Enhanced Listing in the Vacation Guide Online Marketing
Advertising and Media Relations
Website
Communications
Networking and Professional Development
County-wide and Tourism Events
Membership Makes you part of the Tribe. We’re A Stronger Industry Together
Industry Team
Renew Now
• Gain marketing profile to a wider audience • Enjoy exclusive benefits that save you money /year including access to a free reservation system (less than • Support the association to leverage marketing 36¢ per day) funding from the County of Huron and other partners • Keep up-to-date on tourism and travel industry news and trends, best practices, expertise and more • Receive promotion and updates - e-News Blasts share your milestones, announcements, products and services with regional associates and tourism ambassadors. • Engage in positive experiences through participation in Members events and activities for you and your staff. • Renew your membership. We’ll take care of the details.
$125
HURON TOURISM MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL PACKAGE Please find your invoice* attached. Pay by December 1st for your chance to Win! Draw December 19th to win Dinner/Theatre Package in 2014.
It all starts with membership! Huron Tourism Association Membership Matters Enjoy the exclusive advantages that membership in an influential network that represents Ontario West Coast’s tourism industry products and services offers. As a member of Huron Tourism Association you gain immediate access to thousands of people that visit Huron County each year. Being a member of Huron Tourism Association and a partner in the travel and tourism industry means an investment in your bottom line as membership offers a cost-effective method to market your business to a tourist audience. Through sales and servicing activities, the County of Huron’s Tourism Marketer, as well as the HTA Board of Directors and Huron County’s tourism and economic development staff, strives to increase visibility to a variety of customers. By connecting you with many services and advantages including member mixers, events and workshops that facilitate networking and business development opportunities, we enhance your business productivity. We help you maximize the opportunities that work best for you!
HIGHLIGHTS OF 2013 • 182 members from across Huron County including attractions, concert halls, festivals & events, restaurants and food-services, arenas, transportation, travel services, travel trades, destination and marketing organizations, and suppliers • Social Media gains popularity in travel industry with 70% of consumers trusting on-line recommendations and 50% of blog readers reading travel blogs where 97% believe the content • Members offered free access to the reservation system provided by the Regional Tourism Organization 4 with events citing most success with increased bookings. (Most reservation systems charge 3-6% of sales.) • New website ready to launch offering a more user-friendly guest surfing experience and increased compatibilities with multiple technological devices (tablets, smartphones, etc). • Your Industry Association representing a multi-million dollar tourism industry in Huron County.
Future Trends Forecast • Increased use of Social Media and mobile technologies for travel research and booking • Travellers are getting older (35% are 55+) • Travellers taking shorter getaways, spending more • Growing interest in Nature and Cultural Tourism
Why Become a Member? HURON TOURISM ASSOCIATION (HTA) is your non-profit, membership-based action-oriented organization dedicated to promoting tourism in Huron County. Tourism Association members directly impact the direction of this responsive local association. Members can • network with other tourism operators • benefit directly from well-attended tourism events • take advantage of co-operative marketing opportunities. • leverage cost-effective and results-oriented tourism strategies for businesses in Huron County.
MEMBER BENEFITS
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As a member your business, attraction or event will receive the following marketing benefits: HURON COUNTY VACATION GUIDE This award-winning publication is produced and printed in partnership with the County of Huron. This special visitor guide enlightens and entices hundreds of travellers. With widespread distribution in targeted regions and audiences in Ontario, this marketing piece will work for you again and again. Members receive special recognition with • HTA icon beside your listing showing visitors and residents that you are a member of the county’s industry team. • a bolded business listing, highlighted in spot colour • expanded text to provide more exposure (35 words) WEBSITE • individual business listing on ontarioswestcoast.ca • free updates on ontarioswestcoast.ca • up to three photos, if provided • map location • profile, listings or links to/on other Huron County web sites: • creativehuron.ca • cyclehuron.ca • golfhuron.ca • shopinhuron.ca • tasteofhuron.ca • hikehuron.ca • tracking reports for marketing campaigns and site visits, if requested
• huroncounty.ca
ADVERTISING AND MEDIA RELATIONS Through co-ordinated efforts, Huron Tourism Association continues to develop strong media relations and advertising campaigns to increase the effectiveness of tourism marketing of Ontario’s West Coast and HTA members’ businesses, events, locations and unique experiences. Tactics include: • print / radio / online advertising • Ontario-wide distribution of publications • media releases and Familiarization Tours where media contacts are offered story themes, itinerary development and in-county support to enhance the stories they create for placement in print and online. • co-operative marketing with targeted partners
ONLINE MARKETING As an association, HTA keeps on top of the newest innovations in online, print and broadcast marketing and social media networking. In today’s online world, long before a visitor arrives, chances are they’ve already experienced a virtual visit of Huron County on our website. We’ll work to drive customers to your website before they even set foot in southwestern Ontario.  COMMUNICATIONS We’re dedicated to keeping our members informed about local and regional tourism industries. • Huron Tourism Association’s regular online newsletter and quarterly print newsletter • Electronic information sharing, including • membership opportunities • industry news • community events • tourism stats and trends • local success stories. TOURISM EVENT & BROCHURE SWAP Join us on April 8, 2014 in Goderich. • tourism-related speakers and/or presentations • familiarization tours of Goderich and area • networking with colleagues and peers • brochure and literature swapping COUNTY-WIDE EVENTS Huron Tourism Association, along with supporting partners and generous sponsors, host award-winning events to help attract and engage both locals and tourists. Sample events: Taste of Huron, Best Host West Coast (tourism ambassador program). Ongoing events designed to engage members of Huron Tourism Association: Membership Matters Mixer Membership Mixers are a comfortable way to interact with vibrant business people while enjoying delectable delights at different venues across the county. Member Mixers are open to all active members & their staff. Join us December 19th to network, exchange ideas, and meet new contacts in a fun and casual environment. Join us as we wrap 2013 and launch 2014 in tourism! Your invitation is attached. _ _ _
Reach motivated customers efficiently, effectively and, most of all, affordably by becoming a member today! Member businesses prosper directly from marketing opportunities and increased marketing budgets from partnerships with Huron County, tourism businesses, and other funding partners. Indirectly, businesses prosper from increased economic growth, which is crucial to the local business climate and quality of life. By investing in the Huron Tourism Association, you invest in your business’ future too!
Partnerships & Community Connections Huron Tourism Association is committed to developing existing partnerships and networks that will help advance the marketing effectiveness and collaboration of the association and its members
Provincial Tourism Industry
Affiliate Connections
• Regional Tourism Organization (RTO) #4 (Huron,
• Huron Manufacturing Association (HMA)
Perth, Wellington, Waterloo)
• Huron County Federation of Agriculture
• Travel Media Association of Canada (TMAC)
• Huron County Health Unit
• Ontario Tourism Marketing Partnership
• Huron County Water Protection Steering
Corporation (OTMP) • Ontario Culinary Tourism Association (OCTA)
Committee • Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food • Ministry of Rural Affairs
Community Committees Initiatives
• Huron Business Development Corporation (HBDC)
• Economic Pillars Working Group
• Small Business Enterprise Centre (SBEC)
• Economic Development Opportunities Blueprint
• Huron Arts & Heritage Network
• Huron Economic Development Advisory Board
• Huron County Accessibility Committee
• Huron-Perth Farm to Table Network • Trail Associations
Other Marketing Initiatives
• Huron Local First
• Trade Shows
• Sustainable Huron
• Shakespeare-to-the-Shoreline (self-guided driving
• Local Business Associations and Chambers
tours) • Huron-Perth Buy Local Buy Fresh Map • Promotion of Community Events (Vacation Guide & online)