News, Happenings & Collaborations |
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Included in this Issue ... |
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- Virtual After Hours Mixer is March 3
- Lodging Summit is March 10 and 11
- Castel Grisch extends lights thru March 13
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- Two FLX wines are "Wines of the Day"
- I LOVE NY updating LGBTQ biz info
- Hints from Hardy
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Visit Watkins Glen
& Schuyler County
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Watkins Glen
Area Chamber
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Join us!
Lodging & Accommodations Summit
is next week, March 10 and 11
Free registration! Choose the day —
two-hour summit features exchange of ideas and strategy
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The Watkins Glen Area Chamber of Commerce presents the Lodging & Accommodations Summit, offering two options next week to virtually attend — on the heels of the successful first-ever Wine & Craft Beverage Summit in February.
Each two-hour Zoom session will feature a collaborative and intriguing discussion of the tribulations and triumphs during the pandemic, as pertaining to tourism. Come to exchange ideas, strategize, and learn from one another. In short the Lodging & Accommodations Summit will focus what we've learned into success for 2021. Participation is free and prizes will be featured.
Two summit sessions from which to choose:
10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Wednesday, March 10
2:30 to 4:30 p.m. Thursday, March 11
RSVP by Noon on Tuesday, March 9 by emailing Info@WatkinsGlenChamber.com
to receive an agenda and Zoom link. You may attend one or both sessions
and/or the networking activities that follow. If you have specific topics
or questions to share, please contact the facilitator, Michael Hardy,
at Michael@WatkinsGlenChamber.com or (607) 535-4300.
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Virtual After Hours Mixer is this week!
Join us at 5 p.m. Wednesday, March 3
Following a successful and fun mixer in February (featuring the Brick Tavern Museum at Schuyler County Historical Society/see photo at top), we are looking forward to the next one this Wednesday, March 3. Join us!
5 to 5:15 p.m. Welcome and Intros
5:15 to 5:45 p.m. Local video showcase
5:45 to 6 p.m. Q&A with member spotlight
6 to 6:15 p.m. Chamber events, programs and projects update
6:15 to 7 p.m. What’s in your glass? (hopefully something local)
& What’s on your plate – networking and social time
Come for some or all of the two hours. For questions or comments, please call the Chamber at (607) 535-4300.
March 3 Virtual Mixer Join Zoom Meeting:
Meeting ID: 897 2187 4028
Passcode: 849963
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'Talking Tuesdays' is
next week on March 9
Chat with Executive Director Michael Hardy about the pressing issues for tourism-based businesses. The next "Talking Tuesdays" will be next week, from 10 to 11 a.m. Tuesday, March 9. These sessions are comprised of brainstorming, planning, information from the Chamber, and from time to time a guest speaker. All tourism-based members and partners are welcome. All sessions are held via ZOOM, and advance RSVP is not required. Coffee break, snacking and /or brown-bag lunches during zoom are encouraged.
Zoom link:
Meeting ID: 874 4108 3852
Passcode: 896020
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Hints from Hardy
Business and hospitality hints
from Michael Hardy
HINT 1
Your Chamber team is staffed and rolling full steam ahead
I am compelled to share with Chamber members that for the entire pandemic the Chamber has been running full speed ahead at half-staff. In fact, over the last month, there has been just two of us at the helm. I share this only because I am so excited to begin this week with two full-time teammates joining Katherine Jack and me — to prepare for a litany of events (with high hopes for in-person events) and to engage our members and strive to thrive with them in business, networking, and all levels of success.
Our two new staff members were featured last week in our e-news, “News Happenings, & Collaborations” (aka “NHC”) and also in our printed newsletter, “The Engager,” which lands in members’ mailboxes this week.
The new teammates are Abby Lane, Events & Membership-Engagement Manager, and Stephanie Specchio, Director of Marketing & Communications. Together, the full-time Chamber team of four — while still understaffed compared to past years of operation —will work diligently to make the most positive impact we can in all our endeavors, just as all of you are doing.
We will be keeping our budgets tight while prioritizing which internal and external projects and programs afford us all the best results for our time and energy. We will be reaching out to Chamber members to offer opportunities to promote, market, and sell products and services to one other and the thousands of visitors we anticipate coming the entirety of this year. These opportunities are shared often in this e-newsletter, “The Engager,” and on the WGACC's website's Simpleview Extranet Bulletin Board and Posting Board (we recommend you sign on to the Chamber website two or three times a week, if and when you can).
Hint 2
What's going on? Let us know so we can help drive business (P.S. It's never too early to share)
We invite you to reach out to us with activities and events you are planning — as far in advance as possible. While you can post your events on ExploreWatkinsGlen.com anytime that works best for you, please also contact us directly so we can try and help get the word out for you via social media, our newsletters, and media relations. Please take a few minutes this month, before things start to ramp up for spring, to share with us what you have planned for the rest of 2021. Send this information (even if details are not yet flushed out) to Abby@watkinsglenchamber.com.
Plus, please add Stephanie@watkinsglenchamber.com to your press/media contact lists and your e-blasts for news and event updates. It is better for us to get your updates multiple times than not enough, or not at all.
Please like and follow the Watkins Glen Area Chamber of Commerce on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and also like and follow the Explore Watkins Glen & Schuyler County on Instagram and Twitter and Visit Watkins Glen and Schuyler County on Facebook. AND please invite us to follow you. LIKE us and we will do the same — it’s a great benefit of being member after all!
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Advertise in the Chamber's newsletters |
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Corning Museum of Glass featured
in Netflix series "Blown Away"
Exhibition on view now,
featuring objects from contestants
Corning Museum of Glass is back in the national spotlight as the Netflix series “Blown Away” returns for a second season. This season introduces a new group of 10 talented glassmakers from around the world as they compete for the title of “Best in Glass” and a coveted residency at the museum.
CMoG is currently presenting an exhibit of work made during Season 2,
featuring one object from each of the 10 contestants.
The series’ executive producer said Corning is invaluable to the show’s success, noting their “valued partnership” and “unwavering support and guidance.” “Their contribution to the grand prize, offering a prestigious residency to the winner, raises the stakes that much more,” Matt Hornburg said.
CMoG houses the world’s most comprehensive collection of glass and one of the top glassmaking schools in the world. When the first season of “Blown Away” launched in the summer of 2019, CMoG provided its expertise in an artform that much of the world was discovering for the first time through the show.
“Watching new audiences around the world embrace glassblowing because of this series has been exciting, and we look forward to seeing that enthusiasm grow with the release of a second season,” said CMoG president and executive director Karol Wight.
The Season 2 winner will be decided by a guest expert judge — Rob Cassetti, CMoG’s recently retired senior director. He shaped hot-glass programs at the museum for more than 20 years and previously served as design director of Steuben Glass.
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Broadband and rural internet challenges and opportunities discussed 5 p.m. Tuesday, March 2
Learn more about broadband opportunities and technology during the virtual discussion “Rural Internet Challenges & Opportunities” at 5 p.m. Tuesday, March 2.
The featured speaker will be Bob Knight, executive VP & COO of Harrison Edwards, who is national co-chair for the Public Officials Committee of the Fiber Broadband Association in Washington, D.C.
The event will outline the following:
1. Introduce the value of broadband infrastructure & the data driven economy
2. Provide a simplified overview of technologies & how they work together
3. Offer examples of proven solutions for community development
4. Q&A session
This event is hosted and sponsored by Southern Tier 8 Regional Board, Southern Tier Central Regional Planning & Development Board and Southern Tier Network with the help of County Planning Departments & IDAs, Broome Tioga BOCES & the Appalachian Regional Commission.
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Castel Grisch Winery Festival of Lights
extended through March 13
Castel Grisch Winery is continuing its popular Festival of Lights for a few more weekends through March 13! This drone shot shows how expansive and colorful the magical show is! The drive-through light-show fee is $20 per car when purchased in advance (and $30 at the gate).
The winery is open during the light show from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Friday thru Sunday for all ages, with parfaits for kids and tastings for adults. Learn more and get tix at https://castelgrisch.com/
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I LOVE NY webinar
Wednesday, March 3 focused on
travelers with accessibility needs
It has been estimated that people with disabilities and accessibility needs spend more $58 billion on travel.
To help you tap into this valuable market, I LOVE NY will present a webinar titled, “Accessible NY: Reaching New Audiences," from 2 to 3 p.m. March 3. This is the first in a series of new I LOVE NY industry programming.
The webinar will feature findings of a 2020 nationwide study on the travel patterns and spending of American adults with disabilities; tips on making your destination even more friendly to travelers with accessibility needs; and advice for learning how to collect accurate accessibility information in order to effectively market to travelers with accessibility needs.
Please RSVP today, March 1 by writing or calling David Turley at I Love NY at David.Turley@esd.ny.gov or (212) 803-3256.
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Member News & Collaborations |
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Two FLX wines featured as
“Wine of the Day” by The Cork Report
The Cork Report wine blog, which focuses on North American wines and regions, recently recognized two Finger Lakes wines as “Wine of the Day” — the Dr. Konstantin Frank 2019 Amber Rkatsiteli on Feb. 16 and the Wagner Vineyard 2019 Dry Riesling on Feb. 25.
Editor-in-Chief Lenn Thompson describes Dr. Frank’s orange wine as, “a bit reminiscent of Earl Grey tea, the nose also shows layers of pear, dried flowers, and apricots”; “refreshing”; and “a beautiful mouthfeel.” “Yes, the nose bursts with green apple, juicy lime, and classic Finger Lakes wet slate aromas,” he wrote.
Thompson said Wagner’s riesling “packs a lot of Finger Lakes character into an affordable, everyday package” and that it is “one of the most consistent rieslings year-to-year in the region,” noting “That’s worth applauding too.”
Read the reviews:
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I LOVE NY updating content
regarding LGBTQ businesses
The I LOVE NY team is working to refresh its I LOVE NY LGBTQ content and expand knowledge of businesses in geographic areas that fit into any of these categories:
- Establishments that are LGBTQ owned and/or operated
- Establishments that are geared toward or frequented by LGBTQ visitors/residents
- Establishments that aren’t specifically LGBTQ-owned or geared toward LGBTQ patrons but are LGBTQ friendly and may be appreciated by an LGBTQ audience
Your suggestions will help inform current and future content surrounding I LOVE NY’s LGTBQ marketing efforts for your region. A Google form to enter responses can be accessed here. Questions, comments, and responses should be sent to David Turley at David.Turley@esd.ny.gov. Turley is director of tourism, programs and education for Empire State Development. Responses must be received by March 12. Locally, you may contact the WGACC at info@watkinsglenchamber.com for more information.
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Insero announces
Talent Solutions,
a new recruiting division
Insero and Co. CPAS LLP has added a new recruiting division, Insero Talent Solutions. Insero now also specializes in direct-hire placements for businesses and nonprofits with staffing needs in accounting, finance, human resources administration, and other professional, management and C-level positions. Click here to learn more
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Study under way
to designate Finger Lakes region a
National Heritage Area
The Finger Lakes region of New York is under consideration for designation as a National Heritage Area.
The National Park Service was directed to study the feasibility of designating 14 counties of the Finger Lakes region via the John D. Dingell Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act of March 2019. The lengthy process of designating an area as a National Heritage Area has continued virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
You can learn more here about what is a National Heritage Area actually. Visiting this link will take you to updates about the study on making Finger Lakes a National Heritage Area.
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Empathy in the workplace generates productive relationships
The definition of empathy is “the ability to identify and understand the wants, needs and viewpoints of those around you.” Empathy goes a long way in business. It builds leadership, strengthens relationships, fosters work productivity and overall job satisfaction.
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THIS SPACE RESERVED FOR LODGING MEMBERS
Any and all lodging members are welcome to share their winter specials
with the Chamber, to help spread the word here in our e-news
and on our social media platforms and website. Shoot us a note, please.
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Arnot Health Resumes Limited Visitation
Based on an analysis of the current COVID-19 situation, Arnot Health is returning to limited visitation for its hospitals. See link for more details:
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New Changes to PPP Loans
For a two week period, begining Feb. 24, the U.S Small Business Administration (SBA) will immediately implement an exclusive Paycheck Protection (PPP) loan application period for businesses and nonprofits with fewer than 20 employees.
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Cuomo Announces Re-opening Guidance |
"Beginning March 5, Billiard Halls Can Re-Open Statewide; Movie Theaters in New York City to Also Re-Open. Beginning March 15, Weddings and Catered Events Can Resume Statewide. All Re-Openings Subject to Strict Health and Safety Protocols."
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Interim COVID19 Guidance for Food Services |
"This Interim Guidance for Food Services during the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (“Interim COVID19 Guidance for Food Services”) was created to provide owners/operators of food service businesses and their employees and contractors with precautions to help protect against the spread of COVID-19."
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Coronavirus (COVID-19): Small Business Guidance & Loan Resources |
"SBA offers several different relief options to help businesses, nonprofits, and faith-based organizations recover from the impacts of COVID-19."
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Indoor family entertainment centers and outdoor amusement parks reopening
"Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that indoor family entertainment centers and places of amusement can open with a 25 percent capacity limit beginning Friday, March 26. Outdoor amusement parks can open with a 33 percent capacity limit beginning Friday, April 9."
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New York's health insurance
Open Enrollment Period now extended
"Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that New York's health insurance Open Enrollment Period will be further extended to May 15, 2021, aligning with states across the country."
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Schuyler County expands vaccine eligibility |
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PROMOTE YOUR NEWS AND EVENTS
Add to your happenings to the Public Events Calendar on our website!
Add your event quickly, easily, and at no cost. Click here for the submission page.
SHARE YOUR NEWS — VIA CHAMBER SOCIAL MEDIA & ENEWS
We will gladly feature your upcoming events and news on our social media channels and in our newsletter.
Contact Michael at (585) 721-6032 or send him your news
CONNECT WITH THE CHAMBER TEAM
Office Phone: (607) 535-4300
Katherine Jack, Visitor Center and Office Administrator email
Abby Lane, Events and Membership-Engagement Manager email
Stephanie Specchio Director of Communications and Marketing email
Karen Dodson, Membership (Part-Time/Contract) email
Michael Hardy, Executive Director email and (585) 721-6032 (cell)
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