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Scenic Byway Community Announcement

Adirondack Trail Scenic Byway Meeting #3 Marketing Team Meeting for Brochure/Map Project

March 8, 2007 - The Adirondack North Country Association is moving forward with the marketing initiatives for the Adirondack Trail and Olympic Scenic Byways.

The following report contains important information that will benefit Byway communities along the 180-mile Adirondack Trail along Routes 30 and 30A through Franklin, Hamilton, Fulton and Montgomery Counties.

Details on the new Adirondack Trail Scenic Byway brochure/map marketing project are provided for you.

REPORT: Adirondack Trail Scenic Byway Meeting #3 Marketing Team Meeting for Brochure/Map Project Prepared by Susan Day Fuller, Fuller Communications, Project Facilitator

On March 8, 2007, members of the Adirondack Trail Marketing Team met at ANCA's Headquarters at 28 St. Bernard Street in Saranac Lake. The eight people present are frontline community representatives who frequently interact with visitors and have a broad awareness of the pulse and happenings in the region. They also have experience in tourism marketing. Participants in the 4.5-hour meeting represented communities, chambers of commerce, museums, associations, and the Adirondack Park Agency. Six of those present have participated in previous Adirondack byway meetings and/or the preparation of the Corridor Management Plan. Sharon O'Brien, Adirondack Scenic Byways Program Coordinator, represented ANCA. Susan Fuller, of Fuller Communications, is Project Marketing Consultant.

Meeting Objective: Marketing Team members gathered to share ideas on how we can best showcase the Adirondack Trail Scenic Byway using a printed marketing piece in a map, brochure, or map/brochure format. The map/brochure will create awareness of the byway's intrinsic qualities and generate and sustain travelers' interests in experiencing the byway theme: Woods, Water, Wilderness: The Real Adirondack Experience.

Desired Meeting Outcomes: * Identification of priorities for the Adirondack Trail Scenic Byway brochure/map * Agreement on the scope of the brochure/map * Content recommendations, brochure/map topics

MEETING REPORT

Sharon O'Brien spoke about ANCA's 2006-2007 Scenic Byways Marketing Project, project scope, and funding in place for the brochure. She explained that this is the first time the Adirondack Trail Scenic Byway has had its own brochure, an important move forward in marketing the Adirondack Trail because in the past it coverage has been part of regional campaigns, with limited detail.

Sharon reminded participants of what the New York State Scenic Byways program is, how it works, objectives, types of projects, and state and national collaborations. She reviewed ANCA's role and the development and outcomes of the Adirondack Trail Scenic Byway Corridor Management Plan and recent funding announcements. ANCA's 2006-2007 Scenic Byways Marketing Project has been supported with funding from the NYSDOT's Scenic Byway Program through the Federal Highway Administration and the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century.

During the meeting participants referred to their responses on worksheets which had been sent out and completed prior to the session. Attendees also used the Adirondack Trail Scenic Byway Brand Statement and Values document along with the Session Notes from the Adirondack Trail Scenic Byway Branding Session which was held in Tupper Lake on January 24, 2007.

SUMMARY OF ADIRONDACK TRAIL SCENIC BYWAY MARKETING TEAM OUTCOMES (These notes represent the range of ideas expressed by marketing team members during the March 8, 2007 work session.)

PRIORITIES for the Adirondack Trail Scenic Byway Brochure/Map

--It will effectively convey the byway theme: Water, Woods, Wilderness: The Real Adirondack Experience and the byway brand. (See January 24, 2007: Adirondack Trail Brand Statement and Values and Branding Meeting Session Notes.)

--It will be a "wayfarers'" guide or field guide, with detailed information about byway destinations, communities, themes, and experiences, which complement existing "lure" pieces that provide quick "snapshots" and overviews. A very important intent is that it will be a tool travellers use, keep, and reuse while experiencing the byway, as well as one that helps visitors plan itineraries in advance. It will tweak travellers' interest to encourage visitation and increase length of stay.

--It will help travellers experience the byway theme by guiding them to authentic encounters with residents and places. It will encourage visitation to "little known" places, conveying something unique about each community. It will convey friendliness of residents and create awareness of community events for interaction with residents.

--It will be designed to appeal to selected target audiences such as "Baby Boomers" who have demonstrated interests in heritage, culture, and outdoor recreation and those who bring an appreciation of place and a desire to maintain historical, cultural, recreational, and natural resources.

--Its design and contents will be coordinated and tightly integrated with the Adirondack Trail and Olympic Byways Web Site, also in development by ANCA with a grant from NYSDOT. The web site will provide information that complements and completes information in the map/brochure. For example: calendars with more comprehensive events listings; deeper coverage of brochure/map topics. The brochure will be available for downloading on the Internet.

Opportunities for Scenic Byway Communities

In the process of discussing the brochure/map project, marketing team members also identified a number of key opportunities and issues for tourism and marketing in communities on the Adirondack Trail.

These include:
* Chambers and visitor information bureaus can create special tours and packages, coupons and "deals."
* Chambers and information bureaus in byway communities can work together to publish annual or seasonal sales oriented companion pieces to the brochure/map, that feature ads from tourism related venues, such as shops, restaurants, and lodgings, that will not be specifically covered in the brochure/map.
* Hospitality and tourism awareness training is needed for residents of many communities.
* Engage in ongoing educational outreach to raise awareness of community leaders and local government officials in byway communities whose economies depend on tourist spending to make sure their communities are "welcoming" - easily available restrooms, clean streets and necessary infrastructure (pedestrian friendly, decent roads, parking, etc.)
* Make sure there are adequate amenities (places to eat and stay) to accommodate visitors throughout the region. Explore potential for business development.

Target Audiences:
(The following categories were suggested based on review of market trends provided by Fuller Communications and discussions with the Adirondack Trail Marketing Team)

* Boomers and Seniors
* Families with children
* Grandparents travelling with children
* Motorcycle touring clubs
* Canadians
* International travellers

SCOPE of the Adirondack Trail Scenic Byway Brochure/Map Project:

--It will convey that along the byway, travellers have the options of being very active or relaxed, and enjoy a fast pace or leisurely peaceful routines.

--It will dispel any travellers' concerns that they are in a vast, scary, wild place or unsettled wilderness by conveying that the Adirondack Trail experience is peaceful, not threatening and there are many points of contact and connections with welcoming residents.

One of the keys to achieving this, and good travel experiences for visitors, will be clear information on access and directions to locations with services such as gas stations, places to stay and eat, attractions, and places to stop. Distances with estimated point-to-point travel times for key locations will be included. Detailed inset maps for some communities will be included.

--It will stimulate exploration from an initial destination(s) into other Adirondack Trail byway destinations. (ex: Visit to one museum or historic site will generate interest in visiting other museums or historic sites along the Byway.)

--It will be both destination-focused and interest-focused. For example: all there is to do in a particular community or region of the byway, and, information on all the places along the byway corridor with historic architecture.

--It will encompass activities and interests for all four seasons. General coverage of what's happening when. Information on specific events, dates, and times will be on the Web site or through links to communities' chambers or tourism bureau sites.

--It will give detailed information and answer the question "What is there to do?" for each area, and each community, dispelling concerns that there's "nothing to do."

Suggestions of destination experiences will be based on open, logical geographic boundaries rather than geo-political (counties, townships) lines (example: the cross jurisdictional Ten Rivers Region Map.)

--It will provide practical information. For example: who needs fishing licenses and where to get them; customs/border information, documents required; where to find walk-in emergency clinics.
--It will provide linkages to websites including Chambers of Commerce and other organizations that offer useful and interesting information to travellers.
--It will contain the necessary organizational and funding credits.
--It will feature a compatible design format that reflects the related artwork appearing at the website, on interpretive signage, and on other printed materials.

Major Content Categories:
Nature: birding, fishing, wildlife watching
Seasonality: enjoyment of aspects of all four seasons
Recreation: four seasons, active, restful, water, hiking
Agriculture: Farmers Markets, farm visits, locally grown products, foods
Architecture: homes, churches, historic downtowns, Adirondack Style
"Retro" touring experiences: cabins, diners
The water and woods-related heritage
Educational experiences: museums, signed nature walks

It was noted that a significant part of the research for the brochure such as the history can be found in the Corridor Management Plan which should be used as a starting point for project development.

Integration with Tourism Related Technologies:
In the future, there's potential for the printed brochure/map to be integrated with other technologies such as CDs, itunes, iwalk (Dublin),GIS/On Star, audio guides similar to those available up at museums. Coverage could include; music, history, stories, narration, taped tours.

It is important to consider how these new technologies relate to the Real Adirondack Experience, and older more traditional resources.

Distribution:
Printed brochures/map will be available at Chambers of Commerce, tourism information centers, and tourism-related venues along the Adirondack Trail Scenic Byway. The piece will be designed to be downloadable and printed from the Internet.

Next Steps:
Based on the Ideas, guidance, and feedback from Marketing Team members, and review of similar of projects of other tourism venues, ANCA and Fuller will:
* Synthesize the outcomes of this session; ideas developed through direct contact with, and input, from community representatives at previous sessions; information from the CMP; and additional market research
* Develop key conceptual and content elements of the brochure/map.
* Write and distribute the Request for Proposals from designers for the Adirondack Trail Scenic Byway brochure/map.
* Review the proposals and select a designer for the Adirondack Trail Scenic Byway brochure/map.
* Coordinate the acquisition and selection of images: photos, illustrations, maps
* Guide the designer in the development of the Adirondack Trail Scenic Byway brochure/map
* Contact the marketing team for comment on the draft

The Adirondack North Country Association is committed to economically viable communities and a rural quality of life. For more information about ANCA, visit www.adirondack.org.

Sharon O’Brien
Scenic Byway Coordinator
Adirondack North Country Association
28 St. Bernard Street
Saranac Lake NY 12983
anca-obrien@northnet.org
518.891.6200
f518.891.6203
www.adirondack.org
www.adknccrafts.com