Tourism promotion to be discussed at Oct.22 conference

Published 12:01 am Monday, October 6, 2014

Peninsula Daily News

PORT TOWNSEND — Tourism promotion areas, entities that impose lodging business assessments to fund promotion, will be discussed at the 2014 Olympic Peninsula Tourism Summit.

That will be the topic of the lunch keynote panel at the summit set from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 22 at Fort Worden State Park.

Registration is open now for the annual one-day summit, which is open to all businesses across the region.

The early registration deadline is Wednesday.

Early registration for the first attendee is $75, including lunch, and $65 for a second registration from the same organization.

“In order to encourage participation, costs have been held the same as previous five years,” Marsha Massey, interim executive director of the Olympic Peninsula Visitor Bureau.

On Thursday, the cost will rise to $95 for the first registration and $85 for the second.

The program and speakers this year will focus on how tourism entities can work together better for economic progress, according to Massey.

Facilitating the tourism promotion areas, or TPA, panel discussion will be Becky Bogard, managing member of Bogard & Johnson LLC, a public relations and government firm in Olympia.

Also on the panel will be George Sharp, executive director of the Olympia Lacey Tumwater Visitor and Convention Bureau, and Katherine Kertzman, executive director of the Seattle Southside Regional Tourism Authority.

Among the clients of Bogard’s firm are associations representing the Washington Tourism Alliance, visitor and convention bureaus and other tourism interests, Cultural Access Washington and health care providers, as well as several business interests.

Sharp will tell of the creation of the Thurston County Tourism Promotion Area, which was approved last October.

Assessments began in April and the TPA received its first funds in July. An TPA budget of $759,000 is anticipated.

A TPA has been proposed for the area covered by the Seattle Southside Regional Tourism Authority, which markets the smaller suburban cities surrounding Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

The state Legislature created the mechanism for Tourism Promotion Areas in 2003.

According to state law, they are formed via petition, which must the signatures of those who operate lodging businesses in the proposed area who would pay 60 percent or more of the proposed charges; and no rate could be more than $2 per night of stay.

U.S. Rep. Derek Kilmer, D-Gig Harbor, will be the special guest speaker at the conference.

Kilmer — who represents the 6th District, which includes the North Olympic Peninsula — will provide an update on congressional issues.

Also speaking at the summit will be Tom Norwalk, president and CEO of Visit Seattle, the destination marketing organization of the Seattle Convention & Visitor Bureau.

He will speak on the successful re-branding of Seattle.

Amy Lillard, executive director of Washington Filmworks, will talk about the economic impact of film production in the state.

Massey will speak on the work of the Olympic Peninsula Visitor Bureau.

Kelley Brackett, community brand manager for North Star Destination Strategies, based in Nashville, Tenn., will conduct a breakout session on using research to engage consumers.

Olympic Peninsula Tourism Commission engaged in a research and branding project this spring with North Star Destination Strategies and the results are expected to be shared at the summit.

Trends in digital marketing will be presented in another breakout session by Hannah Kelbaugh, destination specialist with Miles Media of Gig Harbor.

The cost of a vendor table is $100, which includes registration and lunch.

The deadline for vendors and sponsors to be included in the printed program also is Wednesday.

The summit is sponsored by the Olympic Peninsula Tourism Commission, a partnership of chambers of commerce and tourism marketing entities from Shelton to Lake Quinault.

Among the communities represented are Quilcene and Brinnon, Hoodsport, Port Ludlow, Port Hadlock, Port Townsend, Sequim Dungeness Valley, Port Angeles, Forks, Clallam Bay and Sekiu.

Jefferson County, Shelton/Mason County and the Olympic Peninsula Visitor Bureau represent the unincorporated areas of Clallam County and the Quinault Innkeepers complete the partner group.

For the complete agenda, and to register online, see http://tinyurl.com/og4bfdn.

For more information, call Anna Manildi at Olympic Peninsula Visitor Bureau 360-452-8552 or 360-808-1664.