The Board of Directors for RTO12 / Explorers’ Edge invites you to join them for the Explorers’ Edge 2017 Annual General Meeting and year-end presentation by Executive Director James Murphy.
Tuesday September 12, 2017
Doors open at 9.30am • 10:00am – 12:00pm
Charles W Stockey Centre, Parry Sound, Ontario
Executive Summary
The years 2011-2016 (the first five of the RTO’s existence) saw not only the organization’s focused work to build a solid administrative foundation, strong tourism stakeholder relations and benchmark governance, but also our extremely successful launch into the (then) universally unchartered waters of social content marketing.
In 2011, when the Board made the decision to concentrate on social media and content for domestic marketing, they empowered staff to take a calculated risk (despite external naysayers) to try something new, in order to significantly change the way tourism is done in this region and to increase visitation.
Fast forward to 2017: with exceptional social content marketing results year-over-year, we are not only the leading content marketer among the RTOs (resulting in increased visitation), but we have also been the catalyst for a significant number of tourism partners to become successful content marketers themselves (including the local DMO). We have come a long way since we took our first wobbly steps into this new marketing frontier in our effort to increase visitation.
In 2017-2018, RTO12 will once again confidently steer the ship into unchartered waters as we now work strategically to attract international visitors, thereby developing new audiences for our region while working towards our corporate vision of making this the most popular destination in Ontario.
In 2017-2018 we will develop significant destination building initiatives, including commercial air service to the Muskoka Airport, itinerary and package development, international content marketing campaigns and lead nurturing work flows, a tourism ambassador program, and enhanced travel infrastructure – all under the RTO’s branded strategy called “Worldly Wise.”
With sanctioning from our Board of Directors, tourism stakeholders and from respondents to the Ministry’s RTO Stakeholder Survey, we will take the lead in developing this branded destination (“the great Canadian wilderness north of Toronto”) so we are truly globally competitive.
A key initiative to increase our competitiveness on the world stage will be our product offerings. To that end, the Board of Directors will invest in a significant Product Development Strategy in order to identify which products will work hardest to attract domestic and international audiences, and which will require significant investment by the RTO (through funding, partnership and resources) to bring up to par.
We will continue to develop our “blue chip” programs, including our “tipping point transacting programs” (e.g. Fuel & Fun), our “Signature Suite of Self-Guided Mobile Tours,” (e.g. www.bikecottagecountry.ca), our database lead nurturing (which resulted in open rates up to 48% and CTRs of up to 20%), as well as our Tourism Excellence North program to optimize individual business offerings and results.
Finally, 2017-2018 will see the establishment of a new 3-Year Destination Development Plan (2017-2020), one that will encapsulate our push into both domestic and international markets while continuing to use our consumer-centric approach.
Date: Tuesday December 13, 2016
Time: 9.30am – 1.00pm (working lunch provided)
Place: Quality Inn Bracebridge, 300 Ecclestone Dr. Bracebridge, ON P1L 1X1
Continue reading
On Friday, December 9, 2016 there will be a round-table discussion with M.P.P. Norm Miller and the Parry Sound Area Chamber of Commerce to discuss closing the $16 Billion Tourism Gap in Ontario. Continue reading
In conjunction with National Tourism Week in Canada a roundtable discussion will be held:
Friday, June 03, 2016
Caswell Resort – 77 Main St. Sundridge, ON
10 a.m. to noon
In the spring of 2015 the Regional Tourism Organization in partnership with Muskoka Community Futures and Muskoka Community Network embarked on a feasibility study to better understand how we could form a collaborative partnership / program to better elevate the competitiveness of the business community in our region. Continue reading
Chair Jerry Feltis
Don MacKay, Drew Rachar, Kate Monk, Andrew Ryeland, Andrew Vitch, Nicole Saulnier
Chair Jeff Suddaby
Diane Wiber, Andy Vitch, Dan Feasby, Hilary Chambers, Jackie Leung, Jerry Feltis, Kate Monk
Of note: this committee is responsible for the review and recommendation of partnership projects.
Chair TBD
Jennifer Pilon, Kelly Haywood, Lynn Middaugh, Laura Hernando, Siobhan O’Leary, Brenda Rhodes, Alexandra Hall, Catherine Oosterbaan, Kristie Virgoe, Jane Templeton, Kim Loader, Stefan Szczerbak, David Brushey, Donna Maitland, Gerry Spooner, John Miller, Michael Duben, Samantha Hastings, David Gray, Renato Romanin, Scott Ovell, Lisa McMurray, Les Gyne, Jennifer Schnier, Marianne Braid, Danielle Millar, Cheryl Kelley, Michael Lawley, Don MacKay
