by Joanne Steele on July 26, 2010
Dunsmuir volunteers hard at work. Yes, it is beautiful here!
It was a big weekend in Dunsmuir, California. The annual Mossbrae Concert in our botanical gardens featured John Lee Hooker Jr., and the event drew visitors from as far away as Portland, OR and Sacramento, CA.
The answer to the question, “Are small town events worth it” is complicated.
I sat at my table passing out info about relocating to Dunsmuir looking around at the dozens of local volunteers who have been working on this for months, and the question came to mind… was it worth it???
Here’s what needs to be considered.
1. Is it a local tradition that everyone in town looks forward to? If “yes” then it’s probably worth it. End of evaluation.
More needs to be considered if the purpose is to attract visitors:
2. Is it putting heads in beds that wouldn’t normally come without the event?
3. Is it leaving your volunteer base energized for the next event or activity, or so depleted they have changed their phone number to keep from getting volunteer requests?
4. Is there energy, time and money left to promote your town the other 363 or 4 days of the year?
5. Did your committee get so involved in logistics that they missed opportunities to market the event, ie, was the committee too small to achieve your goal?
We’re lucky here in Dunsmuir. We have a number of wonderful annual events, each organized by a different group, and as with most small towns, there’s lots of volunteer overlap.
And, here’s info about our next event:
Ya’ll come to Dunsmuir September 11th for Big Brother and the Holding Company! Being that this is a known Vortex with Mystical Mount Shasta 10 miles away, we fully expect an appearance by Janis Joplin herself.
Here’s a past post about how to create an event marketing plan:
Creating a Marketing Plan for Successful Small Town Holiday Celebrations
How does your small town manage successful events? How many do you have each year?
Thanks for visiting. Help us expand the resources and information available here for small tourism businesses by leaving a comment.
by Joanne Steele on July 22, 2010
The latest economic news is mixed on how well the recovery is going. The thing that amazed 
me was that NPR reported that companies have around $2 trillion in cash on hand!!! Even big fat rich corporations are feeling cautious about spending.
So, the economic news shows us that everyone is generally spending more cautiously whether they have to or not.
What does this have to do with small tourism business marketing?
Lots. I and many of you have been focused on the mechanics of Internet marketing.
What’s taking a back seat is the good old-fashioned back to basics marketing message. I visit dozens of small tourism business websites everyday and read tweets and Facebook posts by the hundreds, and the message is essentially the same…
LOOK AT ME! I’M AWESOME! I’M HISTORIC. I HAVE THE BEST OUTDOOR RECREATION! COME HERE FOR ARTS AND CULTURE! ME! ME! ME!
When people are being cautious, they are looking for a perfect match for fulfilling their own personal needs when making a travel decision.
- The need for more connection to family.
- The need to feel more physically fit or beautiful or healthy.
- The need to be a better spouse or parent.
- …and more
You may have the best restaurant or B&B or outdoor adventure company in the world. But if your marketing doesn’t demonstrate how you will fulfill your customer’s needs, they’ll go to the next best company that does.
In this cautious economy, your small tourism business success depends upon your ability to show how you will serve your customers’ needs.
Here’s a past post with details about serving your customers’ needs. THE BIG SECRET to Successfully Marketing your Small Tourism Business.
The hard work is already done. Your business is a cluster of unique services and amenities. That’s the beauty of small tourism businesses. Each is a unique reflection of the passion and expertise of its owner.
Now, to sell your services and amenities to our cautious travel spender, stop talking about those services and amenities and start talking about your customer’s experience of them.
Remember, it’s all about the customer.
Here’s another post that talks about serving your customers’ needs:
3 Ways Visitors Create Strong Emotional Bonds With Small Tourism Towns. Principle #4.
photo by Alan Cleaver
