Destination Gap Analysis Randolph County, North Carolina

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Prepared by: Hannah Collins David Bachman Colin Genthert Robert Smith Kelly Hobbs Dylan Poythress Jayme Wainer Pamela Myers

North Carolina State University

Submitted: May 1, 2013

May 1, 2013

This letter is to inform the reader what the following document contains.

Dear Randolph County Stakeholders,

This destination assessment enclosed discusses the current shortcomings of the tourism-related offerings in Randolph County, North Carolina. This document proposes a well-thought out approach for further development and modifications to better the community and increase Randolph County’s potential as a successful destination. The purpose of this report is to detail and explain the current tourism offerings of Randolph County, to analyze the needs of the community, and to consider the implications involved in the various details, approaches, diversity, and conflicting issues which go into the short and long-range planning of a tourism destination. Our consulting team has also included specific recommendations for future development in Randolph County, that we feel will increase the profitability of Randolph County Tourism while meeting the residents demands and improving their quality of life. This analysis was composed from January 2013 through April 2013. Our consulting team from North Carolina State University was composed of eight individuals, all of which contributed to this gap analysis document.

The following document is divided into the following topics to further improve clarity and to accurately portray the state of Randolph County’s tourism industry. These section topics include: inventory and product assessment, desired future state overview, destination markets, risk assessment & management implementation, and prioritized product development recommendations. During the semester our consulting team visited Randolph County collectively once.

We would like to thank the community of Randolph County, particularly the Heart of North Carolina’s Tourism Bureau, for their time and support of our efforts. We would also like to thank Dr. Gene Brothers for his support throughout this process. While challenging, this project was a pleasure for us to undergo and we hope our findings will be useful for Randolph County. If additional inquiries and/or assistance is needed after receiving this report, please feel free to contact members of our consulting group at http://www.ncsu.edu/directory/.

Respectfully Submitted,

David Bachman, Hannah Collins, Colin Genthert, Kelly Hobbs, Pamela Myers, Dylan Poythress, Robert Smith, & Jayme Wainer

Table of Contents

Section I: Introduction ...... 1

1. Background...... 1

2. Assumptions ...... 3

3.Goals and Strategic Objectives ...... 4

4. Sustainable Tourism Philosophy ...... 5

5. Destination Image...... 6

6. Stakeholders...... 7

Section II: Destination Inventory/Product Assessment...... 9

1. Visitor Assess ...... 10

2. Accommodations ...... 11

3. Food Services...... 13

4. Entertainment/Attractions ...... 15

5. Recreational Activities ...... 16

6. Visitor Services...... 18

7. Meeting Space...... 19

8. Shopping ...... 20

9. Traditional Elements of Marketing ...... 22 a. Product...... 22 b. Place...... 23 c. Price ...... 23 d. Promotion...... 24

Section III: Desired Future State Overview ...... 26

1. Visitor Assess ...... 26

2. Accommodations ...... 27

3. Food Services...... 29

4. Entertainment/Attractions ...... 29

5. Recreational Activities ...... 30

6. Visitor Services...... 31

7. Meeting Space...... 32

8. Shopping ...... 32

9. Additional Elements of Marketing...... 33 a. Partnerships ...... 33 b. Packaging...... 34 c. Programming...... 35 d. Positioning ...... 36 e. People...... 36 f. Planning...... 37

Section IV: Destination Markets...... 39

1.Entertainment/ Attractions ...... 39

2. Recreational Activities ...... 41

3. Meeting Space...... 43

4. Shopping...... 44

5. Potential New Market...... 45

Section V: Risk Assessment & Management Implementation...... 47 Risk Assessment 1. Natural & Manmade Hazards ...... 47

2. Weather ...... 49

iii

Risk Management Implementation 3. Safety Training...... 49

4. Emergency Preparedness Procedures and Equipment...... 50

5. Public Relations/Communications ...... 51

Section VI: Prioritized Gap Analysis Overview...... 53

1. Gap Analysis...... 53

2. Action Plan...... 55 a. Product Development ...... 56 b. New Target Market ...... 57 c. New Promotional Efforts ...... 59 d. Public Relations...... 60

3. Evaluation and Records...... 61

Reference ...... 63

Appendix ...... 65

Section I: Introduction

Our consulting team is conducting a Destination Gap Analysis for Randolph County, North Carolina. Randolph County is centrally located in North Carolina (see Figure 1 below). A destination gap analysis is conducted to assist a tourism destination in determining what is lacking or what the “gap” is to gaining a desired tourism destination. Our team will be evaluating Randolph County through a comparison of goals and objectives that stakeholders would like to see the county obtain and the current state of the tourism product. Through research into the image that tourists already have of Randolph County, and through the desired state that stakeholders envision as the role of tourism in the county, this gap analysis will provide a roadmap to development. This analysis will evaluate tourism attractions as well as local businesses in an effort to showcase what currently makes Randolph County a destination. The final sections in this report will make recommendations as to what the stakeholders need to do in order to make Randolph County a better destination.

1. Background

As the 11th largest county in North Carolina, Randolph County is also the 19th highest in population density. With 790 square miles, Randolph County’s scenic landscape was once described as having “gently rolling hills, river valleys, and forest lands.” Located within this county, lies the towns of Archdale, Asheboro, Franklinville, Liberty, Ramseur, Randleman, Seagrove, Stanley, and Trinity.

Figure 1: The figure above is a map of Randolph County’s placement within the state of North Carolina. The second figure shows an enlargement of Randolph County, with a more clear depiction of city and town placement.

This particular area is considered part of the Piedmont Triad Region, which houses features such as the Piedmont Triad International Airport, interstate highways, the presence of many colleges and universities, and a developed cultural life. While Randolph County is part of the largest metropolitan area in North Carolina, it still has that sweet small-town charm ("Welcome to the Heart of North Carolina!" 14 January 2013). The County of Randolph was formed in 1779, and it was named after the first president of the Continental Congress, Peyton Randolph. At the time, Randolph County was also the original location of Duke University. Randolph County is the home of the Pisgah Covered Bridge, one of the last remaining covered bridges in the state. Back in 1911, it was proposed that a new county, Piedmont County, was to be created from Guilford, Randolph, and Davidson counties. However, due to intense disagreement from the public, this proposition was immediately disregarded in 1911. Randolph County has a total of 17 historical landmarks, noting specific events dating back to 1775. Some of the most prominent sites include the Liberty Train Depot, the Patterson Cottage Museum, Randolph High School and the Ramseur Community Museum & Randolph

Room at Randolph Library ("Welcome to the Heart of North Carolina!" 14 January 2013). In the tourism industry, it is important to understand the local residences, their culture, and their needs, to make destination decisions that will benefit visitors as well as the existing community. Housing approximately 9,752,073 people in 2012 ("Randolph County, North Carolina" 13 January 2013), most families of Randolph County are white and earn less than $75,000 annually. The people of Randolph County are predominantly Republican. Market segments can be described to include mature, downscale people without children, downscale middle aged with children, lower-middle working class with children, and lower-mid mature without children ("My Best Segments." 14 January 2013). With this baseline information about Randolph County residences, more informative and culturally appropriate decisions can be made in regards to destination development. Randolph County houses a number of attractions, significant events, and things to do for people of all ages and interests.

2. Assumptions

To complete this gap analysis for Randolph County, some assumptions need to be made by our consulting group. These assumptions are necessary due to the availability of information and the time for completing this analysis. The restrictions on collection of information are limited to publicly available resources and to a single team site visit to the county. Given these limitations an assumption is that county tourism stakeholders will use the results and recommendations of this analysis to inform future tourism development decisions. Additionally, an assumption for this analysis is that the primary visitor markets to the county will be those who drive. With no large airports in Randolph County, it is assumed visitors drive to the attractions or travel by public transportation. Highways and all major roads to attractions need to be in good shape for an easy trip by visitors. There should also be multiple routes to get to attractions. If attractions are easily accessible then visitors are more likely to attend.

Randolph County has much to offer as a destination, whether at the NC Zoo, shopping venues or historic sites, another assumption is that to keep visitors happy and returning to the “heart” of North Carolina, changes in the tourism offer must keep happening. In order for changes to keep occurring, we are assuming that stakeholders in the county are seeking improvements in tourism for Randolph County especially in transportation. According to the Transportation Planning Branch of the North Carolina Department of Transportation and Randolph County, there are plans to improve highways, public transportation, rails, bicycle routes, and pedestrian trails. Highways include US 64, NC 49, I-74, etc; all of which are heavily frequented by visitors heading to Randolph County. A new transportation center is to be created in Asheboro to provide bus services and an NC Zoo Connector. Additional bicycle routes and pedestrian trails will also be created around the county. Assuming Randolph County sticks to these plans, routes and types of transportation will improve and provide for better tourism access. Transportation, which provides access to attractions and tourist activities, is an important aspect of the tourism system. Randolph County has much to offer as a destination due to the many attractions, which make tourism of much importance in the county. Due to the importance of tourism, we can assume the population is positive about tourism and welcomes visitors into the county. Tourism is not only important to the economy of the county but is also important to the local businesses in the county so the population must keep visitors happy and returning. Making these assumptions, we can conduct of gap analysis to the best of our abilities.

3. Goals and Strategic Objectives There are specific goals to achieve a gap analysis for a destination. To achieve these goals for Randolph County formulation of strategic objectives with measurable outcomes are essential. The primary goals of this gap analysis will be to 1) document the existing tourism system in Randolph County and then 2) identify the desired future state for tourism. A third goal will be to provide the tourism stakeholders and

4 residents of Randolph County with a deeper appreciation of the tourism offer in the county. Finally, this gap analysis will provide options and recommendations to county stakeholders for moving toward a comprehensive equitable and sustainable tourism development agenda. These efforts to take an assessment of the tourism offerings will include compiling sources of information on Visitor Access (transportation), Accommodations, Food Services, Entertainment/Attractions, Recreational Activities, Visitor Services, Meeting Space, and Shopping. This information will include quantities, locations, and timing of these tourism assets. The second goal will be achieved through documentation of county stakeholder opinions of what is important to them in terms of quality of life in the county, their perception of benefits of tourism, and to have them articulate their levels of acceptable change. It will also be important for the second goal to have the stakeholders identify desired markets if tourism is developed to bring additional visitors to the county. An appreciation by the residents for tourism assets found in Randolph County will be an important aspect of this gap analysis. This goal will be achieved through an effort to train and educate the public through formal and informal means on hospitality, the economics of tourism, and opportunities for providing customer service to visitors. In addition, this appreciation for the tourism industry will be included in the county wide risk identification and risk management initiative focused on the safety of residents and visitors to Randolph County. The final goal, to provide options and recommendations to county stakeholders for moving toward a comprehensive equitable and sustainable tourism development agenda, will be achieved by identification of specific details of various approaches, the diversity found in the county, and the issues significant to short and long-range tourism planning efforts. These recommendations will include different types of human resources to formulate new opportunities and offerings for Randolph County.

4. Sustainable Tourism Philosophy Tourism is an important economic influence in communities found in Randolph County, NC. The tourism infrastructure must balance the needs of the community as well as the visitors. The benefits from tourism will be much appreciated, if the tourism is

5 stable, equitable and sustainable. All tourism offerings should be, in theory, sustainable because this gives the communities in Randolph County a better chance of showcasing their wonderful destinations for generations to come without sacrificing their way of life. Sustainability is meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. Developing tourism that displays the true nature of the destination is critical and much appreciated in the destination’s communities. For example, Seagrove is well known for the craftsmanship of their pottery, and locals and tourists value the time and effort put into every piece of this artwork. Having this type of attraction that locals cherish and visitors admire is something that will remain sustainable for a long time. By keeping sustainable practices in mind, Randolph County will have a bright future in tourism because they can highlight their beautiful countryside, rich culture and the friendly hospitality of the people living here. The communities will be able to exhibit things such as: museums, attractions, local arts, entertainment venues, historic landmarks, and heritage-rich towns. Tourism development in Randolph County which focuses on a sustainable philosophy will create a quality destination that many will enjoy visiting time and time again.

5. Destination Image This area is known as the “heart” of North Carolina, located in the center of the state and surrounded by luscious valleys, forestlands, and rolling hills. It is close enough to larger cities to have access to all of the conveniences but small enough to escape from the urban traffic. Randolph County is known for their array of museums, festivals, art venues, historical landmarks, and much more. Although Asheboro is known as the county seat, additionally people come to this county to travel to the town of Seagrove, which is also known as the pottery capital of the United States. In addition to a wide range of shopping venues, Randolph County has 5 golf courses, over 7 recreational facilities, 14 outdoor destinations, Asheboro Copperheads Baseball, the Caraway Speedway, and the Zoo City Motorsports Park. If you are looking for a place to purchase some unique hand thrown pottery, Seagrove is the place to go! Uwharrie National Forest is also located in Randolph County. This national forest is full of scenic

6 beauty in nature with many exciting recreational activities available. Another great attraction which helps to create the image of the county is the North Carolina Zoo which is located in Asheboro. Being the largest public natural habitat zoo in the country, this is a huge tourist attraction in the county and a main reason that people travel to this part of the state. Randolph County is also known for the Richard Petty Museum and NASCAR fun at the Caraway Speedway.

6. Stakeholders The main stakeholders of Randolph County are the Board of County Commissioners. This board makes decisions about land use planning, recreation, utilities, building inspections and permits, waste disposal and recycling, libraries, tourism, and emergency response. The board is made up of five commissioners. The Board of Commissioners address issues of budgeting, tax refunds, and land use permits; all of which are important in assessment of tourism in the county. Another stakeholder that plays a key role in Randolph County is the tax office. The purpose of the tax office is to ensure that all county real and personal property is listed and equitably assessed for taxes in accordance with North Carolina General Statutes (state laws); to employ all lawful means to collect property taxes levied by the governing board (County Board of Commissioners); and to provide cost-efficient and quality customer service to the citizens and taxpayers of Randolph County. Large employers within Randolph County are Randolph County Schools, Klaussner Home Furnishings, Energizer Battery Co., Randolph Hospital, Wal-Mart, Acme –McCrary Corp., Asheboro City Schools, Hughes Furniture Industries, Sealy Inc., Teleflex Medical, and Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company. In addition to these companies, the North Carolina Zoo is also seeking to bring in new opportunities for this area. The state of North Carolina is a key stakeholder as they have invested tens of millions of dollars in the Zoological Park, which is a vision for the state to create the best zoo in the world. Randolph County has a chamber of commerce that has been in existence since 1796. The Randolph Chamber of Commerce serves as both an organization focused on the economic vitality of Randolph County and as an information resource for both

7 residents and tourists. The Convention and Visitor Bureau is responsible for Randolph County’s travel and tourism promotion and is also the catalyst for visitor-related economic development. Other stakeholders in the county include sectors of the tourism industry. The majority of the accommodations that are available in Randolph County are franchise motels. Other accommodations available are Bed and Breakfasts and campgrounds. Several attractions which are managed for residents and visitors are also stakeholders for this analysis. As resident stakeholders, high school and college students should be more involved in the tourism industry, the Randolph County Convention and Visitor’s Bureau needs to incorporate them into the community and teach the importance of local tourism. High school and Community College classes should be at the top of the list to volunteer for festivals, fundraisers, and events. The youth of Randolph County are the future and the more they appreciate their home, then the better off the county will be for years to come.

Section II: Destination Inventory/Product Assessment

This section aims to evaluate and determine objectively how Randolph County is currently doing in terms of tourism supply. With this information, further analysis can be conducted and recommendations for further improvements can be made in regards to tourism in Randolph County. In its current state, Randolph County offers a wide range of noteworthy attractions, activities, and nationally recognized events (See Figure 2 below), all of which have the potential to draw tourists to this area. Specific aspects of the county’s current offerings are described in the following categories: visitor access (transportation), accommodations, food services, entertainment/attractions, recreational activities, visitor services, meeting space and shopping.

Figure 2: Above is a map of Randolph County with depictions of some the popular attractions that are currently offered in this area. Randolph County hosts many noteworthy events throughout the year that draws interest from a wide range of people.

1. Visitor Access Randolph County is considered a “drive-to” destination. Each year visitors travel from North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, Maryland, West Virginia, and Ohio to enjoy some of the main attractions Randolph County has to offer. With that being said, driving is the primarily mode of transportation to access this area. Fortunately, close proximity to I-85, I-73, and other major highways, makes drive-to access to Randolph County relatively convenient for guests. A complete list of the transportation services this county offers is below.

Transportation Services Air Travel ● Asheboro Regional Airport (Phone: 336-625-6120)- Asheboro *Nearby is Charlotte Douglas International Airport, Piedmont Triad International Airport, and Raleigh-Durham International Airport*

Auto Rentals ● Hertz (Phone: 336-625-5411)- Asheboro ● Enterprise (Phone: 336-625-0560)- Asheboro

Public Transit ● PART- Piedmont Triad Regional Transportation (Phone: 336-662-0002)- Asheboro & Randleman

Rail ● Amtrak Greensboro (Phone: 336-272-6755)- Asheboro ● Amtrak High Point (Phone: 336-884-0878)- Archdale & Trinity Taxi ● First Class Taxi (Phone: 336-885-1966)- Archdale ● Red Bird Cab (Phone: 336-886-5001)- Archdale ● Red Bird Cab (Phone: 336-672-2200)- Asheboro

Motorcoach ● Holiday Tours (Phone: 336-498-9000)- Asheboro & Randleman

2. Accommodations Randolph County has three main groups of accommodation services; these include hotel, bed and breakfast, and campground options. Right now in Randolph County, there are a maximum of 1,100 hotel rooms, 14 B&B rooms, and about 360 campground sites available. Though many options, the Heart of North Carolina’s Tourism Bureau often defers visitors to other towns (in other counties) for accommodation services due to the lack of available space in Randolph, an issue that will be further discussed in Section III. More specific details of the available accommodation spaces Randolph County has to offer are as follows.

Bed & Breakfast

(“Welcome to the Heart of North Carolina!”)

Hotel

(“Welcome to the Heart of North Carolina!”)

Campgrounds

3. Food Services Randolph County has a lot to offer when it comes to food services. Throughout the county, there are vast amounts of fast food restaurants that you can stop at while you are just passing through. This ranges from diners, to bars and grills, to delicious buffets and so much more that you can find in this destination. The county is best known for its delicious barbeque where two of the best-known barbeque restaurants are

13 found in Asheboro and Archdale. Wherever you travel throughout the county, you can be sure to find a good bite to eat in a great atmosphere somewhere!

Barbeque ● Blue Mist BBQ- Asheboro ● Hop’s Barbeque- Asheboro ● Henry James Barbeque- Asheboro ● Archdale BBQ- Archdale

Bakery/Dessert/Coffee Houses ● Archdale Bakery- Archdale ● Mama Laura’s Chocolates- Archdale ● Nattie’s Frozen Creations- Archdale ● The Wet Whistle Co.- Archdale ● Asheboro Donuts- Asheboro ● Brew Bake’s Coffee and Cake- Asheboro ● Central Bakery- Asheboro ● Coffee X-Change- Asheboro ● Creative Cakes- Asheboro ● Di’lishi Frozen Yogurt Bar- Asheboro ● Gingerbread House- Asheboro ● Cupcakes to Go- Randleman

Buffets ● Mary B’s Southern Kitchen- Archdale ● Pioneer Family Restaurant- Archdale ● Bamboo Garden Oriental Restaurant- Asheboro ● CiCi’s Pizza- Asheboro ● Golden Corral- Asheboro

Deli ● Archdale Subs- Archdale ● Magnolia 23- Asheboro

Diners ● Carolina’s Diner- Archdale ● Dixie III Restaurant- Asheboro ● Heritage Diner- Asheboro ● Sandy’s Café- Asheboro ● Franklinville Restaurant- Franklinville

● Sherry’s Family Style Restaurant- Ramseur ● Seagrove Family Restaurant- Seagrove ● Hillsville Family Café- Trinity

Bars/Grills ● Uptown Charlie’s Pub and Grub- Asheboro ● America’s Roadhouse- Asheboro ● Chili’s Grill and Bar- Asheboro ● Sagebrush Steakhouse- Asheboro ● Something Different Steaks and Kabobs- Asheboro ● J Butler’s Bar and Grille- Archdale ● Main Street South Steakhouse- Randleman

Brew/Pub/Wineries ● Lumina Wine and Beer- Asheboro ● Off the Vine- Liberty

Fast Foods ● Biscuitville- Archdale, Asheboro ● Bojangles- Archdale, Asheboro, Randleman ● Hardee’s- Archdale, Randleman ● McDonald’s- Archdale, Asheboro, Randleman ● Subway- Archdale, Asheboro, Liberty, Randleman ● Wendy’s- Archdale, Randleman ● Arby’s- Asheville ● Burger King- Asheboro ● Chick-fil-A- Asheboro ● Jimmy John’s- Asheboro ● Zaxby’s- Asheboro ● KFC- Asheboro ● Taco Bell- Randleman

4. Entertainment/Attractions In Randolph County there is always something to do. The entertainment and attractions range from bigger venues that draw people all over the world such as the zoo, to the smaller venues such as the pottery museum in Seagrove that tells the history of some of the earliest pottery. Throughout Randolph County, there are other attractions for everyone to enjoy. These include different racing attractions such as Caraway Speedway, and for sport lovers, the Asheboro Copperheads baseball team.

Attractions include: the Richard Petty Museum, Museum of North Carolina Traditional Pottery, and the John Deere Vintage Tractor Museum for the history nuts. Plus there are numerous festivals for people who like to come and simply have a good time. When it comes to Randolph County there are plenty of things to come see and experience. ● Zimmerman Vineyards-Archdale ● Bush Hill Heritage Festival-Archdale ● North Carolina Zoo -Asheboro ● Caraway Speedway-Asheboro ● North Carolina Aviation Museum and Hall of Fame-Asheboro ● American Classic Motorcycle Museum-Asheboro ● Asheboro Copperheads Baseball at Mccrary Park-Asheboro ● Liberty Antiques Festival-Liberty ● Millstone Creek Orchards-Ramseur ● Ramseur Community Museum-Ramseur ● Richard Petty Museum-Randleman ● Victory Junction-Randleman ● Nascar Day Festival-Randleman ● Seagrove Pottery Festival-Seagrove ● Celebration of Seagrove Potters-Seagrove ● Museum of North Carolina Traditional Pottery-Seagrove ● North Carolina Pottery Center-Seagrove ● Seagrove Orchids-Seagrove ● Zoo City MotorSports Park-Seagrove ● High Point Furniture Market-Trinity ● Trinity Museum-Trinity ● John Deere Vintage Tractor Museum-Trinity

5. Recreational Activities Randolph County has much to offer visitors in regards to recreation with many opportunities all over the county. One can hike, bike, boat, fish, golf, zip line and much more; it is all offered in Randolph County. An inventory of recreational areas is listed below:

Hiking ● Deep River Rail Trail - Franklinville, NC

● UWharrie National Forest - Troy, NC

Nature Walks ● Pisgah Covered Bridge - Asheboro, NC ● UWharrie National Forest - Troy, NC

Biking ● Deep River Rail Trail - Franklinville, NC ● UWharrie National Forest - Troy, NC

Golf ● Asheboro Country Club - Asheboro, NC ● Asheboro Municipal Golf Course - Asheboro, NC ● Holly Ridge Golf Links - Archdale, NC ● Tot Hill Farm Golf Club - Asheboro, NC ● UWharrie Golf Club - Asheboro, NC

Fishing ● Lake Lucas - Asheboro, NC ● Deep River Rail Trail - Franklinville, NC

Boating ● Randleman Lake Marina - Randleman, NC

Sailing ● Randleman Lake Marina - Randleman, NC

Paddle boating ● Randleman Lake Marina - Randleman, NC

Ziplining ● Richland Creek Zipline Canopy Tour - Asheboro, NC

Gemstone Mining ● Sunny Slopes Farm and Ranch - Asheboro, NC

Outdoor parks ● Asheboro Skate Park - Asheboro, NC

● Allen H. Leonard Memorial Park - Ramseur, NC ● Bicentennial Park - Asheboro, NC ● Creekside Park - Archdale, NC ● Ramseur Lake Recreational Facility - Ramseur, NC ● Lake Lucas - Asheboro, NC ● North Asheboro Park - Asheboro, NC

Disc Golf ● North Asheboro Park - Asheboro, NC

Horseback riding ● Routh Horse Ranch - Franklinville, NC ● UWharrie National Forest - Troy, NC

Pick Blueberries, blackberries, peaches, grapes, apples, etc.  Millstone Creek Orchards - Ramseur, NC

Camping  UWharrie National Forest - Troy, NC

6. Visitor Services Randolph County, also known as the Heart of North Carolina, has a number of visitor services that provide helpful information to tourists and locals alike. The Heart of North Carolina visitor centers provide a relaxing atmosphere in which visitors can learn about the area as well as feel comfortable and at ease. The visitor services in Randolph County are a great place to learn about the county as whole as well as learn about destinations and activities they can engage in while on their trip. They are a key aspect that tourists can utilize while visiting Randolph County. Heart of North Carolina Visitor Center ● Northbound Visitor Center ● Southbound Visitor Center

On-Site Visitor Information ● Heart of North Carolina Visitors Bureau ● Randolph Chamber of Commerce

Tours ● Randolph County Quilt Trail

● Randolph Ramble-Art Studio Tour (driving)

Historic Landmarks ● Historic Landmark Preservation Commission

Direct Contacts ● Vicki Bloxham, Office & Visitor Services Coordinator ● LuLane Long, Office & Visitors Services Assistant

7. Meeting Space

Randolph County is home to conventional meeting spaces as well as some unique event spaces ranging from hotels to churches and even the Asheboro zoo.

Regardless of what type of meeting a client is holding, Randolph County has a space for them. The following is a list of meeting spaces available:

8. Shopping

Randolph County has a lot of shopping areas and sites to visit such as: antique shopping, arts and crafts, clothing boutiques, gifts, home furnishings, malls, outlets, and speciality shops. A lot of the shopping is located in Asheboro and Seagrove; however, all of the towns have something to offer. The inventory located below is a good source for finding all of the shopping areas in Randolph County:

Antique Shopping ● Collector’s Antique Mall- Asheboro ● Flea Marketers- Asheboro ● Somewhere in Time- Randleman ● The Shadow Box- Liberty ● Vintage Cottage- Asheboro

Arts and Crafts ● Brightside Gallery- Asheboro ● Dish’n- A Paint Your Own Pottery Studio- Asheboro ● Liberty Artisan and Craft Gallery- Liberty ● State of the Art- Asheboro ● Susan Harrell Studio Gallery- Asheboro ● The Prey Possum- Asheboro

Clothing Boutique ● Carolyn’s- Liberty ● Etc. Boutique- Asheboro ● KK Mae’s Boutique and Gifts- Randleman ● Land-N-Lassie Clothing Outlet- Randleman

Gifts and Collectibles ● A F and G- Asheboro ● Awesome Finds Vintage, Thrift, and Gift- Liberty ● Charmed- Asheboro ● Faith Book Nook- Asheboro ● NC Pottery Center Gift Shop- Seagrove ● P B and J (PocketBooks and Jewelry)- Archdale ● Picket Fence Interiors and Gifts- Asheboro

● Ross House Home and Garden- Asheboro ● Shady Ladies- Archdale ● Special Occasions Unlimited- Asheboro ● W.H. Moring RAG Gift Shop- Asheboro

Home Furnishings ● Ashley Interiors- High Point ● Furnitureland South- Jamestown ● Hardin’s Furniture- Asheboro ● High Point Furniture Market ● Painted Picked- Randleman ● Spade and Broom- Trinity

Mall/ Shopping Center  Randolph Mall- Asheboro

Outlets ● Clothes Warehouse- Asheboro ● Expressions Clothing Outlet- Asheboro ● Rose Garment Company Outlet- Asheboro ● Save-A-Lot Carpet Flooring Outlet by Flinchum’s- Asheboro ● Southern Wholesale- Asheboro ● Walker Show Outlet- Asheboro

Specialty Shop ● Back N Time- Asheboro ● Cox’s Harley- Davidson- Asheboro ● Delk’s Army-Navy Surplus- Asheboro ● Hillsville Hardware- Trinity ● James River Equipment- Asheboro ● Liberty Hardware and General Store- Liberty ● Melvin’s Variety Store- Randleman ● Seagrove Hardware- Seagrove ● Spinz Bicycle Shop- Archdale ● Sports Attic- Asheboro ● Summit Park Tees and Gifts- Liberty

Randolph County offers many attractions and services in its current state. Another key feature of Randolph County that does not fit under any of these categories is the atmosphere of this district. As the heart of North Carolina, the culture of Randolph

County can be defined as small-town, southern charm. The inventory of the county as well as their regional way of life is important to note in our analysis, especially later on, when target markets are defined. Further observations to the currently utilized marketing efforts is identified below:

9. Traditional Elements of Marketing a) Product In addition to a wide range of shopping venues, Randolph County has 5 golf courses, over 7 recreational facilities, 14 outdoor destinations, Asheboro Copperheads Baseball, the Caraway Speedway, and the Zoo City MotorSports Park. This area also hosts the Seagrove Pottery Festival, which was listed in the Top 20 Things to do by the Southeast Tourism Society, and the Liberty Antiques Festival, which was voted the best antique show of the Mid-Atlantic Region ("Welcome to the Heart of North Carolina! 13 January 2013). Randolph County is most known for the North Carolina State Zoological Park, as well as the Richard Petty Museum, Uwharrie National Forest, The North Carolina Pottery Center, Seagrove area potteries, and Victory Junction ("Welcome to the Heart of North Carolina!" 13 January 2013). Due to the many famous attractions located in Randolph County, a diverse segment of tourism visit this area. The NC State Zoo attracts visitors across the country because it is the nation’s largest natural habitat zoo. NASCAR fans come to Randolph to celebrate the legend, Richard Petty, at his very own museum of lifetime accomplishments. The town of Seagrove is the home of some of the most notable pottery in the world. This area has almost a hundred different pottery sites and internationally acclaimed works of art for tourists and residents of this area to enjoy. Randolph County’s has its own Victory Junction, which is a 65 acre site, founded by Richard Petty, that provides camping experiences for chronically ill children. Nature- lovers of all ages enjoy the Unwharrie National Forest’s beauty year around. Below is a map with some of Randolph’s most notable features.

b) Place

Randolph County is a beautiful destination that has a number of memorable places to visit. Among the top attractions are the North Carolina Zoo, Richard Petty Museum, and the plethora of pottery facilities in Seagrove. The North Carolina Zoo opened in 1976 and today has 1,100 animals as well as 41,000 plants from North America and Africa. Richard Petty Museum was established in 1988 and is a historic display of NASCAR great Richard Petty. Seagrove is the United States’ largest potter community as well as the most historic pottery location. Among Randolph County’s top recreation locations are: Pisgah Covered Bridge, Uwharrie National Forest, and Deep River Rail Trail. Uwharrie National Forest is an astonishing 51,000 acres and offers a variety of activities such as: hiking, nature walking, fishing, hunting, and trapping. Pisgah Covered Bridge, located in Uwharrie National Forest, was built in 1911 and ranges 54 feet across. This is a prime location for leisurely activities such as picnics and photography. Deep River Rail Trail offers a variety of leisure activities including biking, hiking, and fishing. It is also a historic location from the Revolutionary War as well as the native lands of Native Americans. c) Price

Pricing tourism services in Randolph County is important in the respect that it builds value and creates a demand in the marketplace. Pricing is one key element in a destinations success, and the service or activity is only worth what the customer is willing to pay for it. Pricing is a balance between internal costs, market demand, and the strategic goals of Randolph County. First the businesses must evaluate the market conditions to establish a profitable/competitive pricing structure. Start by researching competitor’s prices and what they offer to their customers, so the business can effectively determine the best price for their guests.

● Per person pricing: This pricing strategy is commonly used in attractions or recreational activities. This is where the visitor pays once and is given a ticket or voucher to experience the tourism/recreational opportunity. For example, the rates charged may be: Adult, child and senior price levels.

● Pricing Accommodations: Most accommodations have prices set per night, so individuals or groups pay the set price for every night they decide to stay in the lodging. Some Hotels/Motels charge for additional guests in the rooms.

● Discounts: Discounts are another great way to invite outside visitors to enjoy Randolph County. The lower cost may be just what they are looking for in their travel destination. The discounts can be offered in restaurants, lodging or activities located around popular tourist spots. The discounts should only be applied at key times in the season to effectively draw visitors, so at other time the normal rates can be charged.

● Package Deals: Some visitors to Randolph may enjoy visitor’s package deals. It would be beneficial for some of the businesses to work out a deal together to enjoy a steady stream of tourists to their establishments. Package deals may also be a good way to target a market the business owners want to capitalize on. For example, a package deal to Randolph could include tickets to the zoo, vineyard tour and a dinner for two at a popular restaurant. d) Promotion Randolph County does a decent job in their efforts in advertising, product promotions, and public relation involvement. A few ways they establish effective advertising, is through websites such as www.co.randolph.nc.us and www.heartofnorthcarolina.com. With these sites, visitors can easily have access to information on visitor services, transportation, recreational activities, attractions, food services, lodging and much more. Other forms of advertising come through commercials or tv and radio advertisements. Mostly these advertisements do not focus much on Randolph County as a destination, but rather do they focus on the major attractions such as the North Carolina Zoo and Victory Junction. The North Carolina Zoo kind of promotes itself, considering when visitors want know find out where to find the nation’s largest natural habitat zoo, its in Asheboro, North Carolina. In several television and radio advertisements, Richard Petty’s Victory Junction has been promoted throughout the years. A man of Richard Petty’s stature does great wonders 24 for public relations and him promoting a camp for kids with specials needs helps establish Randolph County as well respectable and diverse place to be.

Section III: Desired Future State Overview

As a tourism destination Randolph County has the “bones” of a top destination site, however there are some areas that need further developing for Randolph to be more visitor friendly and to increase repeat visits, thus to continue to flourish as a destination hot spot. From antique markets and world-renown pottery to NASCAR, motorway fans, Randolph’s variety of national-noted attractions are sure to appeal to almost every visitor demographic. This section is going to provide a scenario of what the future holds for Randolph County as a “best in the region” destination. In addition to the number of exciting attractions, it has been noted that visitors enjoy the laid-back, local southern culture of the area. Cities of Randolph County are picturesque rural towns, complete with small-town charm and plenty of southern hospitality. Visitors also particularly note Randolph’s natural beauty and rustic appeal. This area takes pride in their family-owned, family-orientated way of life, and is quick to make people feel right at home. Overall, there are many areas for potential growth that can maximize marketing efforts and increase visitor accessibility, without losing that rural, small-town feel which residences want to stay the same.

1. Visitor Access As it has been for many years and still today, Randolph County is more dominantly known as a “drive-to” destination. While this destination does provide some scattered places of public transportation such as buses, a visitor should still not rely on this as primary transportation resource, especially since the majority of locations within Randolph County do not provide this. Within and surrounding the “Heart of North Carolina” are a few airports that will also provide rental car services such as Hertz and Enterprise. According to the Director of Tourism, Tammy O’Kelley, if you want to get around in Randolph County you are going to need a car. The future state of Randolph County includes additional public transportation in certain areas like Seagrove, Archdale, Franklinville, Liberty, Ramseur, Staley, and Trinity. However, there is a transportation service being developed between Franklinville and Ramseur called the Deep River Rail Trail, which will connect the two towns. Because visitors expect public

26 transportation and easy access to virtually all tourism spots, efficient transportation infrastructure and straightforward way-find signage will be improved to reduced wasted time, money, and energy. Despite public services’ efforts in improving transportation services around the each city and town, our consulting group feels that Randolph County will benefit more from retaining its small town charm by developing auto transportation, rather than becoming a multi-modal transportation hub. In the future, parking will also be addressed and increased throughout the county. The main use for parking in Randolph County destinations is primarily used by business professionals during the week. However, most leisure travelers frequent this area on the weekends therefore limiting available parking spaces. Also according to Tammy O’Kelley, in downtown Asheboro parking is hard to come by on Wednesday and Thursday nights, but if it were a Friday or Saturday night it would be near impossible to find a parking spot. In this future, this problem will not exist. Strategic parking venues will be established to accommodate for visitor demands.

2. Accommodations Randolph County has limited accommodation space and is losing money to neighboring counties year around, especially when seasonal demand is high. In its future state, more accommodation spaces will be available to visitors within the Randolph County borders. Right now, Randolph County supports a maximum of 1100 hotel rooms primarily in Asheboro and Archdale. However, there are only 850 of those 1100 that the Heart of North Carolina Visitors Bureau support and recommend for visitors. Once those rooms are booked, the Visitors Bureau denies visitors to High Point, Lexington, and Winston-Salem for accommodations. For example, consider the “Rugged Maniac” event that is being held this spring. This 5K obstacle course event hosts about 5,000 participants and attracts another 5,000 spectators. With over 10,000 individuals and only 850 available rooms in the area, perhaps one can see the magnitude of this missed revenue opportunity. This is a severe cash flow leakage that will be addressed, not only for the Asheboro/Archdale area, but also other popular towns in the county. In its future state, Seagrove and Randleman will have enough constant demand to each support a hotel for their local visitors. Due to the economic

27 recession and changes within the banking industry these tourism developments have not been expanded; however these are areas of leakage that will also be stopped. In addition, the Visitors Bureau will work with those unsupported hotel spaces by educating them on proper accommodation standards in an effort to maximize available occupancy space and ensure customer satisfaction. Another accommodation venue that needs to up the ante is the Bed & Breakfast market. Out of the limited number of B&Bs available, the Duck Smith House located in Seagrove is the only one that the Randolph County Visitors Bureau recommends. While the other local B&Bs tend to stay busy, their lack of professionalism, care for customers, unfriendly structure, and array of services does not support the ideal B&B experience that customers are expecting. These missed opportunities are negatively affecting the destination image by creating bad publicly and connotations with Randolph County. However, improved relationship and guidance by the RC Tourism Bureau with B&B owners will mitigate the negative image of B&Bs in Randolph County and increase visitor satisfaction in the future. Lastly, while the campground sites in Randolph County are very family-friendly, owners or potential venue capitalists will look into providing a camping experience for the more modernized camper population. Proximity to local shopping centers, cabin lodging, and reliable tram transportation to local attractions are what more modernized campers are looking for this in day in age. The Tourism Bureau will monitor these changes and work with campsite directors to ensure that the existing camping customer base are not losing the primitive, natural camping experience that they are looking for. Overall, Randolph County’s accommodations while partially existent have the potential to directly impact tourism in a positive way with the various improvements as discussed above. Strategic development efforts will be taken so that they do not take away from the existing rural, southern, natural culture that uniquely differentiates Randolph County from other destinations.

3. Food Services Randolph County offers a very broad selection of food services, from fast food to bars and grills to delis, and everything in between including what the county is especially known for, their delicious BBQ restaurants. Seeing that the most well-known and successful BBQ restaurants are located in Archdale and Asheboro, Randolph County will open these restaurants in other destinations throughout the county to increase visitor spending and improve visitors experience with this area. In addition to the vast amount of restaurants available, the Randolph County Department of Social Services provides the residents of this county with Food & Nutrition Services based on citizen income, fund reserves, and household size in order to provide residents with economic independence and family stability. These services provide comfort to the residents of Randolph County in knowing that there is plenty to offer in the food and health departments of their county. A great area of food service potential is related to Bed & Breakfasts. This venue is appealing for visitors because it offers accommodations and food services at the same location. Food service providers of Randolph County will work with existing B&B owners as well as future professionals of lodging venues to create improved relationships and mutually benefiting revenue opportunities to support visitors expectations and convenience needs. A successful food service venue of Randolph County is Zimmerman Vineyards located in Trinity, NC. This vineyard which features a rustic flagstone terrace and unique stone bar has drawn many tourists to weekend tours and wine tastings throughout the weeks. With all of the existing beautiful countryside views that this county has to offer, more vineyards will be opened and/or expanded to create increase capacity and to satisfy demand needs.

4. Entertainment/ Attractions Randolph County is known for many attractions, with the most popular being the North Carolina Zoo, located in Asheboro. The NC Zoo is the largest captive wildlife habitat in North America. Additional attractions include the pottery life in Seagrove, the furniture market in Trinity, and the various museums across the county among many

29 others.The North Carolina Zoo is the most significant annual revenue-generating attraction in the county. Smaller producing attractions are not on the same level as the NC Zoo because they are not as large or as well known. For the future, Randolph County will spend more marketing efforts to support smaller revenue-generating attractions to increase their popularity and impact on Randolph County Tourism. Such efforts will increase the contributions of existing attractions while reducing the risk of decreased visitor spending from possible decreased visitor frequency at the NC Zoo.

5. Recreational Activities Randolph County is a mecca for recreation activities. Fishing, hiking and boating are just a few of the many choices available on the 1,101 acres of the county. With acres consisting of the Uwharrie National Forest, Deep River, lakes, golf courses and many outdoor parks, visitors have plenty of opportunities to recreate and enjoy the beautiful outdoors. The Uwharrie National Forest is a great asset to recreation of Randolph County; offering trails available for hiking, biking, horseback riding and camping. The Deep River along with lakes such as Randleman Lake, Lake Lucas and Lake Reese attract many visitors for fishing, boating, sailing, swimming, paddle boating, canoeing and kayaking. Golf is also a popular activity in Randolph County as the county hosts eight courses. Ziplining, mining and orchards are not copious attractions of the county but they do provide visitors with differing experiences. It’s not everyday that one can fly through the trees, mine for gemstones or pick blueberries, blackberries or grapes at an orchard. Playground sets, swings and short trails of outdoor parks are abundant in Randolph County as they are in many counties. Randolph County offers plenty of outdoor recreation activities but few that set the county apart from the counties which surround it. Visitors want different experiences and in its future state that is what Randolph County is going to provide. The county will keep up with the demands of the visitor. Additional ziplining, accessible mining and orchard sites will increase visitor attendance of the county. The expansion of new recreation activities, such as ATV parks and ropes courses, will also increase visitor attendance and improve visitor retention rates.

While there are many outdoor recreational activities in Randolph County, indoor recreation activities are lacking. Indoor activities will be developed to attract visitors during the winter months. Indoor water parks, indoor rock climbing or spas will be successful investments to add to the mecca of recreation activities of Randolph County.

6. Visitor Services Randolph County has a number of visitor services including the Heart of North Carolina Visitors Bureau, the Northbound Visitors Center, the Southbound Visitors Center, Randolph Chamber of Commerce, Historic Landmarks and tours. Randolph County will develop a smartphone app that allows tourists to access exclusive deals and promotions to the twelve-marketed categories of the Visitors Bureau. There will be incentives and promotional opportunities for business participation in these marketing efforts including a drawing for several for businesses to be in the app for free. Any other company or store in Randolph that wants to be featured on this app will pay $560 for a year of contract. Randolph County will also communicate the message about their “Premier Card.” This card allows tourists exclusive discounts on attractions, dining, and retail. This is a great incentive for tourists to come visit as well a great way to promote local businesses simultaneously. Randolph’s visitor services will improve by providing online booking in relate to the Randolph County Visitors Bureau’s website. In the future, the Visitors Bureau will implement an online booking feature that will efficiently direct potential visitors to the information and services that they need. This feature will include accommodation booking for all existing and available options for guests and well as transportation booking options: rental car services, bus passes, plane tickets, etc. Online booking options for Randolph County will also be implemented on the North Carolina Tourism Bureau’s web page.

7. Meeting Space Meeting space is critical to any destination to succeed in the tourism sector. In Randolph County, the meeting space is varied between schools, hotels and even the North Carolina Zoo. From the project team’s interview, the majority of the business interaction and meetings happen Monday through Thursday. These are the peak business travel days for the county. Friday through Sunday Randolph receives more leisure travel. Many business professionals select hotel accommodations in correlation to the venue’s meeting space for improved efficiency and convenience. Therefore hotel venues, especially high-quality accommodation spaces, will reevaluate their meeting spaces size, technology, and perceived luxury. In addition, Randolph County will develop a high quality convention center to accommodate for large business meetings and events. The space could also be used for company parties or other social interactions. A moderately-sized convention center will allow for larger events to be held with ease, and larger events would drive more tourism dollars into Randolph’s economy. This convention center will be placed in an appropriate location and have sufficient parking, accessible accommodations nearby, and smooth traffic flow. Having a place to hold larger events or shows will be a beneficial tourism offering to incorporate into Randolph County.

8. Shopping There are many shopping opportunities throughout Randolph County. Anywhere from antique shops to boutiques to farmers markets, Randolph County has a lot to offer! With most of the main shopping being located in Asheboro, some of the other small towns such as Randleman and Liberty are attractions as well when it comes to shopping. Seagrove offers nearly 100 shops and galleries varying from traditional tableware to art and historical pieces. Archdale, which is a short four miles to High Point NC, home of the largest furnishing trade show and shopping district in the world you do not want to miss out on the great Furnitureland South, which is one of the largest home furnishings showplace,

32 just off Interstate 85. Because the furniture market is so popular, this creates a lot of tourism attraction to Randolph County. Shopping vendors of Randolph County as well as the Randolph County Visitors Bureau will improve on marketing efforts for shopping opportunities and current discounts and promotions. A “travel App” has been launched which will be very helpful and informative for visitors and tourists. The Antique Festival in Liberty NC, which is held April 26 & 27, and September 27 & 28 2013 is always a huge hit to the tourists. Director of Tourism, Tammy O’Kelly states “the antique festival attracts big time people like Julia Roberts and Bruce Willis.” Lastly, tourists and visitors who are camping, or staying in hotels have easy and close access to local shopping centers within walking distance which is something most people look for when finding a hotel or place to stay, and what better place than Randolph County!

9. Additional Elements of Marketing a) Partnerships Partnerships can be the key to successfully offering tourism services in a sustainable and effective way. In these economic times it is very important to find others to share costs and resources with. This puts fewer burdens on both parties and allows a mutually beneficial agreement in terms of tourism offerings. It is very beneficial to acquire a partner(s) who share an overall vision of the type of tourism structure the community wants. In Randolph County the small town look and feel is something to be proud of and use as a marketing brand to encourage visitation. Randolph County will improve business-to-business relationships within the community and form partnerships that will mutually benefit both parties. Randolph has very little in the form of chain sit-down restaurants, so local family owned chains are plentiful. Many tourists who are visiting love the southern hospitality and locally owned restaurants. For example, partnering with the locally owned restaurants such as “Something Different” or “Dixie (Southern Cooking)” may be one aspect to promote about Randolph. They can market Randolph as a destination with local family owned restaurants, and that may lure travelers to come and try out the cuisine. Other

33 partnership opportunities will be with local attractions, stores and museums to showcase the exciting things that can only be found in Randolph County. The county as a whole benefits from the increased tourism spending, and the businesses also have an increase in overall revenue from a positive partnership experience. b) Packaging While packaging deals may be hard to come by in Randolph County between majority of each town that is represented, there are still some appealing deals within certain businesses of these towns. This destination actually has something they call the Heart of North Carolina Premiere Card. It is a credit/reward card program that offers many discounts to over several attractions, dining areas, and retail businesses across the county. With each card that is given out there will be a paper list of these discounts, description of the place, and where it is located. Such appealing offers it would include is “buy one adult admission; receive one child admission free” at the NC Zoo and even “10% off any regular priced item” at Sports Attic in Asheboro. In the 2013’s addition of Heart of North Carolina Premier Card, there are 6 attractions, 27 dining areas, and 27 retail businesses that are already apart of this program. Its hard enough with today’s economy and covering finances with these businesses, that the idea of offering more packaging deals might not be in the cards right now for such destinations like Randolph County. However, our consulting group suggests that packaging promotional efforts focus on just the most used accommodated markets with the most used attraction, dining, and retail areas. That way the smaller markets can still have time to grow financially stable, while these other markets can benefit for more visitor use. An example would be a hotel chain in Asheboro offering a package with the North Carolina Zoo in which booking a hotel stay would ensure half off price of admission into the zoo. In the future, Randolph County’s promotional slogan will also be modified from “What’s in Your Heart?” to a more clear, accurate brand which will improve this destination's image.

c) Programming In Randolph County, there are countless events and programs for both visitors and residents to participate in throughout the year. However, in its future state modifications will be made to maximize revenue for the tourism industry, but more importantly enhance visitor experiences, build visitor loyalty, and promote the destination image. First off, Victory Junction, located in Randleman, is a year-round camping facility that serves children, ages 6 to 16, with chronic medical conditions or serious illnesses. While this organization provides memorable camping experiences for children and families free of charge, Victory Junction will develop related programs for the siblings and families of their current campers. This concept would continue the organization’s mission of “providing joy and happiness through life-changing camping experiences for children,” and perhaps bring together families as they facilitate a camping experience, where life-long memories can be made. Many siblings of children with chronic medical conditions or severe illnesses are affected by the implications and everyday lifestyles that come with the situation their brother or sister are in. Even though this expansion idea would mean expanding Victory Junction’s current target market, this approach will promote that family-friendly atmosphere that Victory Junction and Randolph County are all about. Another tourism avenue for Randolph County that attracts LGBT and older adults is Seagrove pottery classes, markets, and events as well as the Antique Festival in Liberty. Randolph County offers many annual festivals and events that happen throughout the year that attract these market segments. However, in the future the Visitors Bureau will connect the current array of events with other existing attractions to increase visitor’s time efficiency and enhance their experience in Randolph County. For example, Zimmerman Vineyards hosts their annual “Bloomin’ Wine Festival” in May. Considering the characteristics and interests that visit Seagrove, Seagrove will offer special pottery classes or exhibits on the same weekend, so visitors could experience both. This reorganization and repacking strategy to program scheduling has the

35 potential to attract a wider customer base and encourage visitors to stay for longer periods at a time. Thirdly, another change to programming in Randolph County will be the creation of a unique program for military families, primarily those who have had family members recently return home. It was noted that the NC Zoo in Asheboro appeals to many military families because it is provides a family, fun experience that allows for families to reconnect and to create memories together. The NC Zoo will provide programs for this group of visitors that include experiences that are unique to regular Zoo visitors. Program aspects could include private tours of certain exhibits or feeding time with the African animals. By noting current tourist market segments and utilizing existing offerings, Randolph County will expand programming to better suit visitors needs while enhancing their overall experience in the area. d) Positioning Randolph County is known as the “heart” of North Carolina, standing out because of the beautiful landscape of rolling hills, river valleys and forest lands. The county is best known for the North Carolina Zoo, Caraway Speedway and the popular town of Seagrove. Being the 11th largest county and 19th highest population in the state, Randolph County is part of the piedmont triad region. The county may be a part of the largest metropolitan area but it is still small-town living as the natural environment is also an important part of the destination. In its future state, marketing efforts will reflect the natural features of Randolph County while highlighting unique relationships between attractions and businesses within the community. e) People Randolph County promotes that it is “still small-town living at its best”(Arnold Lanier). The community is friendly and inviting. There are strong Quaker roots in Randolph County as well as Southern Baptists. Randolph County is home to the birthplace of the Southern Baptist Church. Demographically speaking, Randolph County’s population is 89.20% white, 5.60 African American, .45% Native American,

.64% Asian, .2% pacific islander, 3.01% representing other races and 1.06% representing those from two or more races. The median income for individuals in Randolph County is $38,348, and the median income for a family was $44,369. Randolph County is known for having family owned businesses, which adds to the county’s appeal and small town nature. Overall, Randolph County has a friendly small town feel while at the same time striving to grow and become an even better and friendlier destination (“Randolph County, North Carolina”). In its future state, our consulting team foresees the overall demographics of residents to remain relatively the same. To improve Randolph County Tourism in the future, the Visitors Bureau will form more personal relationships with the people and find those individuals that live and breath what this county is all about. Once these key individuals are found and their wealth of knowledge shared, further tourism development efforts will be implemented to highlight the experiences generated from these key sources. In addition, further public relation and communication efforts will be made to inform residents on the importance of tourism on their community and ways in which they can positively support this industry. f) Planning Our consulting team feels that the Visitors Bureau and people of Randolph County are satisfied with what they are doing as far as planning for and around the community. They attract a good number of people and people come regularly for reasons such as traveling to Seagrove for pottery, going to the Richard Petty Museum, taking a trip to the North Carolina Zoo, and visiting Uwharrie National Forest. However, things that Randolph County will improve upon for the future include increasing accommodation space, marketing and promotional efforts of restaurants, effective signage, and increased parking and meeting space venues. Tammy O’Kelly, of the Randolph County Visitors Bureau, says that part of the reason this is all happening so slowly to improve these issues is because Randolph County is such a small southern conservative area, and the people do not want to lose the “small-town”, rural feel. The reason there are no chain restaurants is because they do not want to lose the family- owned small businesses.

One area that will continue to grow is the town of Trinity due to the construction of the Linbrook Heritage Estate, an 18th-century home located on top of a hill overlooking the beautiful rolling Uwharrie Mountains. Another issue that will be addressed for the future planning of Randolph County is tourism plans and education with local residents. According to Tammy, about half of the residents could care less about tourism in their county, and do not understand the impact it has. Right now they are using public speaking to communicate with people, such as schools, chamber meetings, rotary club, city commissioners, and newspaper articles. Lastly, before just a couple of years ago restaurants were not allowed to sell alcohol, as Randolph County was the only area south of the Mississippi that hadn’t passed the liquor law. Since the law was passed, local bars of Asheboro have exploded. For the future, additional nightlife attractions and experiences will be created to maximize this popular tourism offering. Residents and visitors alike like to drink. With a more developed nightlife scene, Randolph County will be able to accurately meet people’s expectations.

Section IV: Destination Markets

Currently the overall place image branding of Randolph County is a family- friendly area, despite the multiple and wide-ranging target segments. Primarily Randolph County uses this family-friendly brand to segment families with children to visit the NC Zoo. Recently trending is families with post-deployment military members. However, the regional brand, “What’s in your Heart,” is used to encompass the wide- range of target segments in this area. This slogan is in place to draw in a personal connection with each type of guest based on personal interest, which is consistent to keeping to Randolph County’s overall family- friendly, southern-hospitality, small-town charm. The main target markets that Randolph County currently hosts include Rednecks, Families with children, Young Adults, Older Adults or “Empty-Nesters,” and Business Travelers. A more specific look at Randolph County’s market demand and potential areas for future growth is discussed below.

1. Entertainment/ Attractions Randolph County has a number of attractions as well as a broad source of entertainment that draws in a myriad of specific groups of people. The diverse array of activities, attractions, and sources of entertainment stimulate interest to many associated target markets. By having a diverse offering of attractions, Randolph County has many different market segmentations based on visitor interests. Young adults, those between the age of 21-30, is an market segment centered around Randolph County’s nightlife. There has been an explosion of growth in this market due to the recent adoption of the liquor law. The associated product, which appeals to this market segment, is bars and alcoholic beverages. Places where nightlife is particularly present includes Asheboro, Randleman, Ramseur, and Trinity. The price is variable depending on the location. The promotional efforts are relatively minimum because people of this segment are looking for a nightlife scene. The recent liquor law change has increased interest in this market as niche advertising by local restaurants and bars has aided in the promotional efforts as well. This is a strong market because in every county there are always people looking to go out at night and drink while socializing. To reach this popular target market promotional efforts, such as giveaways, 39 beer tastings, theme nights, and bar crawls, should be utilized. Another promotional effort may include addressing available public transportation and parking accommodations. For this particular market segment, it is important that accessibility hindrances are noted and relieved to increase the traffic flow from the young adult population in Randolph County. Families with kids is another target market that is drawn to Randolph County because of the many family-friendly attractions and events. These attractions include the NC Zoo, Victory Junction, Randleman Lake, Copperheads Baseball, a myriad of great barbecue, “Goat Lady Dairy”, Millstone Creek Orchards, as well as a number of annual festivals and events. These attractions and events are a great way to reach the market of families because of their family-friendly environments. The product is these various attractions and the place is Randolph County. Due to the multitude of family- oriented attractions throughout the county, the entire county is considered the place marketing for this market segment. The price varies depending on the attraction. The promotion comes through commercials, flyers, brochures, radio announcements, and good public relation. Families is a plentiful market group that is huge in Randolph County Tourism. This market can be reached through promotions such as themed events, increased television advertising, giveaways for children, group ticketing prices, and family festivals. Accessibility and transportation to these attractions is primarily utilized by car. Another market segment that is included in Randolph County Tourism is nature lovers and outdoor enthusiasts who are drawn to the area’s scenic landscape and large presence of natural elements: The NC Zoo, Millstone Creek Orchards, Randleman Lake, Caraway Alpacas, Deep River Rail Trail, Pisgah Covered Bridge, Richard Creek Zip line Canopy Tour, Rising Meadow Farm, Routh Horse Ranch, Seagrove Orchids, Sunny Slopes Farm and Ranch, Toms Creek Farm and Nursery, Uwharrie Mountains, and Whitaker Farms. The product for this segment is outdoor activities, while the place is Randolph County, as a whole. The price varies and can even be free at many parks and public areas. The promotion is through brochures, commercials, and public relations. Nature lovers are a significant market for Randolph County that are drawn in by the natural beauty of this rural area and by the many outdoor activities available.

Rednecks are another target market and are reached through historic museums and speedways throughout Randolph. These include John Deere Museum, NASCAR, Richard Petty Museum, Asheboro Classic Motorcycle Museum, Caraway Speedway, and Zoo City Motorsports Park. The product here is motocross and/or motor-related sports, parks, and museums. The place where these activities can be found is Asheboro, Randleman, and Trinity. The price varies depending on location and promotional strategies are implemented through television, radio, word of mouth, public relations, and historical landmarks. While a smaller niche market, Randolph County has many attractions and activities that can appeal to those outside of the state of North Carolina. Finally, adults without kids is the last target market that is drawn to Randolph County through a number of attractions. These include Zimmerman’s Vineyards, Aviation Hall of Fame, Warplane Museum, Linbrook Heritage Estate, Historic Hoover House, and a myriad of pottery destinations in Seagrove. The product is the historical and cultural attractions, festivals, and events that are hosted within Randolph County each year. The place and prices of such activities vary throughout the county, and television, radio, pamphlets, brochures, letters, word of mouth, and public relations are utilized as the promotion efforts. Retired adults have been the biggest target market for Seagrove pottery because they have time and money to spend on learning about this craft. Also, it was noted that advertising through television and the radio have historically been a great way to reach this market.

2. Recreational Activities Randolph County is plentiful of recreational activities that attract different groups of individuals, which include walking, hiking, biking, boating, canoeing and swimming. The target populations are young adults, country folks or “rednecks,” families with children, nature lovers, and older adults without children known as “snowbirds.” The recreational activities found in this area reflect the interests from these five target markets. For young adults, Randolph County hosts many events throughout the year. One popular event is the “Rugged Maniac,” which is a physical obstacle course of boot-camp

41 style activities. Each year, there are over 5,000 participants and another 5,000 spectators that come to enjoy the event and spend some leisure time in the community. As previously discussed, for Rednecks, Asheboro’s Zoo City Motorsport Park and the Caraway Speedway located nearby in Sophia are popular recreational activities that typically interest this target segment. For families with children, especially those that enjoy the great outdoors, Randolph County is a destination hot spot. Besides the North Carolina Zoo and Victory Junction, Randolph County offers countless attractions and recreational activities that are family-oriented. Some of these recreational activities can be found at the Kermit G. Pell/Ramseur Lake Recreational Facility, the Asheboro Skate Park, the North Asheboro Park and Disc Golf Course, the Deep River Rail Trail,, the Uwharrie Mountains, the Randleman Lake Marina, and multiple farms in the area. There are also a number of family-friendly annual events held throughout the county, some of which include Franklinville’s Deep River Festival, Ramseur’s Christmas Parade, and Earth Day at the NC Zoo. Nature lovers come to Randolph County for some of the best hiking and camping in North Carolina. With the Uwharrie National Forest, Birkhead Wilderness Mountains, and the Richland Creek Zipline, just to name a few--there are many opportunities and scenic places to enjoy some fresh air from the great outdoors. Perhaps adults without children or retired adults have the most opportunities for recreational activities. Besides many of the activities already discussed, these adults love enjoying pottery classes in Seagrove, golfing in Asheboro, minor league baseball games in Asheboro, and shopping in Liberty. Randleman’s annual Southern Home and Garden Showcase also draws many individuals from this target market to Randolph County. Whether it’s on the speedway or in a pottery class, Randolph County is bustling with recreational activities to suit the interests of their target markets. Prices for golf vary depending on which club the visitor desires. Ziplining can be costly but the unique views and experience are appealing to residents and tourists alike. Tickets for the Speedway are very affordable at $10.00 for adults and $5.00 for children, but Zoo City Motorsports can be very expensive depending on if you have your own gear and equipment. Due to

42 the presence of many parks and hiking trails, visitors of all income statuses can recreate in Randolph County. Promotion for these activities is implemented through billboards, signs along nearby interstates, pamphlets at businesses, ‘the Heart of North Carolina’ county website, and local visitor centers. Although there are plenty of places to recreate around the county. visitors need to be knowledgeable on what the full extent of what the destination offers to assure a positive experience for guests. This promotion principle holds true throughout all target populations. Despite the various products, places, prices, and promotions of the wide assortment of recreational activities in Randolph County, the recreational experiences here are critical to Randolph County’s branding and are what helps distinguish this destination as different from other places.

3. Meeting Space Visitors have opportunities to interact with the local nightlife in downtown Asheboro, go to regionally unique restaurants, and engage in recreational activities during their leisure time. However due to the large presence of business travelers and other visitors that commute to Randolph County, ensuring ample and appropriate meeting spaces is important for tourism providers. Major businesses of Randolph County include Energizer Battery Inc., Holiday Companies LLC, and CenturyLink. Besides Archdale, there are not many places where business travelers can hold large meetings and conferences with these companies. With high rates of business travelers frequenting High Point, which is a city Randolph County shares with Guilford, Davidson, and Forsyth Counties, it would be wise to implement incentives and meeting space accommodations in Randolph County to leverage that crowd. Archdale has a business center at the Comfort Inn near High Point University and also at the Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites near I-85 and High Point. Accommodation prices are relatively affordable at the Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites in Archdale. As one of the only hotels which has a meeting space, rates can range from $90.00-$114.00 for each night of stay. Due to the size of the Randolph

County and the growing size of local companies, an accommodating convention center should be in the long-term destination plan. For the time being, Randolph County business commutes can enjoy an array of activities when they are not on the job. Randolph County has many local restaurants that provide their own small town charm and family environment, in addition to a growing nightlife scene in downtown Asheboro at the local bars and pubs. Popular restaurants for business professionals include the Archdale Bakery, Archdale Subs, Pioneer Family Restaurant and Rancho Restaurant, all with great food at great prices. It is common to dine out at approximately $12 per person per meal in the Archdale/High Point area. Other popular attractions include the North Carolina Zoo, Richland Creek ZipLine Canopy Tours, Seagrove Orchids, and The Richard Petty Museum. Promotion for Randolph County’s meeting spaces is primarily marketed locally and through certain parts of North Carolina. The primary form of advertising is through contacting local businesses and associated business travelers who visit for conferences. Family-oriented activities and events should also market towards this segment to increase visitor retention rates and visitor spending.

4. Shopping Market demand for the shopping industry in Randolph County includes a wide range of target populations. The population consists of LGBT, older wealthy adults without kids also known as “snowbirds”, rednecks, families with children, young adults, nature lovers, and business travelers. Randolph County has a variety of shopping choices including the Antique Market, Farmers Market, and Seagrove Pottery, to increase resident and visitor spending, significant promotional efforts should be directed towards the visitor travel. Because Randolph is historic, rural town, businesses are not selling trendy products like more urban destinations do, but for the market segmentation in Randolph County--their consumers are typically not looking for those kinds of products. The product market for the shopping sector in Randolph County is known for frequenting the Seagrove Pottery Festival, which was listed in the top 20 things to do by the Southeast Tourism Society, as well as the Liberty Antiques Festival, which was

44 voted the best antique show of the Mid-Atlantic Region. Because of the rural nature of this area and the majority of families and older adults without children, Randolph County shopping is relatively very affordable. Many people shop at flea markets and farmers markets while more upscale people shop in Seagrove for pottery which can be costly. Perhaps tourists would be more inclined to shop if there were discounts and package deals. Promotional offers can be an effective tool for stimulating interest and business, especially in the retail marketplace. There are many ways to promote gift shops and retail stores such as billboards, website prevalence, pamphlets, and flyers. Also focusing on the current base of consumers and social media efforts is a cost efficient alternative to promoting word of mouth marketing and expanding brand awareness, which can be an advantageous approach for the visitor population of Randolph County.

5. Potential New Market “Snowbirds” are retired, older adults that spend the summer months up North and the winter months down South, usually in Florida where the weather is warm. Geographically, Randolph County is an ideal halfway spot for this segment of people to stop between their travels back and forth between seasons. While it has been noted that Randolph County currently hosts traveling Snowbirds overnight, this is a potential target market that should be further developed and marketed as a destination, not just an overnight, drive-through stop. Randolph is a historical region, where you can find connections to your roots and also enjoy a nice vacation. Randolph County needs to communicate this message to this potential new target market. To appeal to the characteristics of this target market, there are some features of Randolph County has should be promoted. First off, the genealogy appeal of this county is a huge asset. Randolph County, due to its location, its involvement with the Underground Railroad and ties to the rural South, this county has a very rich historical background, that many people’s ancestors have had connections to. This is a differentiating factor that other destination can not claim. Market research from Randolph County has already proven that people look for historical connections to their ancestors. Even if there is no markings or signs indicating their ancestors history at that location, people like to be there and to have the ability to relate with their great-

45 grandparents, or great, great-grandparents, and so on. For Snowbirds, this can be a big selling point to get them to stay for the weekend, rather than just overnight. Because Randolph County is considered a drive-to destination, perhaps bus tours or historical trolley tours could be developed to provide visitors with the opportunity to enjoy a guided tour without having to navigate everything on their own. Another marketing point for Snowbirds is all of the entertainment and attractions that are available here. Not only can they explore their personal genealogy, Snowbirds can also enjoy Randleman’s famous Antique Market, Seagrove’s nationally recognized pottery, and the Linbrook Heritage Estate among many other activities in the area. On a final note, the small-town, southern charm that Randolph County offers is a friendly environment for Snowbirds to feel comfortable and right at home. To promote these features of Randolph County, promotional efforts should be utilized to reach this target market through online advertisements on genealogy-related sites, such as ancestry.com, as well as newspaper advertisements that are distributed to popular Floridian “Snowbird” residential condos. Randolph County developers may also want to consider further improving existing historical sites and genealogy-related events. By spending time and resources on developing the genealogy learning experience internally, positive word of mouth can make the strongest connections to new potential visitors than other external marketing efforts. As discussed in all of these particular areas, Randolph County’s market demand is very diverse and is able to accommodate many different target markets, particularly Rednecks, Business travelers, Families with and without children, or “snowbirds” through a variety of origin markets. Throughout the entire county there is ample entertainment, recreation, food services, meeting areas, and shopping that can be a fit for all different groups of people. Depending on who the targeted market is, Randolph County’s family- friendly environment makes it possible for tourists to have the experience they desire to have when at their destination.

Section V: Risk Assessment & Management Implementation

Risk Assessment

1. Natural & Manmade Hazards There are several natural and manmade hazards in Randolph County that can be disruptive to the tourism industry. It is important to consider these potential threats and implications as well as to have policies and procedures in place for the protection of all Randolph County residents and visitors. Overall, these possible hazards have the capability of hinder or completely preventing all tourism-related activities and services from taking place. In efforts to mitigate the negative association visitor may place on Randolph County if impacted by one of these hazards, policies and procedures should be outlined to keep visitors (and residents) safe and as comfortable as possible. While there are virtually countless natural hazards for Randolph County, research shows that the most prevalent natural hazards with the highest likelihood of occurrence and noteworthy probable impact include drought, flooding/flash flooding, severe thunderstorms, tornadoes, wildfires, winter storms, heat wave, earthquakes, and hurricanes/tropical storms. (This information was derived from the 2009 Multi- Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan commissioned by the Randolph County Planning Department, the NC Department of Emergency Management, Public Works, and representatives from the Cities of Archdale, Asheboro, Randleman, and Trinity, as well as the Towns of Franklinville, Liberty, Ramseur, Stanley, and Seagrove.) Below is a brief chart that summarizes the occurrence and risk tolerance of these natural disasters based on previously recorded events.

Natural Disaster Inferences from Historical Data

Figure 3: This chart reflects data that has been collected about the natural disasters that have occurred and been recorded in Randolph County within the last fifty years.

Man-made hazards of Randolph County include the Shearon Harris Nuclear Power Plant, located in Raleigh. Due to this facility’s location, Randolph County is included in the “Ingestion Exposure Pathway Zone,” which means in the event of a natural disaster, main exposure could cause ingestion of contaminated water, fish, aquatic foods, milk, and fresh vegetables. Franklinville is particularly at risk of this situation. Another man-made hazard is the multiple abandoned mines located mainly in the Asheboro area. There are over 17 abandoned mines with deep vertical shafts that present major hazard concerns for residents and visitors of Randolph County. Thirdly, reported cracks in the Randleman Dam and the Ramseur Water Supply Dam also increase the risk associated with flooding in Randolph County. Although these cracks have been identified and monitored, they still present a potential welfare concerns. Vulnerable populations to such natural and manmade hazards include those who do not speak English well, those who do not have access to vehicles, households without telephones, those below the poverty level, and those in the presence or concentration of critical facilities in a high hazard risk area. It should also be noted that

48 mobile homes and classrooms are also vulnerable to such hazardous risks. Church and youth camps also are prone to hazardous risks because they are extremely difficult to protect due to the nature of their purpose and programs (United States of America).

2. Weather Weather is of much importance to any destination just as it is to Randolph County, North Carolina. Luckily the weather in North Carolina is very enjoyable with few threats. Being that Randolph County is east of the Appalachian Mountain range and away from the coast, the county has a humid subtropical climate. Winters are cold but not extremely as temperatures rarely drop below zero degrees Fahrenheit, Spring is filled with warm days and cold nights and humidity is low, Summers are very hot with high humidity and Falls include rapidly changing temperatures. On average, Randolph County gets 46 inches of rain every year and 6 inches of snow every year. There are approximately 113 days out of the year with measurable precipitation and 216 sunny days per year. With these estimations in mind, flooding comes to mind as 46 inches is above the US average of 36 inches. Some other threats include tornadoes in the Spring, severe thunderstorms in the Summer and tropical cyclones coming from the coast in the Summer and Fall. Severe thunderstorms cause the largest economic loss for the county. The weather of Randolph County has little impact on the destination, as severe weather conditions are rare in the county.

Risk Management Implementation

3. Safety Training Medical It is critical for the medical services of Randolph County to have proper trained medical service members to respond to an emergency. The service members must have comprehensive knowledge of basic emergency medical procedures and techniques. It is important for service members to have general knowledge of cities and county geography and of the location of roads and streets within the county to create a safe community for the tourism offerings. Officials in Randolph County must take the time to train and evaluate medical personnel to ensure visitor safety.

Food Properly training health inspectors and food servers is key to managing the risk related to food safety in Randolph County. Health inspector visitations to the local food establishments are required to maintain good standards of food quality and safety. This ensures that food is properly prepared and is not a risk for locals or visitors to the county. The food must be properly prepared and served in the appropriate amount of time to avoid food sickness. Cooking facilities must also be cleaned regularly and safety check performed on equipment. Having the proper safety manual to guide employees and servers is necessary to limit risks. Making food rules and regulations clear is also another important part of protecting individuals visiting the restaurants. This is good risk management because restaurants in Randolph may get a bad reputation from a visitor because of improper food preparation, so it is beneficial to take these steps to help in protecting all restaurants and their image that Randolph County has worked to establish. Crime Randolph County must create safe environment for tourism visitation. It is beneficial to provide training to criminal justice (law enforcement) officers, and also conducting public safety education presentations and training courses to members of the general public and public/private organizations. Having a properly trained criminal justice system that can be counted on is essential in successful tourism relations with guests to Randolph County. Engaging the public and taking liability/safety management seriously will result in a safe and functional tourism infrastructure that provides enjoyment for all who visit now and in the future.

4. Emergency Preparedness Procedures and Equipment Emergency preparedness procedures and equipment is essential when hazards are occurring. Randolph County has a great website that provides you with a list of preparedness information as well as contact information in case of emergency, such as disaster preparedness, heat safety and awareness, shelter in place, special needs registry, and winter weather. Each tab gives very useful information on what to do in the situation of an emergency and how to prepare to be safe! The Randolph County

Department of Emergency Services states the mission is to “provide service to the community by preventing and minimizing loss of life, pain and suffering, property loss, and environmental damage from fire, natural disasters, and medical emergencies. To accomplish this, the Department will provide education, prevention, and emergency response.” (This information was derived from the Randolph County Government webpage under the Emergency Services Department). The Department operates 24 hours per day with with services including fire inspection and investigation, enforcement of codes, answer and dispatch of all emergency and non-emergency calls through 9-1-1 responding with appropriate medical care and transport as well as prevention services including public education, pre-planning, and disaster planning. Randolph County’s Department of Emergency Services is well prepared and equipped to respond to any emergency that may occur throughout the county.

5. Public Relations/Communications Public Relations and Communication is essential to get Randolph County’s message across to the public by using the mass media. When negative events occur, public relations must act quickly and efficiently in order to preserve the image of the community. If this is not done in a timely fashion, the consequences could be detrimental to the community reputation and image. Negative press and economic disaster can be eliminated through proper public relation and communication strategies. Prior to times of crisis, Randolph County must already have identified the key audience they will need to reach, come up with a plan to determine who might be affected by certain problems, elect a town spokesman, have a informative one page write up highlighting the communities products, services, finances, and mission, and have extensive communication with public relation firms. After a crisis, Randolph County must be alert the public, show compassion for those affected by it, find the cause of the problem, fix the problem, reach out to other communities for help, and keep the media informed on what is happening. Randolph County must also respond to individual visitors and ensure that their visit is enjoyable and for them to know their voice was heard. This can only help to maintain a positive image. Public Relations and Communication specialists are of extreme importance to any tourist destination.

Through proper planning, training, and implementation, Randolph County can continue to preserve their positive image and keep tourists happy.

Section VI: Prioritized Gap Analysis Overview

1. Gap Analysis In its current state, Randolph County is a unique drive-to destination that offers activities and attractions for all ages. The nature beauty, southern charm, and rural community are distinguishable elements that make this area attractive to visitors. While there are many successful tourism efforts happening in Randolph County, overall this area needs to establish a deeper foundation in tourism infrastructure to promote a more visitor friendly and accommodating experience for guests. Randolph County has all the attractions; the current offering of entertainment and things-to-do is consistent to the county’s core competencies and several even have a considerable amount of national publicity. However, some adjustments need to be made to destination marketing, visitor accommodations, and improved tourism education for residents and in-county businesses to take Randolph County tourism to the next level. First off, the marketing efforts of this county need to be modified in content and readjusted in execution to reach visitors who would benefit from a Randolph County experience and who could bring significant tourism dollars to the area. Randolph is a drive-to, family-oriented destination. However, the marketing campaign and slogan of ‘what’s in your heart?’ is too ambiguous to define the county image and naturally attract people’s attention. While a well-developed concept, it isn’t necessary helping tourism for the county, and therefore needs to be modified to fit the destination image and appeal to target markets. In addition, marketing efforts should be expanded to attract residents of nearby bigger cities. It is very important to maintain the rural, small-town feel this area offers, therefore limiting promotional efforts and visitor segmentation to just drive-to consumer bases should not be changed. However, cities like Charlotte, Chapel Hill, Raleigh, Atlanta, Knoxville, Roanoke, Columbia, and Virginia Beach should be the primary geographical target markets to draw guests from current and new market segmentations from. Next, visitor accommodations need to be addressed in terms of actual accommodation space, businesses’ flexibility, and an overall ‘visitor friendly’ infrastructure system. The current offering of accommodation space is lacking and is

53 losing significant tourism dollars each year. This is a major gap that needs to be addressed as soon as possible. Seagrove and Randleman each need a hotel space for guest lodging. Both of these towns have a consistent visitor stream that is enough to support a year-round lodging business. In addition, the Visitors Bureau needs to work with the Bed & Breakfast accommodation spaces to improve their services and business methods to take advantage of existing capacity without providing a less than desirable experience for guests. In addition, more B&B operations, with professional business methods, would not only increase accommodation capacity, but also provide guests with a unique, personal experience, which can promote positive images associated with Randolph County. Here accommodation space also refers to parking. As a drive-to destination, adequate parking space is critical to providing guests with a pleasant experience and maintaining a successful visitor retention rate. Once accommodation spaces have been improved, guests need to be comfortable and have a sense that this is a livable environment. This refers to dining and concierge services. Effective and accessible communication efforts need to be made to communicate where people can eat, shop, and pick up forgotten essential items. To retain the presence of family-owned businesses and to remain consistent with county core competencies, there are few chain restaurants and dining experiences that are recognizable to visitors. Therefore, considerable efforts need to be made to communicate the multitude of quality restaurants that may be unfamiliar to county guests. With that being said, restaurants and local business need to up the ante for visitor services. Improved technology, including the ability to accept credit and debit cards is a necessity, while updated signage and enhanced professionalism are also important. Finally, improved b2b professional relationships should be implemented for a mutually benefiting collaboration. By forming relationships and partnerships together, more promotional efforts, word-of-mouth marketing, and increased profitability for businesses can be achieved. This is a low cost strategy that can have a big impact in a relatively short amount of time. Lastly, the lack of tourism education is an issue that is presenting major gaps for well-integrated, authentic tourism efforts within the community. In a sense, all businesses and residents should be ambassadors for Randolph County. People need to

54 understand the importance of tourism in their community and efforts that individuals and businesses can take to support this profitable industry. Increased communication and relationship building with the people are essential to ensure a daily environment that is conducive to a desirable destination experience for guests. These are the main areas for improvement for Randolph County tourism and methods for matching tourism demand with the existing array of available resources. With modifications to marketing, enhancements to visitor accommodations, and a supportive residence area, Randolph County can significantly improve its destination image and visitor retention rates, leading for a more promising and lucrative future. As previously stated, this area offers some of the most exclusive experiences in the world. But, if services and people do not support these activities, then the county as a whole is failing to reach its potential success. By identifying these existing gaps, specific efforts can be made to improve tourism and better the community.

2. Action Plan Randolph County is a great place with lots of activities and attractions that attract guests. Some are better known than others, but all are equally important to making Randolph County a successful destination. As a consulting group, we believe that the main focus for Randolph County Tourism should be on improving its tourism marketing efforts to attractions consumers and raise countywide business to their full potentials. It is understood that the NC Zoo is the highest revenue producing attraction and great for people of all ages, but it’s the marketing efforts of other attractions that should be focused on to reduce Randolph County Tourism’s dependence on the NC Zoo. The one of a kind museums and festivals that have their own special history are unique aspects of Randolph County where more substantial marketing efforts need to be capitalized. Another area that Randolph County needs to improve on is big data collection and data analysis for consumer behaviors and trends. By drawing visitor spending and consumer behavior, Randolph County can make more-informed strategic development planning and more appropriately meet the needs of their consumers. This section details the recommendations from our consulting team on how tourism in Randolph County should be improved to minimize the existing gaps, maximize its potential as a destination, and promote a sustainable, long-term tourism environment. 55

a) Product Development Randolph County is an established destination with a wide variety of attractions including: a myriad of recreational facilities, the North Carolina Zoological Park, the Richard Petty Museum, the North Carolina Pottery Center, and the Uwharrie National Forest. These attractions draw interest from families, NASCAR fans, the LGBT community, retired adults, and business travelers. Although relatively successful, there is room for improvement and product expansion by modifying marketing efforts. Randolph County can be altered to be seen as a weekend destination for middle- aged to retired couples. Middle-age/retired couples have time and money to spend on hobbies and activities and are often open to trying new things. Although they have money to spend, they appreciate good deals and knowing that they are spending money on something of premium quality. Additionally, weekend trips can be designed around current activities that are already focused on this target segment. As previously discussed, Seagrove’s pottery is an attribute that can be stressed to appeal to the middle-age/retired target market. Seagrove not only has the largest community of potters, but also has the richest history of all United States Pottery. Great works of art are displayed at the Museum of North Carolina Traditional Pottery as well as the North Carolina Pottery Center, both located in Seagrove. Events such as the Seagrove Pottery Festival and the Celebration of Seagrove Potters also display and celebrate these amazing works of art. This unique pottery became a reason for this market to continue visiting Randolph. Randolph County Tourism can also emphasize fitness through their available recreational activities. These include walking, hiking, biking, boating, canoeing, swimming, fishing, racing, golfing and zip lining. The Uwharrie National Forest, Birkhead Mountain Wilderness, and Deep River Rail Trail are great sources of exercise through with scenic hiking and walking trails. Golfing at the Asheboro Country Club, Holly Ridge Golf Links, and Uwharrie Golf Club may also appeal to weekend vacationers. To retain these visitors, the affordable prices of local dining creates an appealing incentive for couples to take a quick, low-cost weekend trip to Randolph County. The family-operated restaurants in Randolph County pride themselves on their affordable

56 prices and friendly environment--which promotes “where you can be yourself.” The Heart of North Carolina Premier Card also offers deals and discounts to a number of attractions, restaurants, and shops, which can help incline weekend visitors. Middle aged to retired adults will be inclined to visit and stay in Randolph County because of these deals. Randolph has the resources to draw in this profitable market of middle- aged/retired couples, but needs to improve efficiency in marketing efforts in order to showcase what Randolph County has to offer. By using more advanced data collection, specific revenues and opportunities to convey this message will be easier to identify and capitalize on. Additionally, targeting this market segment with strategies as a weekend trip may incline new people to visit, and hopefully continue to visit Randolph County. b) New Target Markets The current market segment of Randolph County Tourism consists of older adults without kids, rednecks, families with children, young adults, and business travelers. An extension of one of the current market segments is to target “snowbirds.” Adults who are retired, who spend the summer months up North and the winter months down South, usually in Florida where the weather is warm. Geographically, Randolph County is an ideal halfway spot for this segment of people to stop between their travels back and forth between seasons. While it has been noted that Randolph County currently hosts traveling Snowbirds overnight, this is a potential target market that should be further developed and marketed as a destination, not just an overnight, drive- through stop. Randolph is a historical region, where you can find connections to your roots and also enjoy a nice vacation. Randolph County needs to communicate this message to this new target market. To appeal to the characteristics of this target market, there are some features of Randolph County has should be promoted. First off, the genealogy appeal of this county is a huge asset. Randolph County, due to its location, its involvement with the Underground Railroad and ties to the rural South, this county has a very rich historical background, which many people’s ancestors have had connections to. This is a differentiating factor that other destination cannot claim. Market research from Randolph

County has already proven that people look for historical connections to their ancestors. Even if there is no markings or signs indicating their ancestors history at that location, people like to be there and to have the ability to relate to their great-grandparents, or great, great-grandparents, and so on. For Snowbirds, this can be a big selling point to get them to stay for the weekend, rather than just overnight. Because Randolph County is considered a drive-to destination, perhaps bus tours or historical trolley tours could be developed to provide visitors with the opportunity to enjoy a guided tour without having to navigate everything on their own. Another marketing point for Snowbirds is all of the entertainment and attractions that are available here. Not only can they explore their personal genealogy, Snowbirds can also enjoy Randleman’s famous Antique Market, Seagrove’s nationally recognized pottery, and the Linbrook Heritage Estate among many other activities in the area. On a final note, the small-town, southern charm that Randolph County offers is a friendly environment for Snowbirds to feel comfortable and right at home. To promote these features of Randolph County, marketing efforts should be utilized to reach this target market through online advertisements on genealogy-related sites, such as ancestry.com, as well as newspaper advertisements that are distributed to popular Floridian “Snowbird” residential condos. Randolph County developers may also want to consider further improving existing historical sites and genealogy-related events. By spending time and resources on developing the genealogy learning experience internally, positive word of mouth can make the strongest connections to new potential visitors than other external marketing efforts. As discussed in all of these particular areas, Randolph County’s market demand is very diverse and is able to accommodate many different target markets, particularly Rednecks, Business travelers, Families with and without children, or “snowbirds” through a variety of origin markets. Throughout the entire county there is ample entertainment, recreation, food services, meeting areas, and shopping that can be a fit for all different groups of people. Depending on who the targeted market is, Randolph County’s family- friendly environment makes it possible for tourists to have the experience they desire to have when at their destination.

58 c) New Promotional Efforts While a good foundation, some modifications to the existing tourism branding can effectively attract more visitors to Randolph County. Most of the younger generation have smartphone devices, so this will help in targeting that market, which may also lead of word of mouth marketing with visitors without the application option. Adding to the newly launched travel app, the smartphone application should help with access to tourism offerings would aid in creating a “buzz” about Randolph County. The additions to this application should include: current deals, booking capabilities, a discover mode, and a social media aspect. While thoughtful, the tagline “what is in you heart” is too ambiguous and does not accurately define what Randolph County is known for. A possible new slogan (see Figure 4 below) can be “Love what you do...with all your heart.” By still keeping the idea of “what’s in your heart,” this modified slogan focuses the attention on the activities and attractions in Randolph County and is reminiscent to the southern, small-town feel of the community. Also, the new tagline still reflects the image branding that Randolph county has as the “Heart of NC”. This may be more memorable as a slogan and focus more on the activities that visitors want to enjoy, while they travel throughout Randolph County.

Possible new marketing slogan: “Love what you do…with all your Heart” –Randolph County iOS/Android application:

Figure 4: Smartphone Application would include the following: 1. Vacation package deals: Attraction tickets, car service, accommodations, food, etc available for purchase right from smartphone. 2. Online booking (Hotels and Entertainment): Ease of access to local accommodation and entertainment for the participants’ location. 3. Discover Mode: Scavenger Hunt to encourage exploration of Randolph County use GPS as part of application to tag locations. Reward participants with coupons, when check into all available locations provided) 4. Social Mode: Place where application users can communicate and come together. A simplified social media aspect designed to exchange information relating to traveling around Randolph County. d) Public Relations Tourism is viewed by many of the Randolph County residents in a negative light because they don’t understand the impacts tourism has on the community and when they only see unfamiliar faces going against the community norms. However, tourism contributes positively to the county and it is vital that residents understand its positive implications. It is only through this knowledge and understanding that tourism

60 supporting actions of the residents can be applied for the well-being of the destination and future success of the community. Randolph County can continue to benefit from tourism as new money is circulated into the economy through attractions, events, and accommodation services. Increased tourism, means more people, which creates the need for more jobs and business opportunity. Facilities developed for tourism are also beneficial to residents. These new facilities create a higher standard of living in the county through upgraded infrastructure, existing services, and better-quality commodities. Tourism also boosts the preservation of the county’s culture and allows for there to be a cultural exchange between residents and visitors. This is a key area where the resident-visitor relationship becomes critical to the destinations success. These positive impacts of tourism need to be communicated to residents of Randolph County to ensure cooperation and support from residents. Because this is a notable issue regarding Randolph County’s tourism growth it is recommended that the Tourism Bureau of Randolph County should invest on insourcing a developed public relations firm to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of existing communication efforts. This is a deep rooted area for improvement, therefore we believe that a significant investment of time and resources should be implemented to enhance the long-term tourism growth of Randolph County.

3. Evaluation and Records While Randolph County’s tourism department currently has its own evaluation and records system, there is still a need for a more up-to-date systematic data collection and tracking system. This is important so that necessary developments and planning can be made to better accommodate demand in the future. These changes should be made ultimately to help Randolph County maintain sustainability as a destination hot spot. To improve the tracking of visitor spending, investments should be made into implementing a high-caliber database system, with various federal, state, and municipal correlated metrics that will monitor visitor usage. This is not inexpensive investment, but over the long-run with substantially assist in the level of professionalism and efficiency in RC Tourism. Another recommendation is implement a post-trip survey program,

61 which collects data on visitor experiences, reflected through phone interviews. By implementing phone interviews, Randolph County tourist professionals can be consistent with one of RC’s core competency of drawing a personal connection with people and obtain higher quality feedback. For time efficiency purposes and to obtain visitor willingness to comply, these surveys should have a relatively short number of questions. This method of evaluation and record keeping will be cheap, but may presents some room for error: potentially regarding visitors participation. However, incentives can be a useful tool to encourage and reward participation. For example, by taking this survey of Seagrove Pottery Festival you can get a discount on pottery gifts. Or by answering these questions you get a free coupon toward one of any food or drink item at the North Carolina Zoo’s concession area. Another recommended method could be through the use of social media. Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and other platforms of social media could have negative or positive comments directed toward pretty much any aspect of Randolph County. Social media usage should be consistency monitored and used as evaluation indicators of RC as a destination.

Conclusion In short, Randolph County has many successful attributes of a thriving destination. However, like anything out there, there is always room for improvement. After careful review of Randolph County’s current inventory, culture, historical background, marketing strategies, visitor services, accessibility, potential hazards, risk management, current & future trends, and RC desired goals--our consulting team recommends that the previously discussed modifications be implemented by the Heart of North Carolina Tourism Bureau to mitigate the existing gaps and maximize the potential success of Randolph County. We hope that through these efforts, tourism sustainability and profit generating ventures can continue to grow long into the future throughout this region for the betterment of visiting tourists and life-long residents alike. Thank you for your time and for your consideration for our ideas.

Reference

Bishir, Catherine. "Randolph County, North Carolina." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 01 July 2013. Web. 14 Jan. 2013.

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"Deep River Rail Trail." - Franklinville, NC. North Carolina Department of Commerce, Division of Tourism, Film and Sports Development, 2013. Web. 12 Mar. 2013. .

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"Hollybluffcampground." Hollybluffcampground. L.E. Shaw Photography, n.d. Web. 01 Feb. 2013.

Jarrett, Tony. "5 things to do in Randolph County, North Carolina." Allen Tate Companies. Allen Tate Company. Web. 16 Jan 2013.

Lanier, Arnold. "Randolph County, North Carolina." Heart of North Carolina. RCTDA. Web. 16 Jan 2013. .

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"Trails End Family Campground - North Carolina Campgrounds Member Located in Asheboro." Trails End Family Campground - North Carolina Campgrounds Member Located in Asheboro. NorthCarolinaCampers.com, 2013. Web. 01 Feb. 2013.

United States of America. Randolph County Planning Department. Department of Emergency Management. Randolph County Planning and Zoning. Randolph County Administration, 2009. Web. 4 Apr. 2013. .

"Uwharrie National Forest." National Forests in North Carolina. United States Department of Argiculture, n.d. Web. .

"Welcome Home." Asheboro/Randolph Chamber of Commerce. Kris Julian Studio, 20 Jan 2013. Web. 20 Jan 2013. .

"Welcome to the Heart of North Carolina!" What's in Your Heart? Randolph County Tourism Development Authority, 2012. Web. 01 Feb. 2013.

“WELCOME TO NORTH CAROLINA'S INDUSTRIAL CENTER." Randolph County NC Economic Development Corporation. Kris Julian Studio, 20 Jan 2013. Web. 20 Jan 2013. ."

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"Zooland Family Campground." Zooland Family Campground. Steve Meier, n.d. Web. 01 Feb. 2013.

Appendix Hannah Collins Article Review #1 Topic of Article This article focuses on the aggregate flow of information service providers obtain about tourists. Indranil Bose discusses the purpose and most common usage of data mining tools in the tourism industry, as well as a brief overview of the data mining tools available. Major Points Presented The World Travel and Tourism Council approximates that travel and tourism make up about 11% of the worldwide GDP. Tourism providers need to be able to derive useful data analysis to aid in operational, tactical, and strategic decision-making. Two common types of machine learning in tourism are association learning and classification learning. Data mining tools discussed include artificial neural networks, clustering, rough sets, and support vector machines. Innovations, Applications, Relevance to Class This article relates to the different aspects of big data analytics discussed in class. We’ve talked about how the important of data collection, data cleaning, data analysis, and the ability to interpret the derived information to make business decisions. Bose’s article discusses the specific tools and techniques for completing this process, while supporting several main points discussed in class. My critic In this technologically advanced world, it is essential for business professionals, especially tourism industry providers, to use data mining analytics to their advantage and for the betterment of their business ventures. Bose does an adequate job explaining the importance of data mining and the various tools and techniques available. While a bit informative on the functions of data mining tool models, Bose successfully integrates an analysis of tourism specific data mining techniques, which all service providers can benefit from.

Bose, Indranil. "Data Mining in Tourism." IRMA. IGI Global, 2009. Web. 21 Apr. 2013. .

Hannah Collins Article Review #2 Topic of Article This article describes how small to medium sized businesses and intermediary organizations and local & regional public administrations in France can obtain funding for tourism related projects and initiatives. Structural funds are a resource that both public administration and private enterprises can benefit from, regarding infrastructure, training, and promotional efforts of developments. Major Points Presented Structural funds are focused on improving infrastructure and standards, but they also seek to contribute to improving employee opportunities, general quality of life, safety of citizens, sustainability of society, and the commercial and tourist regeneration of areas whose developmental process is lagging. To obtain funding via structural funds, first intermediary organizations need to define ways their operations can be improved. Then those project ideas should be presented communicated to the appropriate contact representatives for potential funding. Specific opportunities for tourism improvements, thus areas to justify desired funding, are also explained. Innovations, Applications, Relevance to Class Although on a much bigger scale, our gap analysis projects on North Carolina counties directly relate to the concepts discussed in this article. It is noted that for progress to be made, areas for improvement need to be defined and solutions planned out, before the budgeting of such efforts can be obtained. This is exactly what we are doing in our gap analysis projects. Additionally, this article explains the how the funding for a destination can be obtained by defining specific ideas for further destination improvement. My critic I think the article lists a solid number of general areas for destination improvements that can be considered in further destination development. While well organized and explained, I think it lacks more detailed methodologies for contacting resources and presenting ideas with potential stakeholders." Financial Support for Tourism & Commerce in France: Making Best Use of European Money." Enterprise Publications, n.d. Web. 21 Apr. 2013.

Colin Genthert Article Review #1

The article I reviewed is called Assessing Service Quality and Benefits Sought Among Zoological Park Visitors. This article aims to identify four key things including: the level of visitor expectations associated with service quality domains, the relative importance of service quality domains, the perceptions of performance of service quality domains, and the benefits sought by visitors within zoological parks. The study was done at the Fort Worth Zoo. Information was gathered through detailed questionnaires administered to patrons of the zoo waiting in line to get tickets to the zoo. The study found that visitors find wildlife and wildlife information as the most important aspects of the zoo. Education was rated as low. Specific to the animals, visitors valued the health of the animals and the access to viewing the animals. Visitors also found cleanliness and accessibility of high importance. In summary, wildlife, wildlife information, general information, and cleanliness and accessibility were of high importance while education was of low importance. People are coming to the zoo generally in family and are coming for a social experience while simultaneously enjoying the wildlife. This article is relevant to Randolph County because Randolph County’s top attraction is the North Carolina Zoological Park. Randolph County can use this research to access and evaluate the service quality and perceived benefits of the zoo. By seeing what visitors hold to be of most importance and least importance, North Carolina Zoological Park can make slight changes to increase customer satisfaction. This will benefit the County of Randolph. Overall, I think this lecture was important in the evaluation of satisfaction in Zoos and Zoological Parks. This study is beneficial not only to Randolph County’s tourism sector but also to all tourism managers with zoos and attractions similar. This study can aid tourism managers in evaluating customer satisfaction and help to improve parts of these attractions. Customer satisfaction is essential to tourism managers and studies evaluating customer satisfaction are great tools for any tourism manager.

Tomas, S.R., Crompton, J.L., & Scott, D.D. (2003). Assessing service quality and benefits sought among zoological park visitors. Journal Of Park And Recreation Administration, 21(2), 105-125. http://web.ebscohost.com.prox.lib.ncsu.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=6&sid=2

Colin Genthert Article Review #2 The article I reviewed is Toward an identification of elements contributing to satisfaction with the tourism experience. The article uses critical incidence technique (CIT) in order to determine the most important factors that tourists consider when evaluating customer satisfaction. CIT was conducted on 107 people who had traveled in the past two years. Information was gathered from a variety of tactics including: open ended questions, personal interviews, written interviews, and focus groups. Once this information was gathered it was compiled into categories that describe documented incidents. Categories included elements related to the destination, elements related to local service and firms, and elements related to human beings. The results show the most important factors to satisfaction include: natural factors, accommodation services, host of population, and social network . In categories, the most important factor was elements related to destinations first, elements related to local service firms second, and elements relating to human beings third. The main factors of dissatisfaction factors include weather, public policy, destination attractiveness, and transportation. The article relates to Randolph County because it can be used in tourism satisfaction evaluations. Randolph County has a great number of attractions, shops, and restaurants. This study can be used to judge which factors are of importance in satisfaction and those that determine dissatisfaction. These factors can be implanted in the Randolph County Tourism sector. As tourism managers, it is important to know what tourists evaluate in order to discern a destination that is satisfying and one that is dissatisfying. We as tourism managers can make sure that the factors that affect satisfaction are maintained and those that are dissatisfying are improved.

Maunier, C., C., & Camelis, C., C. (2013). Toward an identification of elements contributing to satisfaction with the tourism experience. Journal Of Vacation Marketing, 19(1), 19-39. doi:10.1177/1356766712468722

David Bachman Article Review #1

Topic of the Article: This is actually a book review article and explanation of the book called Confessions of an advertising man. Overall it talks about the advertising business and the struggles that one would encounter in this business. Major Points Presented: · Talks about the author, David Ogilvy, and his contributions to advertising · Gives a brief summary of his book and breaks down each chapter · Chapter 9 points out how to make good campaigns for tourist destinations · Thoughts and overall review of the author’s book Innovations, Applications, Relevance to class: Since advertising and marketing is an important part of this gap analysis on Randolph County, this book review summarizes some interesting points that relate to our project. In David Ogilvy’s experience working as an advertiser he came up with rules regarding tourist destinations. A few of these rules pertaining to advertising included the notion that “people who travel are smart, do not insult their intelligence”, “help the reader understand they can afford the trip”, and “make readers feel like going to this destination is a popular thing to do”. These are not new principles that advertisers recognize when selling a destination, but are useful tips in figuring out where to start when trying to advertise our destination of Randolph County. Critical Review: Overall the book review was more likely a good source for majors in the marketing or business department because it mainly focuses on starting the advertising business and how it can be improved. The only part of this book review that was relative to this project was the numbered list of rules regarding tourist destinations. What could have been better is if the author in the original book went on to tell how these rules for tourist destinations played a big part in success for certain destinations.

Ogilvy, D., & Atherton, R. (1963). Confessions of an advertising man (p. 45). New York: Atheneum.

David Bachman Article Review #2

Topic of the Article: Has the Experience Economy Arrived? The Views of Destination Managers in Three Visitor-dependent Areas Major Points Presented: · Conceptualizing the experienced economy · The tourist destination and the experienced economy · The methodology and findings · Overall discussion Innovations, Applications, Relevance to class: In the article it talks about marketing destination organizations and how they can influence the development of the destination. These marketing destinations get the job done when it comes to bringing in physical attributes to the destination. However despite these organizations being applied they do have a bad representation for being more about places and things, and not so much about increasing experiences and fulfillment of tourists wants. Though Randolph County has a tourism department to adhere to their tourism needs, a private destination marketing company can be a valuable asset in terms of innovation and possible revenue. Critical Review: This article makes strong points in focusing on the experienced economy and destination managers’ views can be different according to their area. I can also recognize this whole article as a great informational resource for destinations’ application and relevance. Even though the consumer is the main priority in developing these destinations, it seems like there is too much dialogue about them in this particular article. Overall this article has great examples and is a pretty good read.

Morgan, M., Elbe, J., & de Esteban Curiel, J. (2009). Has the experience economy arrived? The views of destination managers in three visitor‐dependent areas. International Journal of Tourism Research, 11(2), 201-216.

Robert Smith Article Review # 1 Strategic Marketing in Tourism Services Major points presented When it comes to successfully branding and marketing a tourism destination, it can have a range of challenges to overcome. “The world tourism industry is confronted with challenges of fierce global competition, dynamic technological evolution, and increasingly demanding customers. All these changes together with economic, social, political, and environmental developments require all tourism firms to embrace strategic marketing in order to respond and compete in an effective way” (Leung). The rise of social media and its effect on the visitor’s choices and habits has really had a huge impact on marketing strategies for tourism. Everything from what is offered to smartphone applications have been introduced to keep visitors satisfied. Innovations, Applications, Relevance to class Social media is a part of many potential visitors’ lives, so integrating the destinations image and information through this medium is beneficial in the long run. Providing information and letting customers discover and have conversations about the destination may create a marketing buzz. Conducting research on how to effectively reach the destination’s target market is a must. For example, Randolph County may want to target older couples or individuals to visit the county. The thing is this generation is not using Facebook or Youtube as much as the younger generations, so further research must be done to find out what their target market does on social media, when they choose to use it. This way they can reach them with deals or offers to lure them into checking out Randolph County. Review of the material and its importance to the tourism field of study Research is critical to understanding something better, so it is no different that research must be conducting to better understand a destinations target market. This will help destination managers coordinate financial resources to the appropriate tourism offerings and marketing efforts to make the best impact in terms of tourism. Reaching the target market and getting the information out about what a destination has to offer is critical. Doing this without wasting financial resources is a plus and creates a more sustainable tourism infrastructure.

URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0261517713000447

Robert Smith Article Review # 2 Community Tourism Planning Major points presented Tourism planning and implementation should always include the community as a whole. They have an idea of what they want for their community in terms of tourism, so letting them present ideas to draw in tourism is a great plan. “Thus, in an effort to counter the tensions resulting from the more negative impacts from uneven/unplanned development, many researchers are suggesting that tourism-dominated/interested communities should plan their evolution more systematically, thereby taking into account residents’ attitudes and perceptions about its growth at the outset” (Reid, Mair, and George). This will aid in the tourism offerings being something that reflects the positive and wonderful things about a destination and its history. Innovations, Applications, Relevance to class Tourism planning stages are something that many destinations go through, but some don’t take into consideration the benefits of discussing and planning with the community from the beginning. Talking with locals and seeing what was historically significant and the strengths of the destination would be a good place to start, when choosing tourism offerings. For example, Randolph County is known to most as the pottery capital of the world. Here they make a variety of pottery and have it on display and purchase for visitors from across the globe. Knowing why and how this came to be one of Randolph’s strength would be critical to keeping it highlighted as a must see and do for visitors. Review of the material and its importance to the tourism field of study A community dialogue is key to keeping in touch with the locals as plans and construction of tourism offerings develop. “This is a necessary component of a successful planning process as it can help circumvent the problems that stem from tourism activities by bringing more residents on-board before it becomes uncontrolled and potentially unsupported” (Reid, Mair, and George). In doing so a greater representation of the community emerges and develops a more authentic tourism environment for visitor enjoyment. URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160738304000246

Jayme Wainer Article Review #1

Pottery feud divides NC town of Seagrove Topic of Article USA Today’s article on pottery in the town of Seagrove written by Martha Waggoner discusses the feud over a pottery festival. The problem with this divide was that two pottery festivals in Seagrove were scheduled for the same weekend. This may seem silly to outsiders; however, Seagrove is a favorite tourist attraction and residential attraction to many people.

Major points presented In the article Waggoner discusses some background of Seagrove and who started it. Also, gives insight about artist fans that have purchased lots of pottery from Seagrove. The Seagrove Pottery Festival attracts 5,000 to 6,000 people to Seagrove with a population of 250 each year, and is considered one of the most popular festivals in the Southeast. Having the festival the weekend before Thanksgiving, it allows potters to make lots of money before the slower seasons for tourists.

Innovations, Applications, Relevance to class This article is relevant to our Gap Analysis assignment that we have been working on all semester. My county is Randolph County, and this article discusses a feud that broke out in Seagrove about a festival. Seagrove is a huge tourist attraction that even famous people travel too as well as many residents.

Your critical (pos and neg.) review of the material and its importance to the tourism field of study This is important to the tourism field because having a feud like this breakout that creates so much tension and publicity could be a very negative thing for Seagrove’s image. If they do not find a way to fix the problem they will lose customers and followers. URL: http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/nation/2008-09-04-3463064557_x.htm

Jayme Wainer Article Review #2 Leapin’ lizards! Lifelike dinosaurs return to the NC Zoo Topic of Article A news and observer article was published March 28, 2013 expressing that lifelike dinosaurs are returning to the NC Zoo! There are fifteen animatronic dinosaurs throughout the Asheboro Zoo. Technology has improved tremendously as dinosaur replicas were made of concrete 20 years ago, and now crafted out of fiberglass. However, these days the lifelike moving dinosaurs have skin-like covering for outdoor weather. Major points presented This dinosaur exhibit is on display through October, and has another site that allows kids to dig for real fossils. It has been studied that more than 240,000 people and 35% of visitors in 2012 paid the extra fee last year to see the dinosaurs. The number has now moved up by $900,000. Each person will be charged $4 per person to see the exhibit. Innovations, Application, Relevance to class This article is relevant to class because my group has been working on our Gap Analysis project on Randolph County and what better place to research than the Asheboro Zoo! The zoo is a huge tourist attraction, and now with the new dinosaur exhibit it is even more popular. Having the exhibit last for a few months creates more clientele for visitors. Your critical (pos and neg.) review of the material and its importance to the tourism field of study This article is important to the tourism field because it shows how important tourism is and what will attract people. Having this dinosaur exhibit is a very positive thing because it brings in people from all over and having the site for kids to dig real fossils allows them to learn and explore on their own. URL: http://www.newsobserver.com/2013/03/28/2786673/leapin-lizards-lifelike-dinosaurs.html

Pamela Myers Article Review #1 Long Island City to become top climbing destination with two indoor facilities slated to open in 2013 Topic of Article Two indoor climbing gyms, The Cliffs and Brooklyn Boulders, are expected to open this year in Long Island City boasting tens of thousands of scalable feet for vertical adventurers. Major Points Presented Mike Wolfert is transforming a former warehouse into The Cliffs at Long Island City. The facility is to include climbing walls towering as high as 60 feet, cardio and strength training equipment, yoga classes, a party room and a retail store. It is not just a rock climbing facility; it is a gym as well. It is scheduled to open in May near the Court Square subway station. A second location of Brooklyn Boulders is also scheduled to open in Long Island City soon. Innovations, Application and Relevance to class An attraction as cool and unique as The Cliffs opening in a city known for concrete canyons and climbing the corporate ladder is rare. It is great for the tourism industry of the area as it attracts a whole new target market. Participation in adventurous activities is on the rise, as was discussed in class, so there is no doubt that a facility like this one will bring people to the area. It will be one of the largest rock climbing facilities in North America once completed. It has the potential to turn the city’s industrial neighborhood into a rock climbing destination. Critical Review and Importance to Tourism Field As Dan Miner, senior vice president of the development group Long Island City Partnership, states, “It just increases the area’s cool factor.” This cool factor will attract many as there will be no other facility as extravagant as this one in the area. Owner, Wolfert, believes his new facility will attract climbing aficionados from all over the metropolitan area and boost sales at local businesses. The word about the largest rock climbing facility will spread like wildfire attracting many climbing aficionados from all over the country and in turn boost the tourism in the area. The new market will increase accommodations, local business sales and much more in the area. Trapasso, C. (2013). Long Island City to become top climbing destination with two indoor facilities slated to open in 2013.Retrieved April 23, 2013 from NY Daily News. Website: http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/queens/indoor-climbing-gyms-open-lic-article- 1.1267140

Pamela Myers Article Review #2 U.S. to keep restriction on small knives on planes for now. Topic of Article Three days before it was due to take effect, the U.S. government delayed the rule that would again permit passengers to carry small knives on commercial flights. Major Points Presented Beginning on Thursday, passengers had been cleared to carry small knives on flights. Additional input from the federal advisory board is now being considered such as aviation related interests, passenger advocates and law enforcement experts. After September 11, 2001, small knives were banned along with a variety of other sharp objects since it was believed that the Al Queda hijackers used box cutters to take over the four jetliners. There has been an easing of these prohibitions but a new date for the policy concerning small knives has not been determined. Innovations, Application and Relevance to class A policy concerning small knives being allowed on airplanes again is very relevant to class and of much concern to travelers and some of the nation’s biggest carriers. Transportation Security Administrator, John Pistole, has been under much pressure to improve screening efficiency and to allow security to focus on items that pose more threats but allowing small knives on airplanes is just a bad idea. The policy is very flawed considering that the Al Queda hijackers used box cutters to take over four jetliners in the terrorist attacks in 2001. Allowing small knives on airplanes could open the door for another terrible attack as it would dangerously relax aviation security. It would also send the wrong message to the flying public as they are less likely to fly with the fear of another terrorist attack occurring. This would affect corporate travel and leisure travel by plane. Critical Review and Importance to Tourism Field September 11, 2001 affected tourism all over the country as people feared traveling by plane. Airplane travel is a popular mode of transportation to destinations so it is important that visitors feel safe while traveling. The banning of any sort of weapon such as small knives was put in place to protect people when traveling. Allowing small knives on airplanes would greatly deter many visitors from flying and in turn would affect tourism worldwide.

CNN Staff. (2013). U.S. to keep restriction on small knives on planes for now. Retrieved April 23, 2013 from CNN Travel. Website: http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/22/travel/tsa-knives-planes/index.html?hpt=tr_c2

Kelly Hobbs Article Review #1 Topic of Article The topic of this article refers to how this upcoming summer, tourists of the U.S should expect to pay more than they have in the previous years for accommodations. Travelers should brace themselves to spend more for hotel rooms this summer in any popular destinations.

Major Points Presented The major points presented in this article, “Expect to pay more for your U.S. hotel stay this summer” focus on the major destinations such as San Francisco, New Orleans, New York City, Atlanta, and the District of Columbia. San Francisco and New Orleans lead in terms of room rate growth and they find that this is because for San Francisco specifically, it has a popular leisure and meeting space market that the group room rates have increased by nearly 10%, so much that travelers are looking for other surrounding destinations like Oakland and San Jose for more affordable accommodations. However, rates in those areas have been rising as well. Specifically for New Orleans, a longtime favorite of meeting planners, the destination is still continuing to rebound after the tragic Hurricane Katrina and as it is growing back up more and more people are traveling back to the city, and finding fairly full hotels so are offering to pay more for their stay. Rates here have also increased by nearly 10%. The article presents a lot of evidence that because of the demand of these popular destinations, the increase in lodging rates occur. A final major point noted is that despite the steady upcoming of new hotels all over the U.S., NYC still remains the room rate leader by nearly $100 higher rates than the second most expensive city, San Francisco.

Innovations, Applications, Relevance to class The main application of this article about paying more for hotels than in the past is the major marketing concepts we learned about. The product, price, promotion, and place are all parts of marketing that allow hotels and lodging of a destination to raise their rates with the knowledge that they will still have consumers. Revenue management and price optimization both have the objective to charge the price that people are willing to pay when they make their booking, and this article is explaining how these popular destinations are great for vacations, group meeting, get-a-ways, and overall bragging rights to say as a traveler that you have gone to, which is why the accommodation prices are being raised seeing that people will still travel to these destinations.

Critical review and importance to the tourism field of study It is important to be aware of all aspects of tourism, including accommodations, when marketing or doing PR for a destination. Although people travel to a place to see all the attractions and/or events a destination has to offer, they still always look into hotels and the pricing of what is available. It is important in this field from the view of hotels to be aware and open-minded of competitors and what they have to offer as well having a full understanding of the accommodations you can offer and what is an appropriate price to put on the market.

Reference: USA Today URL: http://www.usatoday.com/story/hotelcheckin/2013/04/29/summer-hotel-rates--expect-to- pay-more-than-2012/2113161/

Kelly Hobbs Article Review #2 Topic of Article This article refers to the county that we did our Destination Gap Analysis Project on, Randolph County and focuses on exactly why this county has become quite the tourist attraction in North Carolina.

Major Points Presented The main points the article focuses on are the NASCAR memorabilia, manufacturing, zoo, restaurants and pottery of Randolph County. A point first noted about the county is how perfect the geographic location is for tourism; halfway between Boston and Miami, as well as midway between Washington, D.C. and Atlanta. However, it isn’t just the great location that makes a destination a huge tourist attraction success. “Attendance at the zoo remains robust, with new attractions often being introduced to keep things fresh,” says Tammy O’Kelley, director of the Randolph County Tourism Development Authority. There are new animal exhibits being added regularly to keep the tourists coming. Seagrove, known for their pottery, has kept the revenue coming in by continuing to grow their shops and attractions of one-of-a-kind pottery and ceramic items. The Richard Petty Museum and North Carolina Aviation Museum are also attractions that have been added over the years to attract a variety of tourist to the areas. To add to the variety of characteristics of potential visitors is the Richland Creek Zip Line which attracts outdoor adventurers to the area. Lastly, a main point that has led to a huge growth in the tourism industry of Randolph County is the referendum that passed not a substantially long time ago, in 2008, allowing beer, wine, and liquor to finally be sold in Asheboro. This has steadily increased the revenue of hotels, bed and breakfasts, and restaurants across the county.

Innovations, Applications, Relevance to class This article about the growth of Randolph County’s tourism industry is relevant to our class in many ways. Primarily, it is an overview of specifically my group’s destination that we have been researching throughout the entire semester. It really shows that no matter how great a destination may be located in terms of breaks for travel, etc., it is necessary to keep the area growing by continuing to add attractions and activities for travelers in order to increase revenue. The concepts of continuing to add exhibits to the zoo and getting the referendum passed to be able to serve alcohol are two of the many examples that go into the planning and development of Randolph County and how it is becoming a greater tourist attraction.

Critical review and importance to the tourism field of study One thing I find very critical and importance to the success of tourism in a destination is to continue to grow. It is a great thing to have a destination offer certain attractions (like the zoo and NASCAR museum in Randolph County), but that could turn into only having one-time visitors, and once they have visited they may feel like they have seen it all. However, if you continue to grow on these attractions and keep adding new features like Randolph County is doing, there is more of a chance to experience returning travelers as well as new ones.

URL: http://livability.com/asheboro/nc/business/animals-nascar-and-pottery-make-randolph- county-must-see-destination

Dylan Poythress Article Review #1

Topic of Article This article is about what branding really is and how to improve the branding of a destination or product. Most people have a false sense of branding in thinking that it is just about marketing the company but it is really about the promise that the company makes to the consumer.

Major Points Presented A brand is a promise given by a company that they will have to perform. The branding process is first started by brand development in which is where the company decides what they want their brand to portray. Then the brand strategy is the process in which the connections are formed with the consumer and other companies. The best brand destinations are the ones that increase the profitability of the destination, customer loyalty to one’s brand, and an increase of the overall value of the destination. Ultimately everything thing about a destination should embody the promise that the brand gives. Another important point that was presented was that importance of the internet in today’s marketing schemes.

Innovations, Applications, and Relevance to Class This is relevant to our class because Randolph County is currently struggling to put together and succinct brand. Currently their motto is “What’s in your heart?” which isn’t a very useful motto for the brand they are trying to provide. First of all it isn’t very clear what that motto even stands for. Second of all “What’s in your heart?” doesn’t have much to do with what Randolph County offers. I believe it would be wiser for Randolph County to try and focus on implementing the southern hospitality into the branding of the county.

My Critic I believe that the article does a great job of explaining what exactly a brand is, and provides a good explanation of what a brand does for a destination. I think that one thing the article could improve on is further explaining how a destination should go about creating a brand with examples. Destination Marketing: Branding- The Most Misunderstood Term in Marketing http://www.adworkshop.com/blog/travel-tourism-marketing

Dylan Poythress Article Review #2 Topic of Article This article is about the importance the internet plays in tourist attractions marketing campaigns. In order to be relevant in today’s marketing schemes, one must take full advantage of the what the internet has to offer. This can be very hard for some companies to do because it can cost millions of dollars to be a major player in the world of internet marketing.

Major Points Presented These days the internet can be used to do virtually anything. Whether it be buy anything from retail, or by a plane ticket, make reservations for a hotel, and making dinner plans for a vacation. The internet is very important in marketing all of these things, especially tourist attractions. Destination marketing has become very competitive and it can be very expensive to gain a top spot in chosen keywords of a search. Instead of paying as much as $120 per hour to some top dollar marketing executive, Australia came up with the idea of splash marketing which is a process in which the marketers are paid after performance of the marketers is proven. This provides a better partnership that both parties can benefit from.

Innovations, Applications, and Relevance to Class This is relevant to class because Randolph County is hasn’t used internet marketing to the best of their ability. They do have a page that explains what Randolph County has to offer, but not many people cruise Randolph County’s website on a whim. It might be advantageous for Randolph County to experiment with splash marketing because it will be cost effective, and if it isn’t successful then not too much time and money will be lost.

My Critic This article was very effective in presenting the ways that the internet helps marketing efforts for tourism companies. It also does a good job of explaining what destination marketing is and how companies with smaller budgets can still be competitive in the internet marketing world. One way that it could be improved is if it explained how splash marketing is carried out and what things might inhibit splash marketing.