BATAVIA, NY

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Excerpt from “Residents gather at Generations Center to help shape county’s tourism brand identity” by Howard B. Owens at The Batavian.

“The Brand Visioning Workshop at the Generation Center in downtown Batavia concluded eight months of research aimed at establishing what Tourism Director Kelly Rapone calls Genesee County’s “unique branding” — moving beyond simply being “conveniently located between two major cities.”

The open-house style event featured five activity stations where residents, business owners and community leaders provided input on the county’s brand identity and helped shape a five-year strategic tourism plan.

“We don’t have an agenda. There isn’t ‘we want to do this,'” Rapone said. “Going through this whole project, it really is more about placemaking. This process helps us develop how we present ourselves to the world.”

The rebranding initiative began with extensive research including housing studies, visitor and resident surveys, site visits to municipal offices, and analysis of millions of online reviews. Consultants [BLKDOG and Think Place Agency] also conducted downtown audits in seven city, town and village areas across the county.”

“The new branding will include a logo, tagline variations, updated website content featuring videos and photos, all designed to attract prospective residents, the workforce, businesses, visitors, and investors. The effort addresses the county’s declining population while leveraging its strengths.

Outside consultants are leading the project to ensure an unbiased perspective, with a steering committee guiding the process.

“This is not coming from the chamber. These are outside consultants that are coming in with an unbiased lens,” Rapone said.

The primary goal extends beyond tourism to establish unified branding that economic development, tourism and other county entities can share when promoting Genesee County.”