VFTCB breathing life into county’s tourism scene
Second of a three-week look at Montgomery County … and what people are doing to improve it – thus improving the lives of the people who live there.
There is an old saying that claims: “If you don’t promote yourself first, nobody else will do it for you.”
Leaving politics aside, you have to admit that nobody does this better than Donald Trump. Like him or hate him, he beats his own drum until it is impossible to miss the message. To those who were raised with a message of humility, that might seem like a foreign sentiment. In the world of business, self-promotion is hardly an unpopular technique.
In Forbes Magazine, contributing author Margie Warrell wrote a guideline to self-promotion. It was titled, “Self-Promotion Is Not Crucial (Unless You Want to Get Ahead).”
In it she explains, “Growing up on a dairy farm with six brothers and sisters, it was drummed into me from an early age that humility is a virtue, and bragging, well … not so much.
“For the most part, it was good advice. However, in today’s competitive workplace, if your plan to get ahead is based on the assumption that hard work alone will suffice, you may find yourself being left behind as the horn blowers around you land the opportunities you anticipated were yours.”
For many years, Montgomery County took a humble, low-key approach.
In particular, its public face – the Valley Forge Tourism & Convention Board – was not as aggressive as some other public relations and marketing associations. That all changed a few years ago when Mike Bowman took over as president. He commissioned his staff to charge boldly into the 21st Century. He sent them, shouting loudly, to the mountaintops.
According to the website, Valley Forge Tourism & Convention Board is “a private, non-profit membership sales and marketing organization that actively promotes the Valley Forge area and Montgomery County as a convention site and leisure visitor destination by promoting patronage of its member hotels, restaurants, attractions and services. At present, there are 454 member businesses in the network. Most are in Montgomery County, but some are outside the county – just wishing to be associated with its prestigious name.
In the last few years, the VFTCB has moved into warpspeed, with its promotion of the county and its surrounding area.
“We have been commissioned to think beyond the meeting,” explains Ed Harris, the organi
zation’s young and enthusiastic vice president of marketing and communications. “We have so much more to offer. We have sports events, golf tournaments, shopping, history, 74 hotels and an incredible culinary scene.”
To that effect, the VFTCB has created a number of brands under its umbrella. Each has a specific target:
Destination Montco Golf – promotes the 50 golf courses in Montgomery County, the most golfrich
county in the state.
Valley Forge Sports – promotes youth sports, which drives 40 percent of the room nights in the area.
Patriot Trails – promotes the history of the region, beginning with Valley Forge National Park.
Montco 360 – a virtual tour website (www. montco360.net) that gives businesses the opportunity for exposure in a most modern format.
Destination Montco Weddings – promotes the many wedding venues in the area, as well as connecting prospective brides and grooms with all of the
services needed to plan a successful event.
The latest brand launch from VFCTB is “Crave” – a 52-page dining guide that highlights all of the restaurants, plus the new celebrity chefs who have found their way to the Valley Forge area.
Much of the focus of the promotion of the area comes through social media. Last year there were 1.4 million visitors to the website, www.valleyforge. org. Also, last year there was a 268 percent increase in Facebook followers.
Through the efforts of VFCTB, 103,976 room nights were booked in the last year. And the organization
has a billboard partnership with its members. For every $1,000 spent per month in billboard advertising, there is a $1,000 match from the organization.
“These are all the things that appeal to our members,” says Debbie Repas, membership sales manager. “We get them in, and we get them involved. Networking is the strength of the Valley Forge Tourism and Convention Board.”
Shouting from the mountaintops. That’s what the VGCTB does all day … every day. And the businesses of Montgomery County and the surrounding region are the beneficiaries.
It is an exciting time in the Greater Valley Forge area.
Perhaps that is why a quotation from a very hip and trendy personality is displayed prominently in the offices of the VGTCB.
Yo Yo Ma is a ChineseAmerican cellist, who was born in Paris but was schooled in New York. He was recognized as a child prodigy at the age of five. He has been a popular performer in the Philadelphia area for years. His inspirational quote:
“Passion is one great force that unleashes creativity, because if you’re passionate about something,
then you are more willing to take risks.”
Call it the mantra of the Valley Forge Tourism & Convention Board.
Tony Leodora is president of TL Golf Services, host of the weekly GolfTalk Live radio show on WNTP 990-AM and host of the Traveling Golfer television show — as well as editor of GolfStyles magazine. He is former sports editor of The Times Herald. Send comments to tlgolfservices@aol.com.