PORT TOWNSEND — Refining marketing to draw more visitors to the North Olympic Peninsula will be the topic of the daylong 2010 Tourism Summit on Wednesday.
The summit will be from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Building 210, The Commons, at Fort Worden State Park, 200 Battery Way, Port Townsend.
Registration for the summit, which is sponsored by the Olympic Peninsula Tourism Commission, must be in advance. None will be taken at the door.
The first registration from an organization is $75. Subsequent registrations from the same organization are $65.
Schyler Hoss, Gov. Chris Gregoire’s regional representative, will address the summit during the opening session.
He will talk about the importance of partnerships to tourism and the importance of tourism to economic development in the state.
Hoss will introduce Brennan LaBrie, an 11-year-old Port Townsend native, who was a Time for Kids Kid Reporter last year and the youngest member of the press at the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver, B.C., from Feb. 12-28.
The schedule for the day includes breakout sessions with topics such as the importance of partnerships to stretch a marketing dollar, integrating social media into a marketing plan and marketing trends.
Panel discussion
Among the presentations offered will be a panel discussion among three travel writers, Crai Bower, Harriet Baskas and Myrna Oakley, and suggestions from Dave Kerpen, CEO of Likeable Social Media, about how to use Facebook to increase tourism.
Tourism Marketing 2.0 will be a panel discussion about trends, case studies and tourism marketing expectations.
On the panel will be Jacqueline Cartier, director of marketing for Bellingham Whatcom County Tourism; Michael Sturdevant, marketing manager for the Travel Oregon/Oregon Tourism Commission; and Chris McKinney, director of sales and marketing of Aramark Parks and Destinations.
Luncheon speakers Deborah Black of Anastasi Black Public Relations and Adam Metz of Metz Consulting will address “The Marketing Landscape.”
They will talk about how to plan and choose an integrated marketing plan with available, cost-effective tools over lunch prepared by Chef Jay Payne.
In “The Traveling Customer,” Regena Falling, chief concierge at The Fairmont Olympic Hotel in Seattle, will discuss what customer service means to the traveler.
A panel discussion will focus on “How to Manage and Nurture Partnerships.”
Participants will be Christina Pivarnik, marketing director for the city of Port Townsend; Donya Alward, director of sales at the Red Lion Hotel in Port Angeles; Vanessa Fuller, director of events and webmaster for the Port Angeles Regional Chamber of Commerce; and Peggy Frehner, owner of the Inn at Rooster Hill in Port Angeles.
Kerpen will give the closing address, talking about how to pull all the information together for a cohesive plan.
Tuesday night meeting
The Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce and Sirens have invited summit attendees, speakers and vendors to gather from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday at Sirens, 823 Water Street.
No RSVP is required, but only summit attendees will be allowed.
The Olympic Peninsula Tourism Commission is a partnership of the chambers of commerce and tourism marketing entities from the Hood Canal to Kalaloch.
For more information, and to register online, see www.OlympicPeninsula.org or phone 360-452-8552.
