I remember curling up on a piece of carpet and watching The Love Boat as a kid. Even as a youngster, there was something about the show that represented unknown adventure and an opportunity to explore. The idea of being a part of a cruise ship crew, traveling the world and having great new experiences wherever you would go did have a certain appeal. I never did end up as a crew member that way, but did enjoy many years at the beginning of my career both on and near the water sailing and in the cargo shipping business.
Recently, Inspire Marketing had the opportunity to stage a welcome event to accept the first passenger cruise vessel to the Port of Hamilton. You can see some great photos on our Facebook page here Just as the images convey, the celebratory day was highlighted by tremendous partnerships and participation from Tourism Hamilton, the Hamilton Waterfront Trust and the broader community of tourism stakeholders. Using the water as a gateway to the city has long been promoted as an opportunity to take the waterside view and push our harbour as a unique advantage to grow Hamilton's profile.
Among the seventy or so passengers aboard, were visitors to our city from Japan, parts of Europe and throughout the United States. Uniting to talk about the wonderful opportunities when visiting Hamilton, and to help sheppard them to experience Royal Botanical Gardens, our waterfront trail system and unique features of our downtown reminded me that we all have a responsibility to make Hamilton better. The starting point is trumpeting the positive in our community, putting our ambassador hat on and showing pride in where we come from.
The event was a great example of working together, building new relationships and enhancing those existing ones to collectively mark successful occasions and growth in our development. The power in aligning our efforts in the marketing mix finds success at every turn.
