Glacier Membership Brochure

Connect Be Part of a Bigger Picture

FOCU S the low down Glacier Country Regional Tourism Commission is a non-profit organization dedicated to marketing Western Montana as a travel destination. We are recognized by TAC (Tourism Advisory Council) and the state as the official marketing organization for Western Montana. Glacier Country is funded in part by the state accommodations tax (bed tax) and by private membership funds.

Geographically, Glacier Country includes Flathead, Glacier, Lake, Lincoln, Mineral, Missoula, Ravalli and Sanders counties. We also are home to some of the state’s most treasured landscapes, including Glacier National Park, the Blackfeet Nation, the Cabinet Mountains Wilderness, the Flathead Indian Reservation, Ross Creek Cedar Grove, Flathead Lake and some of the most iconic valleys in Montana, including the Bitterroot, Blackfoot, Clark Fork, Seeley-Swan, Mission, Flathead and Missoula.

Y OUR B U S INE S S I S OUR B U S INE S S We love Western Montana. And we love the people that live and work here, striving every day to make our region a little better. We know that it’s easy to get lost in the shuffle and abundance of marketing messages, especially when you’re one voice among thousands of others. Join your voice with ours to help deliver your message.

We’re here to help increase your sales. Each year, Glacier Country advertises and publicizes businesses and services like yours to millions of potential visitors. Our job is to encourage a large target audience to choose Western Montana as their vacation destination and to help make their experience here the best it can be.

DETAIL maximizing exposure Thousands of businesses in Western Montana benefit from our marketing programs. Members include small and large businesses of all kinds—attractions, campgrounds, galleries, theatre groups, hotels, golf courses, inns, outfitters, museums, resorts, restaurants, retail outlets and many more.

There’s strength in numbers. That’s one reason why joining Glacier Country as a member marketing partner is an excellent, profitable business decision. Together, we can market our incredible attractions, communities, businesses and services to a vast audience for a fraction of what it would cost to do it alone.

Becoming a member of Glacier Country makes good sense. For $175 annually, your business receives numerous benefits designed to help you succeed.

member benefits • Directory listing in our travel guide. Each year we produce a full-color travel guide with a print distribution of 160,000 and an online distribution of more than 80,000.

• A featured listing on our website and mobile site, with a link to your business.

• Electronic newsletters with the latest Glacier Country and tourism industry news.

• Email updates regarding marketing opportunities.

• Email alerts on pertinent tourism issues.

• Call center representation. Our call center receives more than 167,000 phone, mail and Internet inquiries each year. Our travel consultants will promote your business during these inquiries. You can also present your business or community highlights to call center counselors at no cost or host counselors in your community for a FAM (familiarization) trip, showcasing all you have to offer.

• Listing events on our website.

• Submit/promote vacation packages on our website.

• Access to a key set of Western Montana photos that you can utilize to help promote your business.

• Access to member badges. The badges are available for use on your website and are designed to indicate that you’re a member of Glacier Country and a supporter of the local state economy.

• Ability to utilize the Glacier Country events calendar on your own website.

• Opportunity to provide coupons for goods and services for travelers.

• Lodging facilities have free access to all leads generated from travel and trade shows, such as NTA, ABA and Go West.

• Access to the Member Center, which allows quick access to information such as our marketing plan, budget reports, ad campaigns and more.

As a Glacier Country member, you have exclusive opportunities not available anywhere else. Participation for some of these may require additional fees or complimentary services, but offer excellent value.

• Display advertising in the travel guide at a discounted rate.

• Opportunity to participate in co-op online and magazine marketing programs.

• Participation in press trips.

• Hot links in direct emails sent to more than 80,000 potential travelers each year.

2012 TRAVEL GUIDE

• Networking opportunities.

EXPLORE the CROWN OF THE

• Media discounts.

CONTINENT

10 V I E W S

• Online promotions.

SURE TO AMA ZE

• Opportunity to purchase qualified leads at low cost from the Glacier Country database.

• Custom designed banner advertising on our website.

• Opportunity to participate in digital revenue advertising packages.

These high value co-ops and advertising opportunities are available to our member marketing partners only. Please call 406.532.3234 for details.

6 E X PE R I E N C ES YOU WON’T FIND ANYWHERE ELSE TREASURES

MONTANA’S CULTURAL GLACIERMT.COM 800.338.5072

A R T S & T H E AT R E T H R I V E

exposure Spreading the Word Glacier Country participates in a variety of advertising efforts that include online advertising, placing ads in key print publications and participating in advertising co-ops with our partners, such as Montana Office of Tourism.

In the past year, we’ve placed ads in various publications, media outlets and CVB travel guides such as VIA, Seattle Met Magazine, Texas Monthly, Minneapolis/St.Paul Magazine, CAA/Westworld, AARP, Fly Fisherman, Pacific Northwest Golfer, Sunset, Better Homes & Gardens, National Geographic Traveler, Backpacker, Budget Travel, SnoWest, Outside Magazine, Delta Sky, Powder Magazine, Ski Magazine, SeattleTimes.com, Oregonlive.com,

“We’ve received bookings that are directly attributed to Glacier Country’s website and our featured listing as a member. Our company and the experience we offer has also been featured in media articles as a result of participating in their publicity program and taking advantage of press opportunities.” Kienan Slate, 10,000 Waves Raft & Kayak Adventures

ChicagoTribune.com, LATimes.com, StarTribune.com, AZCentral.com, SFGate.com, Chron.com, Dallasnews. com, TimesUnion.com (Albany, NY), BismarkTribune.com (ND), Canada.com (Edmonton, Calgary, Fort McMurray), Canoe.ca and facebook.

Co-op Benefits • A larger and coordinated presence in targeted publications.

• Placements within or near strong editorial provide more information and grab reader’s attention.

• Strong photos and visuals enhance the overall look and feel of placement.

• All partner ads include an image, logo, copy and contact information.

service Answering the Call At Glacier Country, we want to help our visitors have the best experience possible in Western Montana.

This means we’re helping them with information on things to do, places to stay, attractions and more. We assist our visitors through a variety of fulfillment tools, including our call center, website, mobile site and travel guide.

Call center Our call center is staffed Monday – Friday from 8 AM – 5 PM, where our travel consultants field more than 70,000 calls annually.

Website Glaciermt.com has more than one million unique visitors each year, a number that has doubled in the last five years. Visitors to the site spend an average of five minutes per visit, using the site as a pertinent resource for accurate and up-to-date information on Western Montana.

Mobile Site With the demand for readily available information, Glacier Country has a mobile site designed specifically for on-the-go travelers with smart phones. The mobile site allows them to access usable information from wherever they are, whether it be on their subway commute or once they arrive in Western Montana. During FY 2011/2012, the site had over 100,000 visitors.

Travel Guide Our travel guide is designed to read like a magazine, telling visitors about our region’s highlights, attractions, activities, recreational opportunities and marketing partners. We print 160,000 guides each year that are distributed around the world, with an estimated readership of 400,000. We also have an interactive version of our guide that has been accessed by more than 80,000 unique visitors this year.

“TOURISM MATTERS TO MONTANA. The bottom line is if it weren’t for tourism, we would not be in business. Tourism brings money into our state and into our community. As a direct result of tourism, we employ more than 85 people in the summer and had a payroll of more than $500,000 in the first nine months of 2010. That’s what tourism is about—providing good paying jobs.”

Sally Thompson, Co-owner, Glacier Raft Company

E d u c at i o n a n d R e p r e s e n tat i o n At Glacier Country, we strive to stay up on the latest travel news, research and trends in an effort to help sustain tourism as one of the top industries in Montana. As an organization, we want to be ahead of the curve and utilize cutting edge programs and tools to promote Western Montana. When possible, we hold educational seminars for our partners throughout Western Montana to help them utilize similar practices in their businesses.

Legislative Efforts Glacier Country is an active advocate for legislative efforts that impact travel and tourism, both at state and national levels. We are in regular contact with local representatives, as well as our representatives in Washington D.C., where we communicate our take and insights on tourism issues. During the last legislative session, we took a leading role in updating Montana lawmakers on the importance of travel and tourism to our state and will continue to play an active role in these outreach efforts.

Outreach Programs In the last few years, we’ve implemented programs to help provide support and education for members and communities throughout the region. We coordinate educational seminars, with topics that include international travel marketing and social media. We’re also available as a resident tourism resource and are happy to speak at meetings on the importance of tourism, travel trends, etc. In addition, we participate in community blitzes, where we explore a town or city in Glacier Country and learn all we can to help better market that area.

VIC Funding Glacier Country provides a program that allows us to provide staffing assistance to non-profit visitor information centers. Last year, we supported visitor information centers in Cut Bank, Columbia Falls, Bigfork, Eureka, Lost Trail (MT/ID border), Hamilton (Bitterroot), Haugan (Friends of Savenac), Blackfeet Country and Seeley Lake, with an average of $30,000 annually.

promotion The Buzz Publicity Glacier Country has a full-time Public Relations & Communication Manager that is dedicated to working with the press and helping facilitate stories and media coverage on Western Montana. This is done through building relationships, story pitches and hosting press trips throughout the region. In the last year, our publicity program reached more than 293 million potential visitors and provided an editorial value of more than $1.3 million. Glacier Country works in partnership with Montana Office of Tourism, CVBs and other partners in these efforts.

The publicity department is also responsible for our social media efforts, including maintaining our facebook page, pinterest boards, twitter account and blog, as well as updating and managing our photo library.

Gr oup Tour/ M eetings and C on v entions /I nte r national Glacier Country has a Tourism Sales Manager that is dedicated to helping facilitate visits to Western Montana from tour operators, groups and meetings and conventions—both international and domestic. This position represents Glacier Country at trade shows, helping us reach professionals who bring visitors from around the world to Western Montana. Glacier Country works in conjunction with Montana Office of Tourism and other partners in these efforts.

clou t T o u r i s m M at t e r s t o M o n ta n a Tourism is big business in Montana and brings in approximately $2.77 billion to the state each year from non-resident travelers. Many organizations work behind the scenes to help promote tourism and visitation to Montana, including Montana Office of Tourism and Glacier Country, as well as other regions and convention and visitor bureaus.

Bed tax A 7 percent accommodations tax is collected at all lodging properties, including hotels, motels, inns, vacation rentals, resorts, bed and breakfasts and campgrounds. While 3 percent goes to the General Fund, 4 percent goes to support travel related partners, such as Montana Office of Tourism, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, ITRR and the regions and CVBs throughout the state. Glacier Country receives a portion of the 4 percent bed tax to promote Western Montana.

2011 Visito r S pending $ 2 .7 7 B illion in N ew Money Gasoline, Oil

$947,600,000

34%

Retail Sales

$542,720,000

20%

Restaurant, Bar

$532,960,000

19%

Hotel, B&B, etc.

$343,170,000

12%

Groceries, Snacks

$194,720,000

7%

Auto Rental & Repairs

$75,090,000

3%

License, Entrance Fees

$52,050,000

2%

Outfitter, Guide

$41,520,000

1%

Campground, RV Park

$19,920,000

1%

Misc. Services

$15,970,000

1%

Gambling

$8,260,000 <1%

Transportation Fares

$370,000

<1%

How the 4% lodging facility use tax is distributed how the 7% lodging tax is distributed

62% department of commerce/ mt office of tourism 22% tourism region/cvbs

41% | 3% lodging facility sales tax deposited in general fund

6% mt fish, wildlife & parks

59% | 4% lodging facility use tax

2% MT heritage preservation & development commission

4% historical society

2% university of mt/itrr research 2% department of revenue

Facts & Figures • Non-resident visitors to Montana had a total economic impact of more than $2.77 billion in 2011.

• The top five non-resident travel expenditures are on gasoline/oil, restaurants/bars, retail sales, accommodations and groceries/snacks.

• Tourism and recreation businesses supported 39,000 Montana jobs providing $896 million in worker’s salaries.

• Nearly 10.5 million visitors traveled to Montana in 2011.

• Non-resident visitors generated $276 million in state and local tax revenues in 2011 thus reducing the tax burden on residents by approximately $687 per household.

• Every dollar ($1) spent on promoting Monana yields $156 in visitor spending.

d e d i c at i o n D e d i c at e d t o p r o m o t i n g t o u r i s m i n W e s t e r n M o n ta n a .

Our marketing efforts are directed by a board of Western Montana business people, all of whom are active in tourism.

President: Denise Van Artsdale 1st Vice President: Bruce Haller 2nd Vice President: Luke Walrath Secretary/Treasurer: Robert Carette Past President: Dianna Plum At Large: Ramona Holt At Large: Carole Johnson

Trudy Berge

Randy McIntyre

Joan Prather

Jackie Cripe

Diane Medler

DeeAnn Richardson

Jessica Downing

Alana Mesenbrink

Jodi Running Fisher

Mick Holien

Jan Metzmaker

Leslee Smith

Pam Lewis

Gabe Millar

Alicia Thompson

Paul London

Barbara Neilan

Ryan Thompson

“Glacier Country’s relationship with business incentive companies helped pave the way for us to be recognized by an incentive company and build a relationship with them that has resulted in real business.” Dawn Jackson, The Lodge at Whitefish Lake

Racene Friede, Executive Director

KRISTI MCNEAL, OFFICE MANAGER

Tia Troy, Public Relations & cOMMUNICATION Manager

Dottie Olofson, SPECIAL PROJECTS

“Our participation in Glacier Country co-op advertising opportunities has been hugely successful in driving web traffic to Glacier Park, Inc. and has resulted in real reservation conversions for our properties. In addition, our partnership on press trip opportunities and the media coverage resulting from those trips have been essential to the success of our operating season. From our perspective, the return on investment for Glacier Country membership is outstanding compared to other associations we’re involved with. Our active involvement with Glacier Country has also helped us foster and build relationships with our colleagues and has provided a better understanding of the tourism industry in Montana ” Alicia Thompson, Glacier Park, Inc.

Glacier Country Regional Tourism Commission glaciermt.com | 406.532.3234 www.membercenter.glaciermt.com fax: 406.532.3236 | glaciercountry@glaciermt.com