Dear Hospitality & Tourism Industry Partners –

2021 is off and running, with many reports of strong numbers from those partners with winter product. We are hopeful that the snow keeps falling around the state to help bolster the visitation numbers through the end of the season, as well as decrease the fire dangers for next summer.

Monthly Webinar Series
The Wyoming Office of Tourism is continuing the monthly webinar series which focuses on topics that directly affect Wyoming Partners. The monthly webinar will take place the third Wednesday of each month at 1:30 p.m. The webinars will last approximately 45-minutes but may vary depending on the topics. To maintain flexibility and consistency, we will be announcing each month’s topic during the Monthly Industry Call.

As mentioned on the industry call, February’s topic in the series will be: 2021 Travel Content Trends. From creating countless virtual experiences to constantly readjusting your messaging, this past year has posed many challenges for content creators. But with each challenge, we learned to be adaptable and creative with our digital content strategy. Moving into 2021, we will lean on what we’ve learned, while expanding on emerging content trends. Join the Wyoming Office of Tourism’s Brand Studio team for a 45-minute webinar on 2021 best practices for video, photography, social media and editorial, and how to start implementing each on your own channels.

Time
February 17, 2021 01:30 p.m. MST (US and Canada)

We ask that everyone interested in joining please RSVP through this RSVP Link or directly through the Industry Site. It is also very important to ask any questions you may have on the upcoming topics in advance of building the presentation. So, please click here to provide your questions prior to the webinar.

To view previous webinars, such as January’s 2021 a Year of Recovery, please visit the Industry Site or click here.

For any additional questions, please contact Amy Larsen at Amy.Larsen@wyo.gov.

Three New Outdoor Recreation Collaboratives
The Wyoming Office of Outdoor Recreation, a unit of Wyoming State Parks, Historic Sites, and Trails, currently coordinates and facilitates two outdoor recreation collaboratives with the aim of developing and managing outdoor recreation opportunities in order to help diversify and strengthen the state's economy.

The two existing groups are focused in Hot Springs, Washakie, and Bighorn counties (the Bighorn Basin Outdoor Recreation Collaborative - BBORC - www.bborc.org) and in Fremont County (the Wind River Outdoor Recreation Collaborative - WRORC). These groups consist of diverse stakeholders, including land managers, business owners, landowners, elected officials, conservationists, and recreationists. Using a grassroots and consensus based approach, these collaboratives identify and prioritize goals and projects that they believe will be beneficial to their local areas in terms of economic development and resource management.

Three new collaboratives are currently being formed in Park; Sweetwater; Campbell; Crook; and Weston counties. If you or someone you know is interested in learning more about these initiatives, please contact Chris Floyd, Manager of the Office of Outdoor Recreation, at 307-679-2507 or chris.floyd@wyo.gov.

Business Council Launches Thrive > Survive Campaign:
Since the pandemic hit, Wyoming communities, businesses and individuals have demonstrated strength, innovation and resiliency. Our small, tight-knit communities and local businesses have shined brightly, responding to adversity in many compassionate, creative ways. The Wyoming Business Council today launched the Thrive > Survive Campaign, featuring Wyoming stories where innovation, lots of elbow grease and working together have helped communities and businesses weather the pandemic, and even grow stronger.

The Thrive > Survive Campaign spotlights resiliency stories from a variety of Wyoming communities, programs and businesses at thrivewyoming.org.

These stories serve as examples of how Wyoming can move forward. The unprecedented challenges in 2020 have reinforced the necessity to go beyond just survival mode and lay the groundwork to be more resilient and thrive.

For further information please contact Ron Gullberg, Strategic Partnerships Director at the Wyoming Business Council.

Profit Mastery Series through Small Business Development Center:
The SBDC is ready to launch a free Profit Mastery University in February. This offering has been delivered to WY businesses in the past, and it is always held in very positive regard by the small business owners who attend, as well as bankers, CPAs and others who work with small business owners. It’s plenty of work and requires some time investment, but the results are typically great at helping small businesses truly get a handle on their finances.

Profit Mastery Series Description: All businesses are facing hardships during this unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic. Small business owners who are in jeopardy of losing their businesses have a fighting desire and a realistic opportunity to restructure debt as a crucial survival strategy. Whether you sell goods or services, we want to help you by increasing your cash flow, improving your quality of life, avoiding unnecessary legal fees and making fixed, affordable payments to your creditors possible.

Presenter: Charles Evans is a leading expert in understanding and evaluating creditor and collection threats to small businesses, managing creditors to avoid bankruptcy, negotiating new terms with creditors and lowering the debt payments businesses may face. His expertise is in immediate and vital demand by Wyoming SBDC Network clientele who are facing COVID-19-related impacts to their business.

To register for the Profit Mastery Series, please click here. For additional information or questions, please contact Tara Kuipers, MS, CARES ACT Recovery Program Manager.

Marketing and Messaging:
Please continue to visit travelwyoming.com/industry for the most up-to-date information on how to market and message as we move through the COVID-19 pandemic. You can help us by sharing this same information with your community partners, so they can stay abreast of current actions and activities and help with the heavy lifting.

As COVID-19 concerns continue to fluctuate at a rapid pace, we are going to continue the monthly industry call. The next call is scheduled for Monday, March 1 at 9:30 a.m.

As always, please reach out anytime with any comments, questions or suggestions.

“To appreciate the beauty of a snowflake it is necessary to stand out in the cold.”
-Aristotle

My best,
Diane