Again this year, Ironman would like to offer each athlete a $25 gift certificate to use at participating area restaurants. • The restaurant gift certificate is valid July 21-25, 2016. • The balance over $25 is the responsibility of the customer. • The $25 gift certificate can be applied to tax. • There is no balance or cash back on any purchase less than $25. • All gift certificates will be submitted, by participating restaurants, to the ROOST office no later than July 29, 2016 for reimbursement. Click here to download the participation form: Ironman Dine Around Application. Return it to Bethany no later than Monday, June 27, 2016 at bethany@roostadk.com.

BBQ, booking, Beth, and business after hours - so much to find out in this week's ROOST news! http://bit.ly/1OsyI1K

This spring, ROOST launched a new booking engine on lakeplacid.com. The engine is now on whitefaceregion.com, soon to be saranaclake.com, and will continue to roll out across all of ROOST's destination websites. The engine utilizes a robust third-party software called Inntopia, which is used to facilitate vacation reservations by many destinations worldwide. But it's probably completely wrong for your business, and here are eight reasons why: 1. It’s for CHEAPSKATES. At only a 5 percent commission on sales and no setup fee or monthly subscription, an account with ROOST doesn’t cost anything unless there’s a booking. So if you prefer to spend a lot more money to do business, ROOST’s booking engine isn’t for you. 2. It funds local marketing efforts. Two and a half percent of your commission goes back into ROOST's marketing efforts to make sure the world knows about the Adirondacks! If you are against sustainable tourism for the benefit of those of us who live here, ROOST’s booking engine isn’t for you. Don't want ANY of these people to know about you! 3. It promotes local business. Unlike most traditional booking sites, ROOST's websites are focused on selling the whole destination. Offering your property or your services as part of the entire destination experience adds visibility for you while supporting the promotion of the whole destination collectively. Elevated awareness about the destination = more traveler interest in the destination = more bookings! If you don’t want more business, ROOST's booking engine probably isn't for you! 4. It works for visitors. Inntopia provides a streamlined and well-designed booking experience for visitors, allowing them to plan and pay for their entire destination itinerary all in one place. If you’d rather make the traveler work hard to make their vacation plans, this booking engine isn’t for you. Definitely don't want to outfit these guys for their next adventure. 5. It works for all types of businesses. Bookings are not only for lodging properties anymore! Inntopia specializes in offering avenues for booking far beyond just lodging. Whether you sell admission tickets, guided trips, rentals, spa treatments, or another service entirely, ROOST’s booking engine will likely work for you. But if you’d rather not be visible to the people looking to add these experiences to their itinerary, you definitely don’t want your products and services to be offered on this booking engine. 6. It brings packaging and promotions to a whole new level. Lodging properties or activity/rental based businesses can offer to partner with each other to offer a packaged product/experience. But each business gets to collect their payments and gets the visitor info independently. Honestly, we couldn't come up with a reason you wouldn't like this one. 7. It pairs well with existing ROOST opportunities. The booking system is designed to work seamlessly with the photo listings currently offered to local businesses on the destination websites. The "book now" button now incorporated into the photo listing strengthens both the value of the listing and the visibility of the booking system. Those wishing to have their businesses left alone without any pesky visitors bothering them should only have a text listing — none of that fancy photo stuff. If you want to keep unpleasant visitors like these away from your business, don't sign up for ROOST's new booking engine. 8. It’s the future of online travel planning. Combined booking of lodging and activities all in one place is the next great frontier of travel planning services. You’ll see a few large companies already offering this service, and ROOST is at the leading edge of this promotional strategy. If you still use a chisel and stone to send messages, this booking engine might not be for you. It’s up to you, but if you insist on using the latest technology that’s user-friendly, inexpensive and will increase the visibility of your business, go ahead and contact Glenn Pareira to set it up. But don’t blame us if you get a whole bunch of reservations. You can contact Advertising and Sales at 518-523-2445 or adsales@roostadk.com.

At one time in her life, Melinda Little thought she would retire to the Adirondacks. But for the last 21 years, she has lived here full time and you could hardly call her retired. Melinda grew up on Long Island, then earned a bachelor’s degree in Art History from Wellesley College and an MBA from Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management. She worked in the nonprofit theater world for some time then, when she got the chance to work on a few feasibility studies, she grew interested in marketing. Nowadays, she calls herself a serial entrepreneur. She has run a handful of her own businesses, and she was integral to the creation of Saranac Lake’s Community Store, writing the business plan and serving as president of the operation since the organization started raising money. The store, which is owned by members of the community who bought shares in it, has seen interest wane a tad since the huge burst of initial excitement when it opened and saw tons of national publicity. Sales continue to grow, though there’s a continued challenge to get new feet in the door. But Melinda and her colleagues hope to generate excitement about the Community Store once again with the fifth anniversary of its opening this fall. She also in recent years started as coordinator for Point Positive, an angel investor group that seeks to invest in early stage and startup companies. The group holds two live pitch sessions each year to vet potential companies to work with, and though the group is now a few years old, interest has not dropped off; instead, it has continued to grow. She said she loves being involved with Point Positive. She loves being involved in entrepreneurial pursuits, but she doesn’t have the fire in her belly to start her own, so it’s great to get the chance to be involved in helping get new businesses off the ground. “It’s right up my alley,” she said. Melinda also serves and has served on a variety of local boards. Some of her most impactful work has been with the Pendragon Theatre board, which she has been involved with on and off since the 1980s, and the Tri-Lakes Humane Society, which she has been on the board of since 2006. She got involved in the ROOST board three years ago when local politician Barb Rice asked her to represent the Saranac Lake area on it. Now she’s one of two representatives from Saranac Lake; Origin Coffee Co. owner Jecinda Hughes joined the board this year. Melinda was surprised to learn when she joined the board how much of an impact ROOST has in terms of marketing a diverse but cohesive identity for the region. She loves that her involvement with ROOST gives her a good vantage point for knowing what’s going on throughout the Adirondacks. She knows it’s always a challenge to maintain relationships with the various entities that ROOST has contracts with, so one of her biggest goals is to do anything she can to support keeping those relationships strong and creative.

Lake Placid, adirondacks, usa – IRONMAN Lake Placid is only weeks away, but officials have announced that volunteer opportunities are still available, including those for local non-profit charities to qualify for Ironman Foundation Grants. With a combination of multiple athlete pre-race visits and the activity during the days surrounding the race, the Ironman Lake Placid event drives approximately $10 million in direct economic impact to the region on an annual basis. The race welcomes over 2,500 athletes who are supported by over 3,000 volunteers, and 2/3 of those volunteers have traditionally been from outside of the Adirondack region. In addition to visiting volunteers, the region enjoys a tremendous resident volunteer base for Ironman and a long list of other events, committees and organizations. “For many, Ironman provides the opportunity to participate in an emotionally-charged, fast-paced, feel-good event that is so important to their beloved Lake Placid and the Adirondacks,” said Sue Cameron, Ironman Volunteer Director and Events Manager for the Lake Placid-based Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism. “As a bonus, some nonprofit groups enjoy the chance to both spend time volunteering together at the race while simultaneously raising money for their respective charities courtesy of the IRONMAN Foundation.” The IRONMAN Foundation was established in 2003 as a way to leave a legacy behind in communities where IRONMAN events take place. Since its inception, the IRONMAN Foundation has given over $1.4 million to support community funds in the Lake Placid region, and grant applications are welcome from qualified organizations from throughout the Northeast. Each year, the IRONMAN Foundation accepts grant applications from nonprofit groups with a volunteerism component from all of their U.S. race communities. Since 2003, the Foundation has supported a variety of Adirondack community efforts at various levels, such as awarding a grant to purchase an off-road ATV for the Lake Placid Volunteer Fire Department, and refurbishing the tennis courts in Lake Placid. The Foundation has also funded the Uihlein IRONMAN Sports Fund with more than $125,000 to distribute locally. “Typically, nonprofit applicant groups select one volunteer ‘station’ for their group to manage or to provide a contingent of volunteers for during the race,” added Cameron. “There are still some fun volunteer assignments available this year for both individuals and groups!” This year’s Ironman Lake Placid event will take place on July 24, 2016. Nonprofit organization representatives interested in applying for Ironman Foundation grants should contact Sue Cameron at sue@roostadk.com for more information. Individuals interested in volunteering for this year’s Ironman Lake Placid can sign up for available positions online at: www.lakeplacid.com/ironman-volunteer ###