[L]ike the weekend weather, Vermont’s new campaign to entice nonresidents to move here is off to a cool start.
Organizers note, however, that this is but the first of four scheduled weekends this year for people interested in becoming Vermonters to take part of the Stay-to-Stay initiative.
During a long weekend, participants thinking of moving here will receive advice and one-on-one assistance from community leaders, real estate agents, employers and potential neighbors in the Brattleboro, Bennington or Rutland regions.
“It could be the weather,” Matt Harrington, executive director of the Bennington Area Chamber of Commerce, said Friday of the humble participation figures for the first weekend.
After some cancellations, he said no visitors were expected this weekend in Bennington; one woman had another commitment and wants to visit later in the spring.
The program was only announced in late March and is considered “a pilot of a pilot” effort, which the state will continue in future years depending on the level of success, Harrington said. In general, he said he’s encouraged by the level of interest thus far.
The Bennington/Manchester area was selected as one of the first to be highlighted, Harrington said, because of its proximity to major metropolitan areas, including New York and Boston, and the Capital District area around Albany, N.Y.
Wendy Knight, Vermont commissioner of Tourism and Marketing, said Friday that a dozen people had signed up for Stay-to-Stay this weekend, but because of late cancellations, the figure was down to about half that number, split between Rutland and Brattleboro.
Nevertheless, she said, “We’ve had a tremendous response and a significant amount of media interest.”
That includes mentions in U.S. News & World Report, Bloomberg Businessweek and other national or regional outlets, Knight said, and several media representatives expressed interest in visiting Vermont during either the June or August promotional weekend.
Kate O’Connor, executive director of the Brattleboro Area Chamber of Commerce, said 10 people had signed up for Stay to Stay through the state website, but only three visitors were expected to turn out as of Friday afternoon.
The program involves an informal welcoming event on Friday night, she said, and concludes Monday morning with the visitors meeting with local officials, professional contacts or educators, depending on their interests and needs.
The statewide program relies on participation from chambers of commerce and young professional organizations, focusing on different Vermont regions each year.
O’Connor said she expects to have more of an idea of the potential for Stay-to-Stay by Monday. “To me, it’s a wait and see,” she said.
Harrington said the program has generated considerable interest, both in visits to the state’s [ThinkVT] website and in the media.
www.thinkvermont.com
Knight said 26 people having signed up to visit during future Stay-to-Stay weekends.
“Some people just could not come up this weekend,” she said.
Knight said the first goal of the marketing effort was to create interest through use of social media, websites, press announcements and newsletter circulation, but that a more intensive campaign is now being developed and will include advertisements in various media outlets.
“The budget has been just time for our staff and the chamber staffs,” she said.
As for the chilly weather, Knight said an early April start was a topic of conversation among organizers. “That’s the reality in Vermont,” she said. “It could be winter, it could be mud season, it could be summer.”
She said the officials involved will see how the first effort goes and consider adjustments before the June Stay-to-Stay.
In announcing the program March 23, Gov. Phil Scott held a press conference and said it was among the initiatives that he hoped would help reverse a demographic trend in Vermont toward an aging and shrinking population.
“We already know that people express an interest in living here,” Knight said during that press conference, “and so this is designed to get them to come up — kind of a toe in the water. The state hopes to attract 1,000 people who are open to relocating in the first year of the program.”
She said that even if only a fraction of those people actually made the move, the program would be a success.
