June 21, 2021

1. Help us plan ahead: Send your fall news

June is nearly over and the Explore Asheville PR and content teams are already thinking of fall and how we can help promote our partners. Here's some of what we're looking for:

• FALL HARVEST & FESTIVALS: What kinds of events is your business planning? We're especially looking for new / different / creative outdoor and agritourism activities.
• ECO-FRIENDLY ADVENTURES & OFFERINGS: Share your environmentally friendly travel offerings, innovations and community connections with us. Do you have a new package, new tour, new amenity or new visitor-facing experience with a tie to sustainable travel? Is there something your business is doing behind the scenes that is making a positive impact on the environment? Does your green offering tie into a fall color experience? Any and all of those details are useful as we round-up sustainability insights from our partners.
• WEEKDAY SPECIALS: Are you offering special prices, packages, experiences during the week that add value to the visitor experience? In addition to typical vacationers, research tells us that guests continue to choose Asheville for working remotely who may have the kind of flexibility to enjoy mid-week activities.
  
• OTHER IDEAS: We're always looking for story ideas. Please keep in touch as you make plans!

2. Place your order for Official Asheville Visitor Guides

How's your supply of Official Asheville Visitor Guides? The next deadline for ordering Visitor Guides is July 8 by 5 p.m. for delivery on July 13 and 14. Remember: Even if you previously signed up to receive monthly deliveries, we still need a completed form for this July delivery.

3. Replenish your brochures at the Visitor Center

Members of the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce can display brochures, rack cards, menus, etc., at the Asheville Visitor Center, where there's been a significant increase in visitors and locals picking up printed materials. Center staff  request that you please replenish your supply. They're having a hard time meeting demand and keep the shelves full!

4. Display updated 'Bear' flyers to encourage patience & understanding

As Asheville comes out of the pandemic, visitors and residents are eager to eat out, shop, visit attractions, and enjoy summer to its fullest. At the same time, some businesses are challenged with labor shortages and simply getting geared back up for the enthusiastic crowds.

The popular “Wear | Wait | Wash” bear flyers have been refreshed with a new message that encourages patrons to “Be Kind | Be Patient | Be Our Guest” and to “Bear With Us” – gentle, yet cheery reminders that our community's businesses are doing the best they can to serve guests and customers.

Let us know if you'd like some of these 8.5" x 11" flyers for your business.

The Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce is hosting a virtual town hall on Tuesday, June 22, at 11 a.m. that will address Buncombe County's new non-discrimination ordinance that goes into effect July 1, and what it means for your business. Panelists include:

• Jasmine Beach-Ferrara, Buncombe County Commissioner; founding Executive Director of the Campaign for Southern Equality (CSE)
• Christopher Brook, Attorney at Patterson Harkavy; former NC Court of Appeals Judge; former Legal Director of ACLU-NC
• Brad Branham, Asheville City Attorney
• Parker Sloan, Buncombe County Commissioner
  
• Michael Frue, County Attorney