Department of Tourism and Marketing These past couple of weeks have moved so fast and incredibly slowly at the same time. Vermonters have shown themselves to be as resilient as ever, and every day is looking better than the last. As communities have rallied together to rebound and communicate information, a lot of content has been produced to show visitors that there is plenty of beautiful summer left to enjoy and Vermont is open and ready to welcome guests.
As soon as public safety conditions allowed, VDTM pivoted our messaging to assure visitors that yes, we did want them to still come visit! While being mindful that some communities were harder hit than others, we adjusted our paid and organic social media strategy to highlight current summer happenings around Vermont in regions that weren’t affected by the storm.
Our email marketing campaign about visiting Vermont after the flooding saw a large spike in open rates and reached over 118,000 consumers. In addition to maintaining our full summer-fall advertising campaign, we were able to repurpose some already scheduled tactics such as dedicated email campaigns with the Boston Globe and Boston Magazine to underscore that one of the best ways to support Vermont at this time is to keep your travel plans.
As we continue to find our path forward, VDTM has partnered with an outside creative agency to develop and launch a special post-flood visitation campaign. We will be leveraging support from our media vendors to deploy new creative for digital display ads, social media messaging, video content (including a :30 commercial), radio ads, and out of home placements to markets from the mid-Atlantic region north up into New England and Quebec. As creative assets are developed, they will be launched on a rolling basis to supplement our existing national campaign.
As I have said before and can’t say enough, thank you for your dedication to the tourism industry here in Vermont. We understand as much as you do that visitors will be a key part of our recovery and are doing all that we can to support our communities across the state.
Commissioner Heather Pelham
Business Emergency Gap Assistance Program
The Business Emergency Gap Assistance Program (BEGAP), which will provide $20M in state grants for Vermont businesses and nonprofits that suffered physical losses in the flood, is expected to open on Thursday, August 3. Eligible applicants can receive up to 20% of their net uncovered damages, up to $20,000. Eligibility and guidelines have been posted to the BEGAP program page. The Department of Economic Development is hosting an informational webinar Wednesday, August 2 at 10:00 a.m. to go over the program, walk through a sample application, and answer questions.
Visit the event page for details on how to join the webinar. Following the webinar, a recording will be posted to the program page.
Trend on #802Day
There is a lot of beautiful summer left to enjoy and Vermont is open and ready to welcome guests! Join us in celebrating Vermont, the strength of its people, and the resilience of our communities on Wednesday, August 2, also known as #802Day. Let’s make sure our visitors know we want them to return to the Green Mountain State! Encourage visitation by highlighting your favorite Vermont summer activities and attractions on social channels and tagging them with #802Day and #ThisIsVT. VDTM will monitor the hashtags throughout the day to reshare content to our Instagram audience of 74,000+ users.
Business Recovery Resource Center
The ACCD resource page is the central landing place for recovery resources for the Vermont business community. Resources include guidance, partner guides, charitable funds, and storm related items. If you would like updates delivered directly to your inbox as soon as they are available, please sign up for the ACCD Severe Storm Recovery Newsletter.
Report Any Flood-Related Damages to 211
Individuals and businesses should continue to submit damage data through Vermont 211 so the state can access as much federal funding as possible. This form does not initiate or guarantee aid, but helps FEMA assess damage and get more counties declared under the federal disaster declaration, bringing more federal aid. If you are in Addison County, this is especially important as that county has not yet been declared. If you are unable to use the online form, you can also call 2-1-1 and a call taker will gather your information.
Take VOBA’s Flood Impact Survey
The flood has had a tremendous impact on the state's outdoor industry, affecting recreation businesses, organizations, and communities across the state. The Vermont Outdoor Business Alliance (VOBA) is working to summarize the impact on outdoor businesses, navigate available resources, and advocate to support recovery. If your business has experienced any flood impacts at all, take the brief survey by Friday, August 4.
Volunteer at the Big E
The Big E is New England’s Great State Fair, hosted in West Springfield, MA and taking place this year from September 15 through October 1. VDTM is looking for volunteers to help staff the Vermont Tourism Booth in the Vermont Building. In 2022, the fair saw over 1.6 million visitors over the course of 17 days.
This is a high-impact, low-cost chance to promote your tourism business. You can volunteer for one shift (or more) and each day is split into two shifts, one from 9am – 4pm and one from 12pm – 7pm. Not only will you be sharing your passion and knowledge of Vermont during your shift, but we will distribute your print collateral for all 17 days of the fair.
For more information on this opportunity to bring a lot of visibility to your business, please email [email protected]
Copyright © 2022 Vermont Department of Tourism and Marketing, All rights reserved.
Why are you receiving this email? You’re receiving this message because we met – perhaps when you subscribed online or perhaps at a conference. If you’ve changed your mind, you can unsubscribe.
Our mailing address is:
Vermont Department of Tourism and Marketing
1 National Life Dr
Montpelier, VT 05620-5001
Department of Tourism and Marketing. AUGUST 1, 2023