mary Beth to let her know so that she saves space in our racks for your materials. Marybeth@doorcounty.com
Nothing Stimulates More Local Spending
Many wonderful partners are accepting our Door County Gift Certificates. We would wish that everyone would as they are so very popular. Please accept our Gift Certificates and send them to us for full and quick reimbursement and please be sure that all of your new staff knows what they look like and how to accept them so they're not turning away extra money. The psychology behind gift certificates is to set the tone of having extra spending money, so accepting them graciously and giving them cash back if it's due will keep the momentum rolling while they are here - the good will is certain to come back to you! We "Thank You" and so do the thousands of people who receive them as gifts from family, friends and businesses.
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