On this month's newsletter of "You Need to Know This":

Tourism Chatter: new additions, investments & celebrations
Come see us at our upcoming events!
Tourism Development Fund is back!
World Tourism Day is coming soon
Are you attending the Ontario Tourism Summit in October?
Let's work towards more accessibility in our workplaces

The Tillsonburg Town Centre announces the Community Spaces Program - an opportunity to use it's spaces for events, fundraisers, pop-up shops and more. Le arn more here.
A huge congratulations to Orange Door Acres for their grand opening of their new farm store! Be sure to check it out when you have the chance.
Thames River Melons and sixthirtynine came together for a beautiful Farm to Table experience earlier this month highlighting the local flavour Oxford County has. A wonderful event!
Congratulations to Udderly Ridiculous Farm Life for winning an award for top 10% of attractions worldwide from Tripadvisor!
Cowapalooza celebrated 20 years in the City of Woodstock this past weekend! A very successful event!
Congratulations to Thames River Melons on becoming a Rainbow Registered tourism business! Thank you for being a welcoming place! See their post here.
The Cheesy Cow Company has been put on the short list for the Ontario Made Retailer Spotlight Award. You can vote for them and learn more here.

Do you have news to share? Email Emily

Join Us at our Upcoming Events

Sustainability Workshop - September 18th, 2023

We want to bring like-minded people together to connect, be inspired and learn about sustainable practices in the tourism industry.
We will hear from Deepak Temang, an accomplished Tour Operator from Bhutan. Deepak will be talking about the inspiring work he did in the tourism realm back in Bhutan, charities he worked with, the Gross National Index of Happiness, and so much more!
September 18th, 2023 from 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Location: Oxford County Administration Building

Virtually Get to Know Tourism Oxford - September 20th, 2023

Join us for a 45 minute virtual session to learn about the team behind Tourism Oxford and what we can assist you with. We’ll talk: supporting the development and enhancement of Tourism products, learning opportunities, business coaching, marketing & advertising, opportunities for collaboration and much more.
September 20th, 2023 from 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Location: Virtual

Brainstorm with Us @ Udderly Ridiculous - October 2nd, 2023

Join seasoned facilitator, award-winning business owner and farmer Cheryl Haskett as she utilizes structured innovation techniques and the farm as stimulus for idea generation and exploration.
Problem Statement: Tourism naturally brings people from outside of the region…how can we collaborate together to increase local residents’ awareness of what is in their backyard? How we can work together to better engage locals in bringing friends and family to visit them here?
October 2nd, 2023 from 8:30 am - 4:30 pm
Location: Udderly Ridiculous Farm Life

Get to Know Tourism Oxford @ Reel Treats - October 3rd, 2023

Join us for an in-person event (at Reel Treats in downtown Woodstock...YUM) to learn about the team behind Tourism Oxford and what we can assist you with. We’ll talk: supporting the development and enhancement of Tourism products, learning opportunities, business coaching, marketing & advertising, opportunities for collaboration and much more.
October 3rd, 2023 from 10:00 am - 11:00 am
Location: Reel Treats

Tourism Development Fund is back!

Attention not-for-profit organizations (with a clearly defined tourism focus), and for-profit tourism organizations/businesses, the Tourism Development Fund is OPEN for applications!

This cost-sharing program offered by the Government of Ontario, is designed to provide non-capital funding to projects that encourages the development of innovative new tourism products, supports tourism investment, and builds the capacity of Ontario’s tourism industry to foster new tourism investments.

Projects must meet all the following eligibility requirements:

Take place between April 1, 2023, and March 31, 2024
Occur in the province of Ontario
Minimum 10% total cash expenses from the lead applicant organization

All potential applicants must have consulted with staff at the Investment and Development Office (ido.ont@ontario.ca) or their Regional Development Advisor (RDA) prior to submitting an application.

Joanna.Saraiva@ontario.ca is the RDA for Oxford.

The application deadline is Thursday, September 14, 2023, at 5 p.m.

Learn More Here

Join Ontario's Southwest on World Tourism Day

On World Tourism Day, Ontario's Southwest is hosting a Skills Development in Tourism Workshop; an interactive and educational workforce event designed for tourism businesses and post-secondary students.

This workshop provides a platform to invite future leaders into the world of tourism and share information about the various career opportunities that will lead to a fulfilling career. Learn about pressing tourism topics, take part in our facilitated networking sessions, and enhance your knowledge by hearing from our keynote speaker!

Date: Wednesday, September 27th, 2023

Time: 1 - 4 p.m.

Location: Best Western Plus Lamplighter Inn & Conference Centre (591 Wellington Rd, London, ON N6C 4R3)

RSVP: Please click the button below to RSVP by Monday, September 18th

RSVP Here

Are you attending the Ontario Tourism Summit in the Fall?

Ontario Tourism Summit is an award-winning event bringing together industry professionals across the province and the world.

The event welcomes tourism professionals from around the province to gather, share, and collaborate.

This year's summit is about KNOWLEDGE, LEARNING and CONFIDENCE. Join TIAO as they recognize the areas of focus that are impacting our industry, our decisions, and how our industry is embracing the need to embrace change, try new, and have confidence in the opportunities that this provides.

Don't miss out on two days of connecting with industry professionals, learning from experts, and gaining strategies to thrive in the new normal.

Purchase your tickets today!

Let's work towards more accessibility in our workplaces

Thank you to the Woodstock Chamber of Commerce for sharing these resources in a previous newsletter. We thought we would share them with you all as well!

FREE WEBINAR: AODA 101

Thur. October 5th, 2023

12:00pm - 1:00pm EST

The AODA is an Ontario law mandating that organizations remove barriers and implement accessibility standards for people with disabilities. Businesses and organizations are required to comply with act.

This webinar will cover what disabilities are covered under the AODA (Accessibility for Ontarians with a Disability Act), why an accessible Ontario is vital for business growth and profitability, and a review of the five standards (customer service, employment, transportation, information and communication, built environment) and what you need to do to identify and remove barriers.

GENDER IDENTITY AND GENDER EXPRESSION: WHAT DOES AN INCLUSIVE WORKPLACE LOOK LIKE?

Ontario employers have a duty to protect employees from discrimination based on gender identity and gender expression. Both are listed as protected grounds in the Ontario Human Rights Code. Vexatious comments or conduct based on gender identity and gender expression are also specifically named in the Occupational Health and Safety Act’s definition of sexual harassment. But does anyone really understand what that means?

CONTINUE READING HERE