CW President Says Collaboration is Key; Announces Visitor Center Changes

CW President Says Collaboration is Key; Announces Visitor Center Changes

By Kimberly Lenz Wednesday, May 26, 2010

The CW Visitor Center: same building, bigger mission. (Photo courtesy of the CWF.)

Colonial Williamsburg President Colin Campbell had lots of news Tuesday morning when he addressed his and wife Nancy’s annual community leaders breakfast at the Williamsburg Lodge.

As is customary at the event, Campbell reflected on the past year and spoke of CW's immediate plans to reinvest in its tourism product. He stressed a collaborative spirit and imaginative reinvestment in the Historic Triangle as the right way to improve the economy and sustain what defines the area: "Our community character and superior quality of life."

Campbell said the Historic Triangle Collaborative, a group of Triangle government and business leaders who formed to promote the Jamestown 2007 celebration and have stayed on task since, has concluded the best marketing comes from visitors who have had their experiences here meet or exceed expectations.

Building on that is key, he said, but presents its own challenges.

Praise for leaders

Campbell singled out several community leaders, among them outgoing Williamsburg city councilman Bobby Braxton and the two who were just elected, planning commissioner Doug Pons and recent William and Mary
graduate Scott Foster. He lauded Bob Hersherger, who recently left his position as executive vice president of the Greater Williamsburg Area Chamber and Tourism Alliance, to take over Leadership Historic Triangle, a program the chamber runs.

Campbell had special praise for two others who will leave their posts: Williamsburg Mayor Jeanne Zeidler and James City County Administrator Sandy Wanner.

Of Zeidler, Campbell said, "Jeanne has served Williamsburg with incredible energy, insight and a deep commitment to all of its citizens. Her work as the executive director of Jamestown 2007 was nothing short of extraordinary."

Wanner earned a quip: "Sandy has been a rock with brains and temperament. Good Marine Corps training. His intelligent and effective administrative skills steadied public policy during a period of rapid growth and difficult choices for James City County."

Both, he said, "understand that collaboration makes us strong. They know that working together enables us to better weather the economic storms, to deal with adversity, but also to help us take advantage of opportunities when they come our way."

"That character and quality of life comes with a cost. It requires constant reinvestment," Campbell said. “'Williamsburg' means something; it has value. Devalue it and we pay a price.

"Increase its value, on the other hand, through investment and collaboration – we all stand to gain. At Colonial Williamsburg we intend to do both."

Campbell announced the CW Visitor Center, which welcomed some 1.8 million visitors last year, will get a significant makeover in appearance and mission.

The center will become a gateway for visitors to the Historic Triangle, not just CW, a transformation Campbell said will "more fully realize its potential to meet the needs of travelers and to promote the Historic Triangle as a multi-faceted destination as it has for more than 50 years.

"We will update and expand on regional information available at the center about attractions, lodging and dining, locate that information in
a prominent space and make design improvements which will draw even more visitors to it," he said.

Changes are expected to begin soon, with improvements phased in over what he hopes will be a busy summer for the traveling public.

It will be an absolutely busy summer at CW. Other plans include restoring and relocating its iconic Robertson’s windmill (read a story about that here), and expanding its partnership with Preservation Virginia to nominate the Historic Triangle as a world heritage site.

The Historic Area will also see the beginning of a new attraction, reconstruction of James Anderson's Blacksmith Shop and Public Armoury. A $4.5 million gift from new CW Foundation trustee Forrest Mars, Jr. - who financed the Charlton's Coffeehouse reconstruction - is making this possible. An archaeological dig on the site will begin this summer. Read more about the project here.

Campbell also touched on the new collaboration with the Virginia Arts Festival, and plans for the Run for the Dream marathon and half-marathon in 2011. Both efforts rely on a regional effort, he said, with regional gains as the result.

"A look at the context in which we are doing business today suggests ample reason for reasserting the importance of collaboration or, as
Benjamin Franklin put it, hanging together in order that we do not hang separately," Campbell said.

Comments

+3 #14 Guest 2010-05-27 11:59

I must agree it is very ironic that a group of small business people wanted to open an "Information Center" with signs on Interstate 64 and now CW has decided to open its Visitor Center to "everyone" in business in the area. Supporters of CW are constantly telling all of us small businesspeople that if it wasn't for CW we all wouldn't be here. Well, if it wasn't for the Rockafellers in the 1930's, CW wouldn't be here either. So, let's stop playing that fear game and leave that up to the politicians in Washington DC. Hotels, Restaurants and retail shops provide a needed service. Without them we would all be waiting in 3 hour lines to get lunch or visitors would be sleeping in their cars in July or August. Collaboration is a two way street and the players that keep preaching this are the ones that control the local tax dollars. I need more marketing money this year, will the City give me some of my taxes back in order to market my establishment like they do CW with their "marketing donation" of $1.4 million. I can go on and on about broken promises. My point is that old saying, "Proof is in the Pudding". All I have heard from CW the last 10+ years is we are doing this and that and we see positive things coming our way. CW sells about half the tickets it did in its heyday. I read that the local hotel and restaurant associations asked to be included in the Historic Triangle Collaborative and were nicely dismissed as not needed since their member's interests were already represented.... ..Where? By Whom? You mean because CW has 3 hotels and a few restaurants, they can represent the entire area?? How convenient!! Once again, saying Collaboration and being Collaborative seems to mean two different things in Williamsburg. Stick to the facts, Tourism revenues have been declining(hotel , restaurant, retail, etc.)for longer than just the current economic downturn, CW's ticket sales have tanked(increase s in the foundation's donor list have little impact on the growth of our local economy), and CW continues to label itself a living and breathing museum. It is my understanding that museums nationwide have hit hard times, WHY? Could it be that the lady of the house, who statistically makes the vacation decisions for the family 90% of the time, wants something more entertaining for the children than a MUSEUM (Guess why the Beach sounds better or even Busch Gardens). Common Sense would dictate that Product Positioning is critical and it seems the marketing people at CW think its fun to go to a museum with a couple of kids whose attention span is all of 30 seconds. How about calling CW an attraction again? I only have one question: Williamsburg made its economic success in the past catering to young families (Middle America). I see and hear what Busch Gardens is doing to lure that target group, but what does CW do to lure and what does it do to entertain these value minded families within their modest budget (they don't have thousands to donate)??

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+3 #13 Guest 2010-05-27 10:59

If you walk into the WHMA's Greater Williamsburg Visitor Center today. You can get information about EVERYTHING that the historic triangle has to offer. You can buy tickets to ALL of the major attractions. You can make hotel reservations at nearly 70 lodging facilities. You can get coupons and directions to ALL of the WARA restaurants. The staff will also give recommendations ,directions,pho ne numbers,maps and genuine hospitality to anyone that walks thru the door. The do not require any studies, or plans, or permits. The work is done and it is operating today as an all inclusive visitor center. All they need is to get some signs built which they already have designed and only need a letter of approval and they can have the signs up in 30 days or less. How much does all of this cost the taxpaying citizen. NOTHING! It only requires what people like Colin Campbell refer to as Collaboration.

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+4 #12 Guest 2010-05-27 09:00

I am looking forward to hearing in the months ahead what CW intends to do and what they deliver on with respect to the expanded offerings. Sounds very similar to what was reported weeks ago by WYDaily. The report described what the Williamsburg Hotel & Motel Association (WHMA) had created in Williamsburg. On that note - I think we all should be very proud to have the WHMA in our destination. They realized the importance of a TRUE visitor center and set out to create just that. A center the equally, and without out a fee, represents all those that chooses to display their respective business. I wish WHMA all the success deserved of an organization that demonstrate the virtues of the American entrepreneurial spirit. I believe that WHMA provides great opportunity for the traveling public to learn about all that is available in Williamsburg thus causing them to stay and stay longer.

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+5 #11 Guest 2010-05-27 07:47

In time we will see how Collaborative CW is with their "visitor center". But let's be clear on one point. The only reason they are even discussing an inclusive regional visitor center is because the WHMA got a little to close to getting interstate signage approved for their visitor center. This is simply the power structure protecting their own. I'm sure the local hotels and restaurants will get a nice brochure rack in a dark corner next to the Janitors closet. I bet a dollar they don't do a thing for 6 months. Any takers? WHMA is ready to go now and is in an area that has much higher traffic. Why not have both?

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+3 #10 Guest 2010-05-27 05:32

That oreilly guy hit the nail on the head! I've attended no less than ten of these breakfasts at CW and every year the message is the same- lets work together. We need to realize that means only one thing in Williamsburg, that all of us peons should refrain from expressing our needs and support blindly the Collaborative process between the City and CW. After all, why do we have to keep talking about collaboration if its possible to just get it done?

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+2 #9 Guest 2010-05-26 21:46

Laura: Give CW a chance?!?! Their decades-old, head-in-the-san d, me-first attitude is the main cause of the collapse of tourism to the area. They've refused and resisted to change and update their attraction, letting it become stuffy and boring and expensive. They didn't think they had to do anything new because THEY were CW...La De Da! Now thousands of local businesses - hotels, restaurants, souvenir shops, etc - are suffering.

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-5 #8 Guest 2010-05-26 16:04

I am very disappointed in the negative comments of others. I believe that Mr. Campbell and all those involved with policy making at CW are eager to be at the forefront of a united effort to promote the Historic Triangle. Mr. Campbell and others worked in a collaborative way to produce a successful 2007 celebration. Those individuals are eager to perpetuate those efforts for the betterment of all agencies, attractions, lodges, and dining facilities. For those that are always criticizing CW, why not take a broader view of the value and class it brings to our community. Give CW a chance.

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+3 #7 Guest 2010-05-26 15:21

I am happy for those who attended Campbell's breakfast and came away with a feeling of being included in the community because that is as close as your going to get. Behind the smoke-screen of collaboration are the same empty promises made over the past half a century. Whenever the tourism industry has a blip to the downside,the localities and the attractions talk about the need to work together. This is a good concept but if you look at the individuals and/or organizations controlling the collaborating process you will find few,if any, independent business men. Today's Historic Triangle Collaborative that Campbell refers to is filled with politicians and others who really do not have a businessman's point of view.
I have heard this collaborative message many times and, at the end of the day, Colonial Williamsburg, College of William and Mary, Busch Gardens, Jamestown/Yorkt own, the City and the County, all go about protecting themselves to the exclusion of their "partners".
This is, and always has been, because there has never been enough business influence in this community to seriously collaborate on tourism.
What we always see is institutional representatives gathering to put up a good face but in the end achieve nothing. I know this and I say this because guess what- wasn't that the theme of this breakfast? And look at the people he singled out for past achievements- any business men there?
what you need to know is that Collaboration in this community means one thing- get out and help the "Big Boys" when they are in trouble!

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+3 #6 Guest 2010-05-26 12:05

We'll have to wait and see if CW actually (and finally!) wants to be a local team player. To date, they have deliberately not collaborated much at all with other local establishments.

Too bad it has taken the tough economy to bring them to this point, where they finally are beginning to see how their survival depends upon it.

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+2 #5 Guest 2010-05-26 09:30

So nice that Colonial Williamsburg does something except sit around and complain!
For 35 years guests at my restaurant and now my Bandb(Bed and bagel)have thoroughly loved their visits here
.Too many people just want to ride on CW"s work to get people here.

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