Dutchess Tourism, Inc. (DTI) will host four Lunch & Learn Seminars on Wednesdays from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m., February 16 and 23, and March 2 and 16. These free seminars are geared toward tourism-related businesses but are open to all. At the in-person seminars in March, attendees will have the opportunity to network with one another and the speakers.
Wednesday, February 16: Understanding Disability Culture
Location: Virtual
Taconic Resources for Independence will present on the following topics so that attendees can better serve all customers: an overview of disability statistics, history of the disability rights movement, language usage, attitudinal barriers persons with disabilities face that impede societal acceptance and deepen stigma, the office environment and disability etiquette, deaf culture, and communicating with people who are deaf.
Wednesday, February 23: Creating a Supportive Environment
Location: Virtual
Through the Think DIFFERENTLY initiative, Dutchess County continues to strive to create a supportive environment for all individuals with special needs. Anderson Center Consulting will share information about this often-untapped customer group and how to create a welcoming and inclusive environment for individuals with autism and other neurodiversities. During this virtual workshop, Anderson Center's consultant will help attendees create a list of actionable steps toward making their business/organization more supportive. Small changes can go a long way toward creating a more inclusive environment for autistic individuals and their families.
Wednesday, March 2: From Soil to Social, Organically Growing Your Social Media Influence
Location: Le Chambord at Curry Estate, Hopewell Junction
Andrew Mendez-Spera, founder and CEO of award-winning marketing and creative agency, Tipsy Social, will discuss what it takes for businesses to build a winning social media strategy and organically grow influence by keeping their audience craving their content. Attendees will define a purpose for each social media platform and what they need to do to cultivate an engaged fan base and develop a creative strategy to build brand awareness and engage their audience in conversation.
Wednesday, March 16: The Ins & Outs of Working with Film & Television Productions
Location: Revel 32, Poughkeepsie
With an increasing number of television and film productions discovering the many benefits of filming in Dutchess County, now is the ideal time to learn the ins and outs of working with the film industry. Hudson Valley Film Commission Founder and Director Laurent Retjo will be on hand to discuss the many ways the film commission assists productions and how local people and area businesses can get involved.
To register and learn more about DTI’s Lunch & Learn series, visit DutchessTourism.com/lunch-learn-series. Those interested do not have to attend all four presentations in order to participate.
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About Dutchess Tourism
Dutchess Tourism, Inc. is the officially designated destination marketing organization for Dutchess County and is accredited by the Destination Marketing Accreditation Program (DMAP) of Destinations International. It is an independent 501c6 non-profit organization that works to bring tourism dollars to area businesses by marketing and promoting the assets of Dutchess County to the nation and the world. The office is located at 3 Neptune Road in the Town of Poughkeepsie with 16 Tourist Information Centers located around Dutchess County. The website is www.DutchessTourism.com and they can be reached at 845-463-4000. Dutchess Tourism, Inc. is partially funded by monies received from the County of Dutchess.
Dutchess Tourism, Inc., operating as Film Dutchess in the industry, offers various support efforts to all manner of productions looking to film in the county. For more information, visit DutchessTourism.com/film-in-dutchess.
