Kevin Triplett, Tennessee Department of Tourist Development commissioner, visited the Tellico Village welcome center Thursday afternoon as part of a series of visits to local communities since getting named to the position in March.
“I have a goal of visiting all 95 counties in Tennessee through April of next year,” Triplett said. “So far, this visit is either our 59th or 60th out of all 95 counties.”
John Cherry, public relations manager with the Tellico Village Property Owners Association, made a presentation about living in East Tennessee.
Joe Bogardus, a Tellico Village resident who previously worked in advertising, has worked alongside Cherry to assist with the POA’s rebranding and marketing efforts since 2013.
“The third year will conclude at the end of this month,” Bogardus said during the presentation. “We have been very successful.”
Cherry said the Tellico Village brand was dormant for 10 years before the 2013 relaunch, which has included a new website, an advertising campaign, an increased focus on social media and attendance to various expos and shows through the year.
Cherry said property values in the Village have increased by 13.6 percent.
“Congratulations,” Triplett said after Cherry finished his presentation. “There’s a lot of communities that have stopped the drop but can’t get the increase that you’ve all seen.”
Cherry said the social atmosphere of the Village and an attitude of volunteerism were two of the community’s greatest strengths.
“There’s no question that you get nowhere without the community buy-in,” Triplett said. “We also use real people in our own advertising. They are not actors.”
Bogardus stressed the importance of keeping the brand in front of people once a lead has been generated.
“The annual cost per lead is $70,” Bogardus said. “Our web rate conversion is 1.5 percent. We’re doing a very good job we feel as far as getting our message to the people.”
“Aging in place is a huge initiative for us,” Cherry said about peoples’ desire to possibly downsize as they grow older.
Bogardus spoke about another thing that makes Tellico Village “unique.”
“About 40 percent of our funding is from external sources,” Bogardus said.
Triplett said he is working to promote the “soup to nuts” program for the state of Tennessee by attracting visitors to the state as children so when they become parents, they will want to bring their own children back to the state.
“We focus on vacation, memories and retirement,” Triplett said. “We promote the family experience, the scenic view, our history and our culture.”
Since visiting different counties throughout the state, Triplett said he’s been impressed with the people he has met in local communities.
“It’s pretty amazing,” Triplett said. “I haven’t been surprised at all, but I have been amazed a lot of different times. It reinforces what we have in the state and how diverse we are.”
Triplett spoke about how much Tennessee has to offer in natural beauty.
“It’s incredible the assets we have here,” Triplett said.
After visiting downtown Loudon earlier that day, he said the area was a “neat little community.”
“Our guests — we don’t call them tourists — love towns like that,” Triplett said. “They enjoy seeing ice cream shops and antique stores along the street like that.”
“I’m impressed with what I’ve seen,” Triplett added. “Talking with people and the passion they have. That’s what drives it, who they are and what they have.”
