Thank you for continuing to make our season so successful!!
We’re on the final lap of the 2024 season! All shifts have been released up to the Thanksgiving Weekend and we’re all ready to welcome cooler and drier fall days.
It’s often difficult to measure the impact you have when welcoming and engaging with visitors. Let us share two stories that illustrate the important role you play as Ambassadors.
The first happened at the Peach Festival. Visitors from Maryland chatted with our Ambassadors and exchanged stories about their favourite Shaw shows. Ambassadors suggested they go on a backstage tour. They did, and told the Docent (who is also an Ambassador) that they were delighted with the recommendation. It was a perfect way to end their Shaw Festival adventure. An extraordinary visitor experience made possible by an extraordinary team of Ambassadors!
The second happened at the Niagara 5000 event on August 9th. Ambassadors heard complaints from visitors about a lack of security and about event volunteer staff whom they considered to be rude and disrespectful. The event organizers were eager to hear the feedback, indicating it would help them to better prepare for next year. While we always like to pass along positive comments, it’s equally important to report incidents, whether we are involved directly or hear about them from others. Tourism stakeholders tell us this feedback is a key benefit they receive from the Ambassador program.
Now we need to tell you about a challenge facing the Leadership Team.
As Ambassadors, we each agreed to donate time to complete 6 shifts (12 hours) over the 22-week season. Many of us have already exceeded that number, and others are on track to fulfill that commitment with sign-ups between now and October. Thank you all for your continued enthusiastic support.
So here’s the challenge:
Between now and the end of the season on October 14th, 77% of the sign-up opportunities remain open and that increases to 93% in the period from Labour Day to Thanksgiving
While there are still many openings, more than 25% of our Ambassador team have a way to go to achieve their commitment
In order to plan for the rest of the season, we need to know the status of everyone’s time commitment. You can help us by signing up NOW if you are able to volunteer for more shifts. That information will help us ensure we have the resources we need to complete a successful 2024 season.
Of course, we realize life can be full of surprises that change our priorities. Indeed, a few volunteers have already told us they have had to alter their level of support from the original intent. We understand and welcome feedback from anyone else who anticipates a problem.
We’re in the home stretch. Being that welcoming face to visitors really matters.
See you “on the street”!
Laurie and Vlad
LEADERSHIP TEAM NEWS
There are several changes to announce in our Leadership Team.
Later this season, we’ll be saying “farewell” to Lynne Hanna who is starting a new chapter of her life living in Welland. Lynne has been with the Ambassadors since 2022 and was instrumental in developing the Ambassador Training Program. More recently you’ll recognize her handiwork as the Communications Lead and editor of The BEAT Newsletter. “I have loved my time with the NOTL Ambassador Program. I will be cheering you on from the sidelines - and will do random visits just to check in!!”
Thank you, Lynne, for everything you’ve done for the Team and our best wishes for the future.
Kathryn Richard will be taking over Lynne’s role as Communications Lead. She is currently the Secretary for the Leadership Team and Lead on Strategic Planning. Kathryn has generously agreed to continue with these roles, in addition to taking on the Communications role.
Thank you, Kathryn, for your ongoing support of the Leadership Team!
And finally, Shelley McGoldrick has been named “Visitor Experience Supervisor, Tourism NOTL”. She is responsible for the operations of the Visitor Information Counsellors at the front desk, as well as for supporting the Ambassadors. Shelley will replace Mandy Shanks as our “LINK” to Tourism NOTL and will be an active member of the Ambassador Leadership Team. Mandy Shanks will be leaving Tourism NOTL and enjoying a well-deserved break with time to travel. Mandy has provided amazing support to our volunteers and we’ll really miss her. But don’t be surprised to see her back on the street as an Ambassador next year!
Tourism NOTL - What's New?
Update from Shelley - Our Ambassador "Link"
Christmas in July!
Well, we must have been good "kids" in the office because we recently had a lovely surprise visit from Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus! The Santa Claus World Congress took place in Niagara Falls and 17 Santas visited our beautiful town; even a lovely Santa couple from New Jersey stopped into the Tourism office to see us!
The original congress in Denmark started in 1957 and was held every year up until COVID turned the world upside down. Santas, Mrs. Clauses and Elves did what they do best – spread joy, hope and Christmas cheer to the public. Peter Boxall, the Ambassador for the Congress, is turning 90 in July and has always wanted to attend a World Santa Claus Congress here in Canada; so, his sons decided to bring this congress to fruition. It made our day to see them all buzzing around town!
Maia the Sleuth!
This past Wednesday Maia received a phone call from a lady identifying herself by name. This lady and her husband had visited Niagara-on-the-Lake over the last ten years, staying at the same Bed and Breakfast every year. During one of the pandemic years, the B&B hosts had written to her to let her know they were closing. They had exchanged phone numbers, but our visitor found that the number she had noted didn’t work. Now returning to visit NOTL for the first time since the Pandemic, she had hoped to look in on her old friends, but had no idea how to get in touch. After some sleuthing, Maia found an article covering an event hosted by St. Mark's Church. The article mentioned the name of the original B&B host playing a role at the event. She left a message for St. Mark's explaining the situation and received a call back on Thursday morning. The parish administrator shared that they did have a contact for the former B&B owners. She took our visitor's contact information, promising to share it.
On Thursday afternoon, the former B&B owner called the Tourism Office and expressed his thanks for reaching out to St. Mark's, and putting him and his wife back in touch with their long-time friends!
San Francisco Gold!
A gold bracelet was handed in to the office and we placed it in our Lost and Found. That afternoon, a man called to see if one was handed in. It was very precious to him, as it had a family name engraved on it. He picked it up the next morning and we heard his story. He was visiting from San Francisco, was wearing the bracelet and it fell off somewhere downtown. He was so distraught, as it was his brother’s bracelet, who had worn it every day until he passed away in February. He was leaving the next morning to go to Cooperstown where his daughter was performing Opera there. It was quite an emotional moment for us all, as he picked it up and told us the story. It was so nice to be part of his family history. Every day there is something that makes our day worthwhile!
New Visitor Information Counsellor – Pauline Hinch
Pauline joined us in July as a Visitor Information Counsellor and will be working 3 days a week. Pauline and her husband moved to St. Davids in 2013. She enjoys gardening, decorating and flower arranging. Pauline enjoys working with people and her previous occupations included working in Human Resources and Sales. Please welcome Pauline when you visit the Tourism Office.
Maia Aqui
Maia came on board as our Summer Student and will be leaving us on August 30th. She is returning to her third year at the University of Western Ontario to continue her studies in Media and Communications Studies. Maia has been a great addition to our team and we will miss her. Best wishes Maia!
Lost & Found
Just a reminder that we keep a lost and found drawer in the Tourism Office and we log all of the lost and found items in a ledger. If anyone finds an item or if they have lost something and asks for assistance, please let them know about our Lost & Found refer them to our office.
EXPERIENCE NOTL
Community Site Visits Update by Vlad Haltigin
The series of Community Site Visits for this season provided two more memorable opportunities for Ambassadors to learn about the wonderful options Niagara provides for visitors and residents!
The Whirlpool Aerocar
Many visitors to NOTL ask about Niagara Parks and their amazing attractions. On this occasion, Ambassadors experienced the venerable and exhilarating Whirlpool AeroCar, originally opened in 1916. Hovering above a 126-feet drop down to the swirling waters of the whirlpool and its Class 6 rapids, the antique Aerocar goes on its 3,500 feet, 10-minute journey across the Niagara Gorge. In fact, it takes you across the international border between Canada and the United States a total of four times on this journey, due to the way the river elbows! A must-visit experience for a positive rush of adrenalin to create another memory for a lifetime.
The Niagara Glen and Nature Centre
Just up the Niagara Parkway is the Niagara Glen, where Ambassadors learned about the importance of the educational and environmental stewardship of the Glen and its many pathways, located 86-steps down a stairway to its trails & pristine forested paths along the Niagara River. To think, the Glen’s history goes back millions of years with many fossils older than the dinosaurs! You just have to marvel at how beautiful and pristine the landscape remains. There is a self-guided audio tour hike available for visitors to discover the indigenous connections to nature all around. In the Welcome Pavilion, the Nature Exchange was fascinating, encouraging learning for nature enthusiasts & fossil hunters of all ages, including a fossil exchange. The Niagara Glen was truly an eye-opening experience!
Historic Fort George
No Ambassador season would be complete without a visit to historic Fort George, so much a part of the Battle of 1812, and a national treasure right in our own NOTL backyard. Hosted by Fort Major Dan Laroche, Ambassadors were shown both Soldiers’ and Officers’ Quarters of the day. The soldiers stayed in blockhouses, which served as sturdy barracks and storehouses and, in fact, also as a last line of defence in the garrison. Meantime, Officers, British gentlemen, who were from educated and monied families, attempted to live a lifestyle similar to what they were accustomed. Special demonstrations of musket firing and Fife & Drum Corps were presented to all visitors. What a marvellous way to preserve the history, precision and significant hardships that the military had to endure in those harsh times. Today, we are indeed blessed to hear the stories of events that took place here over 200 years ago and the sacrifices of so many through the ages.
More great experiences and new knowledge to share with visitors and encourage them to explore the many attractions of our amazing town and region.
Next up....
Ambassadors' Community Site visits have concluded for this season .... Stay tuned for an announcement regarding our end-of-season event, plus more stories from The Street!
Ambassadors "On the Street" Experiences
From our Online Posts
On July 1st...
Our Ambassadors were out in force to help the many visitors enjoying our Canada Day Festivities. In this photo, Cheryl is showing us the space outside the Courthouse by our pop-up Kiosk.
On July 6th ...
Niagara-on-the-Lake had another amazing weekend of fun with both the Horticultural Society Garden Tour and St. Mark's Cherry Festival. Ambassadors, on and off duty, were out there helping our visitors and, of course, always enjoying the fun and sunshine!
On July 9th ...
Newstalk 610 Radio featured "Roundtable Road Trip NOTL Edition" with our own Kathy Weiss - Executive Director, Tourism NOTL and NOTL Chamber of Commerce. Kathy highlighted all the exciting events for the 2024 season and mentioned our Ambassador program with high praise for NOTL Ambassadors.
August 5th ...
Brought us the Niagara-on-the-Lake Museum's Heritage Festival, bigger and better than ever this year with street closings and many vendor booths, as well as historical demonstrations indoors and out.
On August 9th ...
Last but not least, the August 9 to 11 weekend brought another exciting line-up of events, including the Niagara 5000 McLaren Supercars Show and the Annual Peach Festival, both on Saturday and on Sunday at St. Vincent de Paul. The anecdotal conclusion was that this year's Peach Festival was one of the largest events ever held in Niagara-on-the-Lake, with anywhere from 10,000 to 15,000 visitors!
What a summer for NOTL and for Ambassadors!
Technology Brief
Your "tech geek" continued to provide support to our 80+ Ambassadors in July and August with their tech needs and their questions, as well as providing support and training for Tourism Office staff. A quick reminder to Ambassadors that may still not show their name on MAP: please tick that "Name" checkbox under your MAP Profile to make sure your fellow Ambassadors know who you are!
A couple of ongoing reminders:
Training
Training and refreshers continue to be available to Ambassadors on an as-needed basis. Feel free to reach out to Elena for support.
Volunteer Shifts
Ambassadors, don't forget to make sure you fulfil your six-shift minimum for the season. Note that walking and kiosk shifts have now been released for the rest of the season up to the Thanksgiving Weekend, October 14th. There are still many slots available, so please have a look and sign up as soon as you can.
Facebook
The private Ambassador Facebook group has been even more active this summer so far, with many Ambassadors contributing photos and valuable information. Please consider joining and sharing with your fellow Ambassadors, if you haven’t done so already. (If you need an invitation link, please contact Elena)
We also have a public Facebook page. Please don't forget to share it, "Like" it and promote it with friends and family: https://www.facebook.com/notlambassadors
WhatsApp Channel
Did you know that the public Ambassador page also has a WhatsApp Channel? Feel free to join and don't forget to promote it with friends and family: notlambassadors whatsapp channel
Ambassador Website
Our Ambassador website continues to be available to all: Ambassadors, partners, residents and visitors. It is a source of valuable information for all about our Town and is updated regularly by our volunteers. Please consider sharing it with as many friends as possible to spread the word!
[Click on the image below to reach the site]
Our leadership team is available, supporting you as you take to the streets. Please don’t hesitate to let us know if there is anything we can do to support you or to make the program better! The best way to do this? We are often at the Kiosk or Tourism Office on weekends, so you can catch us there. Or feel free to send us an email at any time, either directly or via MAP.
From all of us to each and every one of you,thank youfor your commitment, your enthusiasm and your special talent for reaching out to our visitors and making them feel welcomed.
You are simply THE BEST!
Co-Leads: Vlad & Laurie
Leadership Team: Lynne, Kim, Cheryl, Patti, Kathryn, Elena and Shelley
