2017 St. Patrick's Day Parade and Cultural Festival

I LOOOOOOVE St. Patrick's Day! Personally, my heritage goes back to Donegal, Ireland. My family immigrated to the States during the Irish Potato Famine and settled just up the river in Megis County. So of course, I flipped over the moon when the Artisan Shoppe and Studio asked the GCCVB to be the Parade Marshalls for the 3rd Annual St. Patrick's Day Parade and Cultural Festival!

We love it when organizations put together fun events for the community! This event will include a parade down Second Avenue beginning at 1 PM and the Gallipolis City Park will be filled with vendors for the Cultural Festival. The Festival will have a variety of performances from 2 PM - 7 PM on the stage. There will be lots of fun for the kiddos with inflatables, face painting, etc. The GCCVB will also be there giving away goodies!

Parade, park & sponsor forms are available to pick up/drop off at The Artisan Shoppe, the Gallia County Chamber of Commerce & the Gallia County Convention and Visitors Bureau. The Shoppe can also email them upon request or register online by clicking here. THE DEADLINE IS MARCH 4TH!

"This event serves as an annual fundraiser for the Gallia County Artisan Market non-profit/501(c)(3) entity. We started the Gallia County Artisan Market events in February 2014 due to the need for local artisans to be able to display and sell their work. We expanded to open up The Artisan Shoppe in December 2014 so we could have a shoppe version of our markets for those who couldn't attend. We decided to expand even more by opening up The Artisan Studio in October 2015. The St. Patrick Day Cultural Parade started in March 2015 and the Festival part was added in March 2016 since there were no parades or events in the area to celebrate ...St. Patrick's Day. Our mission is to educate the public and to promote arts and culture in our community. We are getting bigger and better every year and we hope you all join us in supporting our mission. All businesses, all arts, and all cultures are welcome to be involved."

-The Artisan Shoppe and Studio

The St. Patrick's Day Cultural Festival and Parade will be Saturday, March 18th, 2017.

Festival 12 pm-7 pm
Parade 1pm

We don't normally allow other organization banners...but
you could always soften me up and make me a Parade Marshall... 😃

2017 Gallia County Tourism Ambassador Scholarship

The Gallia County Convention and Visitors Bureau would like to announce a new scholarship opportunity they will begin offering.  The 2017 Gallia County Tourism Ambassador Scholarship allows a student the opportunity to represent tourism in Gallia County and receive a $500 scholarship.

The scholarship is open to Gallia County residents who are High School seniors and up to age 24 that are attending or planning to attend college.

The winner will work alongside the Gallia County Convention and Visitors Bureau with local events and programs. The winner is required to participate fifty hours at GCCVB events, programs, meetings, etc. during their ambassadorship. All hours will be scheduled so it will not interrupt school obligations.

The Ambassadorship is from May 2017 to May 2018. This is a scholarship competition and networking opportunity for students. There is no fee to apply.

Students must submit an Application along with a 500-word essay explaining why they would like to be chosen as the 2017 Gallia County Tourism Ambassador. The essay should also provide information about yourself, why you love Gallia County and your abilities to represent this title and the GCCVB. Applications are due no later than April 17, 2017. They can be mailed or dropped off to the Gallia County Convention and Visitors Bureau, 441 Second Avenue, Gallipolis. No photos will be required.

All applicants will be interviewed by our panel of judges to discuss their qualifications on April 22, 2017, from 10:00 am-12:00 pm at the Holzer Wellness Center, 735 Second Avenue, Gallipolis. Dress is business casual. The winner will be announced at the Colony Club, 418 Second Avenue, Gallipolis on May 9, 2017.

For the scholarship application, download at www.visitgallia.com or you may contact the GCCVB at info@visitgallia.com / 740-446-6882. We are located at 441 Second Avenue, Gallipolis and are open Monday-Friday from 8:00 am-5:00 pm.

How a Convention and Visitors Bureau is Funded

The Gallia County Convention and Visitors Bureau is a nonprofit 501 (c)(3) organization with a goal of attracting and welcoming visitors to the area, as well as educating tourists and locals of the region's history and infrastructure. The GCCVB receives funding through the Excise Tax from accommodation facilities located in our county. The 3% Excise Tax (Bed Tax) is levied and imposed upon each overnight transaction in a Gallia County accommodation facility. These taxes should not be confused with the sales tax.

Accommodation facility: Means every establishment kept, used, maintained, advertised or held out to the public to be a place where sleeping accommodations are offered to guests, in which one (1) or more rooms are used for the accommodation of such guests, where such rooms are in one or several structures including “Bed & Breakfast” facilities.

These funds are collected by the Auditors Office from each lodging facility on a quarterly basis.  However, if you are a non-transient guest who occupies a room for more than thirty (30) or more consecutive days, you are exempt from this tax. In addition to the excise tax, CVB's often host events that generate additional support during the off season which encourage overnight stays in local facilities. One example is the Gallia County BBQ Festival, this event is hosted the second Saturday of September by the GCCVB. On the other hand, some CVB's with limited accommodations are able to work within the community and receive funding via museums.

2015 Study

So, when you stay at a hotel or Bed & Breakfast you are contributing to the local Convention and Visitor's Bureau. Which works diligently to give the community a boost economically by educating visitors of the attractions, restaurants, accommodations, events, etc. of that area. We focus on advertising our communities via social media, brochures, travel shows, and everything in between. Why do we do it? Because we ❤ our community and want to share it with everyone!

And as always thanks for reading.

Gallia Valentine's Date Ideas

Tomorrow is Valentine's Day and if you're not sure where to go or what to do, don't panic! There are many fun options to choose from! See below for my picks!


Date Night Ideas!

Book-a-Bike Date: Use your library card at Bossard Memorial Library to check out a Bicycle* and take a ride around Historic Downtown Gallipolis or hit up the trail!

Bob Evans Farms: Take a stroll down on the farm, view the cabins in the Village of Adamsville and stop in the Homestead Museum.

Catch a Flick: Gallia County has two fun ways to enjoy the cinema; See the latest films at Silver Screen 7 or enjoy a meal and a classic film at Colony Club.

*Be cautious of the weather!

Create your own!
See our recreation and restaurant options to create your perfect night! For more information about Gallia County click here or call the GCCVB at 1-800-765-6482.


Recreation and Attractions!

• Gallipolis Roller Bounce
• Skyline Bowling Center of Gallipolis
• Silver Screen 7
• Village of Adamsville (Rio Grande)
• Book-A-Bike
• Take a romantic stroll through the Gallipolis City Park
• Visit the many antique and local shops of Gallia
• and more...

Restaurants!

• Colony Club
• Tuscany Cuccini
• Bob Evans (Gallipolis/Rio Grande)
• China One
• Courtside Bar and Grill
• Crossroad Bistro
• El Toril
• The White House
• and more...

If you're looking for a date night in, click on the above "more" link to find restaurants that will come to you!

And as always thanks for reading!

Planning Summer During Snowfall

     So, as I am collecting prices on inflatable beach balls and flip-flop playing cards, I look out my window and it is snowing. And I have to laugh at myself because my mind is so excited about our tourism season that I get surprised by snow in February. I consider winter my office hibernation season because there are fewer events during this time, but trust me there are plenty.

     One of the big reasons why I love working in local tourism is that I have time to perfect my ideas. With the help of the GCCVB staff and our Board of Trustees/Advisory, we prepare to have our summer programs and events ready to hit the streets come summer time.

      As of right now, we have about three months to put together the events to kick off the official tourism season. This happens the first full week in May with the celebration of National Travel and Tourism week. One of our big summer programs is The Passport Challenge. We tested this program last year and I am currently configuring the details for this year. This program is offered to all ages but is geared mostly toward kids. The official launch date for the 2017 Passport Challenge is May 1^st, stay tuned for more details!

      Just to put this all into perspective, there are only 38 Days till Spring (March 20th) and 131 Days till Summer (June 21st)! But don't let that keep you from sitting around the rest of Winter! Click here, to see all of Gallia County's events that are going on right now! Or you could download our app!

                                                          As always, thanks for reading!

Kaitlynn's Travel Essentials

It's the 1st of February! So you know what that means, travel planning season has begun!!!!! Which of course is my favorite time of the year, because I get to work with families and groups coming to Gallia County! In previous articles, we've discussed the CVB plans to attend the AAA Great Vacations Travel Expo, well it's time! Amanda, our Executive Director, and myself are heading up to Columbus, Ohio tomorrow! The travel expo is when all the work that we have been doing in the last month gets to shine!

Now that we have all of our display and promotional items packed up, it's our turn. As a kid, I loved to pack for vacation and after working as a Travel Consultant, I like to think I have a few tricks of my sleeves. I've compiled a list of my travel essentials. Comment below your tips and tricks!

1. Bring a Sweater
I hate being cold and whenever I travel I bring a couple extra layer options. On planes, a sweater is a must. Going to a convention? It could be crowded therefore hot or the large space and high ceilings making it freezing. Sweater, jackets, cardigans, parka, long-sleeve tee, etc.

2. Snacks
Don't let a case of hangry (hungry + angry) ruin your trip! Always have a bottle of water and small bags of snackage. My picks are, trail mix, dried fruit, and to-go packs of applesauce. Be sure not to go overboard though, you want to save some room for trying something local!

3. Portable Phone Charger
I won't travel without a phone charger ever! These portable phone chargers allow you to charge your phone while you are on-the-go, so you don't get stuck to the wall with your normal charger. However, remember to charge the Charger before you leave for your trip! You can pick these up at gas stations, Walmart, etc.

4. Visitor Guides
Before your trip stop at your local CVB or Travel Office for some information regarding your destination. It is really nice to have a few ideas in your head before you head out on your adventure. Visitor guides are created by the locals so it has the inside scoop on all the hotspots to check out. Who knows what else you will discover when you visit!

5. Tylenol and Band-Aids
   Think head to toe. I am a klutz, I trip on air and bump into everything. Therefore, I carry Tylenol and Band-Aids everywhere.

6. Your Business Cards
Never know who you will run into so be prepared.  Have your business cards in a wallet or easy to grab place. I like to keep one or two in my phone case.

7. Tide-to Go Pens
If you are traveling for business these little pens are a great life saver for those "Oh Crap" moments. Find them in the travel shampoo section!

8. Body Lotion
This is the one item I always seem to forget and always need.

9. My Journal
Growing up my Mom brought a journal with her on every vacation. She would log where we ate, what silly thing we did at the beach, etc. I picked up on that and really love being able to go back are read about some of the small fun things you might tend to forget about.

10. The Right Bag
You now have all this stuff and what are you going to do with it. Pack it in the right bag. My definition of the right bag is: A bag that is medium size, light weight, goes across your shoulder. Your bag should not be full when you leave. There should be room to put small purchases and your sweater.

Those are my picks! What are yours? Comment below!

10 Tips for Preparing for an Expo

The Gallia County Convention and Visitors Bureau will be attending the AAA Great Vacations Travel Expo February 3-5 to represent Gallia County. We will be setting up as an exhibitor, giving away brochures, calendar of events and a few freebies. This will be my first AAA setting up as a vendor, last year I actually worked for AAA Ohio and sold luggage. Now I'm really excited to be able to share my passion of local tourism with central Ohio.

Executive Director Amanda Crouse has been to the AAA expo four times but the GCCVB has attended eight times. Amanda and I have been preparing for the expo for months, creating new promotional pieces, planning the layout of the booth, and everything in between. Here are a few tips I have learned through the process so far!

1. Register Early             It is never too soon to begin preparing for an expo, especially one as large as this one. Be sure to register before the deadline and read all booth instructions from the expo you'll be attending. If you are wanting to get a corner booth it is important to get your registration completed asap.

2. Convention Extras         If the expo your attending is at a large convention center most likely you will have to option to purchase rental tables and other items for your booth. If you don't have the vehicle for tables it will be much less of a hassle to take advantage of the rental option. Tablecloths and more are able to be rented, just be sure to order them asap and bring your order form with you just in case!

3. Promo Items            This is probably my very favorite part of the expo, creating the promotional items. Remember to do this months in advance! So, items depending on the company, may need a little work. We experienced this process with our luggage tags when the design had to be altered several times. However with the extra work we ended up with something we were happy with. Also, shipping promotional items rarely happen overnight.

2017 Promo Items

4. Booth Attraction       You have your booth, tables and promo items, now you must figure out how to design your booth. Create multiple ways to make your booth interactive and fun. For our booth, we have a prize wheel and a raffle basket. We did multiple mock-ups in our office to design our booth to make our space as effective as possible.

Setting up our Mock Booth

5. Literature                Most people come for the freebies, but our goal is to get as much information about Gallia County distributed as possible. We have our official Visitors Guide, Downtown Walking Guide and Calendar of Events for Gallia County. Also, this year we have a goal of attracting groups to visit, so Amanda has created a Group Tour Planner and a Profile Sheet to give to prospective groups. Along with this we have our options visible in stands showing our Heritage Tour and Custom Tour Options.

6. Hotel Rooms            Depending on the location and length of time the expo you are attending is, you may need a place to stay. Be sure to book your rooms once you register for the expo, you may be able to get a special rate if there is a hotel connected to the convention center the expo is being held at.

7. The Necessities          Another overlooked part of preparing for an expo are a few necessities. A Notebook, Pens, Tape, Scissors and a Stapler. A Tide to Go pen may also be a nice back up in case of emergencies.

8. The Packing List         Look at all the last seven tips, bring all that stuff. Create a very detailed, worst case scenario list. Including a flash drive with all of the documents you are using for back up and alteration. Place the list in a spot so that your team can see it and mark off as you pack. I recommend packing a week to a week in a half before you are set to leave. Giving you time to run to the store and pick up anything you may have forgotten

9. Expo Schedule              Most expos have a list of the schedule available for exhibitors and guests to view before the expo. This will really come in handy when you are planning out shifts for the staff to man the booth. If there is a big guest or they are giving away free food, that would be the time to have extra people at the booth.

10. Look the Part               If you are attending an expo as an exhibitor to represent your company or organization you need to look good. The GCCVB has ordered new shirts with our new logo on the back. I once heard that shoes are important because people will be looking down at their phones so they will see your feet before they see your face. And for any event you attend, remember your business cards!!!

The GCCVB has free tickets to the AAA Great Vacations Travel Show for a limited time! Call (740) 446-6882 Email info@visitgallia.com or Stop by 441 Second Ave, Gallipolis, OH

And as always, Thanks for reading!