Our destinations in the media Sheila Scarborough of Perceptive Travel writes about the great time she had in Lake Placid when she was visiting to speak at the Adirondack Destination Marketing Summit. Thanks for coming, Sheila! READ THE ARTICLE

TICONDEROGA — The Ticonderoga Area Chamber of Commerce (TACC) is pleased to announce that their 6th Annual Chamber Day will be held on Tuesday, April 12. Ticonderoga Area Chamber of Commerce Staff, Board Members, Ambassador, and volunteers will hand deliver the 2016/2017 TACC Membership Plaques to Ticonderoga Area Chamber of Commerce members within the Ticonderoga Area. Plaques will be delivered throughout the day. Plaques to Chamber members outside the area will be mailed. If members are not open or the TACC is unable to hand deliver a plaque on Chamber Day those plaques will be mailed as well. In addition, the chamber will host their monthly Open House & Services with the North Country Small Business Development Center (NCSBDC) 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. That evening the chamber will also host a Business Seminar entitled “Online Branding 101” presented by eVision Digital Marketing in coordination with the NCSBDC. Refreshments will be provided by The Pub. Chamber Day gives the Ticonderoga Area Chamber of Commerce an opportunity to directly connect with their members as well as thank them for their continued support and dedication to the chamber and the community as a whole. TACC Members and Partners make all of the efforts of the chamber to make the Ticonderoga Area an exceptional place to live, work, and visit possible. “Please feel free to stop and talk to a TACC Staff Member, Board Member, or Ambassador if you see them throughout the Ticonderoga Area on Chamber Day. We encourage all members to display their plaque in a location where community members and visitors can easily see it. In addition throughout 2016 the TACC will hold 'Spot A Chamber Plaque' contests on their social media accounts,” said TACC Executive Director Matthew J. Courtright. Chamber members receive an array of benefits including marketing, promotion, publicity, and exposure through listings on the Chamber’s website and printed business directory, member referrals, business referrals, business support, services, trainings and seminars, marketing and networking opportunities, a listing on the Lake Champlain Regional website, and much more. In addition to the benefits offered by the chamber, Ticonderoga Area Chamber of Commerce members become associate members of the Plattsburgh North Country Chamber of Commerce which gives them access to a commerce card discount program, health insurance administrator, and energy savings eligibility. Chamber Members also receive communications on a weekly basis and can submit information to be shared in the Monthly Member News. Ticonderoga Area Chamber of Commerce members, through their membership, also support all of the work of the chamber for the betterment of the entire Ticonderoga Area. The majority of the chamber’s funding is provided by Members and Partners in addition to fundraising events/activities. “Without the support of our members and partners all the TACC does would not be possible. We are truly honored to serve, market, and promote our members and the entire Ticonderoga Area. We work hard each and every day to ensure we are living our mission and tag line as well as striving to reach our vision. Without your support our efforts would not be possible. In addition to the benefits we offer, you support all aspects of our work,” said Courtright. TACC Tagline: Business Focused. Community Minded. Future Driven. TACC Mission: To initiate and provide programs, services, and leadership which will enhance a cooperative business community and create a vibrant economy, making the Ticonderoga Area an exceptional place to live, work, and visit. TACC Vision: The TACC will be the leading advocate for business, serving as a driving force in the economic vitality of the greater Ticonderoga Area, uniting communities and maximizing resources. TACC members and partners investment in the chamber allows the TACC to plan and host free community events, events that draw area visitors, and assist area organizations with their events and projects, provide small business support, services and resources, as well as answer many community and visitor questions and requests via phone, email, and mail on a daily basis. It also enables the chamber to send visitor area information packets upon request, keep an online calendar of events and provide an array of benefits to all of our members. Supporting the chamber also supports economic development initiatives of the chamber and the growth of the Ticonderoga area. For more information on Chamber Day or the Ticonderoga Area Chamber of Commerce, call 518-585-6619, email chamberinfo@ticonderogany.com, or visit www.ticonderogany.com.

Two ROOST bloggers recently gave part of a lecture on topics they originally blogged about for ROOST. ROOST Communications and Public Relations Coordinator Jess Collier and freelance blogger Noelle Short both talked about Fierce and Forever Wild Adirondack Women Sunday, March 13, in the Adirondack Museum's Cabin Fever Lecture Series. The idea for the lecture topic was in part drawn from one of ROOST's weekly emails about Badass Adirondack Women. Collier told the story of Anna Newman, who was one of the original settlers of the Uihlein Foundation's Heaven Hill Farm and was once referred to as the "strangest Adirondack woman." Short talked about two contemporary Tupper Lake women, Anne Fleck and Amy Farrell. Fleck is an entrepreneur and adventurer who co-owns Raquette River Outfitters, and Farrell is a local teacher who won the women's division of last year's Lake Placid Ironman. They were joined by other fierce Adirondack women Sandra Weber, Lorraine Duvall, and Niki Kourofsky. Here's a video of the presentation, for all who missed it. The Adirondack Museum's Cabin Fever Lecture Series is quite popular, and attendees should show up early so as not to get shut out. One lecture remains this season, and it will feature Amy Catania and Mary Hotaling discussing Saranac Lake's history with tuberculosis.

Members of the Franklin County Tourism Advisory Committee held a meeting last week at the Paul Smith's VIC, which included discussions with ROOST. ROOST CEO James McKenna gave a report. He spoke about the success of the Adirondack Destination Marketing Summit, occupancy percentages in Essex County to compare to Franklin County, how ROOST relates to the village and town of Malone, transportation in the region, and an upcoming event. He also reviewed some marketing statistics provided by ROOST Director of Marketing Jasen Lawrence. The meeting was called to order by TAC Chairman Brian McDonnell. The TAC also discussed the organization of the TAC as a committee, how the TAC relates to the Franklin County Legislature and ROOST, TAC's role and ROOST's role at TAC meetings. They welcomed Jake Kipping, assistant general manager at the Point resort, as a new TAC member, spoke about events around Franklin County, and discussed the possibility of TAC hosting a mixer. Pictured above are, from left, ROOST CEO James McKenna; Carl Sherwin, Franklin County legislator; Brian McDonnell, chairman of the Franklin County TAC; and TAC members Jake Kipping, Gil Paddock, Rick Donah and Emily Lauzon. TAC members who couldn't make the meeting are Chris LaBarge, Derek Sprague, Stephanie Ratcliffe and Bruce Monette.

Starting April 26, destination sites managed by ROOST will move to a new reservation software platform through Inntopia. We at ROOST are very excited for this change as it will provide third-party property management systems integration, a better mobile experience, and a much-needed upgrade in many other areas. The rollout will start with lakeplacid.com in April, and continue to other destination sites in the following months. Inntopia is a company that provides reservation technology and services to destination marketing organizations like ROOST as well as ski resorts, vacation resorts, golf courses, attraction parks, tour operators, and lodging, activity, event, and transportation suppliers. They are based out of Stowe, Vermont and have accounts across the country and world using their platform. Inntopia offers integrations with a variety of existing property management systems, meaning that some lodging properties will be able to push their room availability directly to their destination site through Inntopia. For those properties that are not able to make a connection, Inntopia offers an extremely versatile interface for suppliers to upload and manage their inventory on their destination site through Inntopia. A complete booking experience Perhaps the most exciting new functionality with the Inntopia system will be the ability for non-lodging businesses to sell their products and services independently of a lodging property. Breaking away from the lodging-exclusive model of booking will give all the destination websites managed by ROOST a previously unavailable level of versatility. For example, with Inntopia, a visitor could plan their entire trip with a three-night lodging stay, canoe rental, tickets to a museum, motor boat tour, and passes to the latest show at the local theater. The outfitter, museum, boat rental, and theater will all have independent control over their offerings and payment for their products through Inntopia. Booking is not just for lodging properties anymore! All at a MUCH lower cost It is recommended businesses that choose to use Inntopia have a photo listing on their destination website, but in most cases there is no monthly fee or startup cost from ROOST or Inntopia to use their system. Fees will be assessed as a 5% commission on any rooms or products sold through the system. How can your business take advantage of Inntopia? Lodging properties or other businesses that would like to be set up in Inntopia need to contact Glenn Pareira at glenn@roostadk.com or 518-874-0255 as soon as possible. Have questions? Want to be kept up to date when Inntopia comes to your destination site? Contact Glenn Pareira at glenn@roostadk.com or 518-874-0255. For lodging properties, you can view a slightly more in-depth introduction to Inntopia here: Inntopia is Coming.