Camping In Ontario Update Newsletter June 2019 March 2014 | Page 2

CAMPING IN ONTARIO UPDATE | 2 Executive Director’s Message The winter that does not seem to want to end may be finally coming to an end. And what a winter it has been for most of eastern North America. I have heard so many people refer to it as “a true old-fashioned Canadian winter” Well, if this is true, . so much for nostalgia, I say. While most of you have been taking well-deserved holidays, we have been very busy at the office – with the focus on marketing. We had very successful consumer shows in Toronto, Hamilton, Ottawa and London so far this year. Our newest show edition, The Outdoor Adventure Show was very successful with lots of interest by the public in rental accommodations as well as overnight camping and a younger demographic than we normally see at RV shows. The directories were also available in Windsor and at the Toronto Sportsman Show. Please see the article in this issue for more details. We have done a lot of work this winter on building our social media presence. We have been steadily adding Twitter and Facebook followers. These are great tools for getting messages out to our camping public as well as members and the tourism industry. Other marketing tools that we have been working on include the e-books, the mobile site, and of course the website. Our newest marketing tool is our App. We are very excited about this product and it is already being downloaded by the public (over 500 times so far). The “near me” functionality is very exciting as it allows the user to choose overnight, seasonal or rentals and find ONTARIO PRIVATE CAMPGROUND ASSOCIATION 305 Milner Ave, Suite 206, Toronto, ON, M1B 3V4 TOLL-FREE 1 877 672 2226 TEL [phone] FAX [phone] WEB www.campinginontario.ca EMAIL [email protected] PUBLISHER Guida Williamson DESIGN Sandra Friesen Design www.sandrafriesen.com Published 4 times per year, Update is the newsletter for the campground owners, operators and suppliers who belong to the Ontario Private Campground Association (opca). campgrounds near where they are, wherever they are in Ontario, assuming that they are able to get cell reception. Included in this edition of Update are several articles that provide you with helpful information. As many of you have a lot of tree damage, we have included an article on chain saw safety. A great article on rental cabins has also been included. And for those of you thinking of leaving the industry great information on maximizing the sale price of your property. I hope to see each and every one of you at the upcoming Regional Meetings; we have a great agenda planned, lots of vendors to purchase supplies and services from, and great food ordered. If you want to find out how your Association dollars are being spent, this is a great opportunity for you to get informed. If your region is having an election it is very important to attend so that you cast your vote. The most important aspect is reconnecting with like-minded friends before you start your new season. I look forward to seeing you all. Alexandra Anderson executive director Register NOW ONLINE for Regional Meetings at www.surveymonkey.com/s/6ZQFTBX