Make a Great First Impression!
The First Impressions program is a tailor-made evaluation of how your community fares in presenting itself to tourists and travelers. From your community’s online presence to the physical draws to your area, these evaluations showcase where you stand in regards to how easily tourists can access the amenities you have and how attractive they find them. Extension educators then work with your community to accentuate those strengths that will help your city, county or region truly make an inviting first impression.
Online
We provide a comprehensive evaluation of your online presence. Our analysis focuses on online branding, online accessibility, and website design. The program includes a presentation of our findings and a proposed action plan tailored to your community’s wants and needs.
- Market: Communities of 30-10,000 residents
- Timeline: Approximately two weeks
- Who initiates the process: City government, chambers of commerce, convention and visitors bureaus, economic development groups
- Cost: $300 for specialists’ travel and administration fees
Peer to Peer
We match your community with a similar-sized community within 120 miles. Each community identifies a board of 5-10, and together you work with a facilitator on maximizing existing tourism assets, discovering how visitors view your community, and providing and receiving feedback. Results are presented in a formal evaluation session.
- Market: Communities of 30-10,000 residents
- Timeline: Approximately two to three months
- Who initiates the process: City government, chambers of commerce, convention and visitors bureaus, economic development groups, tourism committees, downtown/Main St. committees
- Cost: Travel costs for facilitators, for groups to conduct peer evaluations, and for evaluation board to meet with peer community
Professional
We create a team of experts in marketing, food and beverage, tourism, event planning, and community development to identify your community’s existing strengths, opportunities for improvement, and possible future initiatives regarding tourism in your short-, mid-, and long-term strategic plans. Results are presented in a formal evaluation session.
- Market: Communities prioritizing tourism in their strategic plans
- Timeline: Approximately four to six months
- Who initiates the process: City government, chambers of commerce, convention and visitors bureaus, economic development groups, downtown/Main St. committees
- Cost: $5,000 for specialists’ travel and administration fees