National consultant brings key message to western Iowa
Western Iowa Tourism Region will present a series of workshops featuring Margie Johnson, a national marketing consultant and expert on how small businesses can take advantage of a growing tourism market.
Now and in the near future all businesses need to adopt the premise that they must “prepare for business as unusual.” 2015 ushers in a new era of shopping, dining, and traveling. Consumers are bombarded with so many choices and so little time.
During this session Johnson will explore how small business owners can easily adapt and change their businesses to embrace these trends and opportunities. This fast paced workshop will include a presentation that reinforces key trends and factors that are affecting businesses everywhere, as well as trends in consumer buying habits and the impact on retail sales from the internet; social media; new technologies and more. “Retail-tainment” has become a critical success factor.
She will also address how to develop a “hospitality mentality” of service with all frontline staff and low budget, high impact ways to visually enhance a business.
The workshop is geared to retailers, travel businesses and attractions, Chambers of Commerce, Iowa Main Streets and economic developers and their board members.
Presentations are scheduled for Tuesday, June 2, from 9 to 11 am in Cherokee at The Gathering Place; Wednesday, June 3, from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm (lunch provided) in Sac City at Iowa State Bank; June 3 from 5:30 to 7:30 pm (refreshments provided) in Manning at German Hausbarn Conference Center; Opera House.
The session targets effective ways that Iowa retailers, restaurateurs and the travel and hospitality industries can embrace many of these trends to enhance their marketing strategies.
Registration for all sessions is $20 per person made payable to Western Iowa Tourism Region. Pre-registration is requested.
This project is made possible by a grant from the Tourism Office of the Iowa Economic Development Authority.
