My First Summit Experience
 Camp operators, local business owners, Government Officials, Ministers and newbies like myself, (who are still learning the ropes of the resource-based tourism industry), all gathered in Sault Saint Marie for the Northern Ontario Tourism Summit. Nearly 300 people attended this event for a week filled with guest speakers, information sessions, workshops, annual meetings, good food and great times.
When I first started with NOTO, I dove right into helping Laurie organize and plan for the Summit. The Summit itself marked the beginning of my fourth week with NOTO. Everyone was extremely kind and welcoming. Several people came to our booth to talk about NOTO and find out how they could get involved, or to introduce themselves if they were already members. The opening reception and the gala were also opportunities where I got to meet many individuals.
I learned a lot during the Summit. Several of the guest speakers were very informative and quite entertaining. I also learned about several issues affecting the resource-based tourism industry and the concerns operators have during the NOTO AGM meeting. Our hope is that the new 5-year strategic plan, which was developed with the input of operators across Ontario, will allow us grow and become more powerful so we can go to Government to resolve these issues.
We know that many of you are curious to know how our t-shirt and auction fundraisers went. We are excited to say that both were a great success! We also received a lot of feedback on items people would like to see for both the live and silent auctions, and potential new clothing ideas for future fundraisers. We are excited to see what we can bring to the table!
I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for welcoming me with open arms. I also want to give a shout out to Destination Northern Ontario! The Summit was a fantastic event filled with valuable information and fun. I’m glad I got to meet and connect with many of you! It was an amazing experience and I’m very excited that Timmins gets to host this event next year! Going back to my home turf will make this event even more exciting and allow me to share some local experiences with a wide variety of people. Hope to see you all there!
Kate RacicotPolicy Research & Stakeholder Relations Internkate@noto.net
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