What’s the best way to advance an organization? Retreat. A board retreat that is. Many of us have heard of board retreats and in planning for the first ever Visit Cook County retreat, the work done in advance is equally as important as gathering a busy group of board members.
Being a younger organization of eight years and having achieved incredible growth and increased tourism traffic were a couple of reasons a board retreat was necessary. Number one for me? I wanted to offer the Visit Cook County (VCC) team and board members the opportunity to step away from their day-to-day business and provide a chance to exhale and consider the work of our organization.
Hosting a retreat in Cook County comes with its own mixed bag of consideration but one of the best is the ability to disconnect with a drive inland—up the Gunflint Trail. And let’s not forget gathering a group of very busy individuals that serve on the boards of our local not for profits in addition to running their own businesses. A retreat should not be a burden, and to my delight the vast majority of our board was able to attend.
Visit Cook County recently had a board retreat for staff and board members. Taking part in that retreat were, starting in the front from L-R: Katie Krantz, Emily Haussner, Molly O’Neill, Visit Cook County; Pascha Apter, Giant Voices; Linda Jurek, Kjersti Vick, Visit Cook County. Back L-R: Roz Randorf, Dale Carnegie (facilitator); Anna Klobuchar, Visit Cook County; Frank Vecchio, Grand Portage Lodge & Casino; Jennifer Kennedy, East Bay Suites; Jim Vick, Charles Skinner, Lutsen Mountains; Dave Tersteeg, Grand Marais Rec Park; Dave Seaton, Hungry Jack Outfitters; Dennis Rysdahl, Bluefin Bay Family of Resorts; Nancy Burns, Scott Harrison, Lutsen Resort; Beth Kennedy, Birchbark Books & Gifts; Lisa Bodine, Giant Voices (facilitator). Visit Cook County board members absent from photo: Tom McAleer, Cascade Lodge; Zach Baumann, Golden Eagle Lodge; and Mike Larson, Cascade Vacation Rentals.
The retreat also served as an opportunity for the team at Visit Cook County to provide thoughtful reflection on their area of expertise including marketing, events, communications, finance and info center operation. The retreat was set up in a sharing circle format with the opportunity to provide verbal and written feedback. Each team member provided a report and was able to receive feedback from our knowledgeable board leaders.
The VCC team reviewed the feedback and provided a brief report prior to kick-off of the day two-work session. Some of the suggested highlights and directives include:
. A review of our mission and vision
. To focus on sustainable tourism growth with a focus on our slower occupancy months
. Better identifying the role that Visit Cook County has in supporting local events
. Improving our metric analytics for our marketing efforts
. Improved communications with Visit Cook County stakeholders on everything from vacancies to the most popular visitor information requests to promotional opportunities and news alerts
. Share marketing campaigns and initiatives
On behalf of Visit Cook County, a big thanks to the board of directors for providing leadership to continue the growth of tourism in Cook County.
Linda Jurek is the executive director of Visit Cook County. Linda is a 1978 graduate of Cook County High School. She lived much of her adult life in Duluth where she raised a family, returning home when her current position was offered to her.
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