Blog entries

Touchpoints

Joy O'Neill — Mon, 09 May 2011 14:59:32 +0100

Toni emphasized the importance of a business' "touchpoints" with its customers. They can be common things like signs or business cards. But broadly, touchpoints are any opportunity to influence a future buying decision. Collectively we scrambled up our grey matter and came up the the following as ways to potentially influence a future buying decision (we couldn...

Creative Thinking Exercises With....Masking Tape?

Joy O'Neill — Mon, 09 May 2011 14:47:08 +0100

Toni Newman showed us how we can get in the mindset of thinking more creatively, of seeing new possibilities. We divided into groups and she passed out a different ordinary objects to each group. We were challenged to come up with 20 (yes, twenty!) purposes each object could serve as under different circumstances.

Our group was given a roll of masking tape as our "ordinary ...

Changing vs. Tweeking

Joy O'Neill — Mon, 09 May 2011 14:30:55 +0100

"Professional catalyst" Toni Newman informed us that there are now 32 versions of Tide detergent available. That's right - thirty two. In today's marketplace, being better than your competition is a given, but to be truly successful a business needs to be different from the competition, and in that Tide has succeeded. They are offering to the consumer products that&n...

Are you a "Why?" or a "Why Not?"

Joy O'Neill — Tue, 03 May 2011 20:34:29 +0100

Toni Newman, a professional speaker on innovation topics, recently spoke in Halifax at InnovatioNS, a workshop for the tourism industry. However, she refers to herself as a "professional catalyst", and indeed she lives up to that moniker, inspiring attendees to come up with new ways of thinking, of examining every possibility as a potential opportunity.

She divides busine...

Old World Charm and New World "Green" Winemaking at Bear River Vineyards

Joy O'Neill — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 14:16:53 +0100

Step into Bear River Vineyards and enter a cooly authentic ambiance replete with stone walls, an old world feel and a warm welcome from co-owner Peggy Hawes, who will proudly show you around her winery. Its distinctly European feel is combined with an emphasis on "green" energy techniques, including a gra...

Annapolis Highlands Vineyards - World Class Wines in Bear River East

Joy O'Neill — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 13:55:19 +0100

Annapolis Highland Vineyards' retail outlet in Bear River East is a delight. Artfully decorated in terra cotta tones, it features not only their gold medal wines, but a fine selection of Nova Scotia condiments, craft items and collectables. Karen or Brendan Enright will be happy to take you on a tour their winery, ...

The Importance of an Anchor Tenant

Joy O'Neill — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 14:45:55 +0100

In every mall, shopping centre or community, there is generally a business designated as the "anchor tenant", which serves as the entity's main attraction or "anchor". You will note that every mall has a Sobeys, Sears, Superstore or Zellers to attract customers. From there, buyers fan out to other stores to complete their s...

Taking It Up a Notch in Bear River

Joy O'Neill — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 19:00:42 +0100

During his presentation last year, one of the things Roger Brooks kept telling us we needed to do was "take it up a notch". By so doing, we would put ourselves on the same tier as provincial icons known for their successful beautification, such as Mahone Bay.

Bear River "Buried in the Woods"? - Hardly!

Joy O'Neill — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 15:24:36 +0100

Buried in the Woods, Sawmill Ghost Towns of Nova Scotia is a new book by Bear River native Mike Parker. It explores the fates of towns which thrived during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries as centres of the then-booming lumber and shipbuilding industries. Towns such as Minudie, Conquerall, Coote Cove and Lake Jolly m...

Amazing Keynote Speaker Helps Us See Challenges as Opportunities to Prosper

Joy O'Neill — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 19:17:53 +0100

Chip Madera calls himself a “motivation and performance strategist”. Based in the fortuitously named community of Celebration, Florida, his tagline is “Radical Leadership, Radical Change”. He works with organizations to develop “radical leaders equipped for radic...

"TEIM" Will Still Require Lots of "Team" Work

Joy O'Neill — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 11:44:17 +0100

The Tourism Economic Impact Model (TEIM) previously discussed will be available for general use by the end of the year. Although registration is required, use of the tool will be free to any tourism related group or organization. Its usefulness lies in its standardization across the province and in some of its elements, across the nation. So funders and others will truly be able to compare apples with apples, so to speak.

WWR-Digby_street_scene

Getting Inside the Visitor's Head

Joy O'Neill — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 11:37:38 +0100

Why do people travel? Why would they want to come to Annapolis Digby? The answer lies not just in our attractions and experiences, but within the traveler’s mind. This was explained to us at Product Development Day by Prof. Frederic Dimanche of UNB. People wish to want to release tension through an ESCAPE, or seek some form of arousal through an ADVENTURE (or sometimes both!) Motivations include escape from mundane routine, relaxation, seeking prestige, reliving childhood or other memories, e...

How Much $$$ is That Festival or Event Really Worth?

Joy O'Neill — Wed, 26 May 2010 03:33:02 +0100

Every year our region hosts a number of amazing festivals and events. All enhance community pride, create a sense of community identity, and provide us with a lot of fun in the process. In addition to all that, there are some festivals and events which leave a significant economic impact and sustain the economy. They can mean the difference between a year of profit or loss for many local businesses. But how can we know this for sure? And how can it be successfully measured? These questi...

Expensive Media and Free Media

Joy O'Neill — Mon, 10 May 2010 05:00:00 +0100

Have you seen the new Nova Scotia Tourism TV ads? I think they’re pretty good. They are being broadcast in Atlantic Canada and in select markets in Ontario, Alberta and New England. They play to our strengths, i.e local characters, colour, cuisine and culture, with generous helping of gorgeous Nova Scotia scenery, of course. This is where people tend to FIRST hear about a destination and where their interest is piqued. And these pieces cos...

Ah, Wilderness….

Joy O'Neill — Sat, 08 May 2010 05:00:00 +0100

Nature remains the main catalyst to get Canadians to travel in Canada. While experiencing Aboriginal culture is a weak motivator for Canadians to travel, it is a huge motivator for overseas visitors.

We have an incredible resource in Kejimkujik National Park. We also have world class trails such a Balancing Rock on Long Island, among others. My personal favourite is the Delap’s ...

The Good News!

Joy O'Neill — Fri, 07 May 2010 05:00:00 +0100

Among Canadians, Canada ranks highest in “Brand Image Perceptions”, and this is something which has to be exploited to keep Canadians at home. This shows that Canada evokes positive emotions, pride and patriotism among domestic travelers. And Canada is perceived as delivering very well on the nature component of travelers’ stated desires. More good news – Canadians see British Columbia and the Atlantic Region as the two a...

Wondering about the latest Canadian tourism trends?

Joy O'Neill — Thu, 06 May 2010 13:26:30 +0100

Check out our blog over the next few days as overviews from NS Tourism’s Research Forum, held last week at Oak Island Inn, are highlighted.

NS occupancy rates are about the same as the other Atlantic provinces, and NS is in the middle of the pack vis a vis all Canadian provinces. While declining visitation from the US and abroad is projected for 2010, visitation from other parts of Can...

Our Greatest Competition for Canadian Visitors Comes From…

Joy O'Neill — Thu, 06 May 2010 05:00:00 +0100

… the USA. Fewer Canadians travel to other regions of Canada than to the US! Canadians’ trips to the US correspond directly with the $ exchange rate, so our high dollar presents a huge challenge for tourism businesses this year.

Value/price perceptions by Canadian travelers presents another challenge, primarily because of high domestic airfares. In declining order, Canadians ar...