{"id":32575,"date":"2019-11-14T17:01:30","date_gmt":"2019-11-14T22:01:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/?p=32575"},"modified":"2019-11-15T13:19:54","modified_gmt":"2019-11-15T18:19:54","slug":"lake-george-chamber-of-commerce-hands-out-three-tourism-awards-at-annual-dinner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/2019\/11\/lake-george-chamber-of-commerce-hands-out-three-tourism-awards-at-annual-dinner\/","title":{"rendered":"Lake George Chamber Of Commerce Hands Out Three Tourism Awards At Annual Dinner"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"
Sasha Pardy of the Adirondack Wine and Food Festival, Lake George Arts Project Director John Strong and Warrensburg Chamber Executive Director Suzanne Tyler received awards from the Chamber.
Courtesy Lake George Regional Chamber of Commerce<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Lake George Regional Chamber of Commerce honored two major events with its Supporting Tourism Around the Region (STAR) Awards recently: The Adirondack Wine & Food Festival and the World\u2019s Largest Garage Sale.
\nJohn Strong, executive director of the Lake George Arts Project, was also honored with the Sapphire Award for his contributions to cultural tourism that span nearly four decades.
\nThe Lake George Regional Chamber of Commerce Events Committee established the STAR Award in 2006 to recognize excellence in travel and tourism.
\nThe committee established the Sapphire Award in 2017 on the Chamber\u2019s Sapphire Anniversary\u2014its 65th year\u2014to recognize a \u201cgem\u201d in the community whose efforts directly benefit the hospitality industry.
\nThe awards were presented at the Chamber\u2019s annual dinner in October as it celebrates its 67th year. The dinner sold out and took place at Villa Vero, catered by RGI Catering above Caffe Vero on Canada Street in the Village of Lake George.
\nSTAR Awards
\n\u2022 The Adirondack Wine and Food Festival was the first of its kind in the area and one of the first successful events in the Festival Commons area of Charles R. Wood Park, Chamber officials said. The fifth annual festival took place in June with more than 6,000 in attendance.
\nIn addition to growing attendance every year, the festival also helped raise $15,500 for the 2019 beneficiary\u2014Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Southern Adirondacks\u2014through a portion of ticket and merchandise sales, and other fundraising activities.
\n\u201cThe festival is one of a kind in the region and has been helping to build business during our shoulder season in Lake George,\u201d said outgoing Chamber President and longtime Chamber board member Fred Vogel.
\n\u201cOur goal is 7,250 people, which I think we have pretty good odds to hit,\u201d said Adirondack Winery and Adirondack Festivals LLC Co-owner Sasha Pardy. \u201cDefinitely Lake George is a highlight of everything we do in our marketing.\u201d
\nThe 2020 dates are June 27 and 28.
\n\u2022 The World\u2019s Largest Garage Sale has been a tradition for more than 40 years, bringing more than 5,000 vendors from around the country to the area and offering more than 5 square-miles of shopping, officials said. Attendance estimates are at about 75,000 people annually.
\n\u201cThis is a well-established multi-generational event,\u201d Vogel said.
\nExecutive Director for the Warrensburg Chamber of Commerce Suzanne Tyler accepted the award on behalf of the Warrensburg Chamber of Commerce.
\nTyler said this past year\u2019s was one of the most successful.
\n\u201cIt\u2019s wonderful that we honor these events because they create business for Warren County and the entire region. They\u2019re so helpful in extending our season,\u201d said Chamber First Vice President and Events Committee Chair Janice Bartkowski-Fox.
\nSapphire Award
\nStrong is retiring as executive director of the Lake George Arts Project at the end of the year. For 37 years he has overseen major programs including the Summer Concert Series, Lake George Jazz Weekend, Courthouse Gallery exhibition series, various art workshops, lectures, special events and more. He has also been involved with the Stony Creek Band as a musician and manager since 1973.
\nLake George Town Supervisor Dennis Dickinson said Strong\u2019s accomplishments \u201care far too many for me to list. He\u2019s done so many things for so many people.\u201d
\nDickinson said his approach when establishing events was to \u201cappeal to a wide range of people. They\u2019re always good draws year after year.\u201d
\nChamber Executive Director Gina Mintzer, addressed the Chamber\u2019s annual report.
\n\u201cAs the leading driver of tourism, all our activities and programs are strategically planned and executed to ensure that we are impacting overnight stays and visitor experiences while being very visible in the community,\u201d she said.
\nClosing out its fiscal year, the Chamber reports that it attended 11 consumer trade shows (two more than the previous fiscal year) with the opportunity to interact with approximately 200,000 people, a 16 percent increase in reach.
\nThe Chamber distributed 12,425 of its 70,000 printed Travel Guides specifically at the travel shows (up 25 percent over the previous fiscal year) and collected contact information from 4,514 (up 20 percent) people at these shows, which were chosen strategically to target potential visitors to the area.
\nWebsite and social media followers and impressions also saw steady growth, she said. Overall, the Chamber\u2019s main social media impressions increased by 8 percent over the previous year, while the Adirondack Craft Beverage program social media impressions had a 31 percent increase.
\nThe mission of Lake George Regional Chamber of Commerce is to drive tourism to the Lake George region year-round while fostering a vibrant business community. The Chamber seeks to promote growth and development of its member businesses by offering networking events, educational programs, ribbon cuttings and other opportunities.
\nThe Chamber staffs the Visitor Center on the corner of Beach Road and Canada Street in Lake George and the Adirondacks Welcome Center on the Northway between Exits 17 and 18. The Chamber typically serves more than 100,000 visitors annually. The Chamber also publishes an annual Travel Guide with a 70,000 circulation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Lake George Regional Chamber of Commerce honored two major events with its Supporting Tourism Around the Region (STAR) Awards recently: The Adirondack Wine & Food Festival and the World\u2019s Largest Garage Sale. John Strong, executive director of the Lake George Arts Project, was also honored with the Sapphire Award for his contributions to cultural […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":196,"featured_media":32576,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\r\nLake George Chamber Of Commerce Hands Out Three Tourism Awards At Annual Dinner - Glens Falls Business Journal<\/title>\r\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\r\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/2019\/11\/lake-george-chamber-of-commerce-hands-out-three-tourism-awards-at-annual-dinner\/\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Lake George Chamber Of Commerce Hands Out Three Tourism Awards At Annual Dinner - Glens Falls Business Journal\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Lake George Regional Chamber of Commerce honored two major events with its Supporting Tourism Around the Region (STAR) Awards recently: The Adirondack Wine & Food Festival and the World\u2019s Largest Garage Sale. 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