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1 "P1-u.I P \\SA~ If \ 4- FeB I1 1XL~r"-rIO,j \:\S Pl-1 BRUCE PENINSULA TOURISM Box 269, Wiarton, Ontario NOR 2TO 10 January 2011 Municipality of Northern Bruce Peninsula 56 Lindsay Road 5, R. R. #2 LION'S HEAD, Ontario NOH lwo Dear Mayor Mclver, Councillors and Staff: I am writing on behalf of the Board of Directors, to give you advance notice of our intentions concerning proposals for the 2011 budget year. We will follow with formal proposals and full details after our board meeting this week. Last year the Municipality of Northern Bruce Peninsula generously participated in the Beautiful Bruce Peninsula Guidebook. We are very grateful for this support. We are now in the second year of our re-building, and continue to grow and diversify our services to tourism on the Bruce Peninsula. We will produce Beautiful Bruce Peninsula again, building further on last year's re-design, which was generally well received. This year we are raising our web site and related technologies to a place of at least equal importance. Our proposals for sponsorship have been altered accordingly. Our member services expand steadily, and we are embarking on a new project in Tourism Economic Development. We intend to be a state-of-the-art tourist association. The following is a preliminary sketch of our proposals. After an opportunity to discuss the matter with Municipal staff, we will prepare formal proposals which cover all the details. We are also making proposals, of Georgian along similar lines, to the Town of South Bruce Peninsula, the Township Bluffs, the County of Bruce, and the County of Grey. A. Marketing & Information Services (Guidebook, Web Site, Etc.) In our Marketing Program we would like to interest the Municipality of Northern Bruce Peninsula in the following proposal: (1) A partner-membership in the Bruce Peninsula Tourist Association, at a cost of $215. A partner-membership comes with all the services of regular membership, but without the normal accompanying obligations of not-for-profit business, aside from the fee. If a partner-member wishes to exercise those obligations, we would of course welcome fuller participation. Membership fees underwrite the infrastructure of the Association. (2) A double-sponsorship (Guidebook and Web Site) of one page, at a cost of $2,000. In the Guidebook, sponsorship entitles the sponsor to a banner on the right-hand side of the double page. The location is most prominent; there is no other advertising on the page, just pictures and text. Similar principles will apply on the new web site, which is now being designed. (3) A contribution of $485 to our new Art and Photographs Fund. This money is paid directly to artists and photographers, for use of their pictures in both the Guidebook and the Web Site. TOTAL = $2,700.

2 8. Tourism Economic Development This year we are launching a Tourism Economic Development Project, in order to complement the initiatives of the Counties and Municipalities. We believe that tourism economic development will require investments by both governments and private enterprise, and we are organizing to do our part. To get this project started, our members are contributing some seed money from our own resources, and we are inviting our Counties and Municipalities to contribute also. In the longer term, of course, we will extend our fund-raising as far as we can in all directions, but we need something to get us started. The purpose of Tourism Economic Development, as we see it, is to increase the economic benefit of tourism to the region by adding value to the experiences that we offer now, and by recruiting and developing new experiences. The first stage of the process, which creates the need for seed money, is first, the collection organization of "baseline data" concerning both experiences and potential markets. A great deal of work has already been done, of course, by the Counties and the Province, but it needs to be gathered together and processed for this specific use. The second part of the first stage is the whole process of preliminary discussion with stakeholders, engagement, and the design of the collaborative processes necessary to sustain the project. We are trying to raise a seed fund of $15,000, suggesting a third from our members, and a third from the two counties, and a third from the three Municipalities on the Peninsula. Considering the distribution of tourism on the Peninsula, we would like to suggest $2,000 from Northern Bruce Peninsula. This whole project is, however, open for discussion, and we look forward to hearing your ideas. In summary then, our preliminary proposal to the Municipality of Northern Bruce Peninsula for this year is: Tourism Marketing and Information Services: $2,700 Tourism Total Economic Development $2,000 $4,700 Thanks again for your support, and for all your cooperation. We look forward to further discussion. All the best in Sincerely, Paul Conway, Chair Bruce Peninsula Tourist Association PCjka

3 Bruce Peninsula Tourist Association (BPTA) Proposal 1: Tourism Marketing - Proposal to the Municipality Proposal: Budget Implications = $1,600 to 2,700 BPTA Guidebook and Web Site of Northern Bruce Peninsula That the Municipality participate again in the BPTA Tourism Marketing Program in three ways: By sponsoring a double-page, as last year, in return for which BPTA will insert a ~-page exclusive banner ad on that page: cost = $1,600; By extending this sponsorship to the comparable page on the newly designed BPTA web site: cost = $600 By contributing to the BPTA Photo and Art Fund: suggestion = $500; Total Proposal = $2,700. This is the first of three proposals being submitted by BPTA, the others being: 2. Tourism Economic Development 3. Femdale Park Information Centre Rationale: 1. In 2010 BPTA gave its Guidebook a complete facelift in response to changing requirements in the marketplace. This process continues in Last year the Municipality participated by sponsoring the "Natural Cautions" page (24-25), and received a banner ad as specified above. We are proposing renewal of this sponsorship, for the same page, or some other page of the Municipality's choice. 2. Ifthe Municipality extends its sponsorship to the web site, the comparable page (or other page if chosen) will contain a banner ad in appropriate format. 3. Standards in photography and art for these media are increasing rapidly, causing increased reliance on professionals, who must be paid. BPTA has therefore created a Photo and Art Fund and is soliciting donations for that purpose. These funds will be paid directly to photographers and artists, and will not be used for other purposes. 1 of I

4 Bruce Peninsula Tourist Association (BPTA) Proposal 2: Tourism Economic Development Proposal to the Municipality of Northern Bruce Peninsula Proposal: Budget Implications = $2,000 That the Municipality become an active participant with BPTA in a Bruce Peninsula Tourism Economic Development Project, and contribute $2,000 in 2011 to help get the project started. The exact meaning of "active participant" to be worked out by mutual discussion; The $2,000 to be used for: Collection and organization of baseline data; Planning and design of interpretive enrichments to experiences; A Tourism Economic Development Workshop to be held in the Fall. Preliminary budget attached. This is the second of three proposals being submitted by BPTA, the others being: 1. Sponsor-Advertising in the Guidebook and Web Site 3. Femdale Park Information Centre Rationale: I. The purpose of Tourism Economic Development is to increase the economic benefit of tourism to the region by adding value to the experiences that we offer now, and by recruiting and developing new experiences. Economic Development is about growth injobs and income, the right kind of growth that will build a prosperous, sustainable tourist industry for the region in the long term. It works by encouraging investment and enterprise in the sector. 2. Tourism Economic Development is a shared responsibility. The investments required will come from both the private and public sectors, and will include infrastructure, facilities, services and experiences. 3. The "base experiences" on Bruce Peninsula are provided by Nature. Private and public investors have added value to those experiences in diverse ways, and continue to do so. The role of Tourism Economic Development is to reinforce and accelerate investment in ways that support the kinds of tourism we value, and that will contribute broadly to the prosperity of the sector. 4. We can "add value" in tourism in, very generally, two ways. First, we can "build experiences" either by improving the ones we have or creating new ones. We use the term "experiences" in the broadest sense, to include all kinds of facilities, goods and services used or consumed by tourists. Second, we can cultivate markets that increase employment and income (economic value) from our present experiences. We will call these approaches Experience Development, and Market Development. Both are essential parts of Tourism Economic Development. lof3

5 BPTA Tourism Economic Development 5. Bruce Peninsula, as a whole (Highway 21 north), now suffers from two major kinds of under-development, and several less significant kinds. The first major kind is lack of experiences outside the summer months. From a tourism perspective, Bruce Peninsula is primarily a summer place, and the brevity of the season is a significant barrier to prosperity. That observation is clear, and well known. What to do about it is neither. Second-and this is more speculative-there may be significant room to improve the economic returns from our summer activities, by cultivating markets and activities that have higher economic value-added (employment and income). This may be done by improving the experiences in particular ways, or by niche marketing. 6. The Bruce Peninsula Tourist Association (BPTA) is an organization of members, who are primarily private sector operators with varying degrees of dependence on tourism, and partners who are primarily public sector governments and agencies. It has been working for tourism under different names on Bruce Peninsula for many years, since 1948 we are told. Like all such organizations it has had its ups and downs, and is now in the midst of a complete re-building. 7. Tourism Economic Development, like other kinds, begins with research: the collection and organization of "baseline data" concerning both experiences and potential markets. A great deal of work has already been done, by the Counties and the Province, but it needs to be gathered together and processed for this specific use. 8. The second part of the first stage is the whole process of preliminary discussion with stakeholders, engagement, and the design of the collaborative processes necessary to sustain the project. This is the purpose of the proposed Fall Workshop. Both the Research and Process parts of Tourism Economic Development are mutually supporting. 9. But gathering data and talking are not ends in themselves. The end is to increase the economic prosperity of tourism on the Peninsula. We can be undertaking "development-friendly" activities even as we explore; "we" means all parties to this initiative. We have many recent, continuing examples of development-friendly initiatives: the whole Bruce Trail complex of activities and improvements; the National Parks and their Visitor Centre; road projects; the new Ferndale Park and Information Centre; waterside facilities in Wiarton; the Ferndale wind turbines, and the general interest in alternative energies; many small private initiatives by accommodators and service businesses. This is not intended as a complete inventory: that's for the baseline data project. 10. In Market Development, BPTA is working on a particular approach to "niche marketing" whereby we define the niche according to people's behaviour, and not their specific interests. In any activity we find people who are in the niche and people who are not. The ones who are, we believe, bring higher economic value-added. Our niche consists of people who are willing to "engage" with the Peninsula, that is, to slow down and stay awhile, get to know the place, enjoy themselves in sustainable ways, spend money with pleasure, and come back again. This is not a mass market, but a more specialized market with high value-added. We want to present Bruce Peninsula as a diverse, interesting and surprising place, attractive to the people in this niche. 2

6 BPTA Tourism Economic Development 11. In Experience Development, BPTA is working first on ways to enrich present experiences, to make them more attractive to people in the niche. We believe that the general form of service able to do that is "interpretation". The methods include print, web, signs, guides, and interpretive kiosks and centres. 12. Our second Experience Development initiative seeks to address the "short season" problem, which we believe can have three parts. First, we need to work on outdoor experiences that are able to attract other-season tourists. When we have those experiences (and we have some now) we have to promote them. Second, we need to work on (and promote) our indoor experiences, many of which are or will be in the culture sector. Third, we need to work with accommodators, food establishments and other essential services so that people who come in other seasons can obtain the services they need. 13. To emphasize: all these initiatives are new, and none is likely to show spectacular results in the short term. Patterns of tourist interest on Bruce Peninsula are deeply entrenched, and so too are the seasonal schedules and expectations of operators. The first key to Tourism Economic Development is development-friendly thinking by everybody involved. The initial Research phase will be very helpful, because it will tell us completely and systematically what we have, and what works for us. It will feed us ideas from other places. And it will stimulate our creative, imaginative juices, which is most important. Money is always looking for ideas, imagination, and enterprise. It usually doesn't have much interest in their opposites. Project Budget: Revenue: Proposed from Counties & Municipalities: Bruce County $3,500 Grey County $1,500 Georgian Bluffs $1,000 Northern Bruce Peninsula $2,000 South Bruce Peninsula $2,000 Total $10,000 From BPTA Funds $5,000 Total Revenue $15,000 Expenses: Baseline Data Research Interpretation Planning Fall Workshop Total Expense $7,500 $5,000 $2,500 $15,000 3

7 Bruce Peninsula Tourist Association (BPTA) Proposal 3: Ferndale Park Information Centre Proposal to the Municipality of Northern Bruce Peninsula Proposal: Budget Implications = $18,000 If the Municipality has not yet found an agency to operate the Ferndale Park Information Centre in 2011, then BPTA is prepared to do so. The service would, for this year, be comparable to the service previously provided by the Central Bruce Peninsula Chamber of Commerce, with appropriate adjustments for the new space. In the longer term, improvements to service are certainly possible. BPTA would like to experiment with adding new staffing, supervisory and training models to the one traditionally used (students). Rationale: 1. Assumptions This proposal is based on the following understandings: i. That the Central Bruce Peninsula Chamber of Commerce will not be able to operate the Information Centre as in the past, at least for the coming summer. This is a sad development, but a symptom of the difficulties faced by small not-for-profit business (and other) organizations in rural areas. ii. That the Municipality wants the new Centre to provide an information service that is not only for visitors -- although that remains a most important purpose -- but for seasonal and permanent residents too That the BPTA office will be based in the new Information Centre, and will be open yearround, as at present. iv. That the Municipality has not yet decided whether the Information Centre should provide service only during the summer season (roughly Victoria Day to Thanksgiving) as at present, or should expand to 12-month service. Ifthese understandings are not correct, BPTA will adjust its ideas accordingly. 2. BPTA Response: General BPTA is willing to operate the Information Centre, and to provide the necessary service, in close collaboration with the Municipality, and in close consultation with stakeholders. BPTA offers this proposal to begin negotiations on exactly how these relationships would work. It is thus an initial, not a final, proposal. 3. List of Services: Current, In-Season From May to October the old Ferndale Information Centre offered essentially five services, primarily intended for visitors, but in fact provided to anyone who happened to call: 10f5

8 BPTA: Ferndale Park Information Centre (1) an "enquiries service" under which staff answered questions in person, by telephone, or by e- mail. (This service is also provided by BPTA, Bruce County, Grey County, and other information centres on the Peninsula.) (2) a "display service" under which staff displayed magazines, brochures, business cards and other promotional materials supplied by local and Peninsula organizations and enterprises. This service was not restricted to Chamber members, but was made generally available through understandings with the Municipality and the other chambers on the Peninsula. (3) an "accommodations referral service" under which people were referred to accommodators (occasionally other services) known to have vacancies. The accommodations referral service depended on close communication between the Information Centre and participating accommodators, who were members of the Central Bruce Peninsula Chamber of Commerce and who paid a supplementary membership fee ($60) to receive the service. (4) special emphasis on information about the Bruce Trail; (5) Free wi-fi service at the Information Centre. This was new in 2010, and received most favourable response from the public. Accommodations referrals were also made more widely as necessary through the enquiries service, if someone was looking for accommodations in another area, or the participating accommodators were full. BPTA proposes to provide these same services, in essentially the same way, but without any additional charge for the accommodations referral service. Accommodators on the formal referral list would be BPTA members who have signed up and agreed to participate in the necessary two-way flow of information. 4. Out-of-Season Services The Central Bruce Peninsula Chamber of Commerce offered mail, telephone and service out of season, as does BPTA and other organizations. The volume is not high, and BPTA can easily cover it. Because of its location in the Ferndale Park building, BPTA will also be able to provide drop-in service during normal business hours. If there are special times when more service is needed, BPTA would try to meet the off-season need with volunteers (see below: staffing). 5. Ideas for Services: New In the long term BPTA would be constantly looking for new ideas and ways to improve the service. That is an essential part of the organizational culture we are trying to build. In the short term, BPTA will seek to develop three ideas: (a) An "Availability" page on the BPTA web site. BPTA will experiment with an "availability" page on its web site, up-dated as information changes. Centre staff will poll all participating members first thing each morning, to determine availability; accommodators will notify of changes as they occur, for immediate posting on the 20f5

9 BPTA: Ferndale Park Information Centre web site. This would make the information available to people on their hand-held devices or portable computers. (b) Interpretation As part of its Tourism Economic Development project, BPTA is actively exploring ways to add value to present experiences, and to develop new experiences, through the art of "interpretation." BPTA would extend the Information Centre concept to include as much as possible of the "Interpretive Centre" concept, with particular emphasis on the central part of the Peninsula: its communities and their histories; the Ferndale-Eastnor Flats; etc. (c) Hand-Held Devices and Portable Computers As part of its Web Site project, BPTA is going to extend the whole "web site" concept into handheld and portable devices of all kinds, GPS linkages, etc. The BP TA office, and thus the Ferndale Park Information Centre, will be headquarters for this system. 6. Hours of Operation Year-Round: Normal business hours, 9-12 and 1-5 = 1,800 hours; Victoria Day to Canada Day: add Saturday, Sunday and holiday service for 6 7 hours per day = 98 hours; Canada Day to Labour Day (second person): Thursday, Friday 9-9; Saturday 9-6; Sun-Wed 9-5; hours = 650 hours; Labour Day to Thanksgiving: Saturday, Sunday and holiday service added to normal business hours = 5 7 hours per day = 70 hours; Total annual hours (rounded) = 2,600 Total supplementary summer hours = Staffing System. Personnel would be required at five levels: BPTA Coordinator: the general manager of the Centre, doubling as Centre Coordinator and front line during the off season; Centre Coordinator (seasonal): to supervise Centre operations from Victoria Day to Thanksgiving; Three levels of Front Line personnel: seasonal; casual; and volunteer. (i) In Season. The traditional staffing model for summer information centres has been to use students, often quite young, often based on the availability of grants. The results of this approach have been somewhat unpredictable. Some students have done excellent and dedicated work, some have been more casual in their approach. 30f5

10 BPTA: Ferndale Park Information Centre BPTA proposes to explore two alternative staffing approaches: the traditional student one, and an alternative using seniors or other committed local residents, either as paid staff or as volunteers. A mixed system would be possible. The number of students who can be hired may depend on the availability of grants. There is no question that older residents of the area form an under-utilized resource for information and interpretive services. The use of volunteers is well established in Tobermory, but not in Ferndale. With all the other demands for student employees during the summer months, we may possibly have reached or exceeded the effective capacity of that resource. The granting system, or at least those parts of it relied on in the past, has also become more unpredictable. Other sources may be opening up. (ii) Off Season. From October to May information services will be provided primarily by the BPTA coordinator during regular business hours. Back-up, ifnecessary, will be provided by casual staff or volunteers. Through flexible use of staffing and creative use of volunteers and casual employees, BPTA would seek to make the Femdale Park Information Centre into a "community project" to the greatest possible extent consistent with maintaining good service. Experience has shown clearly that staff training and supervision are essential to good service in this field. All information centres struggle with this problem, and are more successful some years than others. This would be a natural BP TA role if we can get the resources and the right people to take on the responsibility. Our commitments in this respect are to do our best in the first year, to offer whatever we develop to other information centres on the Peninsula, and build something excellent in future years. 8. Budget Number of hours added during the summer season = by paid staff (3 students or other) 200 by volunteers (2, in a pilot project) Cost per hour (all estimates rounded): Staff wages & benefits $14 per hour for 600 hours = $ 8,400 Supervision of staff & volunteers $18.00 per hour for 250 hrs = $ 4,500 Management $20 per hour for 60 hours = $ 1,200 Training of staff & volunteers (by supervisor): 50 hours $ 18.00= $ 900 Courier & Mail for Summer Enquiries = $ 1,000 Communications Equipment & Services = $ 500 Office Equipment and supplies (including computer) = $ 1,500 Total = $18,000 Note: This budget is based on traditional operations of the Ferndale Information Centre, with some decrease in paid hours through use of volunteers, and some increase in training time, which is a pressing need. 40f5

11 BPTA: Ferndale Park Information Centre There remains a significant unknown, because of the new location, in the form of demands that might be created by the fact that Femdale Park is a larger and more diverse facility than the old schoolhouse. This may create demands on staff and volunteer time and training that we cannot foresee. Or it may not. BPTA undertakes to do what needs to be done to make a successful first season for the new Park & Centre, and to keep careful track of costs. If these exceed the estimate by any considerable amount they can then be discussed for the next budget year. Reminder: This is a prelimimuy proposal to meet a new situation, and all items are negotiable. 50f5

12 Member Services Services are of two kinds: Basic Services, which are included in the membership fee and available to all members, and Optional Services for which additional fees are charged. In general, membership fees under-write the infrastructure of the Association, and user fees pay for those particular services. Basic Services (1) Directory Service in both Web Siteand Guidebook, and in future GPS locational services; (2) Information and support from the BPTAoffice; (3) Newsletter and Events (alendilr (monthly; weekly in summer); (4) Tourism Economic Development project; (5) Representation on Regional Partnerships: Grey Bruce Regional Tourism Marketing Partnership; Ontario Tourism Region 7; local and regional economic development and business networks; (6) Promotion of tourism and BPTAlocally and regionally (press releases, bulletins, appearances, shows, etl) (7) Access to optional services. Optional Services (1) Enhanced presence in Guidebook and Web Site: page sponsorships, Quick links and advertising space (2) Information-sharing Events (3) Hospitality training, especially for summer staff. (Plans for 2011are being prepared. ) Other seeds have been sown, and will be announced as they ripen. Become a member. Get the news Quickly. It's good for business. BPTA:Your Eyes, Ears & Mouthpiece in an Environment of (hange Thetourist business is changing rapidly, in demographics, market tastes and preferences, technologies, transportation, costs, competition, the roles played by governments-in short, in virtually all aspects that determine the economic health of individual enterprises and the sector asa whole. It is very difficult for an individual enterprise, especially a small one, to keep up with all the adjustments required to stay healthy. An effective Association, in general, is about three things: Information, for members, partners and stakeholders; Action, to improve the prosperity of the sector; Representation, on important bodies and processes. Bruce Tourist Serving Tourism The NEW Peninsu1a Association [BPTA] 2011 for the benefit Visitors on Bruce Peninsula of & Residents Members Partners and the Region as a Whole info@brucepeninsula.org Value for Money The value of a BPTAmembership, like all similar organizations, comes from three realities: (1) An immense amount of work is required to build a prosperous tourist business, and having a prosperous sector makes a huge contribution. An individual business, by itself, can do little of this kind of work. Collective effort works, and that's what associations are for. (2) If we don't work together for a prosperous sector, who is going to do it for us? Many are doing and will do their part, but we are the investors, the operators, and have the most to gain. We must lead. (3) Nature, and the wider marketplace, by themselves, will only take us so far. Our collective ingenuity and enterprise make the (oslof Membership Becoming a member is easy: simply phone or the office and Kathryn will walk you through the steps. Memberships for 2011cost $195, plus HST,for a total of $ Meetings, Events & Locations: 2011 Meetings are held in centres across the Peninsula, and will include an opportunity to interact with members, former members, partners and other tourism enterprises. January 13-- Sauble Beach February 10 --lion's Head March Shallow Lake April Toberrnory May Annual General Meeting, new Information June 9 -- Wiarton area July, August -- no meetings September to December -- to be determined Centre, Ferndale Meetings are normally held on the second Thursday of each month, starting at 10:00 am, subject to weather. To confirm dates, locatio~s and times, please see our web site or call the office. Meetings are open, and all are welcome to attend.

13 BPTA Strategic Plan Introducing our Coordinator, Kathryn Anderson.lt is not possible to meet the ambitious objectives of the new BPTAwithout good staff, and wow! did we get lucky on that one. Our volunteers (board and officers) can build the vehicle, and improve it as we go along, but it's Kathi who makes the wheels turn and keeps it running. "'\ The "niche" idea is essential to our whole approach. We have an unusual, even unique take on what "niche marketing" means, as our unusual, even unique, place deserves. We identify our niche as people who are willing to "engage" with the Peninsula, that is, to slow down and stay awhile, get to know the place, enjoy themselves in sl tainable ways, spend money with pleasure, and come back again. This is not a mass market, but a more specialized market with high value-added. In other words, we are basing our approach on people's behaviour, not on their demographics or preference for one kind of experience or another. We find people who lit this niche engaged in all kinds of different activities and experiences, all those the Peninsula provides in fact. We find people who do not fit the niche also engaged in the same activities. We want to cultiyate the "engagers", because they are good for the Peninsula and for the longer-term development and sustainabiiity of tourism. If you think that cultivation of ms niche is going to be good for your business, or help you meet your mandate, and you are not already a member of BPTA,then we invite you to join us and engage in the '- effort. It's going to be very profilable work. 2011ISTHEYEAROFTHEWEB for gpta!we begin a two- or three-year / project to turn out web site into one of the most informative and entertaining tourism web sites, for the benefit of both members and visitors, and add the whole range of GPSlocational and on-the-spot / information services. It's going to be really hot stuff, and lots of fun. These are great devices, and tourists love them. In 2010 we began a complete redesign of our venerable guidebook, to make it as informative as it a Iways had been, but more visually attractive and entertaining to read. Print marketing and information services, like everything else in media, have undergone a complete revolution in recent years. Our aljl)roach is now state-of-the-art. We print 50,000 copies and distribute widely across Ontario. We ended 2010 with about 100 members: not bad for the first year of a complete organizational overhaul. A "natural level" of membership, considering the size of the area, would be 200 to 250. We hope to reach 150 this year, and continue to grow from there to reach our natural level, or even beyond. The more members, the stronger the Association. Description Initiative 1.Objective Tosupport healthy & prosperous development, operation, promotion & growth of sustainable tourism on the Peninsula. (BPTABy-laws) 2. Bruce Peninsula Area north of Hwy 21:Northern Bruce Peninsula; South Bruce Peninsula; part of Georgian Bluffs; Saugeen & Nawash First Nations 3. Membership Members are the owners of the Ass'n; membership development & engagement crucial. 4. Governance Board "governs" (makes plans & sets policies) on behalf of members, and raisesmoney; board development & engagement crucial. Our Board consists of dedicated and hard-working volunteers, but we need more of them, especially younger ones. The Board still consists largely of the people who turned the old BPTAinto the new one. Their commitment and stick-to-it-iveness are an inspiration to us all. We are starting to attract enthusiastic younger volunteers, and are looking for more. It has become Quite an interesting job. Staff operate programs & services, assisted sometimes by operating volunteers. Staff consist of Coordinator Kathryn Anderson and summer students. I------I~----; 5. Staff 6. Partnerships Toinclude Tourism Region 7;Grey-Bruce RTMP& economic dev; counties; municipalities & FN's;local chambers & tourist groups. 7. Member Services Toinclude promotion, information (regular newsletter), training, businesssupport. 8. Marketing I: Niche Toencompass the Peninsula as a whole; the "Bruce Peninsula Experience"; niche defined by behaviour, not demographics. 9. Marketing 11:Web & New Technologies / Tomake most effective useof our web site and new technologies for both promotion and enrichment of BPExperience :..-...;..:...: Marketing Ill: Guidebook & Print Topromote 0) the Peninsula, and (2) member businesses,each most effectively; high quality design & appearance. (applies to web site too) 11.Tourism Economic To"add value" to the BPExperience and present Development experiences and to add new ones Information Centres & Services -4-1 Tobuild supportive relationships and partnerships with operators of information centres; to innovate in methods and technologies. State-of-the-art information services and centres are essential for visitors and operators, and are part of tourism infrastructure. The entire methodology is changing rapjdly.lnnovation and experimentation are essential, but expensive and difficult for small information centres operating only in summer. Tourism on Bruce Peninsula is a sector with many stakeholders and a wide range of approaches. This diversity serves us well, and there is no reason why everybody should march to the beat of the same drummer. Having said that, however, the marketplace and modern transportation and communications have made us a "tourism community" and we need to think and act like one. It can be as diverse as any other healthy community, but alive with a sense of common interest. The new BPTA is fundamentally based on that idea. The purpose of Tourism Economic Development is to increase the economic benefit of tourism to the region by adding value to the experiences that we offer now, and by recru iting and developing new experiences. The first stage of the process has two parts: (a) the collection and organization of "baseline data" concerning both experiences and potential markets. A great deal of work has already been done by the Counties and the Province, but it needs to be gathered together and processed for this specific use. (b) the whole process of preliminary discussion with stakeholders, engagement, and the design of the collaborative processes necessary to sustain the project. If you think this kind of economic development is going to be good for your business, or will help you meet your mandate, are you are not already a member of BPTA,then we invite you to join us and engage in the effort. It's going to be very interesting work, of great long-term importance.