[vc_row][vc_column width='1/2']ROOST manages eight destination websites for our partners, clocking in at more than 3 million sessions a year combined (see the list to the right). Each website represents the lodging, dining, attractions, activities, and unique flair of the region. Our staff spends a lot of time reviewing these sites, adding or updating written and photo content. But we also rely on the strength of the great businesses across the North Country to fill our partner sites with high quality content by including a photo listing.[/vc_column] [vc_column width='1/4']www.lakeplacid.com www.saranaclake.com www.tupperlake.com www.visitmalone.com [/vc_column] [vc_column width='1/4'] www.adirondackexperience.com (Hamilton County) www.whitefaceregion.com www.lakechamplainregion.com www.schroonlakeregion.com [/vc_column][/vc_row] What exactly is a photo listing? [vc_row][vc_column width='1/3']A photo listings is a page dedicated solely to your business on our partner site. Photo listings across all of our partner sites are relatively similar in the information they include: High resolution photo(s) of the business. A customized business description. Address and phone number. Website and email address. Listing previews appear under an assigned category, and when clicked they expand to a full webpage dedicated to that particular business. [/vc_column] [vc_column width='2/3'] [/vc_column][/vc_row] I have a website/Facebook page/Google business account. Why do I need another thing? First of all, that’s great! Websites, a social media presence, and management of your Google profile are all important tools for marketing your business. Our destination sites add to that lineup, giving you the benefit of showing up more often in broader regional searches. Our partner sites are often the first listing that shows up in a Google search. You can take advantage of our strong search presence with a photo listing. I don't have a website/Facebook page/Google business account. Is this the solution to all of that? A photo listing is the perfect place to start building your online presence! Photo listings certainly aren't the only thing you should be doing online, but they can definitely jump-start your online marketing efforts. A few good photos and an informative description at the top of search results provides a good resource for anyone googling your business. How can I gauge my return on one of these photo listings? Great question! Like any promotion, there are any number of things you can look at. Just showing up more frequently in searches is incredibly valuable, but that can be hard to measure. Some things you CAN measure are: Page views - How many times did someone view your photo listing? We track this and provide you with stats. Referrals to your site (conversions) - If you track analytics on your website (If you don't, you should! It's free), you can track the number of times someone ended up on your business website because they clicked on the link that's on your photo listing. Known as a 'conversion' when working with paid advertising, this is the strongest result you can easily track. Conversion rate - Divide referrals to your site by listing page views. ROOST sites generally provide a 30-60 percent conversion rate. That's much higher than the average for online advertising! All right, the most important question. What does all this cost? Not much! Photo listings on all of our sites are sold as a subscription-type service, either priced independently or included with a membership in a local chamber or business organization, depending on the region. Our pricing is much less than most other advertising mediums (print, banner web ads, etc.) and is not designed to make anyone a profit other than you! The cost of listing covers only a very small portion of website maintenance and regional marketing efforts. Prices vary based on site traffic, business type, and other services included. You can contact the appropriate representative in your region for more info on pricing. I care about my business, but what about my community? A photo listing can be a boon to your business. But, they also benefit your local business community. By maintaining a photo listing on one of our sites, you’re supporting local marketing efforts and helping us create a fuller picture of the great and varied businesses that make up your community. More listings = better representation of the community = more visitors = more successful businesses = healthier community! OK already, you sold me! How do I sign up? It's really simple. Refer to the list below for the correct contact person for your region. Just send us photo(s), contact info, and a business description, and we can get your listing up and running. lakeplacid.com - Glenn Pareira (ROOST) - glenn@roostadk.com whitefaceregion.com - Michelle Preston (Whiteface Mountain Regional Visitors Bureau) - info@whitefaceregion.com lakechamplainregion.com - Suzanne Maye (ROOST) - suzanne@roostadk.com schroonlakeregion.com - Tammy Whitty Brown (Schroon Lake Chamber) - director@schroonlakechamber.org saranaclake.com - Glenn Pareira (ROOST) - glenn@roostadk.com tupperlake.com - Sue Fitzpatrick (Tupper Lake Chamber) - info@tupperlake.com visitmalone.com - Glenn Pareira (ROOST) - glenn@roostadk.com adirondackexperience.com (Hamilton County) - Glenn Pareira (ROOST) - glenn@roostadk.com

Jill Cardinale has been an active member of the ROOST board since 2012. But don’t ask her that. She tends to think forward rather than focus on the past. She’s also one of those people who sees a challenge and jumps in head first. Growing up in the Hudson Valley town of Claverack, she spent her childhood vacationing in Lake Placid. She went to Clarkson University in Potsdam and worked as an industrial engineer in the printing industry, in a job that had her on the road a lot. She was dropping her son off at daycare one day, and she thought, “Why am I doing this?” So about 13 year ago, when she was vacationing in Lake Placid and noticed that the Pines Inn was for sale, she saw entering the hospitality industry as a way to spend more time with her family and seized the opportunity. In less than a year, Jill and her husband were being handed keys to the inn, where there were currently guests in the rooms. They did so much work on the inn in the first year that they barely left the property. Every once in a while, Jill would realize it had been a few weeks since she had been anywhere else. And they’re still in the process of renovating the historical inn, which first opened in the summer of 1900. Jill and her family do all the work themselves, so the Pines Inn is truly a family-run business. And all the work has paid off. Jill is happy that she’s beginning to have more free time. Her daughter recently moved back with her own daughter to help run the inn. And their customers appreciate the fact that a small family runs the business, so they keep coming back. They like the fact that Jill and her family truly care about their stay. Jill moved to Lake Placid because she loves it here, and she sees her work on the ROOST board as a way to help keep Lake Placid the wonderful, thriving Adirondack village that she first fell in love with. She recognizes that the tourism industry is incredibly important to keeping the region vital, and also that it’s important to protect the communities we have so travelers will want to continue to come here and enjoy themselves. She feels it’s important that she gives a voice to the smaller lodging properties in Lake Placid. Jill and the other small, independent motels and inns have different challenges and needs from the larger resorts, so she believes it’s helpful to have representation from both of those groups on the ROOST board, because it’s necessary that Lake Placid maintains a mix of various types of lodging in order to attract a wide variety of customers. During her time on the board, Jill has found that her voice has been heard, which is important to her. She’s focused on looking for solutions rather than just talking about problems, and she sees each problem as an opportunity. Working with the board has been an enriching experience for her, with a good mix of people who make it interesting to discuss issues and to work together to come up with solutions that will work for everyone.

The Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism, the NYS Department of Conservation and the Adirondack Mountain Club have collaborated to launch AdkAlert.com, a "one-stop-shop" with the latest alerts related to outdoor recreation in the Adirondacks, and links to additional resources. The impetus for the creation of the aggregation website is the increasing traffic on popular hiking trails and congestion at trailheads. The site provides NYSDEC recommended alternate hikes as well as information about hiking etiquette. AdkAlert.com is intended to be a resource for both residents and travelers to the Adirondacks. Regional businesses and organizations are encouraged to reference and promote the site to their customers and guests. The site includes an option to sign up to receive emails when there are new alerts. VISIT THE SITE DOWNLOAD A PRINTABLE FLYER

The second annual Star Trek and pop culture convention – “Trekonderoga” – was held in Ticonderoga, New York on Aug. 12 to 14 this year. The Trekonderoga conventions are a partnership between James Cawley, the Ticonderoga Revitalization Alliance, and the scores of volunteers who helped create the studio sets over many years, and to staff the conventions. Events were held at various locations in Ticonderoga, including the Star Trek Original Series Set Tour on Montcalm Street, the North Country Community College, the Elks Club, the High School, the Rathbun Building, and Bicentennial Park. Big hits again this year included tours of the meticulously re-created sets from the original Star Trek TV series, pictures and autographs with stars, and special program and presentations related to Star Trek. New events this year included free fireworks in the park, a costume contest, and an Elvis concert in the High School auditorium featuring Ticonderoga’s James Cawley (with part of the proceeds from the concert going to the Kiwanis Back Pack program providing nutritious food for qualifying school students). Paid attendance at the 2016 convention doubled from last year to over 600 persons, with an additional over 60 volunteer staff helping with the convention. The Regional Office for Sustainable Tourism (ROOST) has now calculated the direct economic benefits to the Ticonderoga area from Trekonderoga. This analysis is based in particular on survey data from those who purchased their tickets online (the majority of ticket holders). It includes the estimated expenditures on food, lodging, etc. made by the attendees and staff, as well as the local purchases made by the convention organizers. ROOST’s calculations are that the direct economic expenditures totaled approximately $155,000. This is more than double the amount ROOST calculated for the first Trekonderoga convention in 2015. In addition, the convention generated substantial “ripple effects” through indirect economic impacts, such as purchases of additional supplies by local businesses, and other local spending. Using the multiplier generated by similar events in the area, these indirect impacts were an estimated $192,000. This gives an estimated total direct and indirect economic benefit to the area from Trekonderoga – 2016 of approximately $347,000. Combined with the direct and indirect economic benefits from the Trekonderoga convention last year, the two Trekonderoga conventions together have brought an estimated over one half million dollars in economic benefits to the Ticonderoga area in the year from September 2015 through August 2016. The convention also boosted area tourism by drawing in new visitors, with over 40% of the survey respondents saying that this was their first visit to Ticonderoga. Trekonderoga – 2016 also received major media attention, including from CNN, the New York Times, and the Associated Press, boosting Ticonderoga’s profile and its image as a unique tourist destination. The organizers would like to thank those in Ticonderoga who supported the convention, including the Town government (including the Highway Department and Police Department), the Fire Department, North Country Community College, the Elks, the Central School District office, St. Mary’s School, Sun Community News, the local businesses who provided special discounts during the convention, and all those who welcomed the numerous visitors to Ticonderoga. Live long and prosper! (Vulcan greeting from Star Trek)