Englewood Tourism Conference

Representatives of the Englewood tourism industry met on January 21 at Gulf View Grill. The meeting was a precursor to the development of a Tourism Assembly for the Englewood Chamber. Virginia Haley, President of Visit Sarasota County; Lorah Steiner, Director of Tourism for Charlotte County;  Denise Dull, President of the Charlotte County Hospitality Association; Jeff Maultsby, Director of Business and Economic Development for Sarasota County and Lindsey Norris of VISIT FLORIDA also attended the event.

The conference was conceived and organized by Ed Hill, Executive Director of the Englewood Chamber. The half-day conference offered information on resources available from the Visit Sarasota County and Charlotte County VCB’s as well as VISIT FLORIDA. Mini-workshops were held on creating destination packages and developing new visitor activities for summer and shoulder season. Lucy Tobias, a former reporter for the New York Times Company and an expert on “Authentic Florida” experiences, and Jennifer Huber of the Charlotte Harbor VCB staff, provided insight into how to host a travel writer. Ken Stead, General Manager of Cape Haze Marina, gave a presentation on WaterFest, a multi-day event which will be held November.

Ideas generated from the workshops included the creation of a Restaurant Week, development of a Junior Naturalist program and an arts-based package.  The Charlotte County and Sarasota Visitor Bureaus will work with the soon to be created Englewood Tourism Assembly to take the ideas from concept to reality.

Anyone who is involved with a tourism related business or organization, and has an interest in being a part of the Englewood Chamber Tourism Assembly, is encouraged to contact Ed Hill at the Englewood Chamber. Phone: 941.474.5511 email: ed.hill@englewoodchamber.com


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