From the desk of...

Lisa Jaager

How could it possibly be August 13th? This year has positively flown by... this summer has been very, very busy in Summerland. We had a slow start to the season but July has made up for that! Our July stats (every person who walks through our doors) show an increase of 24.9% over July 2009. That is incredible. If you consider that approximately 7 - 10% of visitors stop at a Visitor Information Centre, we have an extra 1000 people EACH DAY in Summerland. How are you capturing that potential customer or client? Something to think about...

Over the August long weekend, SCEDT and the District of Summerland, with sponsorship from local business including Re/Max Orchard Country, the Summerland Review and AM 1450, pulled together a marketing campaign to showcase Summerland to the Okanagan Valley. We were specifically looking for short-term travelers who would rediscover Summerland for the weekend.

We sent a post-campaign survey to the participating businesses and the results were essentially positive. Not everyone noticed a difference, some said their sales were slow, but of those who responded, 50% were either satisfied or very satisfied. That isn't too bad for Summerland!

We had several visitors and locals comment positively about the campaign. I spoke to some businesses who say a double-digit increase in sales... that is excellent.

A couple of things to share with you this week:

RCMP Detachment

• SCEDT conducted a survey of our members (71 members) and 79% were in favour of building the new RCMP Detachment in Summerland, as described by the District of Summerland.
  
  • The RCMP Detachment Referendum is set for Saturday, October 2, 2010. Please stay tuned for further details and information.
  • This is a real and significant opportunity for the "silent majority" in Summerland to have their voices heard. Please participate in the discussions and VOTE!

A quick "heads-up" to make room in your budget for the 2011 Summerland Visitors Guide, the 2011 Summerland Telephone and Business Directory. Sales for marketing opportunities in both of our publications will be starting soon.

We are planning for the 2010 Festival of Lights. Look for upcoming information, opportunities to become involved (can you say "Task Force!"), sponsorship information and vendor applications.  Now, if you think that Tourism BC isn't everywhere... take a look at this photo sent from Heathrow, London, from a former Summerland resident. 

Cheers, Lisa