Destination Gettysburg is excited to announce that registration for the third annual "Build, Inspire, Innovate" Summit 2018 is now open, and early bird rates are offered through Dec. 15.
 
The Summit will including a variety of marketing topics for businesses and organizations in all industries, not just tourism. This day-long event will give business leaders and staff new tools for driving more customers through innovate marketing and customer relations techniques.
 
The keynote speaker this year is Kindra Hall, an award-winning columnist, author and national champion storyteller. During her presentation, Kindra will share her blueprint for razor-sharp storytelling that will equip attendees with the essential skills for success, a base to build better relationships and a path to blow up their brands by leveraging the irresistible power of their stories.
 
Kindra is just part of a full line-up of speakers and sessions featured as part of the Feb. 6, 2018 marketing summit. Attendees can save $20 by registering before Dec. 15.
 
In its first two years, the Summit has attracted numerous business and organization teams to learn more about innovative ways to promote their experience and their products. Break-out sessions, as well as the keynote addresses, have inspired business representatives to find unique ways to tell their stories through cutting edge marketing, sales and communications.
 
>> Learn More and Register

​Adams County Commissioners will gather tonight for their next forum - this time, focused on one of the county's largest industries - tourism. The event begins at 6:30 p.m. tonight and will be held at the Biglerville Library. The public is invited to attend.
 
Destination Gettysburg will begin the event with a presentation about the tourism industry's impact on the local economy, as well as showcasing the latest marketing to attract visitors to Adams County.
 
Residents interested in learning more about the tourism industry, or have questions for the commissioners or representatives with Destination Gettysburg are encouraged to attend. No RSVP is required.
 
The Biglerville library is located at 59 West York Street, Biglerville.

​Even though visitors from foreign countries represent a small portion of the overall travel to Adams County, Pa., every year the international market remains an important sector of the tourism industry - as it brings in millions of dollars in revenue annually.
 
Destination Gettysburg works closely with both media and international tour planners to develop foreign travel to Gettysburg - typically as part of larger trips to the East Coast United States.
 
So far, according to this VisaVue snapshot, which measures the use of the Visa credit card by foreign visitors to Adams County, $1.24 million has been spent in the first three quarters of 2017. It should be noted, however, that the VisaVue report represents only a portion of international spending in Adams County, as many foreign visitors - including China - do not use Visa credit cards on their trips.
 
As part of our international marketing effort, staff at Destination Gettysburg attend marketplaces and other events to meet face-to-face with foreign travel journalists and tour operators, including IPW, International Media Marketplace, North American Journeys (NAJ) and Ontario Motor Coach Association (OMCA), where Group Sales Manager Nicole Absher is attending this week in Toronto, Canada.
 
Both our communications and sales departments have hosted a significant amount of international writers and operators in 2017, mostly because of the location of IPW this June in Washington, DC.
 
In all, Destination Gettysburg will host 12 international journalists in 2017 including three from Canada, two from the United Kingdom and two from Germany. Other countries include Costa Rica, Hungary, China, Denmark and France.
 
Two articles published already include the Toronto Star and Germany's Urlaub fuer Unternehmer.
 
Additionally, foreign tour operators have participated in tours hosted by Destination Gettysburg this year and have included representatives from France, Germany and the United Kingdom.
 
>> More on Destination Gettysburg's International Marketing

It's been 18 months since Destination Gettysburg launched its Authentic Adams County story-telling platform to encourage even the most repeated of Gettysburg's visitors to start exploring the beautiful countryside and experience some of the places, the people and the events that make the region special.
 
During that time, seven videos have been filmed, edited and posted across Destination Gettysburg digital channels. Together, the videos have been viewed more than 165,000 times by people around the world.
 
The videos produced include:

• Rettland Farm - A Farm-to-Table Story
• A Portrait of Three Artists - Connecting History through Art
• The Barns of Adams County
• President Eisenhower, the Adams County Farmer
• Preserving the Past
• Fairfield, Pennsylvania
• Adams County Cider - Authentic Flavor

In addition to the videos, the Authentic Adams County platform has been featured in FAM tours for both journalists and group travel - including Maryland Motorcoach Association's Annual Marketplace in 2017 and Pennsylvania Bus Association's Annual Meeting in 2015.
 
"By all means, we've only just begun," said Stacey Fox, Vice President of Destination Gettysburg. "This platform was established as a long-term marketing effort to increase visitors' awareness of the stories that exist throughout the entire Adams County countryside."
 
Some of the highlights of the Authentic Adams County campaign include agriculture, food and beverage, history, as well as art and music.
 
>> Visit Authentic Adams County's Website

​It's hard to believe that October is already over and that the holidays are right around the corner. The holiday season provides a great opportunity for Adams County to attract more visitors and extend our season by several weeks.
 
Destination Gettysburg has built a holiday campaign that kicks off in November and runs through New Year's Day. As with all campaigns, we will launch a multi-media placement of holiday-centric ads. These paid placements include radio, digital - display, search engine marketing, video and print in regional publications including Recreation News, Baltimore Magazine and Harrisburg Magazine.
 
In addition, we will be distributing social media posts on all platforms - Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest. Social media content and blogs will focus on events, attractions, dining and lodging during the holiday season and, of course, shopping.
 
In early December, for the first time, Destination Gettysburg will be hosting a Holiday Media FAM tour where an estimated eight to ten journalists will spend the weekend experiencing the holiday season including performances, dinners and other events in an effort to generate additional travel both this year and in the future.
 
We encourage all of our members to share our holiday content on social media and other marketing materials as well as keep us posted on new holiday events, activities and exhibits.