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Archibald's Orchard and Estate Winery, Bowmanville
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Greetings from Durham Tourism
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Welcome to the September issue of Durham Tourism's Industry Insights!
It feels like fall is here already and our dreams of pumpkin spice, apple harvests and beautiful fall foliage are coming true. This month, Industry Insights has some great news for local businesses, events and attractions ----and a number of initiatives to register for as well! The 2018 Culture Ontario grant process has opened. There is still time to sign up for the 2017 Culture Days weekend, and the Corporate Sponsorship workshop, co-hosted by Central Counties Tourism and Sport Durham, still has spots available.
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Tourism Industry Highlights
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Culture Days are almost here!
Last chance to register!
The countdown to the 2017 edition of Culture Days is on!
Durham Region is proud to be a part of the three-day celebration, running from September 29 to October 1.
The final deadline to register your event is September 18 at 11:59
p.m. Register now at both
durhamtourism.ca
and
culturedays.ca
to benefit from the 2017 marketing and promotional campaign.
Not sure where to start? Here are five tips from Culture Days Ontario to get you started:
- Register the activities you are already doing ----no need to create something new (unless you want to!).
- Cross-promote and/or enhance your ticketed events. Add a free Culture Days event before, after or next to your event.
- Remember, your creative process can be just as interesting as the final product.
- Invite the public to join in.
- Make new connections! Collaborate with other artists and arts workers.
Culture Days is celebrating its eighth year in 2017. This creative showcase invites the public to explore, participate and share in vibrant arts and culture events in every community across the country.
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Spotlight on: Pickering Museum Village
For more than 55 years, Pickering Museum Village has delighted visitors, residents and countless school field trip groups. And while the tourist season for Pickering Museum Village is winding down, there is still plenty of activity going on at this historic site.
The museum continues to work on
building their 2017-2023 Strategic Plan, and added tour booklets to their interpretive services this year. Guests can explore the village at their own pace, with the booklet as their guide. For visitors who want to explore the museum in greater depth, the History Mystery Kit is available. The kit, a backpack filled with quests, quizzes and challenges for additional activities, offers guests new ways to discover and explore the pioneer village on their own.
The museum is open for private and school tours from April to December, and birthday parties, film production and private functions and events take place year round. In December, the museum celebrates Christmas in the Village, Winter in the Woods, a celebration of holiday customs, which rounds out the event calendar for 2017.
C
reating a focused approa
ch and increasing attendance and
awareness through partnerships with the tourism sector
are part of the museum's overall goals. This is accomplished through a number of initiatives:
- Partnership with Museum organizations and On Route to share their marketing materials.
- Attendance at events to promote the activities and programming of the Pickering Museum Village. Participation in events such as heritage days, camps, farmers markets, and fairs shares a taste of the museum's culture with new audiences.
- The theatre troupe Backwoods Players has created a Murder Mystery, which they have presented at local retirement homes, attracting new visitors to the museum from this sector.
- Offering outreach education kits, guest speakers and workshops to those who are looking to enhance their programming with local culture and heritage.
The mission of Pickering Museum Village is to welcome their guests to explore and experience Pickering's cultural heritage. The buildings, artifacts, and programs available are meant to inspire a broader appreciation of life in the Pickering communities from 1810-1920.
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In the news: Ontario boosting support for arts and culture
The Ontario government recently announced they are increasing funding to the Ontario Arts Council (OAC), to support the continued success of the province's thriving arts sector.
Ontario is committing $50 million in additional funding to the OAC, which will help increase support for art programs across the province, covering a range of disciplines and activities.
Of note, the funding will support the OAC's priority groups, including Artists of Colour; Deaf Artists and Artists with Disabilities; Francophone Artists; Indigenous Artists; New Generation Artists (18-30 year olds); and Artists Living In Regions Outside Toronto. The funding will also support specific projects for artists and arts organizations.
To learn more read the
news release
available on the Ontario newsroom website at news.ontario.ca.
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Celebrate Ontario 2018 grants available
Celebrate Ontario has announced its 2018 grant program.
This
program helps
annual and bi-annual
festivals
,
events
and even series of public activities, to
enhance their programs and services. The support provided through this program helps to grow tourism in the province by making it easier for event organizers to offer new and improved experiences,
attracting more tourists and increasing
visitor spending. The deadline to apply for Celebrate Ontario 2018 is
November 9, 2017 at 5 p.m. New for 2018
----the Celebrate Ontario 2018 application form has been improved and streamlined, making the overall application process easier!
Here's how
to get started:
- See the Celebrate Ontario At a Glance document for an overview of the program and application process.
- Visit the Grants Ontario website at ontario.ca/celebrateontario for application information.
- Join Durham Tourism and Central Counties Tourism on October 12 for their "Celebrate Ontario 2018, Durham Region" workshop. Only 40 seats are available for this workshop. Sign up through the Central Counties Tourism website to reserve your spot now!
- Complete the standard Grants Ontario Application Form and a Celebrate Ontario Project Application Form. These documents are available on the Grants Ontario web portal at grants.gov.on.ca/GrantsPortal.
Need more information?
Best of luck with your application!
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Spots still available for Corporate Sponsorship Workshop
Are you looking for strategies to maximize revenue for regional festivals and events, in addition to sport hosting, to lower the financial burden for cities? Then you are in luck! Spots are still available for the Corporate Sponsorship Workshop, hosted by Sport Durham and Central Counties Tourism, on October 19.
This training will focus on:
- How to drive paid attendance.
- Corporate sponsorship contribution.
- Effective event marketing.
- Digital media with a purpose.
- Sales and negotiation training.
The training will help participants grow confidence in bidding for events and provide an open resource for municipalities.
This one-day workshop is taking place at the Ajax Convention Centre (located at Highway 401 and Salem Road). The cost is $25 per person, and includes light breakfast, breaks and lunch; as well as post-training access to ten weekly webinars.
Register online
at centralcounties.ca.
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What's new in Sport Tourism?
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Ontario Lacrosse Festival: An invitation to see the game at all levels
The national summer sport of Canada. Five hundred teams. More than 10,000 athletes and 1,000 games over 10 days. This was the 14th annual Ontario Lacrosse Festival. Known as the largest youth lacrosse event in North America, with an estimated attendance of 55,000, this festival enjoyed its fourteenth consecutive year in Durham Region from
August 4 to 13.
Children ages 5 to 21 participated in 44 provincial and national lacrosse championships over the course of the event, which took place at venues across Durham, including:
- Iroquois Park Sports Complex (Whitby), the largest municipally owned recreation centre and the festival's hub.
- McKinney Arena and Luther Vipond Arena (Whitby).
- Legends Centre and the Children's Arena (Oshawa).
- Garnett B. Rickard Recreation Complex (Bowmanville).
- Don Beer Arena and the Pickering Recreation Complex (Pickering).
- the Darlington Sports Centre (Clarington).
In addition to the indoor tournament, the festival featured an outdoor Festival Fun Zone with activities for the whole family. More than 30 sponsors and exhibitors provided unique and engaging experiences and opportunities for participants and attendees.
"It's very important for us to work with the event organizers, local support organizations, volunteers and officials," says Brandon Pickard, Manager of Tourism for Durham Region. "Everyone comes in and really does their part."
Of course, the event would not be possible without the support of our local tourism stakeholders
--- from the hotel and hospitality industry, to local shops and attractions, who welcome the athletes and spectators to the region each year. Thank you for helping to make this festival such a success year after year. The businesses who participated in the Show Your Badge and Save Program, a program that saw discount coupons distributed to players, also did a fantastic job of welcoming players and their families while increasing visitor spending in Durham.
The festival, launched in 2004, is estimated to reach $5.5 million in economic impact in 2017, according to the Canadian Sport Tourism Economic Assessment Model.
We are proud to partner with the Ontario Lacrosse Association to welcome this fantastic event to Durham each year. Check out this video for a taste of the festival experience!
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Connect and engage with
Durham Tourism and Sport Durham!
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Connect and engage with Durham Tourism and Sport Durham on our social media pages:
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