‘Destination: South Arkansas’ workshop planned for April 13

EL DORADO — The tourism industry is becoming more and more a vital component of El Dorado and Union County’s economic stability. Direct tourism employment continues to grow in lodging, food service and retail employment sectors to help serve visitors that spend more dollars per day than ever before, said Mike Dumas, president and chief executive officer of the El Dorado-Union County Chamber of Commerce.

With the area’s natural scenic beauty, rich history and the developing arts center, El Dorado and Union County are ideal travel destinations, he said.

The El Dorado Union County Chamber of Commerce, in cooperation with South Arkansas Community College, have developed a one-day workshop to develop and execute a comprehensive community marketing and promotional program that is designed to prepare our businesses for the anticipated influx of tourists to the area, he said.

The one-day workshop will begin at 10 a.m., with registration at 9 a.m. on April 13 at the El Dorado Conference Center, sponsored by the chamber, SouthArk, El Dorado Festivals and Events and the State of Arkansas.

“Destination: South Arkansas” will be a planning, marketing, networking and resource workshop.

“With tourism increasing, will your business be ready for the changes? Attend this one day tourism conference and learn how to attract tourists to your business. You will learn from experts in the fields of tourism, social media, branding, marketing and much more,” he said.

The cost to attend the workshop is $30, which includes lunch.and this includes lunch.

Opening keynote speaker at 10 a.m. will be Kane Webb, executive director of the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism, who will talk about Arkansas tourism, economic impact and businesses affected; at 11 a.m., John Vernedore, with Impact 360 Media, will talk about online marketing tools. At noon, Stewart Colovin, of EVP MMGY Global, will talk about “unifying our efforts for tourism.”

At 1 p.m., a panel composed of Elizabeth Michael or Zack Hill of CJRW, Brittany Caldwell of Aristotle and Brant Collins of the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism, will cover topics including how to generate positive online reviews and affordable or free ways to publicize your business.

Kalene Griffith, vice president of Visit Bentonville, will be the closing keynote speaker and he will talk about “working together to make a tourism destination. A closing discussion will include activity for tourism in South Arkansas and those attending will participate in a”Planning for Tourism – Next Steps Activity.”

For more information, contact the chamber at 863-6113.