Sedona Main Street
Program nominates the Sedona Chamber of Commerce Visitor Center
renovation and recreation of their Visitor Center for Arizona Main
Street 2008 Awards for Best Economic Restructuring Project.
The Sedona Chamber
of Commerce has been the voice of business in our community since
1949. The Visitor Center was a 965 square foot single-story building
since it opened in 1956. Severely outdated and structurally
compromised, with insufficient capacity to meet current demand, the
Visitor Center desperately needed a new home. Since the
Visitor
Center
is the first opportunity to welcome visitors to Sedona, its’ decision
to retain the original location rather than relocate was critical to
the Main Street District.
The plan for
rebuilding the
Visitor
Center at the existing location guaranteed a long-term tourism
marketing appeal by presenting a professional, welcoming image of
Sedona to visitors within Uptown. The new 1100 square-foot building
includes a state-of-the-art structure that utilizes technology,
maximizes space, enhances the visitor experience, allows for
opportunities to develop new tourism product through trainings
conducted onsite. The improvements include efficient work areas,
accommodating visitor space and access inside and out, updated public
restrooms (in partnership with the City), better signage, a pedestrian
plaza with seating and umbrellas (donated by a local business), in
addition to building and landscape aesthetics.
The Visitor Center
is a testament to the Chamber’s commitment to environmental
sustainability; their “green building” improvements:
Reclaiming and re-using 76% of the existing building
materials;
Flooring material made of recycled materials;
Waterless urinals in public restrooms;
Energy saver lighting – lighting on a dimmer system
utilizing
energy on a demand basis;
Information via internet kiosk system reducing the amount of
printed materials needed;
Low-water-use landscaping and native plants; and
Environmentally harmonious architecture
The state-of-the-art
Internet kiosks maximize space, enhance the visitor experience, and
allow for tech-savvy, up-to-date information to visitors about the
region and the state – 24/7. This was made possible by a partnership
with the Arizona Office of Tourism’s Rural Tourism Development Grant
award for $60,000. Innovative features are:
1.
Customized software allows businesses to update listings with photos,
specials, amenities, directions and maps
2.
Short
Messaging System (SMS) allows visitors to text information immediately
to their PDA or cell phone
3.
Voice
Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) allows visitors to connect with
businesses directly to book a room or make a reservation
4.
Automated email reporting notifies businesses of monthly user sessions
and tracking
5.
Customized software allows for future remote placement of kiosks
6.
“Book
a Room Now” functionality allows visitors to view available room
inventory and make a reservation for that evening (or week) directly
with properties
7.
The
Outdoor Kiosk provides full-service visitor information 24 hrs/day, 7
days a week
The Internet kiosks installed in March 2008 showed success
immediately. Within the first two months of operation, they resulted
in:
7,175 Member
Directory Page Views
70 Short Message
Systems sent
155 phone calls made
20% additional Experience Sedona Guides distributed
16% additional visitors served at the
Visitor Center
The Chamber Visitor
Center use of cutting edge technology that serves visitors and
automatically tracks referrals for businesses has the potential to be
used on a global basis. It is certain to provide consistent revenue
generation as well as greater Sedona exposure.
Since tourism is the
primary industry in Sedona, the area’s economic well-being is directly
related to the caliber of service that is provided by the Chamber
Visitor Center and has a major impact on business, income and growth
of the area. We know that a well-informed visitor will spend more
money in the community and have a positive financial impact on our
economy.
The new
Visitor Center provides a broad tourism marketing appeal by offering
visitors to Sedona a first class experience, and draws visitors into
the Main Street District. The new building encourages and entices
visitors to positively impact the economy of Sedona.
Photo
(pdf) Attachment
