In recent weeks, Franklin’s Tourism Development Authority announced a strategy to improve tourism and attract more visitors. In particular, the board wants to increase out-of-state visitors coming to town and they want event organizers requesting funding to focus on that goal too.
And right on cue, several event organizers presenting to the TDA at it’s Monday meeting focused on the same goal.
828 Treasure Quest was a prime example.
Kellie Burns, one of the representatives, said last year’s participants included people from as far away as Australia who are planning to return to the United States this year around the event dates.
She said that when the focus is on visitors from outside the region, everyone benefits — local restaurants, hotels, Airbnbs and downtown businesses.
“I really, really want people not from here to compete, because I think that’s important to bring people to the area. That’s what it’s about,” Burns emphasized.
Last year, Treasure Quest drew 60 teams at an entry fee of $250. This year, organizers are lowering the fee to $100 per team in an effort to attract as many as 200 teams, with two people on each team. That could mean as many as 400 competitors.
Spectators will also travel to Franklin with participants, increasing spending at local businesses.
The game’s clues lead participants to downtown businesses, requiring teams to move throughout town on foot. In this way, downtown becomes part of the game and a form of native advertising for local businesses.
Organizers are also encouraging participants to arrive early, creating additional demand for hotels and Airbnbs.
“I think this could grow. I think this could get really huge,” Burns said.
Bluegrass Festival plans for growth
Another event whose sponsorship clearly supports Franklin’s tourism economy is the Mountain Roots Bluegrass Festival. This year, the festival drew about 1,000 people despite heavy rain.
“It rained, and it rained. We thought we were gonna need a boat to get out of there,” Jodi House Moses said.
She discussed the challenges the festival faced and shared ideas for improving the event next year.
For example, a parking field designed to accommodate about 250 cars had to be closed because of the rain. Visitors were forced to park along the road.
After dealing with such difficult weather conditions, House Moses even considered whether the event should continue in the future. However, the festival plans to return, with organizers already thinking about how to scale it up: a larger venue or a different location, shuttle buses for guests, vendor segmentation and possibly moving the event to the first week of June because of weather risks.
“We are actually looking and thinking ahead of next year, like how do we accommodate a lot larger crowd,” she explained.
Free shuttle brings AT hikers to town
Another positive report came from Macon County Transit and its free shuttle service for Appalachian Trail hikers during March and April hiker season.
The shuttle transported 1,729 people into town this year.
“I think that being free is an incredible thing for the hikers because we’ve always been the first big stop on the AT,” one of the board members said.
Previously, the trip cost $5 each way. TDA members called the free service a potential “game changer.”
Some hikers have such a positive impression of the town that they later return or even move here.
In that way, events and services that make Franklin more attractive to hikers can have a long-term economic impact that extends far beyond a single visit.
The Naturalist draws out-of-state runners
The Naturalist, now in its 12th year, was also presented to the TDA for consideration. The event includes 25K and 50K trail races.
At the time of the meeting, there were about 94 registrants. Last year, participants represented 13 states, again aligning with TDA’s goal of attracting nonlocal visitors.
The race brings athletes to Franklin on Friday. They stay in town, participate in the race Saturday and then take part in a festival featuring food trucks, bands and other activities.
Outdoor 76’s owners who organize the event estimated that approximately 500 to 600 people come to town throughout the day.
“This is definitely a draw for folks outside of our community,” Rob Gassbaro said. “It’s not just like, go run 32 miles and 12,000 feet and cross the finish line, get in the car and drive home.”.
Farmers market growth
The Macon Farmers Market, which takes place every Saturday, was also reported growth, particularly since the market moved to the Town Hall property.
According to the market’s manager, Devon Dupuis, approximately 20 vendors participated each Saturday in its first year. Now, there are at least 45 vendors occupying 58 available spaces. Several Saturdays have sold out.
Website metrics also show a significant share of visitors coming from outside Franklin, with nearly half the visitors traveling from outside North Carolina.
Facebook reach was about 140,000 during the first half of the season. After receiving a TDA grant last year, reach increased to 240,000 during the second half of the season.
Uptown Gallery adds new attraction
A new event designed to bring more artists and art enthusiasts to Franklin was also presented: the Plein Air Festival.
The event will feature three days of outdoor painting. Artists will arrive Thursday and paint Thursday and Friday, followed by a Saturday reception and exhibition of their work.
This year, organizers are planning for as many as 35 artists, with their work remaining on display through the end of October.
For Franklin, this represents a new tourism product. Similar plein air events in neighboring Cashiers and Highlands have already become part of the tourism calendar and attract large numbers of visitors.
“We’re not simply asking you to fund an art festival. We’re asking you to invest in a tourism initiative that brings overnight visitors to Franklin, supports local businesses, and creates lasting works of art that continue promoting our community long after the festival weekend has ended,” said Kimberly Gambo (pictured above).
Marketing to new audiences
The town’s marketing strategy is also focused on attracting tourists from outside North Carolina. One new method of promoting the town is working with influencers.
Stewart Communications is using targeted digital advertising to reach markets that already send visitors to Franklin rather than relying solely on broad local advertising.
Stewart Communications also wants to create ready-made video packages for regional news media.
In markets that are several hours away, the chance of convincing a TV station to send a news crew to Franklin for a small town event is extremely rare. But, by creating pre-produced video packages for those stations, media outlets in placed like Atlanta and Knoxville are more likely to cover Franklin events. Stewart Communications also plans to expand its video asset library so regional media can use ready-made footage in their stories.
Marketing metrics also show significant reach. In the last month, social media advertising and organic content generated nearly 165,000 views from 89,000 viewers. The most-viewed video promoting the 80’s Flashback event received about 95,000 views.
During the reporting period, the website received more than 13,000 users and nearly 27,000 page views. Google generated more than 4,000 clicks and about 253,000 impressions.
Franklin focuses on tourism growth
Mayor Stacy J. Guffey, who attended the meeting, thanked the board members and recognized their work on long-term planning.
Franklin is moving toward deliberately designing events as tourism products.
The next TDA meeting will be held September 14 at 5:30 p.m. in the Town Hall Board Room.
