Chamber rolls out promotional plan

"This is the first time in a long time that we have been able to advertise in each of the 12 months," said Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Erin Borla, addressing a joint chamber/city council workshop Thursday.

A majority of the chamber board members also attended the meeting.

Borla detailed the chamber's promotional efforts to build tourism in Sisters, including the early stages of the promotion to counter the challenge of months of construction on Cascade Avenue in a renovation project that begins in September of 2013.

The chamber receives $93,000 in room tax revenues from the city, which must be spent on tourism and travel promotion. Borla detailed the chamber's significant advertising on Portland-area radio stations, ski packages that are promoted in the Valley, and a 2-year-old partnership with Hoodoo to help promote the short trip to Sisters after a day of skiing. Statistics show that 75 percent of Hoodoo's customers come from the Valley.

In the coming year the chamber will be adding a "build your own itinerary section" to the chamber website along with an RSS feed and a mobile version of the chamber website.

Borla reported that since the October council meeting that significantly modified ODOT's construction plans for Cascade Avenue, the marketing committee that convened as an offshoot from that meeting has met four times.

After the first two brainstorming session, the group, which has grown to 15 members, got down to questions about implementation. Borla quoted observations from the meetings that included, "Let's be realistic about chamber capacity; let's see what other folks can step in and help; we've noticed that peer-to-peer relationship building seems to spread the word a little bit better than requests coming from chamber office or the city."

One of the first programs will get a trial run shortly. Using a $1,000 grant from the city, over the next several weeks the chamber will be rolling out new gift certificates (see related story

page 23).

The marketing committee is also planning two big kick-off parties. The first will be when the underground construction on Cascade Avenue begins in September of 2013. The second big party will be when the heavy construction kicks off in March of 2014.

"Passing the shovel" block parties are also planned as one two-block section is completed and the work moves to the next two-block section.

Concepts such as an historical walking tour, with history plaques at each of the downtown businesses have also been discussed as well a "passport" stamp program for kids, based on a program at the Portland Zoo.

Borla also indicated the formation of a retail co-op to pool merchants' advertising dollars and promote a common theme in their advertising.

Sisters has had a lodging co-op for seven years that stretches from Suttle Lake to Aspen Lakes. Gregg Willitts, chamber president and president of FivePine Lodge said, "They (co-op members) each put in money and contribute gift certificates, and then we can market to a larger group. We have semi-competitors together, realizing that they are friendly competitors, and realizing that if we bring more people to Sisters Country we all win. It breaks down the communication barriers that creep up in small towns quickly."

Willitts also pointed out that "80 percent of the chamber's marketing efforts will be focused on businesses on Cascade during the construction, but 20 percent will also be on Main and Hood to explain the importance of showcasing your business to those that would not normally be pulling off Cascade."

Chamber Director and Three Creeks Brewing Co. President Wade Underwood said, "The chamber's responsibility is Sisters Country. There is a large division in the community today about the downtown core and its importance. While certain aspects can be focused on at a given time, we have to support one another ... the chamber's message is 'Sisters Country.'"