STARK COUNTY CONVENTION & VISITORS' BUREAU

Industry Development Day Recap

We hope you enjoyed Industry Development Day! It was full of resources and updates to help you succeed! Please see below for a summary of the information shared, plus downloadable documents and video recordings of the sessions to catch up.

Breakout Sessions | Video Playlist

See what you missed or replay what you need! Video recordings and slide decks are available on YouTube for our industry partners' use.

Visit Canton Keynote Presentation
How to Partner with Visit Canton to Promote Your Business and Events
Managing Leads in the Visit Canton Partner Extranet
Accessible Ohio: A Partner for Inclusion
Creating with Canva: Destination Designs with Flair
Building a Legacy: Sustainable Nonprofit Fundraising Strategies for Long-Term Impact
Changes in the Workforce: Attracting, Engaging, and Retaining VIPs - Your Employees | Learn More at the True NORTH Guest Satisfaction at the Ohio Conference on Travel

YOUTUBE PLAYLIST

Downloadable Documents & Online Resources

The Big Announcement:

Event Listings & Profile Updates

Visit Canton is excited to announce a partnership with ITI Digital to help automate business updates and event listings on VisitCanton.com. Our goal is to reduce the amount of time our Industry Partners spend submitting events to our website. The integration will also notify us if you change your business hours and details through Google Business Profiles.

WATCH THE PRESENTATION

VisitCanton.com Event Listings

The ITI Digital Platform will source event listings from Eventbrite, Google indexed websites, and other event platforms. These listings will then be reviewed and approved for display on VisitCanton.com.

EVENT LISTING GUIDE

VisitCanton.com Profiles

The ITI Digital platform will also push Google Business Profile updates to our team. The Visit Canton staff will use those notifications to manually update your VisitCanton.com Profile. If you have not claimed your Google Business Profile, or are not keeping that information updated, we will not receive any automated information about your business.

PROFILE GUIDE

What will the integration NOT do?

ITI Digital uses Google Business Profile information and Google indexed event listings to source data for our needs.

This data will NOT automate staff directories or contact information for Visit Canton E-Newsletters, Leads, RFPs, etc. Industry Partners still need to alert Visit Canton with employee changes. As a reminder, your staff information is not shared publicly; it is used by Visit Canton employees for the purpose of communicating Visit Canton news and opportunities with your organization.

Questions?

Contact Partner Relations Manager, Laura Felberg | LauraF@VisitCanton.com

HELP LINKS

2025 Travel Guide

SOLD OUT: Display Ads in the Visit Canton 2025 Travel Guide are sold out.

Thank you for your support! If you’re concerned you have been missed, please connect with Nichole Cardinale immediately to confirm your ad is included.

AVAILABLE: New Special Event Feature – Rate $550

A limited number of featured event listings are available in the 2025 guide. New in 2025, there will be two seasonal publication dates, allowing you to feature spring/summer OR fall/winter special events and happenings. Contact Nichole Cardinale today to reserve a featured event listing. Special Event Feature will also be featured on OhioMagazine.com (with potential inclusion in the weekly Ohio Magazine E-Newsletter).

Ad Space Reservation Deadline | September 30

Artwork Due | October 7

Contact Nichole Cardinale at NCardinale@OhioMagazine.com

to reserve your space today!

Visit Canton Grant Programs

All Applications Open on October 1st

Stay tuned for an announcement in early October containing updated grant criteria with links to the grant application platform.

Cultural Tourism Grants

Visit Canton in partnership with ArtsinStark will award Cultural Tourism Grants up to $20,000 to each approved marketing or event initiative. Grants will be awarded for the purpose of generating increased visitation and economic impact for the region through the support of arts and culture events and marketing initiatives. The initiatives must encompass visual arts, museums, performing arts, theaters, attractions, authentic historic and cultural places, and events to encounter traditions, history, music, and art.

Projects taking place between Jan. 1 - May 31, 2025

Applications Open: Oct. 1 - Nov. 1, 2024

Projects taking place between June 1 - Dec. 31, 2025

Applications Open: March 1 - April 1, 2025

Event Support Grants

Grants will be awarded for the purpose of generating increased visitation and economic impact for the region through the support of major events including but not limited to, conferences, reunions, meetings, sporting events & tournaments, and complementary festivals and events.

Applications open for 2025 events: October 1, 2024

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. Grant applications MUST BE submitted at least 60 days before the event start date to be considered for funding.

Visit Canton Marketing Co-Ops

Apply for Visit Canton Marketing co-op support toward your tourism marketing initiatives. Include Visit Canton brand elements and be reimbursed up to 50% of the expense for approved marketing initiatives reaching day trip and overnight audiences'.

Projects taking place between Jan. 1 - May 31, 2025

Applications Open: Oct. 1 - Nov. 1, 2024

Projects taking place between June 1 - Dec. 31, 2025

Applications Open: March 1 - April 1, 2025

GRANT INFO

Coffee with Visit Canton

Coffee with Visit Canton | Click for Dates & Registration

October 7 - 23 | Various Dates & Times

Schedule a 30-minute in-person meeting with Allison Gromofsky, Visit Canton Community Promotions Manager, to ask questions about Visit Canton grant opportunities, marketing co-ops, and share about your 2024 destination marketing initiatives.