Annual Governor’s Conference on Tourism Highlights
Headspace Design was thrilled to participate in the 34th Annual Governor’s Conference on Tourism in Portsmouth, NH this year.
The conference was presented by the NH Travel Council and took place from May 5-7 in the heart of historic downtown at the Sheraton Portsmouth Harborside Hotel and Conference Center. Over 200 participants attended which included New England businesses associated with travel and tourism, the Governor of New Hampshire – John Lynch, Mayor of Portsmouth - Thomas Ferrini, - Key Note Speaker Dennis Snow – author of Unleashing Excellence: The Complete Guide to Ultimate Customer Service and Lessons From the Mouse, Mel Allen – Yankee Magazine Editor, Steve Jermanok and many other industry professionals. This outstanding line up of business professionals, organizers and speakers made this event a true pleasure to attend.
The 3-day conference was kicked off with a fun-filled 2 hour Cinco de Mayo networking Cruise aboard the Isle of Shoals Steamship. We enjoyed a breathtakingly beautiful tour of Portsmouth Harbor out to the Isle of Shoals, made famous by island poet Celia Thaxter.
There is a draw bridge that lifts up to allow the steamship to pass through – to my surprise, as we cruised out of the harbor, I looked up to see two workers hanging from harnesses on the bottom-side of the bridge! What a place to work! We continued on enjoying food and beverages while mingling with fellow event participants. We passed by tug boats, blooming nature, fishing boats, light houses and the closed castle-like prison named “The Alcatraz of the East”. Students from the University of New Hampshire Travel and Tourism study program were proud to have some of their research papers on display. The owner of the Isle of Shoals Steamship Company, Robin Wittaker and her personable staff provided everyone with a real class-act experience!
Thursday was jammed packed with excitement, education and networking. Headspace Design’s booth was set up amongst the hotels conference rooms accompanied by fellow-exhibitors from magazines, photographers, local chambers, resorts, and more.
Our day began with a welcome and NH Division of Travel & Tourism update followed by workshops and round-table discussions on topics revolving around marketing with a heavy focus on the importance of the proper use social media.
Our Key Note presentation was scheduled to take place via a trolley ride to the Seacoast Repertory Theatre. This trip was rerouted to take place right in the hotel due to a 9 hour stand off and bomb scare on a bus that was passing through downtown! The Key Note speaker, Dennis Snow presented a compelling and inspiring presentation “Unleashing Service Excellence, Lessons From the Mouse”. Snow encouraged businesses to “look through the lens” of their customer. He presented simple models that could provide true lasting memories, a “WOW” experience and a sense of relationship rather than just another plain old stale experience. Every detail matters to the customer when you look through their eyes. He went on to add that this generation is in fact one of the most social generations to come about in a long time. They are very unique, in being an extremely “technologically social” society – this is the key to understanding our younger generation. Snow’s transparency, humor and 20+ years of experience with Disney provided all in attendance with a fresh perspective on how to provide the most engaging customer service experience possible.
The day’s events continued with more exhibitors networking, facilitated break-out sessions, a Member & Legislator Reception and a silent auction. We wrapped up our busy day with a lovely Farm/Sea Table Dinner Banquet where we enjoyed delicious local cuisine including Bison, fresh produce and local wines, cheeses & breads. The decadent dessert spread at the end made for a inconspicuous loosening of the top button on my trousers and a well deserved night sleep!
The conference continued into Friday with more outstanding presentations and events. The highlight of the day was the travel writer’s panel, “The Increasing (Not Decreasing) Role of Travel Writers Working Online & In Print”. This dynamic panel included Mel Allen, Yankee Magazine editor; Steve Jermanok, Boston Globe, Outside, multi-media; Marty Basch, Columnist for the Concord Monitor, Valley News, Caledonia Record, Keene Sentinel, Boston Globe contributor; and Christina Tree, New Hampshire, An Explorer’s Guide, Yankee and Boston Globe contributor. The panel encouraged businesses to share from their hometown perspective offering unique details and honesty rather than a stale “announcement of the companies new Director” when presenting ideas for press releases or article suggestions. There are many ways that the same story can be presented for topics of inclusion. For example: The announcement of a new chef could be included not only in the food section, but also in articles about unique local people or the trends of organic produce. Use your imagination and go beyond simple boring facts to create a “sense of place” for readers.
The conference ended with a Keynote address, End the Hype: Getting the Most Out of Social Media Marketing with Christine Major from Awareness Networks.
I wrapped up my day with a visit to the Maffatt-Ladd House and Garden, www.moffattladd.org who opened their doors special for conference attendees, a walk through the indescribably beautiful Prescott Park and a visit to some of the wonderful local downtown businesses. Overall, the conference was well attended, professionally run, informative and honestly…simply too much fun. Headspace looks forward to developing the relationships established with these fine industry professionals throughout the year and our attendance at next year’s conference! Many thanks to the NH Travel Counsel for their hard work.