WORKSHOP Garden Tourism Readiness Growing Our Markets Project

Sponsored by:

Monday, November 6th, 2017 10:00am - 2:30pm • Participants: Senior marketing and curatorial managers of garden sites, parks, municipalities and attractions, senior The Butchart Gardens marketing and product development managers at tourism 800 Benvenuto Avenue destination marketing organizations, municipal/regional economic Brentwood Bay, BC V8M 1J8 development officers, senior program managers at Chambers of RSVP: [email protected] Commerce/Business Improvement Areas, local tourism business by Nov. 1st, 2017 owner/operators (accommodators, restaurateurs, retailers, other attractions). AGENDA • Outcomes & Deliverables: Participants will have an opportunity *Welcome & Introductions to better understand the tourism market, how these consumers *Landscape/Context - The differ from the local customer and how to develop specific garden Tourism Market tourism experiences. This facilitated workshop will provide *Tourism Market Readiness: participants with the essential components of experiential tourism Why? and What? development and practical “how to” instruction for incorporating garden assets into appealing tourism experiences. Interactive and *Experiential Tourism Imperatives participatory, this workshop will give participants the opportunity Lunch hosted by: to create unique garden tourism experiences collaboratively with The Butchart Gardens peers and colleagues to attract new visitors at a higher yield.

*Knowing Your Ideal Guest/Target *Application to Your Garden/ Travellers want to venture beyond the beaten Business Discussion path and dive deeper into authentic, local culture, *Facilitated Workshop Session “connecting with people in deep and meaningful ways.” Garden Tourism Readiness WORKSHOP Garden Tourism Readiness Growing Our Markets Project

Richard has a background steeped in the adver tising, travel and hospitality industries. As a marketing specialist with 30+ years of FACI L I TATO R experience, he has held senior roles in both national and international adver tising agencies and managed assignments for some of the countries largest adver tisers including Nestle, Honda, Chrysler, the Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Delta Hotels, Destination Canada, and Tourism Toronto. As Vice President of Marketing at Tourism Toronto he helped establish Toronto’s position as a leading destination for leisure, RICHARD INNES meetings, convention, spor t, and incentive travel. President, Brain Trust Marketing & Communications Richard established Brain Trust in 2000. It is a firm specializing in tourism experience and destination development, marketing plan development and creative execution. The clients they serve are a long list of private and public-sector organizations primarily from the travel, tourism, and hospitality sectors. In 2015 Brain Trust developed Ontario’s Garden Tourism Strategy and the firm facilitated numerous garden tourism development workshops over the past 3 years. Richard is a regular presenter at the Canadian Garden Council’s biennial Nor th American Garden Tourism Conference. Richard lives in Mississauga Ontario. He is an avid golfer and is active on several not-for-profit Boards. He served on the Boards of the Tourism Industry Association of Canada and the Ontario Culinary Tourism Alliance. In 2012, he was presented the Queen’s Jubilee Medal for his contribution to Canada’s tourism industry.

Garden Tourism Readiness WORKSHOP Garden Tourism Readiness Growing Our Markets Project

WORKSHOP LOCATIONS & DATES Launched early in 2017, the Growing Our Markets (GOM) project is an 18-month national program. Phase One was designed to ST JOHN’S Oct 23 establish Destination Garden Networks (DGN) in 10 communities across the country. It presented an oppor tunity for individual garden organizations and venues to continue do what they do well, ANNAPOLIS Oct 25 then leverage and enhance that by working together with like- minded organizations. The initiative provided tools to enhance the OTTAWA Oct 26 appeal and sustainability of GOM par ticipants through development of community-based garden experiences along with local, TORONTO Oct 27 provincial, and national marketing synergies. Special attention was directed NIAGARA Oct 30 at creating enhanced activities around Garden Days. Phase Two of the program, to be implemented in Fall 2017, will VICTORIA Nov 6 focus on helping garden organizations and venues develop new or enhanced garden experiences that have appeal to the tourist VANCOUVER Nov 7 or visitor market. This phase also incorporates training on how to reach/attract appropriate visitor markets to grow tourism EDMONTON Nov 8 revenues at individual gardens and the within the community.

To accomplish this, a series of Garden Tourism Readiness Workshops WINNIPEG Nov 9 have been scheduled in each of the 10 communities between Oct 23 and Nov. 9, 2017. Mobilizing your community of tourism par tners QUEBEC TBD now will give you a head star t on the tourism season next spring.

Garden Tourism Readiness