The Regional Tourism Marketing Partnership’s “Weathering the Economy” conference was held in Saugeen Shores.
Wednesday’s event finished with the annual tourism awards in four categories.
The Charlie Kelly Award goes to the individual who contributes the most to tourism in Grey and Bruce Counties.
The winner is Val Stimpson, President and CEO of Neustadt Springs Brewery.
Stimpson says her business tries very hard to promote what the two counties have to offer in all of its activities — including operating a year-round information centre at the brewery building in Neustadt.
The award is sponsored by Bayshore Broadcasting in honour of former Owen Sound Councillor Charlie Kelly — who is credited with starting winter tourism efforts in the Scenic City over 30 years ago.
Bayshore Broadcasting General Manager Ross Kentner says year after year, the people of the tourism industry always select a winner who resembles the kind of person Kelly was.
Summerfolk is the winner of the Best Marketing on the web award.
Artistic Director Richard Knechtel says they always direct people to their website for marketing, and if the content isn’t good, other marketing won’t work either.
Patti Kendall of the Blue Mountain Village Association gets the award for Best Marketing in print for the Apple Harvest Festival which takes in the Village at Blue, Thornbury, and Clarksburg.
Kendall also receives the Best New Tourism Initiative award for the Salsa at Blue Mountain Latin Music and Culture Festival.
Bruce County Tourism Manager Chris Hughes proclaims the conference a success.
He notes 120 people in the tourism business from across the region, province, and even one from Michigan attended.
The Weathering the Economy theme was designed to give the industry ideas on how to deal with a troubled economy and poor weather.
Hughes says during one of the sessions, they heard ideas for cost cutting, boosting the bottom line, and for staff incentives.
He says they’re all ideas business people might not think of during good times, but when things are difficult, they focus more on their businesses.
Guest speakers at the conference included Environment Canada Senior Climatologist David Phillips, Bruce County Web Developer Gem Webb, and Georgian College Economist Norm Smith.