New Opportunities

In past blogs I’ve talked about some of the trade shows and events the visitors bureau participates in and what it means to our region in terms of creating more interest in visiting our area.

We recently had a unique opportunity that turned out to be a real winner! Sandy Gordon, Marketing Manager teamed up with Lisa Mayo, Executive Director of the Calaveras Visitors Bureau to participate in the annual AARP Convention in Los Angeles last month. This is the first time we’ve participated in this event; however it won’t be the last!

Because the event was in Los Angeles, it put it within driving distance and by having the two bureaus work together, it gave us an opportunity to promote our region to a whole new national market as well as allowing us to share the costs. And some great news…the event returns to Los Angeles again in two years and we’ll be there as well!

The convention involved a 3-day trade show of every kind of service and product imaginable that would appeal to seniors. And senior citizens are a big market for our area, thanks to the variety of activities and the wonderful cultural and historic settings we have to offer.

We don’t have statistics for the 3rd day of the show, however the first day’s attendance exceeded 16,000 people and the 2nd day’s attendance exceeded 20,000. According to Sandy, visitors from throughout the US came by in a constant stream and were attracted and interested in our area.

We’ve participated in a number of consumer shows over the years, however few deliver this many people to our booth; many who have the time and money to travel and appreciate what the Central Sierra Mother Lode has to offer.