October 17, 2017

The Brockville Tourism Summit is just under a month away, and we are getting excited to share updates, news, and words from special guests, including key-note speaker Rosita Hall. You may not be directly related to the tourism industry, but everyone in the community plays a part in the success of tourism within the Brockville area. I am sure you can think of at least one instance where you happily answered a visitor’s question while strolling around Blockhouse Island. Or maybe you have a friend that lives across the country, who was questioning you if it was worth it to make the journey to the 1000 Islands – in which you said 100%! These are just a few instances where you may or may not realize that you’re playing a role in tourism. We want to thank you for being incredibly welcoming and friendly, and also for promoting and spreading the word about our beautiful city!
We encourage you to join us at the Brockville Tourism Summit on November 15^th, to stay in the know, to support the community’s tourism efforts, and keep the positive momentum going into 2018!
 
Get to know the additional speaker’s that will be presenting at the Tourism Summit below: 
Rob Nolan
Director of Economic Development, City of Brockville
Rob is an economic development professional with over 20 years’ experience at delivering programmes and strategy development at the local, regional and national levels, as well as in the private sector. Rob started with the City of Brockville in May 2017, taking over the role of Director of Economic Development.  Prior to taking on this role, Rob worked for the Regional Municipality of Durham being responsible for promoting and marketing the region in international markets.  Rob also worked for the City of Toronto as their Manager of Sector and Strategic Partnerships with responsibility for the Financial Services, Green Technologies, Education and Professional & Business Services. Additionally, Rob spent more than 12 years living and working in the United Kingdom, much of this time with the South East England Development Agency.
 
Blair Harris
Tourism Industry Advisor, Ministry of Tourism, Culture, & Sport
Blair is a Tourism Industry Advisor with the Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport and serves as an advisor to The Great Waterway RTO 9 Board.  Based in Kingston, he is responsible for the Ministry’s tourism portfolio in the Counties of Lennox and Addington, Frontenac, Leeds and Grenville, and Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry. His territory includes the famous 1000 Islands region and the Rideau Heritage Route which spans Ontario’s first and only UNESCO World Heritage Site — the Rideau Canal and Fort Henry in Kingston.
 
Bonnie Ruddock
Executive Director, The Great Waterway
Bio TBC
 
Gary DeYoung
Director, 1000 Island International Tourism Council
Gary has 40 years of experience in destination marketing.  Before coming to the 1000 Islands, he held several management positions with Promotion Management, Inc. in Green Bay, Wisconsin where he directed marketing programs for the Green Bay Area Visitor and Convention Bureau, Brown County Arena, and the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame.  He was also involved with tourism product development including the creation of the “Packers Experience,” redevelopment of the National Railroad Museum and production of community events.  During his time in Green Bay, he served terms as president of the Northeast Wisconsin Arts Council and the Green Bay Advertising Federation
 
We can’t wait to see you all there!
Tickets can be purchased by clicking here, or by purchasing directly at the tourism office.
Join the event on Facebook