Park Promotes Sites by Treating Island Employees
By Leslie Rott

For the eighth year, Mackinac State Historic Parks plans to reach vacationers by targeting the next best thing – businesses – with their Ambassador Program. By appealing to employees of tourist related businesses with free admission, park staff want to garner positive word-of-mouth promotion for park sites.

“We try and get them to see as many sites as we can,” said Lynne Wagner, guest services supervisor at Mackinac State Historic Parks. Employees throughout the Straits area can visit all four sites free, including Fort Mackinac, Colonial Michilimackinac, Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse, and Historic Mill Creek, but Ms. Wagner said most visit Fort Mackinac, which is the most recognizable of the sites.

The site exhibits may change from year to year, she said, so it is important for employees to return each year.

“It is beneficial for them to know about our sites,” she said. When it comes to being in a tourist area such as this, “knowing your area is important.”

Ms. Wagner said the Ambassador Program has been streamlined to make it as easy as possible for employees, both regular and seasonal, to visit the park sites. Where before, employers had to register and obtain tickets, now employees need only sign in at the gate.

All business owners have to do is tell their employees about the program, and the employees sign in at the site with their name, their supervisor’s name, and the name and telephone number of the business they work for.

Personal guided tours of the sites can be prearranged with groups of five or more employees. Each employee will receive free admission to each of the sites, which can be used at any time during the 2005 season. Mackinac State Historic Parks employees also offer presentations at any of the participating businesses.

Employees who visit the sites can also take a quiz during their tour and be entered into a contest to win $50, as an added incentive.

By joining the program and assisting the Parks in their marketing efforts, participating businesses have the opportunity to submit information about their businesses for binders at the agency’s visitors centers on the Island and the mainland.

Ms. Wagner said that she gets “a pretty good mix” of businesses in the program, and a large response from the hotels.

The Iroquois Hotel has been involved in the program for several years, and office manager Cindy Schad said she sends her 10-person front desk staff every year to Fort Mackinac.

“It allows our employees to experience the Fort and share that with our guests,” Ms. Schad said, and added that her staff “appreciates being able to do it.”

This year, Ms. Wagner’s goal is to have more than 1,000 Straits area employees visit the sites. She said her goal is to increase participation in the program by five to 10 percent each year.

To get involved in the Ambassador Program, call Mackinac State Historic Parks at (906) 847-3328.