Valley Forge Tourism & Convention Board (VFTCB) leaders and staff warmly welcomed tourism-related representatives from across Montgomery County to its May 8 annual luncheon.

The event — using the tagline Travel Forward — looked not only back over the past 12 months of tourism marketing efforts but also forward to a successful and engaging spring-summer travel season.

News

The VFTCB assembly was at Commonwealth National Golf Club, Horsham, where news announcements covered:

• The May 27 and June 10 presentations of The American Revolution, outdoors at Washington Memorial Chapel, onsite at Valley Forge National Historical Park
• A third edition of Crave Montco Month for July. This four-week culinary celebration of Montgomery County’s varied dishes will have nearly 2,000 participating restaurants
• The Montco Jazz Fest, which will be incorporated in the organization’s third annual Arts Montco Week, Sept. 20 to Oct. 1. The 2023 edition — encompassing dozens of performances across the county — will unfold under the theme Women in Jazz
• The Sept. 29 to Oct. 22 return of Cirque du Soleil to the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center at Oaks. The Cirque performers for this edition will be organized under the title “Bazzar.”

Economic Impact

Mike Bowman, VFTCB President and CEO, commented, “Here in Montco, we’re beyond proud to see how tourism continues to move forward.

“This industry remains a huge positive economic driver in Montgomery County. In 2022, we’re estimating that hospitality contributed more than $1.5 billion, and more than 25,000 jobs. And, we’re forecasting that by the end of this year, we’ll exceed 2019 levels for tourism spend.”

Sports

Among the initiatives contributing to that overall success is Valley Forge Sports, the organization’s brand for bringing competitions from across the U.S. here.

The Valley Forge Sports team has queued up what is projected to be a record summer of activity, including:

• U.S. Youth Soccer, which will generate more than 5,000 room nights (nearly $5 million in economic impact), the largest single sporting event in Montgomery County has ever seen.
• The soccer contribution joins other USA-organized events to produce 12,500 room nights (40,000 room nights in total) this summer. That volume will pump more than $10 million in economic impact onto the balance sheets of area sports-tourism-related businesses.

Marketing for Summer 2023

The VFTCB staff also gave attendees a sneak peek at its summer video media campaign.

The marketing message here is that Montgomery County is a worthy destination for travelers up and down the East Coast (and beyond) seeking family-friendly itineraries.

The campaign is being data driven, using consumer research statistics to ensure the video content reaches the most likely visitors apt to choose this corner of the state for a summer vacation.

On the Lighter Side

The luncheon wasn’t all Travel Forward business; the VFTCB enabled guests to engage with several unique experiences:

• Hot-air balloon rides
• A banner-plane flyover from High Exposure, Inc., a New Jersey aerial advertising firm
• The Hatboro-Horsham High School color guard
• Music from the Hailey Brinnel Quartet, Philadelphia
• Photos with Monty the Fox, VFTCB mascot

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Video look at Washington Memorial Chapel, site of a free, outdoor theatrical presentation this summer.