Offering connections to tourism owners/operators

Shannon LeClair

Times Reporter

 

On March 15, Travel Alberta will be holding two new workshops to help benefit tourism owners and operators in the region as a part of the Tourism Futures Forum. The workshops, hosted by Community Futures Wild Rose, will take place at the Days Inn and Suites in Strathmore.

“It’s an opportunity for tourism operators in the region to access this learning opportunity without having to travel a long distance and at an affordable cost,” said Jennifer Brooks with Community Futures Wild Rose. 

For $25.00 people interested will have a chance to take part in all of the sessions plus lunch. The two new workshops are a marketing communications workshop and a media relations workshop. 

Marketing communications will discuss the context and role of marketing communications for tourism. It will go through the various elements of the promotional mix and how they compliment and enhance each other. 

The media relations workshop establishes the key building blocks for good media relations, including how to find stories, how to tell a good story, how to write a news release, the art of the pitch, interviewing tips, and more. 

The first Tourism Futures Forum workshops took place in 2008 and are a biannual event. Tourism is Alberta’s fourth largest industry, generating millions in revenue along with an estimated 150,000 full, part-time and seasonal jobs.

“The tourism (operators) don’t have to go it alone,” said Brooks.

“You don’t have to reinvent the wheel, we want to make sure that those folks have the opportunity to get access to the information that’s already out there so they can make their business the best it can be.”

The Tourism Futures Forum will also offer a session on the Travel Alberta Holiday Card. There will be information from regional tourism organizations such as Canadian Badlands and Boomtown Trail. Contact Jennifer Brooks at (403) 934-8888 or jennifer@cfwildrose.ca to register.