The Vail Valley Partnership team works diligently on a daily basis to drive destination guests to visit us here in the Vail Valley. Success stories abound: special events recruited by the Partnership include Tough Mudder, Vail Rocks!, Gran Fondo, Season of Song, Tour of Vail and many more; our group sales team helps book 15,000+ group and meeting room nights; our VailonSale.com booking engine gives lodging properties an alternative distribution channel for their lodging deals. The Partnership also produces the Visit Vail Valley Official Vacation Guide and the Vail Valley Wedding Guide to help promote our destination to guests around the country and our members businesses are promoted to guests via VisitVailValley.com.
It’s rewarding to help fill our lodges and drive sales tax collections, all while providing a robust business-to-business program to assist our members with networking, cost savings programs, educational programs & other chamber of commerce benefits.
We don’t take our role lightly and we appreciate the support of the local business community via their membership in the organization, just as we appreciate the support of numerous municipal and other organizations supporting our group sales & event recruiting efforts.
But sometimes, regional and statewide issues trump our local efforts. We’ve seen this lately as communities around Colorado have recently been ravaged by wildfires; here in the Eagle River Valley, we’ve been fortunate (more or less) to avoid major damages. Some of our neighboring communities throughout Colorado haven’t been so lucky.
Enter the “Colorado Pledge”. The Colorado Pledge is a rather simple idea: let’s work together, collaboratively as a state and as an industry, to recognize most affected by the wildfires. Our phones have been ringing wondering if we’ve been impacted – and we know that some of our local activity providers have been adversely impacted by the wildfires throughout the state. The “Colorado Pledge” allows destinations and tourism businesses throughout Colorado to post the pledge on their websites, raising awareness that Colorado is open for business and encouraging guests to “pledge” to visit. Twitter hash mark #coloradopledge is being used, and Destination Marketing Organizations (DMO’s), tourism related businesses and individuals throughout the state are posting the Colorado Pledge logo on their Facebook pages and websites. Contact us at the Partnership if your business or organization would like a copy of the logo and landing page content.
It’s impressive to see people and communities forget their individual market share for a brief moment to show solidarity with our neighbors – recognizing the economic impact that tourism has throughout not just our fair valley but all through Colorado. It’s equally impressive to see communities, businesses and individuals recognize that we all benefit if the Colorado brand and regional messaging remains strong in the face of negative publicity.
I’m especially proud that this idea has been a grassroots, industry lead effort. And I’m happy to report that the Colorado Pledge started as an idea in the Vail Valley Partnership offices; happy, but not surprised, that this idea started with the VVP. After all, those who have been paying attention the past few years know that the Vail Valley Partnership is relentlessly collaborative – knowing that when we can use our resources to help facilitate big ideas and bring stakeholders together, everyone can succeed.
The Colorado Pledge is a simple idea that has taken a life of its own. Like so many of our local programs here in the Vail Valley, we’re proud to have played a part in a regional effort to help our local small businesses and our communities through a program.
So take the Colorado Pledge (and tell your friends & neighbors). Details are available at VisitVailValley.com. The Pledge a simple way to not only enjoy yourself in our great state, it’s a way to support small business. That’s a pledge worth making.
What can your business do to help? If you are not a member and benefit from the Partnership’s local collaboration & regional recruitment of events and meetings, or our business services such as the networking, cost savings and other benefits offered to members, get off the sidelines and join the Partnership. If you are already a member, tell your neighbors to join to help us do even more here in the valley.
As always, I encourage all member businesses to get engaged with the Partnership and to contact us with any suggestions you may have to help us better serve you and for non-members to join the Partnership. Call us at (970) 476-1000 or stop by our offices in Avon at Traer Creek Plaza to share your feedback.