Spanaway business people of the 723 Networking group hosted Bennish Brown, CEO of the Tacoma Regional Convention and Visitors Bureau (TRCVB). Andrea Mensink, the Business Development Manager came along as well.

Bennish was asked to talk about his first impressions and observations, before he becomes “emotionally attached” to the community. Here are his comments:

1)      Dogs rule – everyone seems to have a dog and bring it with them everywhere they go.

2)      Everyone claims the mountain (Rainier) as their own – it is in logos and marketing for many businesses, cities and counties.

3)      We use the state sanctioned license plates and holders. Being from South Carolina, Bennish claims the license plate holders there cannot always be repeated in public and their front plates are often self designed.

4)      We lie about our weather. He says we have an amazing and moderate climate. We should be telling everyone what a great place this is to visit any time of year.

5)      We can do stuff on Sundays. Many parts of the nation still have blue laws and businesses are closed on Sundays. Here, you can do almost anything on Sunday as on any other day. He noted his wife was tickled to be able to make an appointment on Sunday to have her nails done.

The average traveler to Pierce County comes from Oregon, California, or British Columbia, is about 45 years old and brings 1 child. They are highly educated, often connected to the military or attending meetings. They are looking for group tours. They want access to a list of local attractions, a calendar of events, fairs and festivals. They like historical sites, nightlife, outdoor attractions, deals, state parks, waterways and beaches. Many of them drive here.

He noted that Spanaway and Elk Plain are on a prime destination route to Mount Rainier and should be able to capitalize on that using the resources of the bureau. But Spanaway is also at a disadvantage because most of the funding for the TRCVB comes from hotel taxes and cities, we have neither to put in a plug for us. In fact, one member pointed out the pull down menu on the site fails to list the Parkland or Spanaway communities as destinations.

Tourism is the fourth largest industry in the state of Washington, but the state defunded the tourism budget a couple years ago. The word “hotel” came up many times during the meeting. Except for the tiny Redwood Motel, the entire area is completely devoid of hotel space.

The 723 Networking group will continue to discuss how to promote the great things Spanaway has to offer, participate with the tourism industry and to let visitors know they’re on the map.

 “723 Networking – building business PRIDE in GREATER Spanaway”