We need to be able to share ‘our story’

Longform

WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO SHARE ‘OUR STORY’

by Arnold Hendrix

Lisa Meriwether, a Virginia native with 35 years of experience in hospitality, sales, and tourism, is coordinating a community-led, data-driven effort to boost tourism in Danville and Pittsylvania County.

When you first meet Lisa Meriwether, three things stand out. One, she is 6 feet, 2 inches tall and owns it. Two, she is bubbly, cheerful, and loves to laugh.

And three, you learn after only a few minutes of conversation that she has a wealth of knowledge about tourism marketing and is convinced that Danville and Pittsylvania County have only scratched the surface of their collective potential. “The word ‘tourism’ is not new to the community, but what we have seen, obviously, over the years is different renditions,” says Meriwether.

Unfortunately, those renditions fell flat, as evident by the responsibility for tourism being shuttled from agency to agency or split among agencies.

To ramp up efforts, Meriwether was hired by the City of Danville’s Office of Economic Development and Tourism in November 2021 to be the tourism manager for Danville and Pittsylvania County.

A Virginia native who spent much of her childhood in

PHOTOS COURTESY OF CITY OF DANVILLE

Altavista, she has 35 years of experience in hospitality, sales, and tourism. That includes key sales positions with major hotel chains and luxury properties; the Lynchburg Regional Convention & Visitors Bureau; and, most recently, the Office of Economic Development & Tourism for the City of Lynchburg.

In August, Meriwether received the Meeting Industry Leadership Award from the Virginia chapter of Meeting Professionals International.

Her task in Danville is to coordinate the effort underway to brand and promote the city and Pittsylvania County as a travel destination that stands apart from regional competitors.

“It’s all about more people coming into the community, staying longer, and spending more money,” Meriwether says. “With the almost two million visitors that are going to be coming into our community with the arrival of the Caesars Virginia casino resort, we need to get ready.”

Sharing “our story”

As Meriwether speaks to groups in the area, she is quick to make a key point about her role as tourism manager.

“I think it is important to note that I represent Pittsylvania County for tourism as well,” she adds.

That’s because in December 2020, the Danville City Council and Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors passed resolutions naming the City of Danville’s Office of Economic Development and Tourism as the destination marketing organization for both the city and the county.

“The city and the county have always done great things together, but what we now need to do is to be able to share our story,” Meriwether points out. “What is our story? What do we want visitors to understand? Why would they want to come here? It’s all about creating those experiences, packaging those experiences, and telling our story. Tourists and visitors don’t recognize borders.”

Danville and Pittsylvania County are both rich in history, with many historical sites and markers and museums to visit. Biking, boating, fishing, hiking, and hunting opportunities abound with numerous parks and trails, the Dan River, Leesville Lake, Smith Mountain Lake, and the White Oak Mountain Wildlife Management Area.

The Crossing at the Dan, Danville-Pittsylvania County Fairgrounds and Olde Dominion Agricultural Complex host various events. Also, the Virginia International Raceway is nearby.

“The list goes on and on and on,” Meriwether says.

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“These should all have more visibility for tourists.”

Certainly, the Caesars Virginia casino resort will have a big impact.

“It is a resort,” she reminds everyone. “It’s not just a casino with a game room. It is going to bring in a whole new profile of visitors that will enjoy this product (gaming), and that is going to be meeting and conference attendees. That is huge, and not to mention the entertainment venue, a spa, and destination restaurants.”

Packaging experiences and a community-led, data-driven brand

Since arriving in November, Meriwether has been busy getting out into the community, meeting community leaders, sitting down with attraction directors and event organizers, meeting the hoteliers, and understanding their concerns and needs.

“What I have learned is that for so long our tourism assets have been working to promote their product in their own silo,” she says. “That has been one of the biggest challenges we have identified. We need to start working collaboratively.”

That means packaging experiences for leisure tour travel groups and those attending meetings and conferences and sporting events.

“We are going to be working together with this market segment because we have a lot of products to sell,” Meriwether promises. “We are going to be able to tell them what there is to do, where they can find accommodations, where they can eat.”

Besides packaging experiences, Meriwether says Danville and Pittsylvania County needs a brand and marketing strategy to differentiate the community from others in the region. With the services of Eddy Alexander, a marketing consulting firm headquartered in Roanoke, an effort is underway to capture that image.

“There is a whole strategy behind building out a program,” she says. “Our program is community-led and data-driven. Anybody can put a brochure together and promote assets, but what we want to talk about is what

it looks like, feels like, and sounds like to have a program that resonates with our community based on data.”

The data-gathering process includes a recently completed tourism survey that over 2,000 citizens completed, meetings with focus groups, and use of geofencing that will provide information on who is visiting the area and how long they are staying, and which tourist locations they are visiting while here.

“The data that we collected, and we got a lot of it, is going to be used to build out the new tourism brand,” Meriwether says. “Now, what does that mean? Obviously, we want to have an authentic feel. We want our brand to be rooted in our community’s history and be aspirational.”

When she says “aspirational,” Meriwether is talking about something that stands the test of time and tells what Danville and Pittsylvania County are becoming.

“If we are creating a brand that speaks to who we are now, then we are missing the mark,” she says.

The timeline

Eddy Alexander is sifting through the data that it will use to create a brand. Meriwether says the firm understands the importance of this moment for the community.

Before it is unveiled publicly, it will be market tested to determine if it is resonating with the community and visitors.

“Are they enjoying it?” Meriwether asks. “Does it speak to them?” Adjustments will be made as needed.

“We will be unveiling and presenting it to the community during the first week of May, which is National Travel and Tourism Week,” Meriwether says. “Mark your calendars.”

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