Outlook Online

Featured Stories:

• Christmas in Williamsburg

• Alliance Presents Awards at Annual Membership Meeting

• LIGHTS, CAMERA, CHRISTMAS... Capturing the Season

• Save the Date & Get Ready to Party!

In this Issue:

• Members in the News

• New and Renewing Members

• Ask SCORE: "Don't Let Office Clutter Clog Up Your Efficiency"

• Alliance Calendar

Christmas in Williamsburg

The Alliance will launch the 2012 "Christmas in Williamsburg" marketing initiative for the Holiday season in late November.  Through a partnership with James City County, the Virginia Tourism Cooperation, Busch Gardens Williamsburg Christmas Town and Colonial Williamsburg, the 2012 Christmas in Williamsburg television campaign will expand from 15 second spots to 15 and 30 second spots to better portray all the exciting events we have to offer.  The expanded campaign will not only include the Washington, DC, Baltimore, Richmond and Hampton Roads markets, as in 2011, but is expanding to include the Raleigh, NC television market.  The campaign targets women 35 to 64 years of age and includes paid search and social media in addition to TV.

The campaign reminds the target audience that Williamsburg is a special place for the holiday that they've always wanted to visit -- and that this is the year to do it. The advertising delivers a clear call to action to visit www.ChristmasinWilliamsburg.com to discover all there is to see and do in the Historic Triangle every day of the holiday season. The website serves as a one-stop showcase and portal to holiday events through the New Year, including special programs at area attractions, community concerts and theatrical performances, vacation packages, holiday shopping and dining experiences, and fun activities for all ages.

Social Media, Web Promotion and Direct Sales Efforts Begin Early

Marketing and promotional efforts include online search and an active social media campaign that features daily postings and interactive dialogue on the Alliance's Williamsburg Weekends Facebook page and Williamsburg411 Twitter site. Special "Christmas in Williamsburg" exhibits and promotional demonstrations will intercept travelers during November, including the busy Thanksgiving holiday weekend, and December at the high-traffic East Coast gateway (I-64 East near New Kent) Virginia Welcome Center.

A special "Christmas in Williamsburg" presentation will be seen by more than 1,000 trip advisors and staff attending the AAA Carolinas Superbowl of Knowledge event in Greensboro, NC on November 17-18. The Alliance along several of our tourism partners will all have a presence at this show to promote the destination.

In December of 2011 the destination experienced a 13.2% increase in room nights.  Traffic to the Christmas In Williamsburg website is up more than 400% this year compared to 2011. 

How can you be a part of this promotion? Please share your information with the Alliance on updates for your holiday events and activities during the months of November and December 2012. Joanna Skrabala and Kaye Pelley on the Alliance staff will coordinate the destination's holiday calendar of events on the special Christmas in Williamsburg website. Please email your event information as well as related photography to santa@williamsburgcc.com.

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Alliance Presents Awards at Annual Membership Meeting

The Greater Williamsburg Chamber & Tourism Alliance saluted outstanding members of the business community and recognized the organization's outgoing chair and new leadership during its Annual Membership Meeting, held Tuesday, September 25, at the Williamsburg Hotel and Conference Center. The Alliance annually pays tribute to distinguished members with awards.  Honorees this year were:

The evening was the final Alliance event presided over by outgoing Chair Kevin Walsh.  Walsh formally passed the leadership gavel to incoming 2012-2013 Chair John Hallowell, President, Colonial Williamsburg Company-Hospitality Group.  In accepting the gavel, Hallowell recognized the other officers of the Alliance for the upcoming year:

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LIGHTS, CAMERA, CHRISTMAS... Capturing the Season

How are you going to capture the Christmas Season this year?  Maybe you have not given it much thought.  Well, here is an idea, just plan on attending the Alliance's Annual Christmas Parade on Saturday December 1, beginning promptly at 9:00.  The route begins at Merchants Square, proceeds down Richmond Road on to Brooks Street and ends at W & M Hall.

The theme for this year's Christmas Parade is "Lights, Camera, Christmas....... Capturing the Season."  So come out looking for lights and don't forget your camera to capture the opening of the 2012 Christmas Season in Williamsburg.

Last year the parade participants were challenged to put Christmas back into the Christmas Parade, and they did.  So this year we look to raise the bar even higher where there will be more floats, more lights, more Christmas music and all entries will be engaged in  the true Spirit of Christmas

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Save the Date & Get Ready to Party!

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Members in the News -- Celebrating Our Achievements

Brooks Real Estate has joined the Coldwell Banker Commercial network, and will now be known as Coldwell Banker Commercial/Brooks Real Estate.  John Wilson, broker-owner of CBC/BRE said that the associates and brokers will continue to be located at Lightfoot Road. 

Colonial Williamsburg has reorganized its communication efforts.  Longtime spokesman Tom Shrout is moving from public relations to the hospitality side.  Director of brand strategy and marketing, Sally McConnell becomes Colonial Williamsburg's new primary spokesman for media relations, social media, cultural partnerships and recruitment of guest performing artists. .Janet Eason will now head the advertising team.  Skip Ferebee will head the consumer strategy and sales team.

At The Greater Williamsburg Chamber & Tourism Alliance Board of Directors meeting in September, The Membership Star and Ambassador of the Quarter plaques were presented in recognition of the work put forth by the Membership and Ambassador committees.  Janice Lewis from Campana Waltz Commercial Real Estate was presented the Membership Star of the Quarter plaque and Chris Harris of Refuse Ordinary was presented the Ambassador of the Quarter plaque. 

Guernsey Tingle Architects is pleased to announce that Jay Hobbs has been named Director of Construction Administration.  Mr. Hobbs is currently working with project managers on renovations at Williamsburg Landing and the Peninsula Health Center in Newport News.   

Brenda Stout has joined the staff of Hospice House  Support Care of Williamsburg as the new clinical director.  She has more than 30 years of experience, having spent 23 years at Williamsburg Community Hospital.

Terry Sweaney has joined the Michael C. Rock Agency of Nationwide Insurance as an associate agent.  She has eight plus years of sales and marketing experience after managing a business in Williamsburg. 

An upcoming open house at SpringHill Suites Williamsburg and Residence Inn Williamsburg will honor the recently completed renovations at both hotels.

Maloy Jones, the former chairman of Williamsburg SCORE, was presented with a Certificate of Appreciation for Exceptional Leadership by Al Cioppa Jr., the current chairman of the chapter. 

Susan Tarley of Tarley Robinson PLC in Williamsburg has been admitted to the College of Community Association Lawyers. 

The Virginia Living Museum's Protect What's Precious project was awarded Top Honors in Marketing for Budgets under $175,000 by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) in October. 

Raymond Wright Sr., president of Wright Sign Service, Inc., also a member of Williamsburg Lodge No. 757. Loyal Order of Moose, received the Pilgrim Degree of Merit, the highest honor that can be bestowed upon a member of the Loyal Order of Moose, in the House of God at Mooseheart, Ill.  The degree is the order's ultimate reward for exceptional devotion to the principles and ideals of caring for children and senior members.

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New and Renewing Members

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Ask SCORE: "Motivation Matters in Getting the Best from Employees"

Ask SCORE, Counselors to America's Small Business.

November 2012, Ask SCORE: 

DON'T LET OFFICE CLUTTER CLOG UP YOUR EFFICIENCY

For many small business owners, a cluttered desk or office is often a sign of success.  Things are good, so there's more to be done.  But, it doesn't take much for office clutter to go from a source of pride to a serious, potentially overwhelming problem.

According to professional organizer Chris Perrow, most business owners are on information overload, working long hours without thinking much about simply productivity issues of how and why things get done.  "When they stop to analyze the situation, they often find much could be delegated, eliminated or done at a more efficient time," she says. 

The key to eliminating clutter is to have a system in place to keep your organized.  Organizing Coach Carol Halsey suggests a 5-step apprach to dealing with office paperwork that she calls DRAFT - Discard, Refer, Act, File and Table.

Because organizing is such a pervasive challenge, there are a number of resources available to help you improve both daily habits and overall efficiency.  Some helpful and inexpensive books include Organize Your Office by Ronni Eisenberg; File... Don't Pile by Pat Dorff; and Office Clutter Cure by Don Aslett.  You can find specialized one-on-one assistance from the National Association of Professional Organizers' automated referral service at www.napo.net.  You can search for a professional organizer by location or specialty, e.g. home, type of business, special skills, etc. 

SCORE answers your business questions for free.  For confidential advice, make an appointment  with a SCORE counselor by calling 757.229.6511 or emailing info@SCOREwilliamsburg.org.  The Williamsburg SCORE office is located in the Williamsburg Chamber & Tourism Alliance Building at 421 N. Boundary Street. 

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