Chip Tuttle, Chief Operating Office at Suffolk Downs, will discuss the New Casino Bill and how it impacts all of us on the North Shore as the Lunch Keynote speaker at the North of Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau’s 6th Annual Tourism Summit on February 3 at the Peabody Marriott. Tuttle will address questions and concerns surrounding how a casino will affect the tourism economy, what opportunities may arise through partnership and packaging, infrastructure, traffic, and much more.
The Tourism Summit, which is open to the public, is the region’s largest travel and hospitality industry event, designed to educate and encourage tourism to Essex County. Registration begins at 7:30 a.m. and the event runs from 8:30 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. Visit www.northofbostoncvb.org/conference to sign up or learn more.
Attendees can “Go Coastal” at one of the morning sessions and hear from Bill Steelman, Director of Heritage Development at the Essex National Heritage Committee on the Essex Coastal Scenic Byway. Julie Cook of Cook Bowe Communications discusses the North of Boston Seafood Trail, and Brendan Cronin with the School of Hospitality Management at Endicott College wraps it up with ways to participate in regional efforts to promote and enhance visitation to the North Shore’s coastal communities.
Leave the crystal ball at home and check out “What’s Hot, What’s Not” from those in the know about this year’s travel and tourism trends. David Zimmerman from Boston Spirit Magazine will discuss the importance of the LGBT market. Panel participants also include Gregg Bolduc, Director of Sales and Marketing at the Midtown Hotel, and Anne Turcotte, Director of Recruitment and Senior Tour Planner at Hawthorne Tours.
Learn what it takes to put your face, place or business under the bright lights during “Light, Camera, Location”, where film industry veteran Mark Carey, President of Carey Communications and operator of the Quincy Film Bureau will discuss the ins and outs of becoming a film or television location. Taunya Wolfe Finn of Wolfe Adventures and Tours will touch on how the North Shore is becoming an increasingly popular film destination, with the start up of a new “Behind the Scenes” movie tour bringing movie buffs to popular sites in Cape Ann, Lowell, and Boston.
“Less is more” is the mantra for the fourth session, “Social Media for Small Business”, which will delve into how smaller cultural tourism-oriented businesses, sites, and attractions can leverage their marketing through social media. Hear from Kim Gobbi, Founder and Publisher of Newburyport-Today.com and Jerrie Hildebrand, a graphic designer and marketing coach for the last 40 years. Hildebrand is the founder of Kishgraphics, a design and marketing firm located out of Salem.
For a full line up and information about the speakers, and to register for the 6th Annual Tourism Summit, please visit www.northofbostoncvb.org/conference or call 978-465-6555.