Bob Phillips – Telling Tales in the Pineywoods
The Texas Country Reporter to Keynote Forest Trail Summit in Nacogdoches, April 24
Nacogdoches, TX, – The Texas Forest Trail Region is pleased to welcome friends and special guests from throughout its 35-county region for learning, networking, and partnership building at its 2014 Annual Summit sponsored by the Nacogdoches Convention & Visitors Bureau.
The 2014 Summit will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on April 24, at the Nacogdoches County Courthouse Annex, 203 West Main in Nacogdoches, Texas. Presentations will include contemporary best practices for marketing communities, identifying missed opportunities, and tips to improve traffic to historic sites and attractions.
The highlight of the meeting will be the keynote presentation by Bob Phillips, journalist, storyteller and host of the popular television program “Texas Country Reporter.” On the show, Bob Phillips travels the back-roads of the Lone Star State to uncover the history, people and places that make Texas unique. His presentation will emphasize the importance of tourism in rural communities and how-to tell your community’s story.
The Summit program will also include marketing research presentations, highlighting two Forest Trail partner members, the Tyler Convention & Visitors Bureau and The City of Palestine.
Tyler and Palestine recently participated in a Destination Marketing research project made available to Forest Trail Partner members and conducted by Stephen F. Austin State University Hospitality Administration students under the direction of Dr. Chay Runnels.
The study evaluated marketing materials, websites, social media, brochures and budgets for 12 Partner Members. The presentations will include contemporary best practices for marketing communities, identifying missed opportunities, and tips to improve traffic to historic sites and attractions. The researchers utilized industry marketing standards and trends to offer each site important feedback on what they are doing well and how they might improve tourism to their community.
The Summit will begin at 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, April 24 at the Nacogdoches County Courthouse Annex with a continental breakfast, hosted by Nacogdoches Main Street. Tickets are $35 for Forest Trail Partner Members and $40 for nonmembers. Lunch is included in the price of the ticket and will be provided onsite.
The Forest Trail Summit is open to Partner Members, regional tourism professionals and anyone interested in supporting or promoting heritage preservation and tourism in east Texas.
To register online visit texasforesttrail.com/
The Texas Forest Trail Region is a regional tourism initiative developed by the Texas Historical Commission that fosters regional economic development by promoting heritage tourism through the preservation of cultural and historic resources and regional partnerships. The Texas Forest Trail Region encompasses 35 counties in East Texas including Anderson, Angelina, Bowie, Camp, Cass, Cherokee, Franklin, Gregg, Hardin, Harrison, Henderson, Houston, Jasper, Jefferson, Marion, Montgomery, Morris, Nacogdoches, Newton, Orange, Panola, Polk, Red River, Rusk, Sabine, San Augustine, San Jacinto, Shelby, Smith, Titus, Trinity, Tyler, Upshur, Walker and Wood.
For more information about the Texas Forest Trail 2014 Summit contact Executive Director Marty Prince at 936/560-3699 or [email protected]. Learn more about partner memberships and benefits and resources online now: TexasForestTrail.com/