Tourism Awareness Week ~ Interview "Scoop" with Rob Carnegie, Director of Tourism ~ Kingston Tourism

Tourism Week ~ Kingston Tourism Kicks Off

Monday, June 9 - Sunday, June 15, 2014

Tourism Kingston is pleased to announce that Tourism Awareness Week will take place in Kingston from Monday, June 9 – Sunday, June 15.  A full roster of activities has been organized including a free barbeque for Kingston and area residents at the Visitor Information Centre, 209 Ontario Street and free admission for residents to select Kingston museums.

Ontario Visited ~ Interview with

Tourism Kingston (Kingston Economic Development Corporation)

Rob Carnegie, Director of Tourism, Marketing & Development

 

Rob Carnegie, Director of Tourism, Marketing & Development

Over the course of the year I have had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Rob Carnegie, Director of Tourism, Marketing and Development for Tourism Kingston. You might be surprised to learn that it was not in an office setting that we met. It was on a warm summers evening at Fort Henry, National Historic Site of Canada in Kingston. Ontario Visited had the pleasure of enjoying the fantastic music of Rob Carnegie, singer/songwriter extraordinaire. Rob is an experienced and professional New Country Artist. The St. Lawrence Parks Commission, Fort Henry is now providing, as quoted from Mr. Will Baird, Manager … “Edutainment... educating while entertaining".  The evening we met Rob Carnegie he and is group were performing on the rooftop at the Fort prior to the famous Sunset Ceremonies! This meeting has now led to a Series of “INSIDE SCOOP” Blog articles that I hope you will enjoy as we share some of the INSIDE SCOOP, knowledge and insight into an the complex world of TOURISM!

Rob Carnegie, at Fort Henry, Kingston, Ontario

THE JOURNEY BEGINS … The Many Roles of Tourism for Rob Carnegie …

As Director for Tourism Kingston, a division of the Kingston Economic Development Corporation, Rob Carnegie oversees a team of 5 staff including a seasonal team of 8 students which work out of the Visitor Information Offices in the City. In this position, he develops key partnerships with municipal and provincial government agencies along with key local industry stakeholders. Carnegie oversees the coordination and execution in multiple tourism industry segments including Leisure/Consumer, Meetings & Conferences, Travel Trade, Sport Tourism, Travel Media, Tourism Attraction and Visitor Services. Further to the marketing portfolio, he manages the Tourism Attraction & Investment file with a focus on developing Kingston's product offering to visitors.

A WORLD CLASS CITY…

Our mission is to ensure that Kingston remains a world class city by supporting tourism marketing and development so that we're the destination of choice for visitors from all over the world. Tourism Kingston believes in making your stay a first class experience and every day we strive to assist our partners in allowing their visitors to experience Kingston to its fullest, and enjoy their visit to our City.    

We hope you will check in again as I will continue my Series of Blog Articles with Mr. Rob Carnegie, and Tourism Kingston! Lots more to come! In the meantime, please check out their website at http://tourism.kingstoncanada.com/.

A Fair to Remember ~ Ancaster visited by Ontario Visited ~ Excerpt

The Fair – “The Fair is a great community to volunteer in.” …“The Ancaster Fair is all about “Fabulous Family Fun!”

THE INSIDE SCOOP presents Kathy Smith, Manager

Ancaster Agricultural Society and Ancaster Fairgrounds ... Our interview continues …

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Judi "Scoop" McWilliams, Ontario Visited
Horse'n Around at the
Ancaster Fair

Kathy Smith, Manager, Ancaster Agricultural Society
Judi "Scoop" McWilliams, Ontario Visited

Ontario Visited Experience ~ Excerpt of Ontario Fairs Visited Article to give you a taste of what to expect at the Fair … by Judi (Scoop) McWilliams … At a beautiful modern building with a huge porch and grand entrance we found the Fair offices. At the entrance rows and rows of competition flowers and arrangements were displayed in glass vases, and clear stands allowing the open aired ambiance to showcase these spectacular displays and arrangements. We continued to explore this grand building. The main hall housed displays of agriculture of all kinds. Quilts, baked goods, crafts were on display. Rows of wheat housed in wooden boxes allowed us to view the types of grains. This entire building was huge and so well organized it allowed us to enjoy ourselves immensely. It was colourful, educational and entertaining all at once. There were hands on agricultural activities and demonstrations all day. We reluctantly left the building to return to the brilliant sunshine outside. At one end of the fair grounds we explored “Heritage Square”, the antique tractor and equipment displays. There were volunteers explaining these spectacular displays to the visitors. One building was designed as an old fashioned general store, right down to the original pricing of goods from the era. Tall metal black stallions stood beside the store making for a great "photo shot". Rows and rows of tractors from all sizes and periods of time adorned the field as we walked with amazement.  There were activities from Steam Engines, to Operating Thresher, Sawmill, Working Windmill, Rope Maker, Walking Plows, and more. I think the Operating Thresher captured our attention for quite some time as we watch in amazement.

Finally, if you, your family, friends want to have a fantastic experience … “The Ancaster Fair is all about “Fabulous Family Fun!” You can check out their website at http://www.ancasteragriculturalsociety.ca/ for all the upcoming details!

Ontario Visited ~ Ancaster Fair Visited

Funding, Prizes, Donations ... Sharing Insight & Knowledge ~ Ancaster Fairgrounds

The Fair – “The Fair is a great community to volunteer in.” …“The Ancaster Fair is all about “Fabulous Family Fun!”

THE INSIDE SCOOP presents Kathy Smith, Manager

Ancaster Agricultural Society and Ancaster Fairgrounds ... Our interview continues …





Kathy Smith, Manager
Judi "Scoop" McWilliams
Ontario Visited

With the economic challenges today, it would seem critical to obtain/maintain Sponsor funding and Other Sources of funding. How do you go about obtain funding?

Funding ~ “Funding is always a major concern for any non profit or charitable organizations.  Costs only seem to go up and unfortunately new sources of income always need to be found to cover these increases.  We are always looking for possible sources or funding whether from grants or potential new sponsors”. 

How do you go about obtaining Prizes and Awards for the Fair?

Prizes and Award Donations ~ “We have a wonderfully supportive community around us.  Many of the awards that are given for prize winning entries have been given for many years. That doesn’t mean we don’t appreciate new awards. Committee chairs will take on the task of canvassing local businesses to obtain donations towards their prize list and special awards”.

Can you talk about the Touch a Truck and how your Society is making this such a successful adventure?

Touch a Truck ~ “The Touch a Truck event is a great event for families with young children that have a fascination with equipment. Over 60 pieces of equipment were on hand at last year’s event for children to sit in, blow the horn and experience the size of. Area farmers, Horizon Utilities, Hydro One, and local businesses all donate their time and equipment for this fund raising event that supports literacy in two of our area schools as well as providing funds for inner city school children to attend the fair”. 

Would you like to tell our readers about the Homecraft Garage Sale?

Homecraft Garage Sale ~ “Who doesn’t have “stuff” that they need to get rid of.  The Homecraft Garage sale is an opportunity to rent a space for a well advertised garage sale, indoors!  Held in March each year many vendors return year after year to participate in one of the first garage sales of the year.  Treasures are to be found, whether these are antiques, used books or that item that you just can’t live without”.

Stay tuned for more with Kathy Smith, Manager of the Ancaster Agricultural Society and Ancaster Fairgrounds and don’t forget to check out their website at http://www.ancasteragriculturalsociety.ca/. … Next SCOOP: Ontario Visited Experience at the Ancaster Fair!

Volunteer Recruitment, Appreciation ~ The Key to Success ~ Ancaster Agricultural Interview

The Fair – “The Fair is a great community to volunteer in.” …“The Ancaster Fair is all about “Fabulous Family Fun!”

THE INSIDE SCOOP presents Kathy Smith, Manager

Ancaster Agricultural Society and Ancaster Fairgrounds

Our interview continues …

The Fair – “The Fair is a great community to volunteer in.” …“The Ancaster Fair is all about “Fabulous Family Fun!”

THE INSIDE SCOOP presents Kathy Smith, Manager

Ancaster Agricultural Society and Ancaster Fairgrounds

Our interview continues …

 

For many fairs, agricultural societies, festivals and events, it is critical to have volunteers!

Volunteers … can you tell about how you recruit volunteers.

Volunteer recruitment ~ “The Ancaster Fair does not have a specific recruitment policy or procedure.  We welcome everyone to become involved with the Ancaster Agricultural Society.  We do have a membership fee of $15 however this will give you unlimited entry into the Ancaster Fair, we just ask that you volunteer some of your time with a committee of the fair”.

How do you “keep them happy”? For example, do you have a Volunteer Appreciation Program?

Volunteer appreciation ~ “After the Fair each year we hold a volunteer appreciation and awards night.  This evening is a casual evening where we recognize the award winners from the fair but also the long time volunteers who will receive their Life membership or the Service Diploma award from the Society.  A nice meal is enjoyed, great company and a chance to say thank you to our volunteers for all that they do”.

Can you share with us some techniques on managing so many volunteers?

Techniques to manage volunteers ~ “Working with volunteers is very rewarding. Volunteers give so much of themselves to our organization and very willingly come out and help whenever needed.  I regularly work alongside the volunteers to prepare for events or to manage events, working with them as a volunteer.   I value this time to get to know the volunteers, to show I am prepared to volunteer my time for the association and to help accomplish the goals of the organization”.

Stay tuned for more with Kathy Smith, Manager of the Ancaster Agricultural Society and Ancaster Fairgrounds and don’t forget to check out their website at http://www.ancasteragriculturalsociety.ca/. … Next SCOOP: Funding, Prizes and Award Donations, Touch a Truck, Homecraft Garage Sale.

 

 

 

Keeping things "FRESH" at the Ancaster Fairgrounds

The Fair – “The Fair is a great community to volunteer in.” …“The Ancaster Fair is all about “Fabulous Family Fun!”

THE INSIDE SCOOP presents Kathy Smith, Manager

Ancaster Agricultural Society and Ancaster Fairgrounds

THE INSIDE SCOOP presents Kathy Smith, Manager

Ancaster Agricultural Society and Ancaster Fairgrounds

Can you tell us about the Ancaster Fairgrounds and the facilities available?

Facilities Available ~ “The Ancaster Fairgrounds is 100 acres in size and has 10 buildings that are used for a wide variety of events throughout the year.  Marritt Hall is the largest of these and the most used.  A year round facility that can host  a number of  functions at the same time or one large function on the main floor with smaller break out rooms on the second floor.  Our concession building is also a year round facility that regularly hosts such events as dog shows, roller derby events, stag & does, even memorial services.  Our indoor show arena has a 100’ x 220’ show area that regularly has horse shows, cattle shows and even sheep shows using the building.  We have three outdoor horse rings of various size that also play host to many different discipline shows.  The remainder of the buildings are not insulated and are used mainly for our fair but occasionally will see other events take place as well.  We have lots of grass and parking areas that are also used for many events during the year”.

How does the Ancaster Agricultural Society “keep things fresh” for the patrons, participants and vendors?

Keeping things fresh ~ “There are always new events and activities being added to the program for the Ancaster Fair.  While the main activities of the fair revolve around the competitions, livestock shows are hard to really change what they are doing, unless you are introducing a new breed, the homecraft and school fair competition classes get changed on a yearly basis.  For 2014 we will be adding a Donkey and Mule show to the list of livestock events.  We have also introduced a fair wide theme of Oh Canada! So there should be some great additions to this year’s Fair events”.

Stay tuned for more with Kathy Smith, Manager of the Ancaster Agricultural Society and Ancaster Fairgrounds and don’t forget to check out their website at http://www.ancasteragriculturalsociety.ca/. … Next SCOOP: Volunteer Recruitment, Volunteer Appreciation, Techniques for managing Volunteers.

Our interview continues …

Success ~ Planning ~ Demographics ~ Interview with Kathy Smith, Ancaster Fair

THE INSIDE SCOOP presents Kathy Smith, Manager

Ancaster Agricultural Society and Ancaster Fairgrounds

 

The Fair – “The Fair is a great community to volunteer in.” …“The Ancaster Fair is all about “Fabulous Family Fun!”

 

 

Our interview continues …

What do you attribute the success of Ancaster Agricultural Society?

Success ~ “The success of the Ancaster Agricultural Society can really be attributed to the dedication of the volunteers.  When the society decided to relocate it was a committee of volunteers that took this task on, through their leadership we have a beautiful new grounds that generations of families will get to enjoy.  It is also the volunteers that make the fair happen.  With over 35 committees and approx. 400 volunteers it takes a lot of time to plan and organize the fair so that there is something for all interests to see and participate in when visiting the fair”.

What is your demographic makeup of attendees?

Demographic Makeup ~ “The Ancaster Fair is all about “Fabulous Family Fun!”  We have families with young children, teenagers or even adult children coming back for a family reunion at the fair.  We have very young who attend to participate in the Baby show and older people who attend to compete in the many competitions.  While it may be a cliché to say that we have something for everyone we do try to attract people from diverse backgrounds and at every age level”. 

How far in advance do you “plan”?

Planning ~ “Planning for the Ancaster Fair begins the weekend of the previous fair.  Committee chairs take note of what works well and what needs to be done better for the next year.   About a week after the fair we have a meeting to “debrief” on the successes of the fair.  Organizing really gets in gear in the New Year when committees get their budget requests in and have committee meetings to make definite plans for that year’s fair.  Of course changes can occur right up to opening of the fair as no plan is completely guaranteed to work”.

Stay tuned for more with Kathy Smith, Manager of the Ancaster Agricultural Society and Ancaster Fairgrounds and don’t forget to check out their website at http://www.ancasteragriculturalsociety.ca/. … Next SCOOP: Ancaster Fairground Facilities, Keeping things Fresh!

 

 

 

 

Positive Wins Every Time! ~ Preserve, Conserve, Enjoy! ~ Ontario Visited Tours Toronto Zoo

This series of Blog articles comes from our recent “Behind the Scenes Tour of the Toronto Zoo” with Katie Gray, Public Relations Supervisor. Ontario Visited toured with Festival Nomad Correspondent’s Carol Law (Volunteeerscan.ca ~ Volunteer systems Consultant) and Ron Clifford (www.ronclifford.com ~ Professional Photographer). With extra our extra correspondent and photographer, we were able to focus on the generous amount of information being provided by the Toronto Zoo staff for this wonderful opportunity. We would like to share our insight, knowledge and experiences with you. Hope you enjoy the series!

Positive Wins Every Time!

There are challenges in keeping life's positive aspects in the “limelight”. Our recent day at the Toronto Zoo, Media Day, was a great example of “super hype”. Sometimes the Media likes to report the negatives, which may be true, but are not in the best interest of supporting such an invaluable resource as the Zoo. Gary and I truly believe in presenting the best of the festivals, events, attractions, fairs, communities and heritage properties we visit. Each operates as a result of countless staff and volunteer hours, each putting their heart and soul into the many adventures and dedicated causes. We are proud to report the positive … positivity creates our FUTURE!

I will end our "tour" article with one thought in mind... "What you don’t see while walking about the Toronto Zoo is just as important, if not more so, than what you do see". The future is for all of us... Preserve, Conserve, Enjoy!

We encourage you to check out the Toronto Zoo website where you can view ongoing amazing “in-the-moment” videos and so much more at www.torontozoo.com. Enjoy!