Nevada Central Media presented insights regarding rural tourism to the Lincoln County, Nevada Board of Commissioners last Monday.
Company owner Ben Rowley went before the board on behalf of the Lincoln Communities Action Team, which is the primary promoter of tourism in Lincoln County and a client of NVC Media. Rowley discussed LCAT’s efforts over the last few months in promoting events and attractions in the area.
These efforts have included a range of advertising campaigns in areas surrounding Lincoln County in Nevada and Utah, as well as digital billboard advertising in the Las Vegas Valley. The campaigns are promoting Lincoln County as an ideal outdoor destination. They also promoted a variety of events in the county, including Homecoming in Caliente during Memorial Day weekend, the Fourth of July Celebrations in Alamo and Caliente, the Lincoln County Fair and Rodeo in Panaca, the Pioche Labor Day Celebration and the Park to Park Pedal – Extreme Nevada 100.
“In May through October we have a lot of major events in the county,” Rowley said. “So our task has been to help organizations in promoting their events and getting the word out.”
Part of promoting tourism is measuring, Rowley added, and the team at NVC Media has been working with local businesses to understand how events are affecting them.
“The data we’ve received so far indicate that major events make a strong, positive impact on the local economy.”
Rowley added that input from visitors visiting the county has been resoundingly positive. He shared specific comments from people who indicated now that they have visited the area, they are “definitely” coming back.
In addition to advertising campaigns, LCAT also offers a visitor website at LincolnCountyNevada.com, which has had over 17,000 visitors during the last 12 months. The most website traffic comes from Las Vegas, Reno, Southern California, Northern Arizona and Southern Utah. These are the areas LCAT will continue to target, as individuals can easily take a day or weekend trip to Lincoln County.
Rowley also updated the commissioners on LCAT’s work in building cooperation among various organizations in the county. The main goal there is to provide support so organizations can work together address the needs of the area.
One organization that LCAT works closely with is the Nye Communities Coalition. Laura Oslund is a leader with the Nye Coalition and is also a member of LCAT. This coalition is involved in a variety of efforts to help people live healthy lives. The group’s work in Lincoln County has included working with the Lincoln County Sheriff in helping young people avoid substance abuse and violence, a car seat safety program and other initiatives are currently being planned.
A video of the full presentation is available here.