The current trend this year is that numerous events have taken place at Timberline Resort & few, if any at Canaan Valley Ski Resort.

If we want to attract even more people to the area, we should plan ahead (way ahead) - but the advertising budget is super tight.

While DCSki has been a great resource for events, there are few other places that have also helped.

Can you HELP?
What else could be done - and on a budget - for the DC area, Baltimore area and similar?

We have first came up with a site that would be updated everyday like Visit Canaan... then came posters to remind the visitors to come back for Fall colors, for the biking etc... Next will come postcards of the area... next a guidebook...
Visit Canaan will also be on the local weather channel for a whole year... but that doesn't get people from DC to see the commercials.

What I am looking are concrete & constructive ideas, and really seek your help. As an individual, what could I do to reach more people and let them know of this beautiful place known as Canaan Valley?

Is your local bike shop able to place a poster of biking in Canaan Valley & Surroundings - one used to even decorate the place?

Is your climbing shop able to find room to post Rock Climbing photos - about Canaan Valley & ...?

When we have cool events in the valley, do you want to see a poster all over the DC area - real poster, not some plastic letters on a wood panel...?

Do you want to be reminded with postcards for particular events? Are you even willing to provide your address for such advertising & photo postcard?
(I would hate for you to miss the next Revenge of the Rattlesnake race, for instance, but I would go as far as flipping the bill for postcard prints, design, and stamps.)

I was going to write a list of all the activities in the area. Instead, I will simply say this:
If you want to get away from the concrete, buildings and crowd, we have the space and activities that you can count on, right here in the valley. You know it, but DO THEY?

Share your thoughts... I will listen.

Sounds like you are looking at putting together a snail mail list to distribute info which is both costly and time consuming. I think it would be best to begin by contacting all regional ski clubs in the PA, MD, DC, VA, WV, NJ, NC, areas and offer some type of link to the visit canaan web page. These folks would be the first wave. I don't know what your budget would be, but doing things through the electonic media is both fast and inexpensive. The there sre the "travel fairs" which are set up through agencies. You would need to appear in the flesh to those. What about a classified in the Post with your web address? Just rambling now, but I'm sure there are other great suggestions out there.

I am not sure of the mechanics, but an automatic email system like Snowshoe and other organizations use to generate a daily, weekly, or whatever timeline best fits, note about the area would be a great help in getting the word out. But the key here is, once started it must be kept current.
Such a system would allow folks that receive a message about an event to share that with their similar minded friends, who would then share....
Another thing that might help in the future is the awarding oa a new lease for Canaan. Assuming the bidder really intends to improve the lodge, skiing infrastructure, etc. then I am sure they might be enticed to kick in some funding to help the new website grow and attract more visitors. VISITORS = REVENUE
The Colonel

I agree with the Colonel 100%. In my opinion the mass email system can be very effective. Intrawest was able to get some of my money in mid December as a result of a mid week ski/stay special I received via email. This email was forwarded to two friends, and off we went a week later. During the course of the winter I also receive about 4-6 multi page brochures from Snowshoe highlighting upcoming events, lodging specials, etc...I know these things cost a pretty penny, and I am not sure how effective they are anymore. I get the same info, and enticing photos in my email. I think most people on here are dedicated skiers, and would be more than willing to offer their snail mail addresses to CV however if that is one of the avenues you take.

Points well taken.
I am planning to have email sign-up for UPDATES on www.visitcanaan.com

Posters will be made in house, and can be shared via email - way ahead of time - not 48 hours prior an event (if you know what I mean). A dozen or so posters would be mailed out via snail mail, to select places; mainly stores with heavy traffic.

Postcards would just be for a few select events - and a few select people.

Last year, for example, one of my good friends said:
Shoot! I didn't know the Revenge of the Rattlesnake was last weekend... and so, that tells me a few things:
1. We do not advertise well enough
2. The people coming to Canaan Valley are able to because they are working hard... thus no time to always play around on websites.
3. They usually check their emails
4. They hate missing out on great events

Question...
Who would be willing to take charge of a poster or two for posting and where would you post it / them - if I sent them to you?

Thanks for your help. Keep it coming...

Cost of doing business has caused many newspapers to go under recently. That and the fact that the majority of folks use electronic media for everything. I can't think of too many places I could/would hang posters in my community to attract visitors to the valley. To be honest, the younger genereations use their cells for texting more than talking. I imagine that soon, someone will figure out a way to use texting for advertising. You know it's gotta happen.

Hey Kim, you see Vic's picture of Mrs. Kwill on the front page of his site?? It's number 9. Pretty good shot!

Yeah. She was in the woman's clinic when he shot her. AMG!!
What did I say?

Rectification...
Perhaps I should clarify something about www.visitcanaan.com

The site is NOT about one resort, not about Canaan Valley Ski area, not about Timberline, and not even about Davis...
It's about the ENTIRE Canaan Valley and surroundings.

I wish I could receive big advertisers on the site, because after all, the price is minimal... but the point of the site is about providing FREE things - all the time.

You have maps - FREE
Photo Coverage that you can look at, with bragging rights, etc...
You have a place to look at some rentals, and even go "inside" the rental properties to make sure it will suit your needs...

It's about the "Valley" for you, for us - to ENJOY.

Hope this makes sense... now where are my sponsors? LOL

Numbah nine wimmins clinic you say i say she skis like a boy!

Vic, what sort of things does the Tucker County Tourism group do as far as getting the word out about what the valley has to offer as far as year round activities and events?

Man, Jimmy. u'r jimbonics r hard to understand sumtimes. I'll tell her tho.

I'm not sure why the Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Office hasn't contacting us yet. I have met with them on numerous occasions dating back as far as 2005. We have the only FREE trail maps of the area (with photo previews)and are eager to share.

I have even met up with them this morning, but they are busy. Today was about selling health insurance to Chamber Members, which I attended for roughly 2.5 hours.

One day, more local people will see the facts a little more clearly: there are 3.5 months of winter where Canaan Valley and surroundings are known. There are 8.5 months where Canaan Valley and its beautiful surroundings aren't even remotely known to the mass.

Nearly 1/3 of the entire population of the USA can access CV within a 7-hour drive, and since the economy isn't at its strongest point ever, tourists are not too eager to go out West where a simple vacation (time off from the city) can cost a total fortune. 1000's upon 1000's of people drive and stay closer to home for their holiday - avoiding planes like the plague. Canaan Valley is passively waiting - I am activity sharing its beauty.

Where else can you camp so easily?
Want to try GA, TN, KY?
Kentucky doesn't even allow rock climbing in its state parks. KY doesn't like mountain biking trails.

Georgia has so many people that a 4 hour drive will get you nothing more than dozen of bikers on a 4-mile loop trail.

TN is beautiful, but beware of their restrictions, park closures, and closed-at-dusk signs.

OH doesn't have the much of any mountains.

NC offers far less than we do, but THEY KNOW how to market their beauty. We listen as we visit North Carolina.

DC has rock climbing... and many other parks to enjoy. You are however always reminded that you are still in the city.

I defy our next visitor to come here and be bored, but if they are, I personally invite them to give me a call; a long list of activities would follow.

Did you know that Timberline doesn't charge a cent for you to hike all over the mountain trails in the summer?

Did you know that you can camp at 100's of camp sites without spending a single dollar for camping or parking, right here in the valley and surroundings?

Did you know that you could bike for 30 days and never hit the same trail twice?

Did you know we are one of the few areas in the entire united states offering horseback riding 365 days a year?

Did you know that we still have over 5 feet of snow on many of the slopes in the Valley? Try Canaan Valley ski area for their last weekend, or try Timberline for their Snowy Luau festival that will last 2 days, including setting the entire mountain "on fire".

What ever you do, bring bright clothing (Hawaiian style, because that's the custom) and for the love of .... please bring your cameras!

Enjoy time away from a few buildings, and red lights... we don't have any.

Drive Safely and see you soon!

I've been preaching the good preach for years Brother!..Now if we could only get the ski areas to upgrade a little...also H2 Corr will be complete in a few years...might not be able to find a campsite then..

PS..What is going on with the new powerline that they are trying to cut right thru Tucker Co with?

This goes along with the mass emailing/mailing list (which is very effective), but you might want to also consider doing SMS/TXT messages to phones of those who sign up for that.

Obviously this wouldn't be as indepth or planned out in advance as email mailing would be. But this would be a great tool to notify those who are able and willing to show up at a last minutes notice. You could use the SMS/TXT capabilities to send out semi-often when there is an impending snowstorm coming, or temps are dropping and snow guns are turning on.

That's just an idea to hit the crowd that normally would browse DCSki 24/7 to get latest condition, etc.

Good pointers.
The immediate plan for this summer is to keep everyone updated of with:
* Local news
* upcoming events
* photo coverage of events (make you feel horrible when you don't show up)
* down-to-earth area info so as to enjoy our area with the many viewers of Visit Canaan.