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EPIC: An Ozarks Eclipse Experience
May 11, 2023 @ 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
Join us for an all-day expo to learn about the April 8, 2024 Total Solar Eclipse and how the resulting tourists and visitors could impact your business and marketing. EPIC will include two keynote speeches from Brook Kaufman, who led the marketing efforts for Visit Casper during the 2017 eclipse, as well as presentations from astronomer, Dr. Peggy Hill and design & marketing agency, HIVEMINDED Marketing.
The Schedule:
9:45 – 10:00
Registration & Mingle
10:00 – 11:30
Preparing Your Community for an Eclipse: 13 All-Too-Real Truths – Brook Kaufman
11:30 – 12:30
Lunch & Network
12:30 – 1:30
In the Shadow: What to Expect for Our April 8, 2024 Total Solar Eclipse – Dr. Peggy Hill
1:45 – 3:15
Preparing Your Business for an Eclipse: 7 Strategies For Success – Brook Kaufman
3:30 – 4:15
Total Eclipse, Total Opportunity: Using our Marketing Kit to Drive Sales – HIVEMINDED Marketing
4:30 – 5:00
Business Resources to Gear up for the Eclipse – OzSBI Team
Presentation Descriptions:
Preparing Your Community for an Eclipse: 13 All-Too-Real Truths, Brook Kaufman
In this presentation, Brook will describe how Casper, Wyoming embraced the total solar eclipse in 2017, garnering significant media coverage, increased destination awareness, and tens of thousands of travelers from around the world without incident. This presentation is open to all participants but will be especially helpful for City and County planners and employees, Chambers of Commerce, tourism employees, and others who will be involved with community planning efforts. Learn firsthand the challenges, wins, mistakes and overall outcomes experienced in Casper, and walk away with tactical, tangible ideas for preparing your community for the 2024 eclipse.
In the Shadow: What to Expect for Our April 8, 2024 Total Solar Eclipse, Dr. Peggy Hill
This presentation will cover the basic physics of solar eclipses and discuss what to expect in the path of totality in and around West Plains, Missouri. How will this eclipse be different than the 2017 eclipse? We’ll spend time talking about how to view the eclipse safely, and take a look at where to find resources for educational STEM activities and community event planning.
Preparing Your Business for an Eclipse: 7 Strategies for Success, Brook Kaufman
In this presentation, Brook will describe how she led the eclipse marketing effort in Casper, Wyoming, which saw a significant economic gain during the eclipse in 2017. This discussion is open to all participants but will be especially helpful for businesses and individuals that are interested in tactical, tangible ideas for preparing your business for the 2024 eclipse. You will learn seven essential strategies for successfully marketing your business, product, or event to eclipse tourists.
Total Eclipse, Total Opportunity: Using Your Marketing Kit to Drive Sales, HIVEMINDED Marketing
In this upbeat workshop, the marketing strategists from HIVEMINDED Marketing will teach you how to use a customized and professionally developed marketing kit to promote your business and attract 2024 eclipse tourists. Learn how to call attention to your business, convert tourists into customers, and gain a working knowledge of the value of destination branding and how to incorporate your business brand alongside the Ozarks branding to capture a larger audience for your business, events, and products.
Who should attend?
EPIC is perfect for all types of business owners: Hotels, Motels, Airbnb’s, Campgrounds, Outfitters, Restaurants, Retailers, Landowners, Tourism/Visitor Centers, Museums, Schools, Event Venues, Libraries, Nonprofits, Chambers of Commerce, City Officials & Employees, Marketing Agencies, Community Planners & Organizers, and more!
Meet the Speakers:
Brook Kaufman
Brook Kaufman is the President & CEO of Visit Rapid City where she leads the charge to grow the local visitor economy. Throughout her diverse career, Brook has launched small businesses, grown large ones and authored a popular blog for female runners and published a book called Onward! – which fittingly is a no-excuses approach to running and life. Prior to joining Visit Rapid City, she was the CEO of Visit Casper where she played a pivotal role in a variety of marketing efforts, including taking the lead in promoting the Great American Eclipse which passed directly over Casper in 2017. Through her leadership during the Eclipse, Casper welcomed thousands of visitors, received national and international media coverage and realized significant economic impact as a result of strategic efforts.
Dr. Margaret (Peggy) Hill
Dr. Margaret “Peggy” Hill, received her Bachelor’s degree in physics at the College of William and Mary in Virginia. She taught physics and physical science at the high school and junior high level for 9 years before returning to school to get her PhD in condensed matter physics studying magnetic materials. She joined the faculty of Southeast Missouri State University in 2000 where she taught courses in physics, astronomy, and science education. In 2017 she and Dr. Mike Rogers became lead volunteers for Citizen CATE Team-040, one of the 68 national sites dedicated to taking photographs during totality to study the time evolution of the sun’s corona. Peggy’s introduction to astronomy began with a small refracting telescope through which she was able to observe the Moon, Saturn’s rings, and motion of Jupiter’s tiny moons. While living in St. Louis she was a member of the St. Louis Astronomical Society and built her own Newtonian reflecting telescope, which she still uses, through a course offered there. Currently she is a member of the Missouri Eclipse Task Force, working to help local communities plan for the 2024 total solar eclipse. She has also been trained as a NASA Solar System Ambassador helping to deliver NASA resources and outreach to various civic and educational organizations.
HIVEMINDED Marketing
Sheri Walsh, Hiveminded Marketing CEO
Our CEO values people and their goals. She has a talent for spotting talent. You can trace Sheri’s professional journey through a winding path. Originally hoping to be a writer, creating ad copy was a step in the right direction. She quickly developed a knack for research and an intuitive understanding of marketing strategy. Before starting Hiveminded, she deliberately learned from experts in the industry with the intent of starting a unique marketing agency. We love her vision. When she isn’t leading the team, she enjoys reading, writing, and learning photography with her daughter. You can expect her to offer you food, send you new songs she hopes you love, and pick up random hobbies for the thrill of learning something new. Her friends know her best for her amazing mashed potatoes recipe, ability to make a new friend every day, and her remarkably movie-like dreams.
Bethany Dean, Hiveminded Marketing Vice President
Our Vice President of Marketing and Communications is passionate about leading her team and helping small businesses grow. Bethany earned her BS in Public Relations at MSU. Originally taking a position as an unpaid intern to get marketing experience, her boss quickly pointed out that she was the hardest worker in the room. That focus fueled her climb to the top of the marketing department, specializing in public relations, social media, and email marketing. When she isn’t busy helping our clients envision long-term marketing strategies, she enjoys reading, spending time with her pets, visiting local breweries, and shopping. Her friends know her best for her sweet smile, iced coffee addiction, and always knowing the best places to eat. Want to know more? We are all friends here.
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