We live and work in a wonderful place. There is so much to do in the Lakes Region and opportunity abounds for anyone willing to chase their vision. One of the problems I face in my position (a nice problem) is that it is difficult to “peg” our region. There is so much here that to do so is to limit the perception of potential visitors. Given this premise, how do we work together to ensure that we do justice in our marketing?

We are fortunate in the Lakes Region to have two family style newspapers serving as bookends. The Lake Region Suburban Weekly and The Bridgton News each cover a large portion of our geographic area. They are both open to covering local events and each searches for interesting information to publish. They highlight our businesses, events and natural resources. We are fortunate that they are willing to be such great partners and neighbors.

Another media resource we enjoy is the vast amount of town focused newsletters that speak to specific areas. These tools are distributed locally but also have a readership from “away.” These are popular as a way to learn about local events, church suppers and even politics. Step up to a more formalized level and you will enjoy the Regional Activities Guide of Maine. This magazine is published twice yearly and while it covers the entire state, it has a focus on our region. This is one of the more popular items we give away at my Chamber. The Chamber Area Guide represents you and is given to all who visit the Chamber, mailed to all who call. 35,000 copies spread about the world. Finally, I could not discuss literature concerning this region without pointing out the importance of Lake Living. Lake Living is published quarterly by Almanac Graphics. Editor & Publisher Laurie LaMountain seeks to provide an interesting magazine that highlights the secret we all know, what a great place our region is to live and work in! The magazine is full of local information and supported by business ads. What a joy it is for us to be represented by this publication.

OK, we are tired of all this reading….where else can we look to learn more about spending time in the Lakes Region? Lake Region TV is the video version of marketing for the region. LRTV is continually working to share news, politics and the best of the Lakes Region their efforts. Watching LRTV can help you to understand our schools, history, culture and current events. Their historical and current programs showcase the beauty we enjoy daily. An even more realistic avenue to learn about us is by visiting any of the multiple events that are put on by towns, service groups, non-profits or clubs. We are upon the July 4th holiday season and towns like Naples and Bridgton are preparing to host big parties. The Portland Symphony will again be at Shawnee Peak and the Bridgton Rotary will again host The Great Duck Race. Events like the 4 on the Fourth Road Race in Bridgton and Fireworks in Naples serve to bring people to town. We hope that they are intrigued enough to stay through the day but we can work to make that happen by creating more to do such as Bridgton’s Pondicherry Day Family Festival. Of course to create events such as Naples Fourth Of July Celebration, you must have people willing to serve on planning committees and to do the work.

In closure, I want to list The Greater Bridgton Lakes Region Chamber Of Commerce Information Center as a key to sharing information about the region. At some point in past history the businesses of the Lakes Region decided it was important to have a year-round resource to represent the business and tourist interests for all. The Information Center is open yearly, because you wanted it done so. While it is staffed year-round, we also are blessed to have about 20 volunteers (unpaid) who serve in a variety of functions to help represent you. This is done by fielding calls (44 states and 11 countries in 2004) and sending information out around the state, country and world. This is an Information Center that supports you and works with all the entities listed earlier. Marketing the Lakes Region is a challenge if only for the geographic size and complexity of what we have to offer. From the resources listed above, we have a good start.