KR Tourism Industry Conference a Success

Kootenay Rockies Tourism Association held its 35^th Annual General Meeting and Tourism Industry Conference in Kimberley, British Columbia at the Kimberley Conference and Athlete Training Centre on October 18, 2012.

The Conference was a huge success with over 100 stakeholders attending and enjoying Kimberley and area.  The Conference kicked off with the Annual General Meeting opening remarks by Mike Smith – Kootenay Rockies Tourism Board Chair.

Chris Dadson gave an exemplary presentation (and his last before retiring from his position as President of Kootenay Rockies Tourism). He presented his 25-year perspective on the tourism industry and concluded by providing the delegates with some insightful advice on how to invigorate BC’s visitor economy.

Special thanks to the Ministry of Jobs, Tourism & Skills Training for joining us for our conference and whose presentations included:

Margaret McCormick – Acting Executive Director – Tourism Partnerships, focusing on Tourism BC’s programs and latest marketing campaigns.

Yavhel Velazquez – Manager – WorldHost Training Services, focusing on how customer service training can benefit tourism businesses. He also made mention of the WorldHost delivery organizations in the Kootenay Rockies region and invited Marg Craig – Nelson & District Chamber of Commerce / Visitor Centre to talk about her role in delivering the training sessions.

Further Industry presentations included:

Rod Harris – Professor at Royal Roads University – who explored the mega forces that will largely determine Canada’s success on the world stage.

Debbie Yule – Vice President Industry Training for go2 – the Resource for People in Tourism and Kate Pelletier – Dean of Instruction at Selkirk College– who co-presented BC’s New Tourism Labour Market Strategy and its involvement for the Kootenay Rockies Region.

Jennifer Krotz – Community Liaison – Columbia Basin Trust – who provided advice on how to develop a community project. She also presented the key ingredients to grant writing and how to  build a ‘shelf-ready’ project proposal.

The Conference also featured an engaging industry panel on Social Media. The panel, moderated by Shannon Harrison, Coordinator of Partnership Marketing at Kootenay Rockies Tourism, included four knowledgeable regional partners: George Freitag – Elizabeth Lake Lodge, Jane Carswell – Canadian Mountain Holidays, Abi Moore – Fernie Brewing Company and Colleen McKee – Fairmont Hot Springs Resort. The panelists generously shared their experience with the different social media platforms and the importance it plays in their respective marketing and communication strategies.

Aligned with the social media theme, the Conference was concluded with a presentation given by Dustin Bodnaryk – Strategist & Community Manager – Think! Social Media, on the 2011-2012 Ultimate Ski Bum Campaign.

Most of the presentations given throughout the day are available to download here.

A special highlight of the Tourism Industry Conference was the presentation of the Gordon Wilder Memorial Award for significant achievement in support of tourism in British Columbia’s Kootenay Rockies region. 

The Gordon Wilder Memorial Award has been presented to worthy recipients since 1990.   The achievements of Canadian Mountain Holidays were recognized this year and Dave Cochrane, Lodge Manager at CMH Bugaboos, was thrilled to accept the award from Kootenay Rockies Tourism Second Vice-Chair – Anne Pigeon.

What made the 2012 Tourism Industry Conference unique this year, was the celebration of Chris Dadson (President) and Mike Smith’s (Chair) retirement. Delegates had the opportunity to enjoy a ‘retirement cake’ at lunch as well as a special dinner and party in their honour.

Special thanks to our valued Sponsors, as well as to Tourism Stakeholders for the generous donations to our Silent Auction conducted during the Conference.

The Conference Day was a great networking opportunity for
Industry Stakeholders, the Community Tourism Associations
and College of the Rockies students.

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