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Sedona Chamber of Commerce e-News
March 25, 2013
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March 25: Sunstone Natural Health's Ribbon Cutting
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Please join Dr. Julie George of Sunstone Natural Health on Monday, March 25 at 3:00 pm to celebrate the Grand Opening and Ribbon Cutting Ceremony. Sunstone Natural Health is located at 95 Soldiers Pass Rd, Suite A-3 in Sedona. Refreshments, Free Samples and Door Prizes! Dr. George offers a wide array of integrative treatments for locals as well as tourists. Visit sunstonenaturalhealth.com or call (928) 239-9181 for more information. |
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March 27: Highlight your Business at the Volunteer Breakfast
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The Chamber Visitor Center will host a Volunteer Breakfast for members to highlight their business at Sound Bites Grill on Wednesday, March 27 from 8:00 - 9:30 am. With approximately 70 visitor center volunteers talking to 1000's of Sedona visitors, this is a great opportunity to present your business information directly to the volunteers who make referrals to businesses. Cost is $50 and includes breakfast with a 5-minute spot to highlight your business.
Please contact Donna Retegan, Director of Visitor Services, to reserve your Business Spot. ONE SPACE LEFT!! Sign up deadline is TODAY by 5:00 pm. |
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March 27: Free SCORE Counseling at the Chamber
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Every business person can use a bit of help from time to time. None of us come to our jobs with every skill necessary to run our businesses and getting some FREE coaching, counseling and hand-holding can often make the difference between growing our business and struggling with it. The Chamber offers FREE counseling and mentoring through SCORE (Senior Corp of Retired Executives), a Small Business Administration service to help you succeed. This month, the day to meet with SCORE counselor is Wednesday, March 27.
All you need to do is call the Chamber at 204-1123 to schedule an appointment between 9:00 am and 3:00 pm. You'll need to bring along any relevant paperwork for your questions. You'll have an hour initially, but you can even establish an ongoing mentoring relationship, for FREE, so your business can grow effectively. All you need to do is call for an appointment.
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March 28: Networking Mixer
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There will be NO PARKING on site. Instead, shuttle service will be provided from the overflow parking lot of King's Ransom Inn on Sombart Lane, by Sedona Trolley. In addition, Mixer attendees are encouraged to remain past the normal closing time of 7:00 pm to enjoy music and dancing until 8:00 pm provided by our hosts.
Cost to attend the Networking Mixer is $10 for members, $15 for non-members at the door. No RSVP is required to attend the Mixer. If you would like to contribute a raffle prize, please bring your prize to the Chamber of Commerce Administrative Office by 5:00 pm Wednesday, March 27.
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March 29: City Sign Code Meeting
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At a recent meeting with West Sedona businesses, owners and managers voiced concerns about the City's Sign Code, communications with the City and enforcement of that code. Sedona Chamber of Commerce, working with City staff, has slated a meeting for ALL interested Chamber members on Friday morning, March 29 from 8:30 - 10:00 am at the Sedona Public Library's Si Birch Community Room (3250 White Bear Rd). This meeting will include an overview presentation of the code by Cari Meyer, Associate Planner for the City, and an open discussion forum so members can learn more about this important aspect of doing business in Sedona.
This program is FREE, but we ask you to RSVP by calling the Chamber at 204-1123 by Thursday, March 28 at 12:00 pm.
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April 25: Tables at the Tradeshow Mixer are Available NOW
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The Tradeshow Networking Mixer is scheduled for Thursday, April 25 at the Sedona Elks Lodge. Tradeshow Networking Mixers allow our members the opportunity to purchase an exhibition table on which to promote their products and services to potential new customers. Each mixer attracts between 175 - 250 attendees. There are only two Tradeshow Networking Mixers this year, so don't miss out!
Call Catherine at 204-1123 if you would like to reserve one of the twenty Tradeshow mixer tables for your business for $100. Admission to the mixers is $10 for members, and $15 for non-members, which includes food and two drink tickets. No reservations are required to attend the mixers. |
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Imagine Traveling in Green, Green Ireland - Discount Rate Ends April 1
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Picture yourself in beautiful green Ireland. The opportunity is at hand as Sedona Chamber of Commerce prepares an excursion departing October 27 for eight days and nights. For the incredibly low price of $2,499 (double occupancy, booked prior to April 1), you'll enjoy round trip airfare from Phoenix, six nights at Castlemartyr Villas, a visit to the Cliffs of Moher, the Rock of Cashel, Kilkenny Castle, Killarney and the Ring of Kerry. You even have the opportunity to extend your trip for additional time in Dublin.
Chamber Discoveries, the organizer of this excursion, is a top notch company that is willing to work with individual passengers to allow travel from different cities, extensions to the travel time and more. Their guides are superb, knowledgeable and very accommodating. This is a trip you won't want to miss! For the full information package that will answer all your questions, visit SedonaChamber.com and download the Information Package. Call your friends, kids, grand kids or even old chums and encourage them to make this trip with you. It will offer memories to last a lifetime and all for a remarkably affordable price. Check it out today! |
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Vote for Pet Friendly Sedona
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A popular travel blog titled Go Pet Friendly has created a contest to discover the Most Pet Friendly Town in the USA, and Sedona has already been nominated and made it onto round THREE!! This contest is won by your votes, so please take one minute out of your day to vote for Sedona: |
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Marketing Opportunities for Members... |
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Foreign Language "Lure" Brochures Available |
The Sedona Chamber of Commerce & Tourism Bureau's English, French, German and Japanese lure brochures are available for your use. These beautiful, branded lure brochures highlight key Sedona information with the purpose of enticing visitors to Sedona. Consider including this brochure in your mailings or use them at your tradeshows. Keep them handy for your international customers to make them feel welcomed to our community. There are a number of ways to utilize these brochures. Pick up a bundle today at the Chamber Administrative Office located at 45 Sunset Drive. Contact Michelle Conway for more information at 204-1123 or mconway@sedonachamber.com. |
Introducing the "Transportation Deals" Category on VisitSedona.com |
"You can't enjoy all that Sedona has to offer unless you have a way to get here! There are a number of businesses who will make sure you arrive to Sedona safely and comfortably. Plus, once you're here, they will also be able to escort you to all Sedona area attractions, restaurants and sights." That's our message to consumers on VisitSedona.com, under the new "Transportation Deals" category. Now is the time for relevant Tourism Bureau members to post their travel and transportation deal to our site by completing this form. Be sure to select the "Transportation Deals" category from the drop-down. Contact Michelle Conway for more information at 204-1123 or mconway@sedonachamber.com. |
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Opportunity To Reach Canadian Market |
The Sedona Chamber of Commerce & Tourism Bureau has once again teamed up with CT (Canadian Traveller magazine), Canada's only destination, education-focused travel trade magazine to promote Sedona in a number of key issues and guides. Over the last few years, Arizona has seen record increases in the number of Canadian tourists choosing our state as their world-class vacation destination. This trend is expected to continue in 2013/2014 with over 50 tour operators offering packages to Arizona, increased lift from major Canadian gateways, and a very strong Canadian dollar currently trading at par to the US. Now is the time to aggressively promote to and educate Canadian travel agents about the unique diversity of our area and how to sell it to their clients.
As part of our negotiation, CT has provided special discounted advertising rates for our Tourism Bureau Members, making participation inexpensive and easy. Click here for more information or contact Myles Armstead, CT Account Manager at (250) 339-3688.
Contact Michelle Conway with questions at 204-1123 or mconway@sedonachamber.com. |
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Market Your Outdoor Adventure Deals |
"Outdoor Adventure" is the Tourism Bureau's current marketing and PR theme. What does this mean to you? Now is the time to post your outdoors-oriented deal to VisitSedona.com.
Our Deals & Discount Packages section of VisitSedona.com is one of the most highly-visited sections of our site. While the Outdoor Adventure, Tours & Attractions category is live year-round, we will be promoting this particular category now more than ever. Why not take advantage of this FREE Tourism Bureau Membership opportunity? Tailor a deal to the Outdoor Adventure theme (generic submissions will not be accepted), and provide your package on our website by clicking here. Be sure to select the "Outdoor Adventure, Tours & Attractions" category. This opportunity is open to Tourism Bureau members only. Contact Michelle Conway with questions at 204-1123 or mconway@sedonachamber.com. |
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Reach Tour Operators and Travel Agents via Chamber e-News
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The Sedona Chamber of Commerce Tourism Bureau sends out quarterly e-Newsletters to 2,000 highly qualified national and international tour operators and travel agents who bring business to Sedona. Those members that have updates for tour operators/travel agents, those that are willing to work with them and offer wholesale rates, group rates, etc. or offer unique programs that are appealing for tour operators to include in their tour programs, please prepare a text of 150 words or less including your contact information. Please note that many of them are working on programs which will be offered to their clients in the future, normally 6 to 18 months out, so the content should be relevant time-wise.
Those members that are interested in including your information in the next travel trade newsletter, which is scheduled to go out at the end of this month, please send your information to Sachiko Sado at sado@sedonachamber.com by Tuesday, March 26.
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Las Vegas Sales Mission Brochure Distribution Opportunity
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Osamu Hoshino, the representative for the Arizona Japanese Marketing Cooperative, will conduct a regional destination development seminar and workshop followed by a golf tournament on Saturday, April 20, 2013.
Although the Chamber is unfortunately not participating in the event this year, we are going to ship our destination information packets to the participants. Tourism Bureau members will have an opportunity to have their brochures included in the packet that will be distributed to every participant at the seminar/workshop. If you are interested in this brochure distribution, please contact Sachiko Sado at sado@sedonachamber.com. You will need to bring 80 brochures to the Sedona Chamber Administrative Office at 45 Sunset Drive by 5:00 pm on Wednesday, April 3. The cost is $50 ($25 for chamber affinity groups).
If you are also interested in offering gift certificates for rooms, meals, shopping, or attractions, etc. for the golf outing, please also bring them to the Chamber administrative offices by 5:00 pm on Wednesday, April 3.
If you would like to participate in the sales mission and/or the golf outing to meet with Las Vegas based Japanese tour operators, please contact Osamu's assistant Keiko Takahashi directly at keikouswest@yahoo.com. |
| Spring Break Survey Finds Value In Family Vacations |
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Parents that haven't yet made spring break plans should consider taking off work to travel as a family, a new poll conducted for the U.S. Travel Association by Harris Interactive, reports. Most adults surveyed (62 percent) said their earliest memories were of family vacations taken when they were between ages 5 and 10, and they remember childhood trips more clearly than school events or birthday celebrations. Youth surveyed strongly agreed that they get to see and do things on vacation that they'll remember for a long time (64 percent) and that vacations bring their family closer together (53 percent). Children who traveled with their extended family reported that they get to spend quality time with their grandparents (78 percent), they feel closer to them (60 percent), and they like to remember stories about what they did with their grandparents (65 percent). "These new research findings should encourage parents to plan family trips this spring break and summer as a way to strengthen family bonds for generations," said Roger Dow, president and CEO of U.S. Travel. "Families that take time to travel together will have stories to share for years to come." (TravelAgentCentral.com, March 13) |
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Recent Clippings assisted with or provided by the Sedona Chamber
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Sedona has made Fodor's "Top 10 Best Small Towns in the USA"!
Please share this great news in your newsletters, fans, followers and customers:
http://www.fodors.com/news/best-small-towns-in-usa-6591.html
Other great accolades include:
"Top 10 Most Fascinating Churches":
news.cheapflights.co.uk/top-10-fascinating-churches/
"Top 10 Best Cities for Girlfriend Getaways"
smartertravel.com/photo-galleries/editorial/10-best-cities-for-girlfriend-getaways |
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Helpful Information and Other Tools
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