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On January 14-16, 2009, the California Cultural & Heritage Tourism Council (CCHTC) held its 5th Annual Symposium in Ventura. Close to 200 cultural and heritage industry experts and partners learned how to identify their communities’ cultural and heritage assets and how to best utilize them, all while enjoying the beautiful city of Ventura. Many attendees chose green transportation options, like Amtrak, the official ground transportation sponsor for the Symposium.
In addition to the educational sessions, the Symposium also provided some wonderful and diverse cultural entertainment – Chumash Indian vision and stories; Charles Phoenix’s 1950-60s Southern California slide presentation; and a Buffalo Soldier’s story, which brought tears to the eyes of a few audience members.
Several sessions focused on how to support cultural and heritage destinations and attractions in the current troubled economic climate. Sheila Armstrong, executive director of the U.S. Cultural & Heritage Tourism Marketing Council, gave insights on the lucrative cultural and heritage travelers – who they are and what they expect. Symposium speakers, including keynote speaker Dave Norton of Stone Mantel, then presented numerous avenues to finding funding and creative marketing opportunities. Dave also spoke on the topic of successful branding. With topics ranging from Preserve America benefits to how to turn cultural capital into economic capital, as well as attracting new customers and keeping them happy, the Symposium was full of ready-to-use ideas for converting cultural and heritage destination into real dollars for communities.
Gloria Herbert, associate publisher/editor of Black Meetings and Tourism, and Debra Lucero, principal of Lucero & Associates, presented valuable information on how to reach out to diverse demographic groups to bring dollars and recognition to communities. The travel writers’ panel was well received, and topics discussed included the evolution of the ever-changing media world and the type of stories to submit for possible inclusion in various publications. The well-attended technology panel included creative ways to get the message out about cultural and heritage tourism using Web cams and podcasts.
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The symposium provided a way for attendees to reconnect with old friends and build new partnerships, with numerous opportunities for networking and interactive sessions that. The theme of the Symposium turned out to be “friendships build partnerships” – arts, culture, heritage and tourism partners can work together to help create a priceless experience. You'll find all Symposium materials at culturecalifornia.com, including the program and speaker presentations.
Be sure to mark your calendar for January 27-29, 2010, for the 6th Annual Symposium in Chico, Ca. Visit culturecalifornia.com for more information about the California Cultural & Heritage Tourism Council and the next Symposium.
Special thanks to all our sponsors!
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Virgin America
Joie de Vivre Hotels
Certified Folder Display Service, Inc.
AAA Magazines: Westways & VIA
Amtrak
Limoneira
California Travel Media/Sunset
Shasta Cascade Wonderland Association
Redding Convention & Visitor's Bureau
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Click on the thumbnails to the left for full-size photos. Right-click, then choose "save picture as" to download. Contact Brooke Byrd at bbyrd@visitcalifornia.com for high-res images.
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