Join us April 26-28 for the 2020 Montana Governor’s Conference on Tourism and Recreation in Billings!
The 2020 conference will feature two nationally recognized keynote speakers, guest luncheon speakers, breakout sessions and the annual tourism awards ceremony. Experience inspiration, education and connection at the annual gathering of the state’s tourism industry professionals.
Registration for all conference attendees is now open. Seats are limited and early bird special pricing of $199 ends Jan. 1, 2020. In addition, speakers, sponsors and exhibitors who wish to attend the full conference are offered special pricing and will need to register separately. Speakers can register here. Sponsors and exhibitors can register here.
Lodging is available at several locations downtown within walking distance from the conference held jointly at DoubleTree by Hilton Billings and the Northern Hotel.
More information and details will be available at MTGOVERNORSCONFERENCE.COM. You can subscribe for email updates regarding the Governor’s Conference on Tourism and Recreation by clicking here.
Destination Development Webinars
The Destination Development Association has a plethora of resources to inspire and empower local stakeholders and local organizations with their efforts to becoming vibrant, sustainable, and thriving destinations that will attract new investment, are fantastic places to live, and that visitors will gravitate to every chance they get. One of the resources is easy to watch and digest how-to videos and accompanying guides on every place-making, tourism, downtown, and economic development topic you can imagine. As a courtesy to our tourism partners, the Tourism Grant Program is happy to host a Wednesday Webinar Series on the 2nd Wednesday of each month.
Here is what the 2020 proposed line-up of webinars looks like:
Please register here if your entity or organization is interested in community efforts to become a vibrant, sustainable, and thriving destination.
Made in Montana Tradeshow
Wholesale buyer registration is open! If you have a retail business that includes Made in Montana products, join us for the 2020 Made in Montana Tradeshow on March 13-14, 2020 at the Lewis & Clark County Fairgrounds in Helena.
The 2020 show will feature 150 Made in Montana producers including more than 40 new exhibitors and our Native American Made in Montana Pavilion. Wholesale buyer day will be March 13 from 9 AM to 5:30 PM. Click here to register.
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Agritourism and Direct Sales Survey:
Tourism partners, please share in your community and region.
If you have visitors on your farm, ranch, vineyard, or fishery, you are invited to take part in a national survey about agritourism and direct sales. Whether you have a farmstand, u-pick, CSA, tastings, school field trips, events, tours, hunting, overnight stays, or open your farm to the public in any other ways, your experiences are important.
This survey is confidential and should take about 10 minutes to complete. Results will be used to develop tools and resources for farmers. The survey will close January 31 and you can take it by clicking here. Questions can be directed to Lisa Chase, lisa.chase@uvm.edu or 802-257-7967.
Changes to Tourism Business Listings on VISITMT.COM
On Monday, December 23, VISITMT.COM is implementing a change to the design of our listing pages that will affect how your business listing on VISITMT.COM is displayed. Your listing page currently displays a large full-screen photo of your business at the top of the page, if you haven’t provided a photo a generic region specific photos is used instead. With this change your business contact information will be moved to the top of the page to replace this photo and the photo will be moved to the mid-page in the current photo carousel.
This decision was made based on the results of extensive user testing of VISITMT.COM done in 2018. A key finding of the study was that users have a hard time finding the contact information for businesses on our current business listing web pages. By moving the business contact information to the top of the page and the full-screen image down to the photo carousel the user is immediately offered the information necessary to contact your business. This better serves you, the business owner/manager, by prominently sharing your contact information with the web site visitor.
We are confident this will result in your VISITMT.COM listing connecting more customers to your business.
The example image below, for the Sleep Inn, shows a current listing on the left, in both desktop and mobile view and the new listing on the right.
If you have any questions, please contact Norm Dwyer, Web Manager.
Social Media Influencers
This winter season, four influential social media personalities have been invited to experience winter in Montana. These influencers will travel parts of the state and experience Montana’s spectacular and unspoiled nature, hospitality and small town charm, not to mention our amazing powder. Each influencer will be cataloguing their experiences on their social channels both in real time and up to a month after their trip. As the trips approach, areas where the influencer will be traveling will be notified.
Matthew Littlewood: @littlewood.photography
Traveling: January 2-8, 2020
60,000 Followers
With a backpack and camera, Matthew is generally on the road seeking out all the world has to offer. Having spent roughly four years in the Americas, a year in Asia and extended time in Africa and Europe he has covered vast distance in the search of adventure.
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Kyle Kotajarvi: @kylekotajarvi
Traveling: January 11-17, 2020
109,000 Followers
Kyle is a commercial photographer and filmmaker based in Seattle, WA. His work is a reflection of his passions and experiences and is layered by outdoor, travel and lifestyle subjects. He has worked with companies such as Eddie Bauer, Volvo, Volkswagen, Orvis, Lexar, Kathmandu and others.
Followers: 109,000
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Josh Steele: @outofthewoods
Traveling: January 19-25, 2020
56,300 Followers
Josh is a professional photographer whose feed is filled with beautiful scenic landscapes and people exploring them. He has collaborated with brands like backcountry.com, Marmot, Hydroflask and more. Josh will be traveling with his wife and two kids.
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Erik McRitchie: @erikmcr
Traveling: February 16-22, 2020
70,800 Followers
Erik specializes in photographing landscapes but he also takes joy in shooting outdoor adventures and people. His love of nature means he’s always out exploring. Erik is from Canada and will be traveling with his wife and two kids. |
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Kids Count Too
Nationwide, “the 2010 Census missed more than 10% of young children – one in every ten children age 0-4, or about 2.2. million children” (countallkids.org). When young children aren’t counted it has serious consequences for them, their families, our communities, and the country. Demographers have been struggling with an explanation of why young children have a higher undercount compared to any other age group. Several recent studies are providing new answers for why young children are missed so often in the Census.
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Children are more likely to be missed in a census if:
- They live in large and complex households.
- They live with single parents or young parents between the ages of 18-29.
- They are not the biological or adopted child of the householder.
- They live with their grandparents, aunts and uncles, or other family members.
- They live in families that do not speak English or their family includes immigrants.
- They live in lower income households.
- The child is a newborn.
- Their families rent rather than own their home or they have recently moved.
- Finally, some adults may not realize that babies, toddlers and young children are supposed to be included in the Census.
How you Can Help:
- Emphasize that the Census counts everyone where they live and sleep most of the time, even if the living arrangement is temporary or the parents of the child do not live there.
- Explain that, when children are missed in the Census, funding for programs such as the Children Health Insurance Program (CHIP), the National School Lunch Program, and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) miss out on their fair share of federal dollars.
- Distribute outreach materials from the State, the U.S. Census Bureau, and various organizations to help increase awareness.
- Work with existing Complete Count Committees (CCC) or form your own specialized CCC and make sure promote messaging about counting young children.
Information and Resources on Counting Children Can Be Found at:
Count All Kids—Partnership for America’s Children
US Census Bureau—Counting Young children in the 2020 Census
Evidence Mounts Regarding Respondent Confusion About Counting Young Children in the Census—The Census Project
National Park Service Seeks Public Input to Increase Access to National Park Lands
The National Park Service (NPS) is seeking the public’s assistance to develop a list of national park lands that would benefit from new or increased access routes. This effort advances the John D. Dingell Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act (S.47), which was signed into law by President Donald Trump in March 2019.
“Increasing the public’s awareness and access to the more than 85 million acres managed by the National Park Service is one of our top priorities,” said National Park Service Deputy Director David Vela. “We’re looking forward to working with the public, partners, and stakeholders to identify areas with no or restricted access to national park areas and collaborate with landowners to establish avenues for public enjoyment of these lands.”
For additional information and a full list of required criteria for consideration as specified by the Dingell Act, click here.
Public comments will be accepted through January 4, 2020, via the NPS’s Planning, Environmental and Public Comments website.
Yellowstone Releases Report on Visitor Use
The National Park Service contracted Otak Inc., RRC Associates and The University of Montana Institute for Tourism Recreation Research to conduct the study to help better understand how visitors experience the park in real time, across the summer season, and across different parts of the park.
More than 4,000 people responded to the surveys, one of the largest in the history of the National Park Service. Survey results indicate that 85 percent of respondents thought their experience in the park was good or excellent, with the top three reasons for visiting being scenery, wildlife and thermal features. Approximately 67 percent of the visitors participating in the survey were first-time visitors to the park. Overall, 92 percent waited less than 10 minutes to enter the park and 86 percent waited less than 10 minutes to find parking. To read the full report, click here.
Recreational Trails Program Grants Available
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is accepting Recreational Trails Program (RTP) grant applications for the 2020 cycle. These grants provide funds to develop and maintain recreational trails and trail-related facilities in Montana. The application deadline is Friday, January 31, 2020 at 3:00 PM. Application information and guidelines can be found here.
DNRC Renewable Resource Grant and Loan Program (RRGL) is Accepting Planning Grant Applications
This program provides financial assistance to governmental entities preparing quality Renewable Resource Grant RRGL grant applications for projects that that will conserve, manage, develop, or protect Montana’s renewable resources. Grants for the preparation of Capital Improvement Plans or other management tools are also eligible for funding.
Eligible applicants include any division of state government, tribal government, or other county, city, or local political subdivision. These governmental entities have included cities, towns, counties, conservation districts, irrigation districts, joint boards of control, and state agencies.
For more information visit the website or contract program staff at 406.444.9766 or via email at lmvolpe@mt.gov.
Montana History Foundation Grants
The Montana History Foundation is offering $160,000 in grant funding. The foundation will provide grants up to $10,000 for projects that help preserve and protect Montana’s history. Previously, the foundation provided grants up to $5,000. Doubling the available grant funding will help the History Foundation reach its goal of investing $1,000,000 statewide by 2020. Tax exempt organizations can apply for funds to preserve buildings and cemeteries, conserve and exhibit collections, collect oral histories and more.
Funding details and the application link can be found here. Applications are due by January 10, 2020. Contact Grants Manager Carissa Beckwith with any questions, or to discuss your project before applying.
Agriculture Innovation Center (AIC) Program
The AIC Program awards grants to Agriculture Innovation Centers that provide technical and business development assistance to agricultural producers seeking to engage in making or producing value-added agricultural products. The maximum award amount is $1 million. Matching funds are required for a minimum of one-third of the project’s total budget. For more information, click here.
January 28-March 19, 2020—Economic Outlook Seminars—The University of Montana's Bureau of Business and Economic Research (BBER) will be host ten seminars and one live webcast to highlight the latest economic trends for local economies and the state of Montana. Seminars will run from 8:00 AM-1:00 PM in each location. To register or learn more, click here.
- January 28—Helena (Great Northern Hotel)
- January 29—Great Falls (Hilton Garden Inn)
- January 31—Missoula (Hilton Garden Inn)
- February 4—Billings (Northern Hotel)
- February 5—Bozeman (The Commons or Live webcast available)
- February 6—Butte (NorthWestern Energy General Office)
- February 11—Kalispell (Hilton Garden Inn)
- March 17—Havre (MSU Northern)
- March 18—Lewistown (Central Montana Education Center)
- March 19—Big Sky (Lone Peak Cinema)
December 2019-May 2020—SBDC Training Workshops—The Montana SBDC Network offers a wide variety of training and workshops for small businesses in all phases of business development, from start-ups to those looking at growth and expansion. Click here for a list of popular training offered in the SBDC Network.
January 31-February 1, 2020—Montana's Next Generation Conference—Hosted by the Glacier and Toole County Farm Service Agency, local MSU Extension, Marias River Livestock Association, Native American Community Development Corporation and the Front Range Counties Farm Bureau, this comprehensive conference of succession planning and production workshops is one not to miss. To register or learn more, click here.
April 28-30, 2020—Montana's Healthy Communities Conference (Helena)—Montana Healthy Communities is a collaboration of various organizations committed to raising awareness in Montana about the relationship between the physical and mental health of its citizens and the economic vitality of the community. This includes the coordinated discussion, planning and funding for quality jobs, transportation, research, broadband, schools, safe walking, biking and recreational options, early child care, housing, infrastructure, revitalization and historic preservation. Click here for more information.
May 3-5, 2020—Northwest USA Spotlight Tourism Conference (Helena)—This is a casual and intimate tourism conference that combines educational seminars, networking functions, site-seeing tours and a supplier trade show. If your Region or CVB is looking to get face time with qualified tour operators from all over the US and Canada, there are sponsorship and exhibit opportunities for you at Spotlight. For more information, please contact Erinn Donnell with Visit Helena at 406.443.2117 or edonnell@helenamt.com.
May 12-14, 2020—Montana Economic Developers Association (MEDA) Spring Conference (Kalispell)—Click here for updated information as it becomes available.
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