Listen on: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcast, Spotify
Chris Romer from the Vail Valley Partnership was referred to me when Frank Kenny was on the Chamber Chat Podcast. Chris and the VVP do a great job collecting meaningful data from their membership that they then use to develop new programs that fill a need for their members and drive economic success. Chris stresses the importance of making data informed decisions, and not just following a hunch or what seems like a good idea to your staff. Some of the ways that the VVP collects data is from visits to businesses, surveys, flash polling, and listening sessions. They utilize thematic questions which allows them to identify common themes or needs to focus on.
In this interview, Chris and I talk about some of the member needed programs, how they came to be, what need they filled, and how the programs have played out. You can click here to see the many programs that the VVP offers. The ones we focus on for our discussion are: My Partner Career Network, One Valley Healthcare Program, and Lodging Quality Assurance Program.
My Partner Career Network: This is a trailing spouse program. Often a person will be transferred to the Vail Valley for a new job and their spouse makes the move with them but does not have a job before making the move. With the My Partner Career Network, the “trailing spouse” is able to get their resume in front of the businesses that are a good fit for them within this network of members. This program obviously helps the family that is relocating. It also helps the businesses and HR departments that are looking to hire quality candidates. It is also a benefit to the business that made the hire for the initial spouse to offer this program to help the spouse with job placement. The My Partner Career Network has had a 90% success rate for job placement!
One Valley Healthcare Program: This program came about because many of the member businesses in the VVP are small businesses where providing healthcare benefits can be difficult. The One Valley Healthcare Program is an Association Healthcare Plan that allows for group rates for purchasing healthcare in a shared network. This program was implemented in November of 2018 but most people are already seeing a 50-60% savings on their healthcare costs.
Lodging Quality Assurance Program: This program has been in existence for over 20 years. The Vail Valley is a tourist driven area and over 20 years ago, the VVP noticed that some of the area lodging reviews in magazines were taking a dip to lower ratings than they were content with. This was before online reviews were popular. In response to this problem, the VVP created a 100 point checklist for their area hotels and condos to work through before being inspected and rated. These ratings can then be shared with the property owners, visitors, and with those making reservations. This program created a standard for lodging in the area to live up to and to create consistency in the industry. There is both member and non-member pricing but this program has really gained momentum to the point where every place of lodging in the area participates.
To learn more about these great member needed programs and the others offered by the VVP, you can reach out to Chris Romer by email at cromer@visitvailvalley.com, by phone at 970-477-4016 or you can connect on Facebook or LinkedIn.
If you have a need for a publisher for your next Chamber Directory or Map, please consider Community Matters, Inc. as a partner with their turnkey system, award winning quality, and great reputation.
