2011 Winter Chautauqua

The conference designed for tourism professionals in Georgia is hosted by travel associations in the Northwest and Northeast Georgia regions.

This year’s 21st annual conference will focus on Pioneering Territories in the Tourism Industry. Sessions will highlight how to be successful in a world of economic hardships, budget cut-backs and ever-advancing technologies.

The conference will kick off on Sunday, March 6, with a panel discussion at the Booth Western Art Museum on the True Grit in Tourism Product Development. Featured panelists include Melinda Lemmon, executive director, Cartersville-Bartow County Joint Development Authority; Seth Hopkins, executive director, Georgia Museums, Inc; Scott Mahr, general manager, Barnsley Gardens Resort; David Branch with the Lake Pointe Sports Development Group and Joy Walstrum with the Tourism Development Alliance of Georgia.

Featured sessions for the conference schedule on Monday, March 7, include: Design on the Range: Get tips for in-house design projects; Ace-in-the-Hole Marketing Plan: Learn how to develop and implement a successful marketing plan; Fast is Good, but Accurate is Better: Know your target before you market; learn why marketing research is the first step to successful marketing and One Step Ahead-Emerging Technologies: Stay on the cutting edge of technology and get ideas for integrating some of the latest trends into your marketing plan.

The registration fee for Sunday, March 6, is $20 and the fee for the Monday sessions is $65. Early registration for the full conference is $85, if participants register after Feb. 22, the registration is $95. Registration for Sunday after Feb. 22 is $30 and for Monday is $75. For more information, contact Patrice Shannon at 706-368-6775 or pshannon@berry.edu. Visit www.winterchautauqua.com to register or for a full schedule.