An ad hoc Woodstock Economic Development meeting is just breaking up with high energy out of the 30 assembled residents and members of several groups including the Woodstock Chamber of Commerce, Sustainable Woodstock and Village business owners.
No big headlines yet to improve the future economic quality of life in Woodstock. However, those assembled seemed interested in trying again next year for an economic development coordinator – perhaps even as a line item in the Woodstock budget.
The group had whiteboards going and many continue to “discuss”
Woodstock Early Bird is always interested in hearing more about efforts to bring skilled workers to town who might be offered a living wage – which we would note from experience is probably twice the minimum wage for even an individual.
Julia Carlisle
Woodstock Early Bird 
Posted by Kathy Hinson on April 26, 2013 at 17:18
Last week-end a large group came to town for a conference based at the Woodstock Inn. This off-season week-end event was great for local businesses. Professional marketers like those who brought this group in to the Inn know how book off-season non-tourist events.
Great job who ever you are!!!! Could you offer some additional thoughts for our community to chew on concerning hosting convention crowds ?
Thanks,
Kathy Hinson
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Posted by Julia Carlisle on April 26, 2013 at 17:25
Here’s a simple start: List conferences and events at
http://www.conferencehound.com.
It is an website dedicated to connecting conference organizers with conference goers who want to combine professional development with tourism.
WEB
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Posted by Kathy Hinson on April 26, 2013 at 17:42
More professional development conferences in Woodstock….now that is a concept which might yield both short and long term benefits for our economy.
Could the chamber of commerce use this tip?
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Posted by Julia Carlisle on April 27, 2013 at 07:43
Kathy
FYI there are plenty of folks already employed at the Inn and by the Vermont tourism industry whose sole job it is to work on bringing people to the State.
The Chamber is concerned with doing what’s best for its current membership not with spending time on the big picture. In Woodstock the Chamber spends a great deal of energy on weekend event and party planning.
What people fail to recognize is that a steely grip on tourism as the only economic driver is a recipe for failure .
There are several entrepreneurs in Woodstock who are employing at least a handful of skilled workers in businesses other than tourism. Rarely, if ever, is their input and knowledge sought out by those who say they seek future economic viability for this community. That’s too bad.
WEB
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Posted by Kathy Hinson on April 28, 2013 at 06:30
Certainly those entrepreneurs in Woodstock who employ skilled workers are a great resource for ideas about how to move forward. I sure hope that they know how much I appreciate that they are employing skilled people locally. I have been in support of exploring ideas that would make Woodstock more attractive to such business ventures.
I never meant to suggest that our local economy should be very narrow in scope.
I was only suggesting that when it comes to the hospitality industry, there may be some fine tuning that might benefit small business owners in the village almost immediately and might pave the way for more robust changes in the future.
Professional development conference expenses can be written off as business tax deductions, which is much different in terms of economic resilience than money spent out of one’s own savings to pay for a bus tour during the fall. A conference may take place here in town during our least touristy seasons, and there still might be a satisfied customer experience. A young professional who visits Woodstock on a required business conference may decide that he or she wants to come back an possibly set up shop here.
Why throw the baby out with the bath water?
Thanks,
Kathy
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Posted by Diana Brown on April 27, 2013 at 09:32
What she (Julia) said. Once again, Julia has put it out there, accurately and clearly. Amen.
‘What people fail to recognize is that a steely grip on tourism as the only economic driver is a recipe for failure .
There are several entrepreneurs in Woodstock who are employing at least a handful of skilled workers in businesses other than tourism. Rarely, if ever, is their input and knowledge sought out by those who say they seek future economic viability for this community. That’s too bad.’
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