Published On: June 13, 2005
As Lake Tahoe continues to evolve, many opportunities for marketing and new business development are emerging. Along with these opportunities come some challenges that require creativity and innovation.
To learn about these opportunities and challenges, nearly 200 people attended the 2005 SMG Lake Tahoe Tourism Conference held on June 1st at Embassy Suites Resort in South Lake Tahoe, CA. The educational forum was designed for local businesses and regional partners to see how the destination is handling long-term issues that affect local businesses on a daily basis, and how they could benefit from new marketing approaches designed to specifically address them. The conference commenced with a presentation on Pathway 2007 and how it will guide Lake Tahoe's future. An entertaining and data driven presentation on trends in mountain tourism followed. Caroline Beteta, the Executive Director of the California Travel and Tourism Commission, provided an overview and update on California marketing coop programs, and highlighted the recent ski coop program.
To provide the audience with insight into sustainable resort development, Richard Shaw of Design Workshop in Aspen, Colorado, gave a compelling presentation as to why Lake Tahoe needs to consider sustainability in all its development efforts. Additionally, representatives from the North and South Shore visitor bureaus informed the conference on their various marketing programs, including new branding exercises and targeted advertising programs. The conference concluded with updates from the Reno/Tahoe International Airport and the Regional Marketing Committee, which was created to assist the Reno-Tahoe International Airport in providing additional incentives to maintain and grow air service.
The 3rd annual SMG Big Idea Awards were presented to three innovative concepts; Pathway 2007, the Tahoe City Downtown Association and the South Lake Tahoe Business Improvement District (BID). Pathway 2007 is a multi-agency long range planning effort with an pioneering planning process to develop a new 20 year plan for the TRPA that will significantly impact the tourism product and experience. The Tahoe City Downtown Association was created to increase Tahoe City's visibility and make it a more welcoming environment through a variety of events and activities designed to bring visitors and locals into Tahoe City. The South Lake Tahoe BID is a revolutionary new funding mechanism sweeping California, and South Lake Tahoe is the first community to develop a city-wide BID.
The conference could not exist without the support of its many sponsors. Major sponsors included Embassy Suites Resort, HD 96 Publishing, Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority/Tahoe Douglas Visitors Authority, North Lake Tahoe Resort Association, Mountain News Corporation, Resort Sports Network, Tahoe-Carson Area Newspapers and Sunset Publishing Corporation.
Additional sponsors include Certified Folder Display Services, Heavenly Mountain Resort, Pettit Gilwee Public Relations, Smith + Jones, Southwest Airlines, U.S. Bank, Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, Alpen Sierra Coffee Company, National Geographic Adventure, National Geographic Traveler, Northstar-at-Tahoe, Reno/Tahoe International Airport, Sierra-at-Tahoe, Marriott Grand Residence Club, Mering and Associates, Squaw Valley USA, , ARAMARK Lake Tahoe, Incline Village/Crystal Bay Visitor Bureau, Kirkwood Mountain Resort, Reno-Tahoe, America's Adventure Place (RSCVA), and Ski and Skiing Magazines.
