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Green Fields

Session Topics

Explore our Tourism Incubator & Accelerator Schedule featuring a series of nine sessions led by industry experts, all designed to empower and support the development of rural North Carolina tourism organizations.

Session

1

Introduction & Entrepreneurship Mindset

2/6/2024

The introductory session covers the entrepreneurial mindset, how to access additional tourism resources, and networking with fellow participants. 

Session

2

Business/Organization Management

2/13/2024

This session looks at mental health in rural businesses/organizations, organizational structures, strategic management of your organization, and a customer profile & journey exercise. 

Session
Date
Topic
Summary
Session 1
Tues. 2/6/2024
Introduction & Entrepreneurship Mindset
The introductory session covers the entrepreneurial mindset, how to access additional tourism resources, and networking with fellow participants.
Session 2
Tues. 2/13/2024
Business/Organization Management
This session looks at mental health in rural businesses/organizations, organizational structures, strategic management of your organization, and a customer profile & journey exercise.
Session 3
Tues. 2/20/2024
Marketing & Sales
This session breaks down the differences between marketing and advertising, how to build a personalized marketing strategy, and a branding exercise where participants are able to establish or tweak their unique brand identity & their brand positioning.
Session 4
Tues. 2/27/2024
Hiring Employees & Staff Management
This session covers the best practices for hiring & staffing in the tourism industry with a special focus on applications for rural tourism businesses and organizations.
Session 5
Tues. 3/5/2024
Collaboration & Relationship Building
This session covers topics that will help build stronger and more collaborative partnerships such as cultural competencies, effective communication, inclusive language, and a personalized tourism partnership exercise.
Session 6
Tues. 3/12/2024
Financial Management
This session looks at an overview of financial management with specific topics such as estimating costs, effective product pricing, and the best practices of bookkeeping.
Session 7
Tues. 3/19/2024
Funding Resources
This session covers all-things-funding, with topics such as accessing funding resources, limitations with funding, identifying your personalized resource needs, advanced funding concepts, and pitching your concept to potential funders.
Session 8
Tues. 3/26/2024
Risk Management, Waivers, & Insurance
This session offers a general overview of risk management for rural tourism businesses and organizations, featuring an exercise for participants to create their own personalized risk management & mitigation plans.
Session 9
Tues. 4/2/2024
Closing
Our closing session will be a celebratory overview of all we have learned, next-steps, and plans for continuing education through one-on-one mentoring sessions.
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