Jo Knight, the executive director of Destination Osoyoos, admits she didn’t get to watch much world-class curling during her recent trip to the Scotties Tournament of Hearts championships in Red Deer, but she’s sure not complaining.
While curling fans were watching some of the top female curlers in the world show off their amazing skills, Knight and Cheryle King, group sales manager, were spending endless hours greeting people and spreading the word about Osoyoos as a premier tourist destination to literally thousands of guests during the 10-day tournament.
The Destination Osoyoos booth caught the eye of Red Deer Mayor Morris Flewwelling, who took time from his busy schedule to send off a congratulatory letter.
Flewwelling said he was so impressed by the Destination Osoyoos presentation throughout the tournament he was under the impression the Town of Osoyoos had been named as the host community for the 2013 Scotties tournament.
Even when he found out Osoyoos was far too small a town to host a major event like a national curling championship, Flewwelling said he simply had to take the time to fire off a letter praising Knight and King for doing such an outstanding job.
In a phone interview, Flewwelling said he’s glad he took the time to write the letter because the praise was genuine and deserved.
“I figured if I didn’t write that letter and let people know the excellent job done, the two ladies might not have been recognized for doing a truly outstanding job, and secondly, the people in Osoyoos who fund this organization and might complain about where their tax dollars are going might want to hear about the incredible job Destination Osoyoos is doing in promoting your town,” he said.
“I wanted the mayor to know, I wanted the chamber to know and I wanted the people of Osoyoos to know.”
Destination Osoyoos spent some significant dollars to be a diamond sponsor at the Scotties, but it was money well-spent as a national curling championship attracts the same demographics the organization regularly appeals to, including wine lovers and golfers, said Knight.
To have a busy mayor send such a nice letter was simply a nice gesture and very much appreciated, she said.
Knight and King greeted almost 2,600 people during the 10-day national championship and Knight is confident the ultimate payoff will be hundreds of visits to Osoyoos by those who attended the Scotties.
Following the Scotties tournament, Knight and King continued their journey to promote Osoyoos at the Vancouver Golf Show.
It’s nice to know staff at the community’s designated tourist organization is working so hard to ensure citizens across the country know about Osoyoos and the amazing amenities and wonderful weather we are blessed with here in this community.
Kudos to Destination Osoyoos staff for doing a great job at a major national event.