It's your story: tell The Rural Tourist about the War of 1812

Keynote speaker Eddie Friel told attendees at a "Beyond the City Lights" tourism conference that the story behind a tourism product must be told, reports Trevor Terfloth of the Chatham Daily News in southern Ontario. Further, says Friel, it is the residents that must define the story, not outsiders. He was referring to the upcoming bicentennial commemoration of the War of 1812. That story must be told and retold to tourists, visitors and residents -- not just at the commemoration.

"Beyond the City Lights" is a series of conferences supported by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food & Rural Affairs. These conferences are to "advance tourism in local communities and provide the opportunity to explore industry trends, hear about tourism success stories and pick up marketing ideas and strategies ". Each conference was developed by a local planning committee.

Roger Brooks' Rule No. 16: Great Stories Make the Campfire Memorable: the rule of telling stories.Your community has stories to tell. They are distinct. They bring people together. They attract visitors. (from "The 25 Immutable Rules of Successful Tourism") Tip 2 from Roger Brooks
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"Loan Eagles" Affect the Rural Knowledge-Based Economy

It is the individuals that are creating business in today's knowledge-based rural economy, says Mr. Paul Blais of Millier Dickinson Blais, and a former municipal economic development manager in Napanee, reports Brian Shypula with the Stratford Beacon Herald, especially in a rural, knowledge-based economy such as Perth County, Ontario. Blais' report is part of a provincial grant with support from the Perth Community Futures Corporation.

"Loan Eagles" are small businesses that are typically run by individuals, often fall under the media radar and grow by one, two or three people at a time. Their impact, however, can be considerable. They would often fall under the category of highly skilled, highly educated, and/or highly paid. The long-term migration of 'loan eagles' (as illustrated by Richard Florida, the George Mason University professor and author of "The Rise of the Creative Class") can, however, be contrary to rural development interests.
The arts/culture/tourism challenge for southern Ontario's Perth, Stratford and St Mary's region is to attract the Loan Eagles. Perhaps they can be lured with opportunities such as Blais' "green tech" businesses and University of Waterloo's Stratford "new digital media" campus.