Communiqué for NOTL Ambassadors and our Partners!

September-October 2024 - Fall Edition

THE LEADERS' CORNER

From Your Co-Leads Laurie Harley & Vlad Haltigin

What a wonderful finale to the 2024 Ambassador summer season!  

October 17th was a gorgeous fall day; the Barn was a perfect venue; the food provided by Vintage Hotels was delicious; the “signature” carrot cake from Niagara Juice was mouth-watering; and, of course, the wine provided by Konzelmann kept us all refreshed.  We played “Ambassador Bingo”, recognized the “superstars” who volunteered for the greatest number of shifts, and drew for prizes donated by 10 of our amazing partners.  Thanks to the generosity of the Town, everyone present took home a gift bag. 

For those unable to attend the Recognition Event, you can pick up your gift bag at the Chamber Office in the Ambassador Alcove.Click here to access the ‘picture slideshow’ that ran during the event (requires sign-on in MAP).

We had a lot to celebrate!  Here are just a few highlights of our most successful season yet: 

  • We ended the season with 74 Ambassadors, a 35% growth compared to 2023

  • Over 40% of the Ambassador Team are new for 2024

  • We offered a record number of 24 community visits

  • In the recent “end of season Ambassador Survey” 98% of respondents felt their contribution added value to the visitor experience and 100% said they were proud to be an Ambassador   

  • Visitor engagements totaled 12,094 – an increase of 30% over 2023

  • Visitors came from near and far representing over 70 different countries

  • Ambassadors’ support extended beyond the regular summer season to include the December Candlelight Stroll, January Icewine Festival, April Solar Eclipse, August Niagara 5000, and September Trisha Romance celebration

Hats off to each and every member of our extraordinary Ambassador Team and to our marvelous partners – we couldn’t do it without YOU! 

   CFX The Chocolate Factory Experience
   Greaves Jams & Marmalades
   Konzelmann Estate Winery
   
Niagara Juice Co. 
   Niagara Oast House Brewers 
   Niagara Parks
   Niagara Pumphouse Arts Centre
   Niagara-on-the-Lake Museum
   Parks Canada
   RiverBrink Art Museum
   Shaw Festival Theatre & The Shaw Guild
   StayNOTL
   Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake
   Vintage Hotels
   Wineries of Niagara-on-the-Lake

 NOTL Ambassadors “Super Volunteers”

The following Ambassadors went above and beyond expectations volunteering their time for Kiosk and Walking shifts.   Congratulations to them all, especially to Linda Hicks who topped the list with 16 shifts.  

   16 shifts     Linda Hicks

   15 Shifts    Sylvie van Wissen
                     Mary Louise MacDonell
                     Yvonne McMurrough

   14 Shifts    Patti Fraser

   13 Shifts    Lin Slee

   12 Shifts    Lita Clavier
                     Rosemarie Hobson
                     Carol Lake
                     Patrick Wilson
                     Vlad Haltigin
                     Laurie Harley

NOTL Ambassador Engagement Survey – October 2024

Thanks to everyone who responded to the recent Ambassador Engagement Survey.  Your 76% response rate was truly exceptional!    And a special thanks to those Ambassadors who joined the Leadership Team on October 21 to take a deeper dive into the data.   Your feedback, combined with the Survey results, will guide the planning process to make 2025 an even more successful season.  

Below are highlights from the Survey along with trend data.   The full 2024 Survey results are posted on the MAP Home Page.  Click on “All files” in the File Section or click here to view the presentation (requires sign-on in MAP).

  • 76% response rate (up 12% from 2023)

  • 95% positive to overall program (up 9% from 2023)

  • 98% positive to “my contribution adds value” (up 7% from 2023)

  • 93% positive to returning next season (up 4% from 2023)

  • 100% positive to proud to be an Ambassador (up 3% from 2023)

Don’t put your blue vest away just yet ……

The summer Ambassador season may be over, but there will still be opportunities to engage with visitors and tourism stakeholders before we launch again in May 2025.

Watch for information on these events:

   November – Holiday decorating on Queen Street
   December 6 – Candlelight Stroll
   January 17-19 & 24-26 – NOTL Icewine Festival

Laurie and Vlad


Tourism NOTL - What's New?

From our Ambassador "Link" Shelley

There are a lot of changes at the Tourism Office - new furniture and a new look.  The new layout gives us more room to greet visitors and to provide easy access to our brochures and maps.  Our newest addition is an ATM in our front lobby.  We have many guests looking to exchange money in town and our banks will only exchange US funds for their own customers.  As a result, their only option is to go to an ATM to withdraw Canadian funds.

Tourism Green Book 

At the Tourism Office we are working on what we are calling the ‘Green Book’.  The Green Book is a resource that answers some frequently asked questions such as how do we get to the Queenston-Lewiston Bridge? Where are fruit markets in the region?  What Hotels are accessible?  to name a few.  

We are happy to share this information with the Ambassadors and we will publish a list of the topics closer to the date of the Ambassadors return in the Spring.

EXPERIENCE NOTL

Town Council Update

Andrew Niven, a valued partner of the Ambassador Program & Director of Marketing & Hospitality at Konzelmann Estate Winery, has been appointed to NOTL Town Council.  Link to October 2024 News Release. Congratulations Andrew!

Ambassadors "On the Street" Experiences (from our Facebook posts)

                  Trisha Romance Celebration Sep 15                                                                          Ambassador Recognition Event Oct 17

Trisha Romance Celebration Sep 15 Ambassador Recognition Event Oct 17

                  Long Weekend September 2                                                                                    NOTL Visitors September 28


Getting ready for 2025

Your leadership team is busy getting ready for next season.  We’ve received great feedback from you which will be used to update our plans & program for 2025.  Thank you!

We will be recruiting new Ambassadors at the upcoming NOTL Newcomers Community Awareness Event on November 20th.  This is a free event and open to the public.  Click here for additional information.

We will also be hosting an Information Session in January 2025, for anyone interested in becoming an Ambassador.  Stay tuned for more information!

Technology Brief

Your "tech geek" continued to provide support to Ambassadors in September and October 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 be showing their name on MAP: please tick the "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 will continue early in 2025.

  • Volunteer Shifts

    Shifts on MAP for the 2024 regular season are now complete.  Watch for upcoming holiday/special event shifts.

  • Facebook

    The private Ambassador Facebook group has been very active this season, 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 about the NOTL Ambassadors role and 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 here to access the Ambassador Website.

From all of us to each and every one of you, thank you for 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: Kim, Cheryl, Patti, Kathryn, Elena, Shelley