World Cups:
Great opportunity asks great commitment
Aroostook County has established a worldwide reputation for coming together and doing remarkable things when opportunity presents itself. That reputation is well deserved and will be put to the test again as we build up to the first two weeks of February. The International Biathlon Union (IBU) EON World Cup tour will be coming to Presque Isle from February 4-6 and Fort Kent February 10-13, and with these events come 120 million sets of eyes via European TV.
According to Thaxter Trafton, the commissioner of the state’s Department of Community and Economic Development, these two competitions will represent the largest event ever held in the state of Maine. That attention creates profound opportunity and it will take a concerted effort on all of our parts to make sure that we take full advantage of this once-in-a-generation chance.
Thanks to a grant from the Libra Foundation, the Maine Winter Sports Center, has developed a strategy to take advantage of the attention the World Cups will bring. That strategy includes a trilingual website focused on promoting all northern Maine has to offer to Europe’s tourism market and will be in English, German and French.
The primary focus of the website between now and the February will be on the two World Cups because of the popularity of the sport in Europe. After the World Cups the site will shift its focus to whatever the next big event in the County happens to be — the CanAm Sled Dog Race, the Potato Blossom Festival, the Muskie Derby, other festivals, etc. Northern Maine Development Commission has helped provide content and local photographers have helped show, through their dramatic photography, how beautiful Aroostook County is.
The hope is that the website will make it easy for Europeans interested in visiting The County to chose things to do, pick hotels and plan a trip. Daily flights from Europe to Boston and then to Presque Isle make northern Maine as accessible as anywhere else in the U.S. There is no reason that the people currently visiting Lake Placid or Stowe, Vermont, or even southern Maine, can’t be coming to The County. What we have to offer is a different experience, but that is to our marketing advantage. If we take the time to identify those things that make us special, make them easy to find and then make sure that we focus on the highest quality customer service, I believe that there are a lot of tourists that would choose us.
From the intense beauty of our landscape, to the fragrance of the abundant wildflowers, to the mystery of the Aurora Borealis, our pristine air, deep snow, historic rivers, and for many Europeans, exotic wildlife, Aroostook County and the people who live here present a unique and very attractive package.
These two World Cups and the 120 million impressions they will leave in the European tourism market can have an impact on northern Maine’s economy that will be felt for generations. It won’t happen overnight, but it can certainly get people looking in our direction with the path to our door clearly lit. The next step is for everyone in Aroostook County to help ensure the success of these two events. There is a role for everyone, from individuals volunteering their time, to businesses giving generously in the form of sponsorships.
Think snow and think big.
Andy Shepard of Yarmouth is president/CEO of the Maine Winter Sports Center.
