Extended Early Bird Registration Price for 2013 Summit

The date for the 2013 Annual North Idaho Tourism Summit has been set for Thursday, April 4th, 2013. 

This year’s Summit will be held at the Sandpoint Event Center 102 South EuclidSandpoint ID 83864 from 8:00am-4:00pm. 


Registration is now open!

Early bird will be $29/person until March 19th then price goes up to $34/person.

Click here now to register: Count Me In! 

The Summit’s theme is always “Fostering Strategic Partnerships” and includes popular elements from Summit’s past such as Minute Connections (speed networking), Culinary Tour of Local Fare for Lunch (included in your registration), updates from the State of Idaho Tourism Bureau as well as regional chambers, and collaborative educational pieces. 

New this year will be a more valuable way for Event Sponsors to interact with attendees and receive more recognition as sponsors. 

Instead of being a wall flower and standing behind a display table you are going to be put front and center with the ability to Host & Sponsor one of the 15 available attendee tables. FIRST COME FIRST SERVE $89.00: Email nitsummit@gmail.com to see if there are still any available spots. 

The purpose of the North Idaho Tourism Summit is to provide the vehicle for those interested in the health of the tourism industry an opportunity to foster cooperation, provide education and form strategic professional relationships to promote and stimulate tourism throughout the region. 

The North Idaho Tourism Summit Steering Committee is an all-volunteer group that meets monthly with the sole purpose of producing and delivering the North Idaho Tourism Summit each year to bring together regional tourism leaders to share information and promote networking.
Agenda for the Day:

8:00 am Start
Welcome

Minute Connections (Speed Networking Event: Get to meet everyone in the room and let them get to know your business)

Lunch (Culinary Food Showcase)

State of Idaho & Regional Updates with Karen Ballard, Idaho State Tourism, Paul Norton Silverwood, and Jeanna Hoffmeister of the Spokane CVB

Local Chamber Updates

Final Two Speakers for the Day: Patrick McGaughey CPF, IOM is recognized as "America's Chamber Mentor" by chamber professionals coast to coast helping hundreds create new income and membership success.

The VP from University of Idaho talking about Bicycle and sustainability projects in Sandpoint

We look forward to seeing all your smiling faces in Sandpoint this year!!! 

Facebook: NITSummit (www.facebook.com/NITSummit)
Twitter: @NITSummit (www.twitter.com/NITSummit)

North Idaho Tourism Summit 2013 Registration is LIVE!

The date for the 2013 Annual North Idaho Tourism Summit has been set for Thursday, April 4th, 2013.

This year’s Summit will be held at the Sandpoint Event Center from 8:00am-4:00pm.

Registration is now open! Early bird will be $29/person until March 15th then price goes up to $34/person. Click here now to register: Count Me In!

The Summit’s theme is always “Fostering Strategic Partnerships” and includes popular elements from Summit’s past such as Minute Connections (speed networking), Culinary Tour of Local Fare for Lunch (included in your registration), updates from the State of Idaho Tourism Bureau as well as regional chambers, and collaborative educational pieces.

New this year will be a more valuable way for Event Sponsors to interact with attendees and receive more recognition as sponsors.

Instead of being a wall flower and standing behind a display table you are going to be put front and center with the ability to Host & Sponsor one of the 15 available attendee tables.

For $89 (this includes summit registration for one person) you will get the opportunity to showcase your business to every summit attendee through Minute Connections, be able to decorate your table (within set guidelines) or just have your literature available, and showcase your summit raffle/giveaway as the center piece on that table (what an opportunity to get creative). Email nitsummit@gmail.com if you would like more details on this opportunity.

The purpose of the North Idaho Tourism Summit is to provide the vehicle for those interested in the health of the tourism industry an opportunity to foster cooperation, provide education and form strategic professional relationships to promote and stimulate tourism throughout the region.

The North Idaho Tourism Summit Steering Committee is an all-volunteer group that meets monthly with the sole purpose of producing and delivering the North Idaho Tourism Summit each year to bring together regional tourism leaders to share information and promote networking.

We look forward to seeing all your smiling faces in Sandpoint this year!!!

Facebook: NITSummit (www.facebook.com/NITSummit)
Twitter: @NITSummit (www.twitter.com/NITSummit)

Register Now For NIT Summit 2013

Recreation and Tourism Speaker Series

COEUR D’ALENE, Idaho — Idaho overnight visitors statewide spent more than $1.8 billion in 2008, and in Kootenai County alone, recreation and tourism employs nearly 14 percent of the work force.

To support this growing sector of the region’s economy, University of Idaho Coeur d’Alene is introducing a Recreation and Tourism Speaker Series this October, featuring experts with insights into business, marketing and leadership development within the industry.

The series kicks off Wednesday, Oct. 10, from 4 to 5 p.m. at the U-Idaho Harbor Center, 1031 N. Academic Way in Coeur d’Alene, with speaker Jeanne Hofmeister, chief marketing officer for Visit Spokane. Hofmeister is responsible for advertising and strategic marketing of the Spokane region to leisure, group and convention travelers.

She will present, “Marketing Strategies for Domestic Tourism Dollars and Cents.” Domestic tourism refers to people visiting destinations within their own country, and accounts for about 99 percent of all tourism in the US.

Hofmeister is an Emmy Award winning writer and has worked as a communications and marketing consultant to governmental organizations and private businesses around the world.

She studied communications at University of Washington and the University of Idaho, and recently earned credentials as a Certified Destination Management Executive (CDME) through Purdue University. She is one of five experts to be featured in the series.

“One of the core goals of the University of Idaho's northern Idaho operations is to support local and regional business development," said Charles Buck, University of Idaho associate vice president for North Idaho. "We work with the business community throughout northern Idaho and in eastern Washington to identify their needs, and to meet those needs with educational opportunities.

“This series will highlight our region's tourism and recreation industry, and provide a forum for students and community members to learn more about this important sector. In addition to highlighting the challenges and opportunities for the industry, our speakers will discuss how their own training and educational experiences have contributed to their success.”

Each presentation will begin at 4 p.m. and end at 5 p.m. Upcoming talks include:

Nov. 14: Karen Ballard, administrator for tourism development, Idaho Department of Commerce, presents. “International Marketing for Idaho Tourism.”

Feb. 13: A speaker, TBD, from the Coeur d’Alene Casino and Resort.

March 13: Thomas Cusick, senior vice president of finance/CFO of Columbia Sportswear presents, “The Business Side of Rec-Tech.”

April 10: Rick Steltenpohl, executive director of Spokane Hoopfest, presents, “Using Servant Leadership to Create a World Class Tourist Event.”

For more information, visit www.uidaho.edu/cda or call (208) 667-2588.

# # #

About the University of Idaho

The University of Idaho inspires students to succeed and become leaders. Its land-grant mission furthers innovative scholarly and creative research to grow Idaho's economy and serve a statewide community. From its main campus in Moscow, Idaho, to 70 research and academic locations statewide, U-Idaho emphasizes real-world application as part of its student experience. U-Idaho combines the strength of a large university with the intimacy of small learning communities. It is home to the Vandals, and competes in the Western Athletic Conference. Through the university’s $225 million Inspiring Futures capital campaign, private giving will enhance student learning, faculty research and innovation, and a spirit of enterprise. Learn more: www.uidaho.edu.

 

Posted with Blogsy

Idaho Parks Passport Program #visitnorthidaho

Committee Planning Meeting for North Idaho Tourism Summit 2013

The purpose of the North Idaho Tourism Summit is to provide the vehicle for those interested in the health of the tourism industry an opportunity to foster cooperation, provide education and form strategic professional relationships to promote and stimulate tourism throughout the region.

 

The North Idaho Tourism Summit Steering Committee is an all-volunteer group that meets monthly with the sole purpose of producing and delivering the North Idaho Tourism Summit each year to bring together regional tourism leaders to share information and promote networking.

The planning for the Summit in 2013 is starting soon and we would love to have you join us on the planning committee. As stated above we are an all-volunteer group so more hands is always appreciated.

First meeting for 2013 planning is:
Wednesday September 26th at 2:00PM
At Best Western Coeur d'Alene Inn
506 W Appleway Ave
Coeur d'Alene ID 83814

If you have any questions feel free to email us at nitsummit@gmail.com and someone will get back to you as soon as possible.

Avista Utilities Blog - Avista holding monthly energy fairs in Wash. & Idaho

 

The cold weather is coming - attend an Energy Fair and be ready

Post by Jessie Wuerst

The Avista Energy Fair 2012 is coming to locations in the Inland Northwest. It will offer demonstrations of ways to keep homes warm and safe for the winter ahead. Fair attendees can speak with Avista staff and learn first-hand about low-cost and no-cost energy efficiency tips. They’ll see how to install window draft stoppers like rope caulk, window plastic and v-seal. Free samples of these and other materials to help people maximize energy efficiency in their homes will be given out at the fair.

In addition, Avista employees will have information about billing assistance and payment options. Avista community partners will also be on hand to offer helpful information about other community resources.

For the kids, and the kids at heart, Wattson, Avista’s Energy Watchdog, will be on hand to share his message of energy efficiency and safety.

Each year our customers ask for help in managing their energy use and costs during the winter. It’s never too early in the year for us to offer a broad range of ideas and demonstrations that will help residents keep the warm air inside and the cold air outside their homes. This event provides a great way for customers to conveniently access Avista’s many services. Information about payment options, energy assistance and energy efficiency will be especially helpful to those struggling to pay their bills.

Please join us.

• October 10, 3 p.m. – 6 p.m. – Harding Family Center, 411 N. 15th St., Coeur d’Alene, ID

• November 8, 3 p.m. – 6 p.m. – East Central Community Center, 500 S. Stone St., Spokane, WA

 

Avista Utilities Blog - Avista holding monthly energy fairs in Wash. & Idaho

It's not just Florida anymore -- Retirees find unusual places to call home | masslive.com

CAMDEN, Maine – When Peg Davis was ready to find a retirement community to move to, she looked north – not south – for a place to spend her later years. 

Rather than set her sights on Florida, Arizona or some other warm-weather locale, she packed up and moved from Big Flats, N.Y., to the small coastal Maine town of Camden. 

Davis, 73, was in search of the slow pace of a small town with natural beauty, cultural opportunities and “a sense of place.” She hasn’t been disappointed since arriving in 2010. 

“I wouldn’t go south of Pennsylvania,” said Davis, who vacationed here for years before making the move. “My mind operates like a Mainer. It doesn’t operate like people who escape to Southern comfort.” 

The idea of people who uproot and move when they retire conjures up images of warm, sunny Florida or Arizona. But some of the older members of the baby boom generation, the 78 million Americans born between 1946 and 1964, are looking elsewhere, and a number of towns in cooler climates from Maine to Washington have become popular retirement destinations. 

Camden is frequently cited in lists of best places for retirees. Others that have merited mention include Asheville, N.C.; Ruidoso, N.M.; Durango, Colo.; the San Juan Islands in Washington’s Puget Sound; St. George, Utah; Medford, Ore.; Coeur d’Alene, Idaho; Kalispell, Mont.; and towns along lakes Superior and Michigan in northern Michigan.

Read More Here: It's not just Florida anymore -- Retirees find unusual places to call home | masslive.com





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