Industry stakeholders in Vermont hold first outdoor summit
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Last month, industry leaders held the first outdoor industry summit in Vermont, asking state legislators to establish an outdoor recreation position similar to what Washington, Colorado and Utah have created.
Outfitters, retailers, public relations professionals, manufacturers and legislators met to talk about the future of outdoor in Vermont, and to discuss how they can get the whole state to embrace what outdoor recreation does for its economy.
“Primarily, the goal is to get the Vermont outdoor industry together, to get them working and thinking like an economic sector, so they can be recognized and embraced like an economic sector,” says Drew Simmons, founder of Vermont-based PR firm Pale Morning Media.
Simmons posted a video Wednesday recapping the event. Together, all the different facets of the industry make a powerful force the rest of the state should embrace, he says in the video.
“It’s more than backpacking,” Simmons says. “It’s more than mountain biking. It’s more than skiing and hunting and fishing. It’s all those things together. It’s Vermont as a tourism destination, as well as a 12-month, year-round home to outdoor brands that are catering to the national industry. … One of the biggest goals is to get the entire state of Vermont thinking about the outdoor recreation economy.”
More from Simmons:
