After a busy summer season that saw great success with Music and Market on Main, Tourism Radium is launching straight into a winter marketing program with a new approach that encompasses the entire Columbia Valley.
“I’m passionate about working together; we’re just not a destination on our own,” said Tourism Radium marketing administrator Courtney Allen, who is bringing fresh energy and a new vision to Radium’s designation marketing organization (DMO) since she assumed the position in late June. “While that obviously has to be the focus, it’s not going to be, ‘Just come to Radium.’ I really feel like it needs to be, ‘Come to the Columbia Valley.’”
Anyone is able to purchase a membership with the Radium Chamber of Commerce, through which they automatically become a member of Tourism Radium, said Allen.
“We work together and operate together, and we have different types of membership that we just rolled out,” she said. “For example, Panorama Mountain Village is a member of the Radium Chamber of Commerce, so that gives us the opportunities to work with them on marketing initiatives and activities or events to help bring people to the valley and spend time in our world.”
Allen sees exciting times ahead for Radium with the mill re-opening as well as endless opportunities for partnerships, events and marketing going forward.
“Basically my strategy is to work with anyone who wants to work with us,” Allen said. “The key work for the 2012-2013 marketing plan is partnership. What I can do in my position is offer partnerships and opportunities in marketing plans and extend them as far out as Canal Flats, and if they’d like to be involved, we’d love to have them.
“Whatever we can do to increase the awareness of the valley while marketing Radium as a destination, that’s what we’ll do.”
Ken Wilder of Panorama/Invermere’s DMO said he looks forward to collaborating with Allen wherever possible.
“We’re excited to see Courtney on board,” he said in an email.
Working in Radium while living in Invermere with parents in Fairmont, Allen feels passionately about a regional marketing plan on a personal level as well as professionally.
“I think it’s important to start thinking regionally and valley-wide and I have a huge passion for that,” she said.
The campaign she has introduced for 2012-2013 is “Radium… Get a Peace!” based on the sign drivers see when leaving Kootenay National Park and entering the Village of Radium: “The mountains shall bring peace to the people.”
“If your definition of peace is flying down a mountain bike trail then you’re going to find that here, if your definition of peace if floating down the river on a raft, then you’re going to find that here,” Allen said. “What I was wanting to communicate with the rest of the world about Radium is that it’s the place you want to be, and no matter what you’re looking for you’re going to find it in and around Radium Hot Springs.”