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Parks official says tourism outreach and marketing drove spikes in event attendance
Summary
Reagan Everett, Hardyville’s Parks & Recreation marketing manager, told the council the city’s National Tourism Week outreach reached thousands, distributed promotional items and boosted attendance at city events such as Festival on Maine, which staff said drew about 5,000 people, up roughly 65% year over year.
Hardyville — Parks and tourism officials told the city council on May 21 that a concentrated outreach push during National Tourism Week and expanded marketing are bringing more visitors to Hardyville events and amenities.
Reagan Everett, Parks & Recreation marketing manager, told council that staff took Hardyville materials to the regional welcome center during National Tourism Week and "saw over 3,000 people there that day," distributing multiple branded items and a new brochure highlighting parks, the dog park and Milstone Landing. Everett said many of those materials now travel beyond the region.
Everett credited social media, QR codes and modest paid promotion for increasing reach and helping the parks department track visitors’ origins and time spent locally. She said the city has seen higher turnout at events this year — attracting both local residents and out-of-town visitors — and highlighted Festival on Maine as an example: "we were up 65% year-over-year with over 5,000 people this past year," Everett said.
Why it matters: officials said tourism spending returns to local businesses and supports parks programming and facilities. Everett told council that data collected at events indicate visitors stayed in Hardyville on average about an hour to an hour and a half and spent money at hotels, restaurants and local vendors.
Next steps
Everett described plans to continue partnership-based marketing (including outreach at Milstone Landing and work with local marinas), to expand digital content, and to roll out a "Gateway to the Low Country" branding exercise. She said staff will track engagement via QR codes and analytics to guide future event investment.
The council thanked Everett and encouraged continued outreach as part of broader efforts to position Hardyville as a regional destination while supporting local businesses.
