This presentation was developed for the Downtown Frederick Partnership's Competitive Edge series. This presentation will arm business owners with information about Frederick County, Maryland to wow customers. Viewers will discover why people visit the Frederick area, what they do when they’re here, and learn fun facts about Frederick.
2. Who We Are
Becky Bickerton
Director of Sales
Michelle Kershner
Marketing & Communication Manager
3. Get The Scoop
This session will…
Arm you with information
about Frederick County to
wow your customers.
Discover why people visit
the Frederick area and what
they do when they’re here.
Learn fun facts and the
truth behind some of
Frederick’s myths.
4. What Tourism Does
Frederick Visitor Center Visitor Statistics Groups Sales Missions Destination Marketing Press
Visits & Media Requests Heart of the Civil War Heritage Area Management Entity Calendar of
Events & Visitor Guide Historic Sites Consortium Scenic Byways Manager Product Development
5. Did you know?
We welcome 25,000 visitors annually to the Frederick Visitor Center.
1,000 of them are international travelers
Our top international visitors that come to our visitor
center are from Canada, the UK, and Germany.
7. “Thank you for the kind and warm welcome
which was extended to us. I had never visited Frederick before
but was delighted to find such a beautifully preserved
downtown.
It turned out to a real gem of a find, to which I was led
by an article I read in my daily newspaper’s travel section
on the city.
Keep up the good work. I very much hope that I will visit
Frederick again one day soon.”
Andrew Webb
Berkhamsted School, Herts., England
USA 2013 History Visit Organiser
Connecting with Visitors
A warm welcome is important.
We can help.
8. Pop Quiz:
We welcomed nearly 400 visitors from this state at the
Frederick Visitor Center in 2012…
California
Delaware
Washington
Michigan
“Eureka! I have found it!”
California State Motto
California - 393
Delaware – 145
Washington - 132
Michigan - 305
9. Why do they visit?
Shopping & Dining
Civil War/Heritage
Business/Ft. Detrick
Arts & Entertainment
Outdoor Recreation
Agritourism/Wineries
Genealogy
Visitor Snapshot
Jerry Holcomb and Sally Edwards, from San Diego, California,
stopped in the Frederick Visitor Center on Monday, December 3, 2012 to kickoff
their full week of Civil War exploration.
10. Pop Quiz:
How much do visitors to Frederick County spend
annually?
$25 million
$50 million
$150 million
$325 million
14. How we help
Frederick Visitor Center
Give Directions –
Gettysburg, DC, Antieta
m
Provide Maps
Offer Frederick Visitor
Guide/Brochures
15. What happened here?
Did George Washington
Sleep Here? (Probably, we
just don’t know where.)
George Washington visited Frederick County on at least 3 occasions. He had to sleep somewhere.
16. 5 Historic Facts About Frederick
1. Frederick was founded in 1745 by an Irish Immigrant in an English Colony.
2. However, many early settlers were German.
3. The National Road runs right through the heart of Frederick (you know
this as Patrick Street). Do you know where the 45 mile marker is?
4. Frederick served as one vast hospital after the Battles of Antietam and
South Mountain. Frederick was the largest Union town that Gen. Lee and
his army would occupy during the Civil War.
5. Francis Scott Key began his career in Frederick and Frederick is his final
resting place.
18. Star-Spangled Banner Visits Frederick
June 14-15, 2013
Francis Scott Key’s original
Star-Spangled Banner song lyric
manuscript comes to Frederick
19. June 14 – 15, 2013
Francis Scott Key’s original Star-Spangled Banner
song lyric manuscript comes to Frederick
View
Francis Scott Key’s original Star-Spangled Banner song
lyric manuscript at City Hall.
Attend
Marker dedication ceremonies that unveil Key interpretive
markers in Frederick.
See
At the Frederick Visitor Center, see a new exhibit featuring
a fragment of one of the British bombs that exploded over
Fort McHenry.
Anthem & Author Reunited:
War of 1812
20. Gettysburg 150th Commemoration
June 28-July 7, 2013
Ribbon Cutting June 27 – Frederick Exhibits Open
at Mason Dixon Welcome Center
Related Exhibits
& Events at the
National Shrine
of St. Elizabeth
Ann Seton
Civil War Trails –
Brochures &
Free App
4 million
visitors
21. Mythbusting:
Which side was Maryland on
during the Civil War…
Union or Confederate?
Maryland never voted on the issue.
When the legislature met in Frederick for a special
session, Federal troops arrested Southern sympathizing
legislators.
The vote was scheduled for September 17, 1861, but never
happened because a quorum was never reached.
Maryland never voted on the issue of secession.
This kept the Union capitol from being encircled by states
in rebellion.
Neither
22. 5 Civil War Sites People are Visiting
1. Monocacy National Battlefield –
2014 is the 150th Commemoration of
the Battle of Monocacy
2. National Museum of Civil War
Medicine
3. South Mountain State Battlefield
Park
4. Civil War Trails – Invasion and
Retreat of Gettysburg & Antietam
5. Mount Olivet Cemetery – More than
700 Confederate soldiers buried
here.
“Eureka! I have
found it!”
Frederick is a Basecamp for
Civil War Exploration
Big Impact
Visitors to Monocacy
National Battlefield
generated
$2.8 million
in local visitor
spending in 2011.
24. NO!
Visitors cannot visit Camp David.
But they can visit our 11 National & State Parks.
Camp David is a part of Catoctin Mountain Park.
25. What is there to do here?
Can I take a boat ride
down the canal?
Is it the C&O?
26. Pop Quiz:
What is our largest visitor
attraction?
Downtown
Frederick!
Downtown
Frederick!
1. 50-block Historic
District
2. Top 25 Arts Cities
3. Prettiest Painted Places
4. Dozen Distinctive
Destinations
5. Great Places in
America
6. Preserve America
Community
Great American
Main Street!
29. 8 Freebies for Your Customers
1. Self-Guided Downtown Frederick Walking Tour
– In the Visitor Guide
2. African American Heritage Sites
Walking/Driving Tour
3. Covered Bridges Driving Tour
4. Barbara Fritchie’s Frederick
5. Civil War Trails Driving Tours – Brochures &
Apps
6. Frederick History Bicycle Loop
7. Public Art Tour – Coming Soon!
8. Francis Scott Key’s Frederick– New!
At the Frederick Visitor Center
Scavenger Hunt for Kids (Indoor and Around Town)
Exhibits & Visitor Orientation Film
Restrooms
Open 9-5:30 Daily
30. Mythbusting:
How many clustered spires are there?
5 Spires
7 Spires
8 Spires
Others also include City Hall's cupola, bringing the count to 8.
Spires by the Numbers…
Purists say there are 5: St. Johns the Evangelist Roman Catholic Church
(1), Evangelical Lutheran Church (2 - twin spires), Trinity Chapel (1 spire
- the oldest, dating from 1807), and All Saints Episcopal Church (1).
Some include church cupolas, bringing the count to 7: Evangelical
Reformed Church (2 cupolas).
It depends on who you ask!
31. Our job is to help them find you -
Our secret destinations and hidden gems.
“All journeys have secret destinations
of which the traveler is unaware.”
-Martin Buber
IntroductionWho we areWhat Tourism DoesCollect demographic info on visitorsPromote/sell Frederick County nationally & internationallyIndividual TravelersGroup Tours – Leisure TravelersMeetings / ConventionsSports MarketingOperate Visitor Center 4 staff dedicated to the Tourism council of Frederick County; 1 scenic byways/special projects manager; 1 HCWHA/Historic Sites Consortium – Org ChartVisitor DemographicsQuiz/Fun Facts: What’s the mileage radius most of our visitors travel from (50 miles)Are we a department of the City or County? Trick question! Neither!!!!What’s the lowest occupancy night for our hotels? (Sunday)Why do people visit Frederick (base camp, shopping, dining, history) – example/blogWhat your customers need to know about our town – Most FAQ from visitorsYou’re not in Fredericksburg. (slide with map – cannons, cute downtown, etc.)Where to get visitor information?Maps – Tearoff, VG maps/walking tourApps for exploring – VG app, iTour Frederick, Civil War TrailsTop 13 visitor destinationsTop 13 for 2013Special attention to anniversary commemorations/special eventsQuiz questions/mythbusting/fast facts handoutBarbara Fritchie House – Real or not? Which side was Maryland on during the Civil War? Union or Confederate?How far away is Gettysburg from Frederick (City? County?)What is the #1 industry in Frederick County? How many jobs are supported by tourism in Frederick County? (direct/indirect)Where can visitors learn more about Camp David? How many NPS units are in Frederick County? We have the most out of any county in the country (true)?How many covered bridges are there? Where are they? Fast FactsWhen the city was foundedHow many citizens there are in the city/countyHow far away from Gettysburg are we? How many states does Frederick County border (PA, VA, WV)
Spend more time on what we do…
Collect demographic info on visitorsPromote/sell Frederick County nationally & internationallyIndividual TravelersGroup Tours – Leisure TravelersMeetings / ConventionsSports MarketingOperate Visitor Center We have…4 staff dedicated to the Tourism Council of Frederick County; 1 scenic byways/special projects manager; 1 HCWHA/Historic Sites Consortium – Org Chart
What’s the mileage radius most of our visitors travel from (50 miles)Animated:
What’s the mileage radius most of our visitors travel from (50 miles)Animated:
Who knows how to get to the Visitor Center?
What’s the mileage radius most of our visitors travel from (50 miles)
While in the area, they plan to explore Downtown Frederick, Monocacy National Battlefield, Gettysburg, Harpers Ferry, and Antietam National Battlefield.
The Economic Impact of Tourism in Maryland report for calendar year 2011, released in January 2013, shows that visitor spending in Frederick County totaled more than $325million, a 12.7% increase from 2010 and well ahead of pre-recession levels. The study was completed by the firm Tourism Economics for the Maryland Office of Tourism and county tourism organizations. Frederick County’s growth rate in tourism spending exceeded the 7.8% growth rate experienced by the state as a whole. · Spending by visitors to Frederick County directly covered the salaries of 3,777 employees, and supported a total of 6,075 jobs when indirect and induced spending is included.· The $325-million was spent in Frederick County by more than one and a half million visitors who traveled at least 50 miles, so it excludes spending here by many residents of neighboring counties, several of which are among the nation’s most affluent. · The 1,546,700 visitors to Frederick County represented a 9.7% increase over 2010. The statewide increase was 3.7%.· Visitor spending contributed a combined $81.1-million in local, State and Federal taxes.
Who’s been to the Mason Dixon Welcome Center? Do you know where it is? Emmitsburg…
50 square block national historic district. – superlatives.
Question: How many clustered spires are there in Downtown Frederick?Answer: It depends. Clustered Spire "purists" may say there are 5 spires, comprised of St. Johns the Evangelist Roman Catholic Church (1 spire), Evangelical Lutheran Church (2 - twin spires), Trinity Chapel (1 spire - and the oldest, dating from 1807), and All Saints Episcopal Church (1 spire). Others include church cupolas into the spire skyline, which brings the spire count to 7 and includes Evangelical Reformed Church's 2 cupolas. And to complicate things even more, some also include City Hall's cupola, which brings the count to 8. So, there are 5-8 Clustered Spires in downtown Frederick, depending on who you ask.