| Mr. President...
I am honoured to have been elected President of PECCTAC.
I am excited about working with this Board and to have Lawrie
on board as our new General Manager. We make a great team.
This team has already done a lot. Faced with an $11,000 funding
cut from Council, we needed to find ways to either cut costs,
cut programs, or raise money. We decided not to cut programs
but find other ways to deal with the problem.
We started with three strategic planning meetings identifying
possible cost savings, revenue-generating ideas and what "Signature
Services" we should focus on. Our members gave us input
and we are now working on the initiatives that came out of
those meetings.
The first action was to expand the information/office hours.
Next we started a series of "Meet and Greet" monthly
member meetings. The first one is on June 17th, 5 -7 p.m.,
at Majesty's Bah Habah Habah Bah Restaurant & Patio (formerly
Daffodils restaurant at the Tip Of The Bay). Members are encouraged
to invite prospective members to this meeting. Each member
will have an opportunity to introduce themselves and their
business and to ask the group for anything they might need
- business or personal. Need a range hood? Someone probably
has one. Need a ride-on lawn mower? You can have mine. My
grass is over my knees. I look forward to meeting you ALL
at this first monthly social meeting. I promise, it will be
mostly social.
In our strategic meetings, our members identified a serious
issue they feel restricts their ability to expand or open
new business’s. Since becoming President only a few
weeks ago I have now heard from over a dozen members that
have experienced difficulty working through the complex building
and planning process. Some of the complaints seem to be minor
but as more are coming in it is clear we have a problem. I
myself have experienced challenges in trying to start a new
business here in the County so I know first hand the concerns
are real. This issue was identified as one of the main concerns
our members wanted PECCTAC to address. We have decided to
ask for a Town Hall Meeting with the Mayor and Council to
allow an opportunity for our members to describe the challenges
they are facing and to seek solutions to these issues. I believe
it is a problem with the process not the people. I also believe
PECCTAC has a role to play in helping resolve these concerns
and we intend on making this a major focus. As a Chamber,
our role is to encourage business and if this issue is preventing
or restricting business growth, we have an obligation to address
it.
Mayor Leo Finnegan has agreed to a Town Hall Meeting and
we will be meeting with him to set the date. I was very encouraged
by his openness and willingness to hear what our members have
to say. If you, or someone you know has comments to make about
the building and planning process in the County, both positive
and negative, I encourage you to contact me or any board member
of PECCTAC. If you would like an opportunity to address this
issue at the Town Hall Meeting let Jan in our office know.
Together I know we can find a solution. My address is 782
Hwy 49 R.R. # 2 Picton K0K 2T0.
Sincere Regards, T.
Rob Brown - President
Message from the General Manager
I am very excited to be given the opportunity
to work for the Prince Edward County Chamber of Tourism &
Commerce as the General Manager and continue to be a part
of this very dynamic and successful organization.
As Rob has stated our board will implement a number of new
changes and implement new Signature Services that have resulted
from the strategic planning sessions aboard the Majesty Charters.
What would normally have taken months of planning these three
“think tank” sessions generated a multitude of
ideas for PECCTAC to kick start our year. Great ideas and
discussions were shared between the Board of Directors and
Members.
Thanks to everyone for their input. We had great fun as well.
Your PECCTAC membership is important to us and we will continue
to work hard for you.
Lawrie Ackerman – General Manager
VISA & MasterCard!
PECCTAC has submitted an application to accept VISA &
MasterCard so we can offer our Members this service.
Strength in Numbers!
PECCTAC’s membership has grown. We are now 250 members
strong and growing.
What Is PECCTAC Doing!
“Our Chamber Builds Business” was the slogan behind
the three strategic planning sessions aboard Majesty Charters
in May. Resulting from these strategy sessions, to be implemented
immediately, are the following:
New Office Hours
Tourist Office hours will increase. Starting in July the Tourist
Office will remain open until 8 pm Thursday and Friday and
to 6 pm on Saturday. Two people throughout the summer, including
weekends, will staff the office.
What Does Your Business Need?
Starting in June PECCTAC will host “Meet & Greet”
events. Members or perspective Members will have the opportunity
to find out what PECCTAC is working on now and TELL US WHAT
YOU NEED! All Members will be invited to host future “Meet
& Greet” events and have the opportunity to introduce
and present their business.
Other great ideas and initiatives were discussed and will
be investigated such as:
· Internet Service at the Tourist Office
· Sponsored Town Hall meetings with the Municipality
· Countyfest & Networking group activities
Show Off Your Business!
One of PECCTAC’s members came to us with a great idea
– showcase your business at the Tourist Office. Any
PECCTAC member is invited to display items at the Tourist
Office for a 2-week period for a nominal fee. Some restrictions
do apply. Contact Jan at 476-2421 for further details.
A Picture Is Worth ……
We invite all accommodation, recreation and restaurant businesses
an opportunity to provide information and display pictures
of your business in our NEW presentation binders. Visitors
to our office like to see what is available in the area. Please
bring in pictures of your business along with a short description/menus
so we can put together our new presentation binders.
Tourist Office Stats!
Your Tourist Office has been busy. See the chart:
| |
January
to May 31, 2004 |
|
Visitors |
Information Packages |
E-mails |
Telephone Calls |
2058 |
849 |
1299 |
1598 |
Year to date, visitors to the Tourist Office is up 40% over
last year.
PECCTAC’s website “www.pecchamber.com”
has registered 134,981 hits since January.
Your PECCTAC Directors Hard at Work!
 |
PECCTAC Director
Pete Hercus
of Purtek Environmental Water Treatment & Purification
gives opening remarks at the information seminar on
“Understanding Water Regulation 170/03" |
Harbour Initiatives By Ian Scrimshaw
– Vice President
The Committee formerly known as The Wellington Harbour Advisory
Committee has been reconvened under the new municipal council
as The County of Prince Edward Harbours Advisory Committee.
We will still be seeking a solution to the silting problem
in Wellington as well as providing input to the Community
Services Committee and in turn the full Council on the maintenance,
operation and future planning for all the harbours in the
County. The committee is made up of three municipal councillors,
five members at large and myself as the PECCTAC representative.
I will be reporting on the progress and activities to the
members in future newsletters.
Get Involved!
PECCTAC is looking for Members that want to participate in
helping implement our new initiatives. Join us and become
involved. If you are not a member become one! PECCTAC wants
to involve all businesses. Contact Lawrie or Jan through the
PECCTAC Office at 476-2421 for further information on how
to become a member.
Being a Member Brings Benefits!
Being a member of The Prince Edward County Chamber of Tourism
& Commerce brings a multitude of benefits. Through our
affiliation with the Bay of Quinte Tourist Council our County
is represented at 15 Travel & Trade shows in Canada and
the US. As well, a membership with the Prince Edward County
Chamber of Tourism & Commerce provides a stronger voice
through our affiliation with the Ontario Chamber of Commerce.
The OCC has been very active in Ontario budget discussions.
See below for excerpts by Len Crispino, President of the Ontario
Chamber of Commerce.
We are knowledgeable on what is going on in our surrounding
communities and we are working together to promote our community.
Through affiliated associations our members are kept informed
of what is going on at the Provincial level and allows PECCTAC
to voice any concerns we have.
Excerpt from OCC President Len Crispino:
<”We have been very clear in our pre-budget discussions
with government – business is willing and able to be
part of the solution,” said Len Crispino, President
and CEO of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce. “To keep
Ontario as a strong economic engine government must adopt
fair levels of taxation, investments in priorities and cuts
to red tape. The best way for the government to keep the economy
growing is to cut red tape and taxes – like the job-killing
capital tax - and leave more money in the pockets of Ontarians
to spend and invest. “Our hope is that the Ontario government
sees the potential, and acts in this budget.>
More information on the OCC’s policy positions can be
found at www.occ.on.ca.
The Outlook for summer: it depends
on who's talking
The short-term Business Outlook (BO) provides performance
scenarios for Canada's major travel markets, based on a quarterly
survey of advance bookings and market intelligence. The Business
Outlook reports that domestic travel is expected to grow 8
percent in the third (summer) quarter of 2004, with the largest
gains in leisure travel. Expectations for the US markets call
for a growth of 9 percent, with FIT travel to experience the
largest increase. There are a number of persistent challenges
within the American travel market, including fluctuating economic
conditions and the continuing geopolitical concerns that continue
to inspire caution among American travellers.
Travel from Europe and the U.K. is projected to increase as
much as 15 percent (Italy) in the third quarter of 2004, compared
with the previous year. Strong growth in Japan, 20 percent
over 2003, is expected fueled by strong performance in the
independent (FIT) travel segment. However, not all messages
are as optimistic. The results of the latest Summer 2004 Travel
Intentions Survey by the Canadian Tourism Research Institute
(CTRI) suggest Canadians were planning to travel less this
summer than in previous years, and some business operators
are feeling squeezed by low revenue projections and higher
costs.
For the complete story see
www.canadatourism.com
Welcome
New Members!
Westlake Orchard Marketplace
MomnDad’s Cottage
Tip of the Bay Hotel & Marina
County Comfort
Towne & Country Video
EastLake House Bed & Breakfast
Skillen Bookkeeping
The Grange of Prince Edward Estate Winery
York Farm Cottages
Splash Restaurant
Covent Garden B&B & Art Gallery
Burrows Renovations
Thank you for your support! |
