Tourism marketing meeting tonight
The first meeting of Seaport Gloucester Destination Marketing Organization (DMO), will be held tonight, following the January Mug-Up, at 6 p.m. on the lower level of Cruiseport Gloucester. Rhonda Woodman, from Woodman's Restaurant in Essex, and Tina Jordan, from The Salem Witch Museum, will share what they do to bring more visitors to their venues and destinations.
A nonprofit launched in 2008, Seaport Gloucester was founded by local business people working voluntarily and cooperatively to increase Gloucester's presence and share in the competitive domestic and global tourism market. Since its inception, the group has creatd its Web site and published the 2009-2010 Discover Gloucester visitor's guide. For information, visit info@seaportgloucester.org.
Varian to broadcart growth presentation
Varian Semiconductor Equipment Associates Inc. (NASDAQ: VSEA) of Gloucester will deliver a presentation at the 12th annual Needham Growth Stock Conference in New York City tomorrow at 3:10 p.m.
A broadcast of the presentation will be available on the company's investor relations page, via its Web site, www.vsea.com.
Varian Semiconductor Equipment Associates Inc. is the leading producer of ion implantation equipment used in the manufacture of semiconductors. The company is headquartered in Gloucester and operates worldwide.
Coldwell salespeople among top 20 of 2009
The Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage office in Manchester has top-producing sales associates Lynda Surdam, Nannie Winslow, Joan McDonald, Alice Miller, Margaret Maher Sheahan, Marianne Round, Jessica Tully, Joan Platt, Bob Brown and Ellen Downey among the top 20-ranked real estate professionals in Manchester in 2009 for total dollar volume sold. Surdam tops the market share list, ranking No. 1 in dollar volume sold, No. 1 in listings sold, and No.1 in sides sold.
Of the top 20 agents in Manchester in 2009, half were affiliated with Coldwell Banker; twice as many as any other residential brokerage represented on the top 20 sales associates list for 2009. All together, these 10 agents sold more than $38 million in Manchester real estate.
"I am very proud of the success these talented sales associates achieved in 2009," said Alyson O'Hara, sales manager of the Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage office in Manchester. "Each of them works very hard to provide exceptional service to their clients and to stay abreast of current market trends. There is no doubt that they will continue this success in the coming year."
Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage is the largest residential real estate brokerage company in New England. For more information please visit www.NewEnglandMoves.com.
Weatherization business workshop ¬
The residential weatherization industry is expected to grow dramatically as utility programs and government incentives make it more affordable for homeowners to make their houses more energy efficient. As a result, millions of dollars are expected to be spent on weatherization, creating a need for more trained contractors. With this in mind, North Shore Community College's Corporate and Community Education Division will host a free workshop on how to start a weatherization business, sponsored by MassGREEN Institute, on Wednesday, Jan. 27, from 6 to 9 p.m. at NSCC's Institute for Corporate Training and Technology, 100 Cummings Center, Suite 121E, Beverly.¬
The weatherization business workshop, the first in a series on energy efficiency topics, will feature industry experts from MassGREEN covering topics including an overview on "weatherization" and the kind of work, training, equipment, licenses, certifications and insurance required for starting a weatherization business.¬
The MassGREEN Institute, hosted by Springfield Technical Community College (STCC) and funded by the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, is a comprehensive statewide partnership of all 15 Massachusetts community colleges working with industry employers, nonprofit agencies and government entities, to develop and deliver workforce training in energy efficiency and building sciences.
Seating is limited.¬ To register, please call NSCC's Corporate and Community Education Division at 978-236-1200 or email Lisa Higgins at lhiggins@northshore.edu. For more information on Sustainable Green Building programs at NSCC, go to www.northshore.edu/community
Visitors Bureau hosts Tourism Conference
On Friday, Jan. 29, the region's largest travel and hospitality industry event will be hosted by the North of Boston Convention and Visitors Bureau at the Peabody Marriott, 8A Centennial Drive, from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., bringing together tourism and creative economy business leaders and anyone intersted in growing their share of the $654 billion dollar travel industry.
There will be breakfast and lunch keynotes. Eight concurrent seminars led by travel and tourism professionals focus on marketing essentials, such as using industry forecasts, lifestyle and travel trends data, marketing ideas, smart strategies for the internet, social media, multi-generational and international marketing; and making key connections with new business partners, new packaging plans and more.
Cape Ann sponsors include the Woodman's of Essex and the Schooner Thomas E. Lannon. The conference is open for registration. For more information, call 978-977-7760, or visit www.northofbostoncvb.org/conference.
