Cookeville-Putnam County Chamber 2017 Chamber Annual Report | Page 12

PARTNERSHIPS
• Attended industry conferences, taking advantage of educational sessions and networking opportunities, such as Governor’s
Conference on Tourism, Southeast Tourism Society Symposium, and Tennessee Hospitality & Tourism’s Spring Training.
• Partnered with TDTD to host FAM tour for representatives from their UK and German offices in an effort to increase
international visitation. International guests stay longer and spend more.
• Continued to be one of 23 certified Retire Tennessee communities to attract active retirees to Putnam County and the
region. Represented at six Ideal Living Resort & Retirement Expos.
• Attended the American Association of Retirement Communities annual conference in Wilmington, NC to once again,
receive the AARC Seal of Approval Award.
Putnam County Tourism Tracking:
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Top 20 in Tennessee (17 th of 95 Counties)
1,020 – Jobs Generated
$23.02 M – Payroll Income
$123.06 M – Direct Tourism Expenditures
$2.56 M – Local Sales Tax Revenue
As a result of visitor spending in Putnam
County, each household SAVES $342.86 in
local & state taxes, annually.
Source: Tennessee Department of Tourist Development via
Research Dept. of U.S. Travel Association, 2016.
•Partnered with sports tourism representatives from across
the state as well as TDTD in continued establishment of Play
Tennessee, a statewide sports association with a goal of
providing a unified sports tourism effort for recruitment of
sporting events to Tennessee while also providing
networking, educational, marketing, economic impact
research/data opportunities.
•Conducted data collection via local tourism destinations/
attractions for a Tourism Investment Survey in partnership
with TDTD.
•Served as the surveying agency for the Council for
Community and Economic Research Cost of Living Index.
•Partnered with Tennessee State Parks and the Tennessee
Wildlife Resource Agency to build upon and streamline
marketing efforts promoting area outdoor tourism assets.
• In effort to advocate on behalf of Putnam County tourism interests, visitors’ bureau staff and volunteer leadership attended
the 2017 Tourism Day on the Hill, in partnership with the Tennessee Hospitality Association. Individual meetings were set
with Putnam County’s representatives to provide updates on work being done by the visitors’ bureau as well as to educate
on tourism industry challenges.
• Partnered with local attractions for grand opening announcements and expansions, e.g. CrossFit Mayhem, TownePlace
Suites, Hix Farm Brewery, and Jig Head Brewing Co.