Courier January Courier | Page 16

BUSINESS The Interview INDUSTRY INSIGHTS FROM NTA MEMBERS Part of a DMO team BY BOB ROUSE Greg Edevane is the director of global development for Brandywine Valley, the official tourism agency for Chester County, located in the southeast corner of Pennsylvania. The DMO represents more than 500 tourism-related businesses in the county and also has members in other parts of Pennsylvania and in other states. Courier caught up with Edevane to learn more about how DMOs orchestrate the effort to bring more visitors to an area. a higher average daily rate for our lodg- ing partners, increased visitation for our attractions, etc. A positive economic impact for our destination is the goal. Greg Edevane Director of global development Brandywine Valley Courier: How do local suppliers benefit from the work your office performs? Edevane: All of our sales and marketing efforts drive visitors and planners to our website, brandywinevalley.com. The site is pretty dynamic and not only lists our partners, but it also has a rather exten- sive calendar of events. There are sug- gested itineraries, partner packages and tools for planning, such as images and other resources. And of course, there is also lead generation for our partners. Courier: What does success look like for you? Edevane: Anything that moves the needle —whether it’s increased occupancy or 14 Janua