Much has happened in the past year for the Greater Williamsburg Chamber & Tourism Alliance, including the hiring of a new CEO and a revamping of several Alliance programs.
But the message from senior Alliance officials at Tuesday’s annual members’ meeting was clear: There is still much work left to do heading into a year of what Alliance President and CEO Karen Riordan characterized as “transformational change.”
“We’re really starting to crack the code on what is the destination story we’re going to tell a new generation of visitors,” said Riordan, who took over in January for the now-retired Dick Schreiber.
Riordan said the next generation of visitors to the Historic Triangle are interested in many areas, including fun, relaxation, curiosity and the area’s culinary offerings — a sector of the economy she said the Alliance plans to promote in “a major way” in the coming months.
That change of direction is one of many Riordan and the Alliance’s board have either implemented or are planning to implement.
Another big change is in the Alliance’s online presence: A communication specialist job has been created to oversee social media and public relations, with the new hire scheduled to begin work in the coming weeks. A newly designed website that better touts the tourism and business offerings in the area is slated to replace the current site.
Riordan said she wants both visitors and locals to think of the Historic Triangle as “one unified economic zone,” noting artificial barriers distinguishing one type of business from another are wrong.
“Whether it’s a one-person business or a 500-person business, it doesn’t matter, tourism or nontourism, we’re all in this together,” she said. “We’re a business community.”’
She said the Alliance will follow six core values: Transparency, unity, professionalism, hospitality, accountability and collaboration. Those forces will help inform the broader mission of thinking of the Historic Triangle as a single entity with shared interests, a point enshrined in the alliance’s mission statement.
Many other changes are planned or already completed.
The Alliance has completed an audit with its finance committee. Health and education committees have been formed and a community calendar will soon be available on the Alliance’s website. Alliance officials are also planning to “radically simplify” the fee structure for Alliance members and the process of joining, with an eye on making the Alliance an accessible resource for all the businesses in the area, she said.
Riordan said she is working closely with regional chambers of commerce to find ground on shared issues. She has also traveled to Richmond to collaborate with legislators.
One goal the Alliance has set is to boost visitation to the area within three to five years.
“We’re not going to be able to wave a magic wand and accomplish that in a week or a month or even a year, but we’re going to continue to dig deep and make significant improvements,” she said.
To achieve that end, a marketing firm has been hired to better analyze what people think of the area and what they value when planning a vacation. There is a renewed emphasis on advertising the area, with the latest campaign broadcasting three five-minute videos — one about the area in general, one about lodging and one about food — on PBS networks nationwide starting in a few weeks.
Riordan said the Alliance will look to expand working programs like Williamsburg Fall Arts — the new name for the area’s fall arts initiative, another change implemented since she took over — Christmas in Williamsburg and sports tourism.
Work will continue with a metrics scorecard to measure meals tax, the number of rooms occupied in the area’s lodging, average daily rates and total expenditures of tourists in the area, a number state officials said is more than $1.1 billion for 2013.
During Tuesday’s meeting, the current chairman of the alliance’s board of directors, RJS & Associates President and Principle Broker Robert Singley, handed control over to the new chairman, Busch Gardens and Water Country USA Park President Carl Lum.
The Alliance has more than 900 members, including small and large businesses, educational institutions and nonprofits.
