Johnny "Cupcakes" Earle highlighted a day-long seminar last week before 140 business and organization leaders during Destination Gettysburg's "Build, Inspire, Innovate" Summit at the Wyndham Gettysburg Hotel.
 
Johnny Earle spoke of his numerous business ideas, which started at a very young age, to bring him to be a top, world-renowned, T-shirt entrepreneur. Today, customers flock to his stores, set up like a cupcake bakery, to get the latest shirt designs.
 
Earle spoke of his successes and failures, as well as hosted a Q&A with audience members during lunch.
 
The day also featured a variety of marketing sessions on advertising, social media, photography and other tools.

Norris Flowers, President of Destination Gettysburg, addressed the Rotary Club of Gettysburg last week and shared with its members the economic benefits of tourism, and why the local community should embrace the industry.

Flowers, specifically touted the revenue generated for the Borough of Gettysburg, which not only receives more than $150,000 through the lodging tax, but economic benefits through parking revenue, amusement taxes and through property taxes paid by tourism properties in Gettysburg.

"Gettysburg and Adams County need to be a community that embraces tourism, welcomes our visitors and realizes the economic potential that this industry can bring to our region," he said.

When it comes to the meetings market, Gettysburg has carved its niche with its leadership development programs – taking the lessons learned on the Civil War battlefield and applying them to companies across America. Two new companies have started in 2017 – FCC Services and HistoryAndLeadership.

“This historically sacred setting is the site of a powerful, soles-on-the-ground program that looks to those leaders, lessons and legacy, with a clear, contemporary purpose … to set the stage for you to prepare for your greatest challenges,” said the leaders of FCC Services.

FCC Services and HistoryAndLeadership join three established leadership development companies and organizations in Gettysburg - Tigrett Corp., the Lincoln Leadership Institute and the Gettysburg Foundation's "In the Footsteps of Leaders" program. For a look at the leadership development opportunities available in Gettysburg, click here.

The leadership development programs in Gettysburg are open to companies and organizations of all sizes. Programs focus on not only the Battle of Gettysburg, but Eisenhower and Lincoln as well.

Stacey Fox, Destination Gettysburg's Vice President of Sales & Marketing was honored recently with the J. Frank Sapp Volunteer of the Year Award for her efforts to bolster Adams County Economic Development Corporation's marketing efforts.
 
ACEDC presented Stacey with the award at its annual dinner, where she was also recognized for continuing her role as a board member for the organization.
 
Congratulations, Stacey!

The ​overall revenue of hotel stays, as measured by Smith Travel Research (STR) increased 1.6 percent in 2016, a year-end report concluded.
 
Additionally, the average daily rate (ADR) among those participating hotels increased 4.1 percent to $107.47 as compared to 2015.
 
The demand for hotel rooms in 2016, however, dropped slightly, marking a leveling out after 2015's banner year for overnight stays in Adams County, Pa.
 
STR, which measures hotel occupancy in 17 of the county's largest accommodation properties, reported that 414,258 rooms were booked in those hotels in 2016, a 2.4 percent drop over the previous year.
 
It should be noted, however, that 2015's numbers were impressively high, surpassing that of 2013 - the year that Adams County hosted the 150th Anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg.
 
STR just recently began measuring occupancy and other lodging data among eight bed and breakfasts, but comparable, yearly data is not yet available.

Click here to see more research.