Around Th VFTCB Virtual Tours The Valley Forge Tourism & Convention Board is inviting both meeting planners and consumers to get to know Montco from all angles before they visit. The VFTCB announced Montco 360 – an immersive virtual tour platform that takes people inside some of the area’s hotels, event venues, attractions, and more. The user-friendly tool embeds the tours on the tourism board’s website to easily navigate the destination and visitors can simply click on the property they want to see and virtually step inside for a 360-degree view as though they’re there in person. Plus, an interactive mapping feature also allows to see even more details of what else is nearby. So far, the VFTCB has filmed at more than 30 locations from hotels to the King of Prus-
Certified Tourism Ambassador (CTA) A Certified Tourism Ambassador is a person who cares about their destination and how it’s represented. They want to provide the best experience possible to visitors to the area. CTAs have completed required assignments to gain their accreditation. “This certification is a unique way for Discover Lehigh Valley to advocate on behalf of the tourism industry through education. Local residents and front-line hospitality staff learn the value of the tourism economy and become wellequipped to turn every visitor encounter into a positive 54 Januaryz February2021
sia Mall to Arnold’s Family Fun Center to XL Sports. “We’re so excited to be able to elevate awareness of Valley Forge and Montgomery County, PA by virtually walking our clients through properties, and continuing to connect them with venues, and amenities, that they want and need to make decisions,” said Scott Higgins, associate director of sales and business development for the VFTCB. “This will help event planners and leisure guests to discover a facility’s environment and all that Montco has to offer.” VFTCB partnered with Threshold 360 on the project. Once complete, the program will create an impressive list of almost 100 attractions, hotels, venues, and sports fields. Moving forward, the VFTCB’s sales team will also be able to use the technology to visually walk a client through properties they’re considering, or virtually show a meeting space while attending a conference. valleyforge.org
experience” says Bree Nidds, CTA, Vice President of Sales, Discover Lehigh Valley. “The CTA program provided great insight into all the Lehigh Valley has to offer for individuals and families. More importantly it reinforces the power of the impression we all make on every individual visiting the area… and the potential for a powerfully positive ripple effect in our local economy” stated Lynn Logg, Corporate Sales Manager, Historic Hotel Bethlehem Northampton Community College offers CTA training for hospitality professionals who want to be experts on what the Lehigh Valley. discoverlehighvalley.com/partners/cta/
