As its fiscal year comes to a close, the Valley Forge Tourism & Convention Board’s performance indicators are all on an upward trajectory.

The 2015-16 year marks the first full year of leadership under Mike Bowman, President and CEO of the VFTCB, who was appointed as head of the destination marketing organization last spring.

As its operating year unfolded, the VFTCB has broadened and deepened its reach in promoting Montgomery County as a destination. Some of the initiatives the VFTCB has launched in the past nine months include:

• Destination Montgomery County Weddings, a resource for brides, grooms and their families. Total wedding sales in Montgomery County are expected to be $173 million in 2016.
• Valley Forge Sports, a concentrated effort to attract sport and tournament play to the county. The outreach was kicked off with USA Weightlifting, which brought $1.7 million in economic impact to the area in February. Year-over-year, the Valley Forge Sports Commission’s efforts have resulted in a 31 percent lift in room nights associated with competitions.
• Montco360, a series of virtual tours of 38 destinations across Montgomery County. The online imagery – assembled in strategic partnership with Google – is a vital part of the VFTCB’s information to delegates arriving this summer for the Democratic National Convention.
• Destination Montco Golf, the newest member of the brand family, with its promotion of 54 of the most historic, challenging, and scenic golf courses in the Mid-Atlantic states.

ValleyForge.org has seen an increase in both visitors (73 percent) and page views (64 percent) as a result. VFTCB’s membership figures have also skyrocketed 35 percent. In terms of social media, the organization’s combined number of followers is more than 70,000, up from 30,000 the prior year.

“Our numbers really speak for themselves in affirming that we’re on the right track,” said Bowman. “Our organization is firing on all cylinders in support of both our county and our member-partners. We are at the forefront of the travel-tourism industry.”