Travel to Learn: Hood River County

By: Kerry Cobb

When I tell people I live in the Columbia River Gorge, the word I hear most often is “lucky.” Anyone who has been to this part of Oregon knows that the scenery here is spectacular—we’re talking jaw-dropping sunrises and sunsets, vast landscapes with fields of wildflowers framing snow-capped mountains, and an ever-changing river and massive rock formations that move and reflect the light in ways that are new with each season.

So what could possibly top all of that? The people.

You simply can’t find more interesting, dynamic, involved, and creative people than those who live here in Hood River County and the Gorge. Artists, sports enthusiasts, craftspeople, entrepreneurs, top chefs, outdoor experts—the list is a long one.

This year the people of Hood River decided to share not only the natural surroundings of this amazing area, but their knowledge as well. Travel to Learn—Hood River County is a way for locals and visitors alike to meet and learn from experts here in Gorge. I work with these local experts, so I know what a treat it is to have access to such talent.

Take Chef Kathy Watson, for instance, owner of the Nora’s Table. Kathy is a chef extraordinaire who takes the amazing array of local ingredients available here and transforms them into some of the best food you’ll ever eat. For Travel to Learn, Chef Kathy is teaching a class titled Cooking from Spring’s Bounty: April Rains Bring Spring Greens. What’s even better is that the class is being held in a suite at Columbia Cliff Villas, which has some of the best views in the Gorge.

Outstanding pastry chef Julie Vance, who runs Sweet Things by Julie is offering classes in making crème brulee’, homemade marshmallows, and graham crackers.  You just have to say “Julie” around here and everyone knows you are talking about great pastries. Add to that a variety of wine-tasting classes at some of our best wineries, how to make your own bagels with Autumn at the Hood River Bagel Shop, and coffee cupping with Peggy at Hood River Coffee Roasters, and you have a class schedule that is a foodie’s delight.

Then there’s outdoor recreation—for which the Gorge is famous. I see visitors throughout the summer who watch others enjoy water sports like windsurfing, kiteboarding, catamaran sailing, etc. and I know they want to give it a try. JaK Wilbershied—owner of Hood River Waterplay and one of the most sought-after instructors of kiteboarding and windsurfing—is teaching introductory classes in all these sports during Travel to Learn. This means an opportunity for visitors to get lessons first-hand from the very best—how exciting is that? With Travel to Learn, there is also a full list of guided nature hikes by the great folks at Friends of the Columbia Gorge,

Arts and culture classes? It’s only natural that this stunning place attracts people who want to capture its beauty through art—like photographing wildflowers with Oregon photographer David Cobb, or oil painting with well-known artist Cathleen Rehfeld, glassblowing with Laurel at Glassometry, sewing with Elaine at Hood River Sewing, beading with Janet at Sparkling Creations, learning about alpaca fiber arts with Carol from the Enchanted Alpaca, a writing retreat at the beautiful Historic Balch Hotel—even a bow-building class with Ted from internationally known Raptor Archery.

The multi-talented Miko from Hood River Hobbies will teach your kids about bird watching, robotics, and radio-controlled flyers, and Jan at Byrkit Wear is a pro at teaching kids and parents how to make wearable art. And if you need an excuse to come out to the Gorge during business hours—there are some local experts teaching business courses too.

Here’s my favorite part of all this: These classes all take place in the middle of an already amazing experience:  the natural splendor of the Columbia River Gorge.  Interacting with locals, seeing the Gorge change each day—there’s nothing like it. Not only will you be smarter when you leave—you’ll have an experience you won’t ever forget. Lucky indeed!

At the Chamber, we spend a lot of time marketing the Gorge. Part of the Chamber’s directive is to manage the Transient Room Tax (or bed tax) dollars collected by the lodging facilities in Hood River County. We contract with the County and City of Hood River to use this money to market outside the area to bring in visitors—ideally to spend a few nights.

To some of our Chamber members, this appears to be an endeavor that serves only our local tourism businesses. I occasionally hear from folks here that they don’t actually like all the tourists that visit, and some long for the old days before Hood River County was a mecca for wine drinkers, water sports enthusiasts, foodies, hikers and bikers, etc.

The way I see it, bringing visitors to Hood River County is good for all our businesses. From gear shops and wineries to dentists, doctors, and plumbers, the money spent by tourists when they visit helps sustain our community. Of course, agriculture is still our number one source of revenue, but tourism is also a strong (and growing) contributor to our economy.

As a marketer, the real strength I see is when we work together to promote the area. Bringing attention to local businesses, local talent, and local amenities, helps bring dollars to the local economy.

Our newest campaign, Travel to Learn—Hood River County, offers the perfect opportunity for all of us to proudly promote Hood River together. This first-time program encourages visitors (and locals!) to take classes from local-area business owners in a variety of fields like cooking, water sports, family activities, art classes, photography, hiking, beading, quilting, sewing, robotics, and much, much more. (For example, Chef Ben Stenn of Celilo–pictured above in a photo by Michael Peterson–will be teaching a cooking class at the beautiful Columbia Cliff Villas.)

Our hope is that Travel to Learn will show off the best of the Gorge and become an annual campaign that draws people here to learn from our local professionals—and will help to build our reputation as a County filled with experts in a variety of fields. These visitors will become fans of Hood River, who after they visit, will continue to buy our local produce, wine, art, preserves, crafts, clothing—you get the idea.

So, we are asking you, all of our Chamber members, to help us promote this exciting new program—through your websites, Facebook/Twitter/Google+ pages, your emails, your conversations with customers, friends, and family—anything that helps get the word out. Help us make this program one that brings an added boost to spring revenue in the Gorge.

Imagine the strength of all of us working together to promote Hood River County businesses through one program that focuses on the best we have to offer!

Here are the details:

Travel To Learn—Hood River County, classes run March 23-April 22, 2012, hoodriver.org/travel-to-learn

Call us with questions at 541-386-2000.

We hope you will check it out and start today to help us make this campaign a major success for the benefit of everyone. Thank you.

Kerry Cobb, Executive Director, Hood River County Chamber of Commerce

Dear Hood River Chamber Members,

Happy Thanksgiving!   This is a special time of the year to be grateful for all the wonderful things we have and for me as your Chamber President, I have been very fortunate to have Kerry our ED and Nancy, Emily, Mary, Erin and Nicole the Chamber Staff, the Chamber Board, Ambassadors  and a great Chamber Membership in a wonderful community!   What a grand year 2011!!

I am so proud of Kerry and her staff.    The support and services for the members have been outstanding and they have accomplished so much this year to make a Chamber we are so proud of!!   Just think, we have great networking benefits going to events such as the Business After Hours, Coffee Clatters and Ribbon Cuttings.    We have had such great success with the Cross Channel Swim, the Hops Fest and the Harvest FestJ  Kerry has given so much of herself with providing members with educational meetings, super marketing opportunities with the Speed Marketing, Co-op Marketing, social media and online promotions!    WOW!!   So many benefits for all of us as members of the Chamber.    There are so many accomplishments this year…too many to list.    Those of you who attended the Membership meeting last week had a chance to see Kerry’s fantastic presentation of what the Chamber does for all our members and I am so proud of Kerry and the Staff.

I am also very proud of our Chamber Board, Mark Brown, Andrew McElderry, Tammy Hall, Marc Geller, Tonya Brumley, Bob Fox, Tarina Holloway and Greg Colt.    We have a great team and we truly are a working Board there to support staff and members!!     I am thankful for each one and consider them my friendsJ

Thank you also to the great Chamber Ambassadors and their leaders Linda Brown and Cheryl White.   They are a special group who volunteer their time and services to support Chamber Staff and members.   I have great appreciation for the Ambassadors in all they do and am so grateful to each of them.

Finally, I am grateful to live and be a part of this wonderful community.  I appreciate every one of you Chamber members and your businesses.   Everyone is so caring.   I have made so many great friendships, THANK YOU!   We are so lucky to live here and I am proud to be your Chamber President!

Happy Thanksgiving and may it be a special one filled with love and joy with family and friends,

Willemina Van Pelt, Chamber President.

Having just passed my one-year anniversary as the Chamber’s Executive Director, I have spent some time recently reflecting on best practices for how our members can grow their businesses. Over the year I have observed our members as they interact within the community, and the most striking thing to me is the impact that networking has on a business.

You all know that I feel strongly about marketing—from social media to web presence to press releases—but networking in a special kind of business promotion that has an impact you can’t get with other kinds of marketing. As plugged in as we consider ourselves with our mobile phones, i-pads, and websites, etc. there is still no substitute for interacting face-to-face when you talk about your business.

The strong connections you make with fellow Chamber members at Coffee Clatters, Business After Hours, Ribbon-Cuttings, and events are invaluable. Getting to tell your business story in person allows you to tailor your conversation to the needs of your listener—and who can speak about your business better than you? As Linda Brown, our Chamber Ambassador said to me the other day, “I rarely leave a networking event without a solid business lead or connection.”

Networking also helps you connect with non-competing businesses that have target audiences similar to yours. I am constantly working to match up member businesses like this to encourage partnerships, co-op marketing, joint events, etc. to help our members make the most of their marketing time and money.

Finally, networking is fun. I know some of you get a little nervous standing in front of a crowd, but there are many ways to network—including volunteering. I was reminded of this at Harvest Fest as I watched our member event volunteers get to know each other while taking tickets, judging a pie-eating contest, decorating, or helping our vendors. Networking through volunteering is a great way to learn about your fellow Chamber members, to make connections, and to make friends too.

So, I encourage you to take advantage of networking opportunities whenever you can. Everyone is busy and I know time is limited, but connecting through networking is well worth the effort. It helps remind us we are all of part of a vibrant, connected community that thrives when we support each other.

Marketing Events—No-Cost Ways to Get Attention for Your Event

Download Event Marketing Tips

One thing we don’t lack for in Hood River is events. It seems there is something going on most every day here in the county. In fact, at the Chamber we have calculated that with fundraisers, sales, contests, openings, and public events, our members collectively put on about 2500 events a year.

We often get asked by members to help them market their events through the Chamber News or a special email blast to the membership, and you can see by the number listed above why this isn’t an option. We would be inundating our members with daily e-blasts and lengthy Chamber News bulletins, while spending hours of staff time managing all of this information.

(See more details about this below.)**

So let’s look at other effective, NO-COST ways for you to market your events. Here are some suggestions:

• Post your event on the hoodriver.org Event Calendars

o We have both a standard Event Calendar and a Sports Event

o Click on Events and Festivals on the hoodriver.org site. Pick the calendar where you want to promote, and over on the left-hand side you’ll see a link that says Submit Your Event. Just fill out the form and we’ll take your post live usually within about 48 hours.

o Anywhere from 15,000-20,000 people refer to these calendars monthly.

• Post your event on all area calendars

o People become loyal to a variety of event calendars. So, I recommend you take the time to post on as many as you can. Each calendar is different and it can take a little time, but it’s worth it—and again, it’s free.

o Use Google to find online calendars in areas where you want to promote. Consider posting on magazine, newspaper, radio, tv, and general interest online event calendars.

• Use Quick Response codes on any printed materials

o Link the QR code to your Facebook Fan page or the page on your website that tells about the event. For the basics on QR codes and how to get them, email the Chamber for our easy “How To” one-sheet.

• Use your own website

o I’m often surprised that often those holding events don’t put their own event information on their website. Make the information prominent on your site—on your home page and event page if you have one.

• Tell your customers

o Don’t forget to tell you customers about your event. An e-blast, in-store message, and sometimes going old school with a phone call to the people you most want to be present at the event are all good ways to get your customers to show up

• Write a press release (This is not as tough as it may seem!)

o Press releases are sent via email. I suggest putting the release in the body of the email rather than sending it as an attachment. Be sure to list a contact name, number, and email in case the press has questions.

o Microsoft Word has press release templates you can use if you don’t have one of your own. Open a new document and click on Templates, then type in Press Release.

o Create a special media contact list in your email. Send the email to yourself or your business info@ email, and blind cc the media. If it’s a small local event, send to the local media. If it’s big or you want more attention or just to create awareness, put together a contact list that includes media where you want to promote. If you send lots of releases on a variety of subjects over the year, create lists in different categories. (More on this at a future Chamber class.)

o Send your release to marketing@hoodriver.org too. We have over 4000 contacts and we’ll forward your release to any that seem appropriate.

• Use your Facebook Fan page

o If you aren’t using Facebook for your business and don’t have a Fan Page, you are missing out on one of most effective and free—let me repeat that FREE—means of advertising an event.

o Here you can post details regularly about the event, solicit input, and engage your fans in conversation.

o Use your Fan page to take RVSPs too.

** About a year ago the Chamber was sending out the weekly Chamber News as an e-blast named The Echo. At that time, members sent in flyers, press releases, scanned scraps of paper, cocktail napkins with notes, etc., and the Chamber staff spent 10 hours each week deciphering the information and creating The Echo newsletter. (When printed, these e-blasts could be as long as 17 pages.) Late last year we started to look at the backend analytics of these e-blasts and discovered that the average open rate of The Echo was 1% of the membership. At the time, membership stood at 323 members, meaning that about 3 people were reading something that took 10 hours to create—not a very effective means of communicating.

Since we have changed to offering a Chamber News that consists of a quick video backed up with a short e-blast, the open rate has increased to 44%. With a current membership of 487, that means 214 members on average are opening the weekly news. Quite an improvement over 3—and the main reason we keep our weekly e-blast short.

Our Chamber Ambassadors

Chamber events like Business After Hours, Coffee Clatters, ribbon-cuttings—these are vital networking events for many of our members. The goal of these events is to connect members with each other in a fun, relaxed atmosphere where people can take a little time to get to know one another, identify mutually beneficial business opportunities, and find common interests.

Key to making these events work is having them appear as though they are effortless to put on.  I think we have some of the best, most vital networking events and that is in great part due to our hard-working Chamber Ambassadors. Both in front of and behind the scenes, our Ambassadors help support the member businesses who host these events, by serving as greeters, emcees, and clean-up support.

But Ambassadors do much more. The Hood River County Chamber of Commerce Ambassadors are the welcoming arm for the Chamber; greeting new members, promoting Chamber programs, projects, and events, and serving the Board of Directors through volunteerism. Ambassadors establish, maintain, and help present a professional image of the Chamber to create goodwill and understanding among the members and the community.  In addition, the Ambassadors help to support the community, having pledged to raise money as a group in 2011 for the Hood River Leaders for Tomorrow Program.

Being a Chamber Ambassador also serves to strengthen the Ambassador’s own business. Being visible in the community at events and through Chamber outreach is a good way to get the word out about who you are and what you do. We welcome any Chamber member interested in becoming an Ambassador to contact our Chamber Ambassador President Linda Brown @ Northwest GraphicWorks (541-386-5001) or Vice President Cheryl White @John L. Scott Real Estate (541-400-9683).

Let’s Do Some Speed Marketing!

I have now had the pleasure of doing Speed Marketing with close to 100 Chamber members.

Speed Marketing is a free Chamber member benefit we started offering earlier this year—and the results have been extremely positive—and fun!

Here’s how it works:

One or two days a month the Chamber offers 30-minute speed marketing sessions to members on a first-come, first-served basis. When you sign up, you are given a specific time for your meeting, along with an easy-to-complete questionnaire that is designed to help you think about what areas of marketing you might want to discuss to get the most out of your session for your business.

Before we meet, I too do some research on your business to better understand what you do, to check your online presence with web, social media, etc. (With over 25 years spent marketing a wide variety of businesses, I like to help you narrow down your marketing tasks so you can focus on what will truly help your business—and what you can actually do within your busy schedule.)

When we meet, I like to start with general thoughts and impressions I have about your business and to find out where you think you could use the most assistance. This always leads to a brainstorming of ideas and specific tasks that will help you move forward with marketing. These lively discussions are always so energizing and I love working with members to develop concrete marketing steps that will help propel your business forward.

Here is just a sample of the things you might walk away with after your Speed Marketing session:

• Specific information on free services or products that will benefit you
• Member business names and introductions for partnering
• Media connections and contact information
• Promotional ideas
• Website and social media improvements and tasks
• Guerrilla marketing tactics
• Educational opportunities

What I love about these sessions is that I get to spend one-on-one time with members, learn more about their businesses, and connect members with other members who are natural partners. It’s a win-win situation and something I hope will be taken advantage of by all of you.

Kerry Cobb
Executive Director
Hood River County Chamber of Commerce

Using QR (Quick Response) Codes to Promote Your Business

Some of you may already be using Quick Response (QR) codes, but for many of you this might be something new—or maybe you’ve never even heard of them before. QR codes are similar to the barcodes you see on products, but because they are two-dimensional (instead of one-dimension like the codes you see on products) they can hold a lot more data. (For example, instead of 20 numbers on a standard barcode, QR codes can hold thousands of characters.) Best of all, they are free.

So how do they work?

• Smartphone users either have a barcode reader that comes with their phone, or they can download a barcode app. When the phone user scans your QR code on a poster, brochure, business card, etc. the scanner takes a snapshot of the code and then directly links the phone with the site you wish them to view—like your website, Facebook fan page, blog, etc.
• QR codes work well with virtually all smartphones.

How can QR codes help my business?

When incorporated into your marketing this tool gives you more ways to connect people to your business.

• Building your business community—use  QR codes to drive traffic to your Twitter, Facebook, blog, Flickr, and website pages
• Promoting your products or services—QR codes can take customers to product pages, service information, rates, etc. and serve as an immediate customer response to your call to action
• Special offers—special offers, coupons, new products deals—QR codes can help introduce these to customers
• SEO optimization—QR codes enhance your search optimization

What are some ways I can incorporate QR codes into my marketing?

The uses for QR codes are many. Here are some practical applications to get you started:

• Brochures
• Nametags
• Ticket stubs
• Entry forms
• Menus
• Receipts
• Signs
• Blog posts
• Product packaging
• Contest entries
• Books

How do I get a QR code?

QR codes are free, and many sites offer them. Here are some we recommend, as well as some basic help getting started:

• http://qrcode.kaywa.com/
• http://quikqr.com/?p=qr-code-home-landing
• http://www.qrstuff.com/
• Choose small icon sizes, many times when the site generates the code it comes out very large. Make sure you (or your graphic artist) resize the image to fit appropriately on your materials.
• Test the code with your smart phone to make sure it works.
• Label your code so people know where it will take them (i.e. your Facebook or website).
• If you are directing people to your Facebook page ask them to ‘like’ you, i.e. ‘Like’ us on Facebook.

Kerry Cobb
Executive Director

This is my Hood River

This month I celebrated my one-year anniversary of living in the Gorge and working at the Hood River County Chamber of Commerce. A lot has happened over this year—some challenging, some great, and some surprising.

And what strikes me most when looking back over this last year are the amazing people I have encountered here. This no doubt sounds clichéd, but it is absolutely true. From the first day I arrived, so many people here have been kind, enthusiastic, helpful, and supportive. People like Andrew McElderry, who set the foundation for making the Chamber the vibrant organization it is today. Or Susan Lutton, who offered much-needed emotional support in my early days here when things were a little rocky. People who continue to lend their time and patience to mentor me about Hood River, like Maui Meyer and Bob Francis. People who regularly share their expertise like Steve Gates, Camille Hukari, Brian Shortt, Michael Peterson, and Bob Fox. And those individuals who were simply kind and listened while I sorted out my role at the Chamber, like Michael Barthmus, Stu Watson, and Michelle Dowdy.

I lived in Portland for many years, and I got used to being relatively anonymous. Before moving here permanently, I knew two people in Hood River. Now I’m guessing I know at least 2000, and yet it can still take me by surprise that I seem to see someone I know most everywhere I go. I admit when we first moved here, my husband and I were sometimes amused by the whole notion of a small-town community. But now we find ourselves moved by things like a Heights 4th of July parade, a Memorial Day service, and the endless generosity of the people here who find the most creative ways to support local people in need.

People say if you haven’t lived here at least 50 years then you’re still a newcomer; so if that’s true, I guess I won’t live long enough to call myself a real resident. But in my heart, this is now my home, and I’m proud to say that this is my Hood River.

Kerry Cobb
Executive Director
Hood River County Chamber of Commerce

Bob Stone Freeway Auto Center Hood River

The June 17^th Coffee Clatter at Bob Stone Freeway Auto Center in Hood River, was a great success!  The Hood River Sales team, pictured below, posed next to a Tribeca Subaru: (from left to right) manger Mark Prater, Shasta Dierickx, and owners Catherine and Bob Stone.  Thank you to the Bob Stone Freeway Auto Center for hosting a wonderful coffee clatter where businesses from the Hood River County Chamber community were able to meet and greet!