Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Tourism Economy topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Soldotna visitor center reports rising attendance, new programs and social-media gains
Summary
Heidi Sorrell, executive director of the Soldotna Chamber of Commerce, told the council the visitor center’s membership is about 480, combined entities recorded roughly $12,370 in revenue (as of June 20), and social-media interactions and views are up substantially year over year; she highlighted Lemonade Day, the fun run, Levitt AMP activities and a shop-local quilt-passport program.
Heidi Sorrell, executive director of the Soldotna Chamber of Commerce, presented the visitor-center quarterly update on June 25, reporting increases in membership, event attendance and online engagement ahead of the summer season.
Sorrell said membership stood at about “480” and that the chamber and related entities saw approximately “$12,370 in revenue” through combined operations as of June 20. She told the council visitor-center activity and event attendance were up from the first quarter and higher than the same period last year.
Sorrell highlighted community events that drew participants, including Lemonade Day (140 participants and 44 stands across the Kenai Peninsula), an increased fun-run turnout (2,663 attendees at a recent event) and the Levitt AMP music series, which the chamber supports with lawn activities for families. She described the shop-local ‘quilt tour’ passport that links 21 businesses and offers prizes to encourage foot traffic.
On marketing, Sorrell said the chamber has redirected some traffic from the website to social media and reported sharp increases: interactions were “up 688%” and views up in the hundreds of percent year over year. She said the chamber is moving forms and registration onto the website so visitors can find authoritative information in a single place.
Sorrell also noted outreach at trade shows and that the visitor center logs show visitors from outside the U.S., and she thanked council member Hutchings for an extra scholarship contribution to the chamber’s awards.
Councilmembers asked questions and offered congratulations; the presentation was informational and no council action was required.
