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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOD-023-08 Cl!Jlmgron REPORT CORPORATE SERVICES DEPARTMENT Meeting: GENERAL PURPOSE AND ADMINISTRATION COMMITTEE Date: April 14, 2008 Resolution #(J{Jfl-{)77-66 Report #: COD-023-08 File #: By-law #: Subject: FIRST IMPRESSIONS COMMUNITY EXCHANGE TOURISM ASSESSMENT Recommendations: It is respectfully recommended that the General Purpose and Administrative Committee recommend to Council the following: 1. THAT Report COD-023-08 be received for information. /' Submitted by: ('tfJ/> d'L.."-- Marie Marano Director of Corporate Services Reviewed bye) ~...:. ~ Franklin Wu Chief Administrative Officer MM/gj REPORT NO.: COD-023-08 PAGE 2 BACKGROUND AND COMMENT At the General Purpose & Administration meeting of June 8,2007, Council received Report COD-025-07 as submitted by the Communications & Tourism Division of the Corporate Services Department. The report requested Council's endorsement and support in the Division's request to participate in the Ministry of Agriculture, Food & Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) First Impressions Community Exchange program for tourism. The program, adopted by the Ontario Ministry in 2005, is a structured process through which participating communities can gain insight and knowledge into the impressions of their community by a first time visitor. The goal of participating was to develop positive community action plans focused on investment attraction, tourism development and promotion. Subsequent to reviewing the report, Council passed the following: RESOLUTION GPA-404-707 THA T Report COD-025-07 be received; and, THA T C/arington Tourism's participation and leadership in the Ministry of Agriculture, Food & Rural Affairs First Impressions Community Exchange program be endorsed when a suitable exchange community is confirmed. This confirmation of participation was forwarded on to Kathy Simpson, the Ministry representative who would be working with Clarington Tourism on this project. It was not until October 2007 that Clarington Tourism was notified that a exchange community had been identified - the County of Oxford (Woodstock area). At this time, it was confirmed that Clarington Tourism was interested in proceeding with this community. The OMAFR representative for the Oxford County area confirmed their interest and it was agreed that the target exchange period would be early summer 2008. A lot of interest in participating had already been received from Clarington Tourism REPORT NO.: COD-023-08 PAGE 3 partners after it was announced in the December 2007 tourism newsletter that an exchange community had been confirmed. On February 21,2008, Clarington Tourism met with the OMAFRA representative to review the exchange process (Attachment #1) and begin planning for the exchange. The coordination requirement is especially significant at the initiation stage of the program. To begin, an Exchange Coordinator must be identified and trained. The Coordinator then begins the process of setting up the exchange with the Exchange Coordinator from Oxford County. Prior to the scheduled exchange, volunteer "visitors" are recruited and trained; each are assigned a "role" to play during the visitation; research into Oxford County's promotional material and websites are to be collected and reviewed by the volunteer visitors; preparations for the actual visit have to be confirmed - travel arrangements, accommodations (if required); and final volunteer preparation (who is doing what and a review of the required documentation to be completed) must be completed. Once the visit is completed the Exchange Coordinator collects all of the information (impressions) recorded by the volunteers and begins to compile and analyze the material for the final report. Finally, once the report is completed arrangements are made with the exchange community to visit Clarington to present their impressions and for Clarington to make a reciprocal visit to Oxford. Both visits and presentations would be scheduled to occur in September/October depending on availability of those scheduled to receive the presentation. WHERE IT STANDS TODAY Following the meeting with the OMAFRA representative, the Communications/Clarington Tourism team met to discuss and review the program requirements. A number of things had changed since Clarington Tourism had initiated interest in this program. Through the budget process new (high profile) projects (such as the corporate newsletter and coordination of the 2008 annual golf classic in support of the hospital, etc.) were established. These projects have a high priority relative to the REPORT NO.: COD-023-08 PAGE 4 corporate communications strategy and have a significant impact on the existing workflow of the Communications & Tourism Office. The initial plan for Clarington Tourism's participation was to have one of the Communications & Tourism team act as the Exchange Coordinator. Given the changes in the priorities of the Office, continuing with this plan is not an option. The time required to do the First Impressions pre-visit coordination was not available. One solution was to bring an external person, someone with familiarity with the municipal processes and tourism, on temporarily to act as the Exchange Coordinator. Unfortunately, since the original plan was to handle the program coordination and administration in-house, there were no provisions made in the Communications & Tourism part-time staff budget for this purpose. RECOMMENDATION In light of the changes in the projects of the Communications & Tourism Division, and since there are no budget provisions to bring a part-time coordinator on board, the Communications & Tourism Division finds it necessary to inform Council that the participation of Clarington Tourism in OMAFRA's First Impressions Community Exchange program is not feasible at this time. Clarington Tourism, with Council's endorsement, would like to defer participation until 2009 provided that a suitable exchange community is found. Also, in preparation for the prospect of participating in 2009, the Communications & Tourism Division will address all budgetary requirement and staff resources through the 2009 budget process. CORPORATION OF THE MUNICIPALITY OF CLARINGTON 40 TEMPERANCE STREET, BOWMANVILLE, ONTARIO L 1C 3A6 T (905)623-3379 F (905)623-6506