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October 2013 Issue
Tourism Talk
Hello!

I don't know about you but I am still feeling stuffed from Thanksgiving. What a gorgeous long weekend we had! It is nice to see the sunshine still lingering around town. Despite those falling leaves, there are still lots of things to get out and do before the snow falls!

If you are feeling musical, Pink is coming to Credit Union Centre on October 24th and Brad Johner and The Johner Boys are playing at the Bassment on October 25th. Also, be sure to check out The Saskatoon Fall Home Show at Prairieland Park from October 25-27th.

We are hosting another member workshop on Tuesday, November 5th, and you are invited! Please see below for all the details!

Thank you for reading!

Cheers,  






Kelsey Slorstad
Membership Coordinator 

Social Media Workshop 

Thank you to all of those that attended the Social Media Workshop with Mike Klein & Harley Rivet on October 3rd!!

Your opinion matters to us! If you haven't already done so, please take a moment to fill out the following survey. Don't worry, it should only take you a minute or two and your feedback will be used to better our future workshops! 
Change is good.  

If you haven't had a chance to check out our website, make sure you go there right now! www.tourismsaskatoon.com 
Coffee date with Tourism Saskatoon       
Come have a coffee and muffin on us! This short event will give you an opportunity to meet the Tourism Saskatoon staff, learn about our programs and current trends and let you meet fellow members!

WHEN:
Tuesday, November 5th 2013
10:00am - 11:30am

WHERE:
The Radisson Hotel - Naples Room
405 20th Street East
S7K 6X6

WHAT: Starting at 10am, each department will give a short 10 minute presentation. There will be time for questions and mingling afterwards.  



Please RSVP to [email protected] or 306.931.7584. Looking forward to seeing you there! 
2014 Experience Guide  
*FINAL DEADLINE: WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2013*

Work is continuing on the 2014 Experience Guide, but we need your help! If you have not done so already, please complete the applicable form and submit it to Paula Lictenwald by email or by fax at 306.242.1955 to be included in next year's Experience Guide.

Choose the applicable form below, if you do not fit into any of the following categories, please fill out the general form:
Accommodation
Attraction
B&B
Campground
Festival/Event
Golf
Restaurant/Lounge
Service Club
General

The 2014 Experience Guide has a shelf life of one year, with a total distribution of 70,000 copies! Distribution will be reaching your target market through Saskatoon and Saskatchewan visitor information centers, member hotels, attractions, conventions and special event information kiosks, trade and consumer shows, the Saskatoon International Airport and the Alberta & Manitoba CAA offices.

Please note: only members who have paid their dues for 2013/2014 will be included in the Experience Guide. If you are unsure of your status, please contact me.
 
Gordie Howe Project     
The Friends of the Bowl Foundation introduces the Field Goal Campaign, an $11-million fundraising campaign aimed at renewing the Bowl at Gordon Howe Park. Its maintenance, repair, and improvement are of the utmost priority. The Friends of the Bowl aim to revitalize the Bowl and provide Saskatoon with a multi-sport facility for the access and benefit of our community.

The intended result is to modernize the Bowl into a CFL regulation football field by replacing the existing grass field with artificial turf and upgraded lighting, score keeping and sound systems.

To learn more/get involved/donate, please visit: www.turfit.ca.  
National Geographic's 50 Places of a Lifetime
Saskatoon makes the list!   
Saskatoon is a place of a lifetime, or so states National Geographic Travel. In partnership with the Canadian Tourism Commission, NatGeo launched 50 Places of a Lifetime: Canada, a digital super mag unparalleled in its coverage of any single country. Among the places that made the list is our very own city - Saskatoon, SK.

Saskatoon is among three of Saskatchewan's must see's! Other destinations include Prince Albert National Park and Big Muddy Valley.

For more information about 50 Places of a Lifetime: Canada, please refer to this
release from National Geographic Travel and the Canadian Tourism Commission.

Online Reputation Management -
Why it's important!  
Alan Hunter-Willis with Vendasta Technologies, out of Saskatoon, has identified a few steps that business owners should follow in order to properly manage and leverage both their digital footprint (what you say about yourself) and their digital shadow (what others say about you):

1. Increasing visibility: As a  business, you used to buy a placement in the yellow pages and managing your visibility was done for the year. Now, there are hundreds of yellow pages online where people can find your (or your competitors' businesses). These include Yelp, Yahoo, Google, TripAdvisor, and mysask411- just to name a few. If customers cannot find your business online, you're already losing.

2. Monitoring reviews:
Reviews are digital word of mouth and are the main driver to creating a positive reputation, and as a result, generating more business.

3. Becoming mobile-friendly: Mobile search traffic is soon going to exceed desktop search traffic. This means that if your website is not mobile-friendly in the near future, you are potentially going to upset over 50% of your online visitors.

4. Taking social media seriously:
Everyone is on social media. That is where customers spend a lot of time online, and that's where they get recommendations from friends. Any business that doesn't come to grips with this fact will have a hard time winning in the digital economy.

Alan Hunter-Willis works in Senior Strategic Business Development with VendAsta Technologies. For more information, visit www.vendasta.com. To contact Alan, email [email protected] or call 306.955.5512.
If there is anything you would like to see in these newsletters, please let me know!

Thanks for reading!
-Kelsey

Tourism Saskatoon
#101-202 4th Avenue North
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7K 0K1
P: 306.931-7584
E: [email protected]

In This Issue
October Events

For a full listing of events during the month, click here!




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