MVM Hosts Southwest Montana Meeting
 | Author:
Nancy Marks
Nancy Marks: MT43 News Secretary and News Editor |
Southwest Montana Tourism Group Meets in Townsend
Ghost towns, Ghost houses and Ghost sightings are high on tourists’ lists for what to experience in Southwest Montana, according to Lynne Foland of Windfall Studios, one of the several businesses that build brochure and media campaigns for southwest Montana’s cities and towns. She said the second most asked for information was about birding in southwest Montana. About 25 persons gathered Thursday at Reading Leaves for their fall meeting led by Executive Director Sarah Bannon of Deer Lodge. The monthly meeting was hosted by Townsend’s Missouri Valley Marketing (MVM). Also in attendance was Townsend Chamber of Commerce member Tim Pool. Representatives came from Dillon, Butte, Helena, Deer Lodge, Anaconda, Whitehall and Virginia City. The organization is funded through Montana state bed tax funds and Southwest Montana membership fees.
Katya Peterson of Tempest Technologies displayed a media library her company has built of Southwest Montana aerial footage which they make available to the film industry. It is on the Southwest Montana website, she explained. Townsend is one of twelve communities shown in overhead videos.
Rebecca Schmitz of Experian Call Center has worked for the center for twenty years. She reported that their company would no longer be taking inquiries from tourists who are interested in visiting Montana. She said they had a busy summer fielding calls about every subject from hiking the Continental Divide Trail to where to buy Clays in Calico pottery. According to Bannon, the Southwest Montana group has asked to piggyback along with the State of Montana tourism department which has a request for a proposal out for a call center. To date, no one has replied to the proposal.
The group ate burgers and homemade potato salad catered by American Legion Post #42 members. After lunch, they were treated to a trip to Edgewater Farms and Corn Maze outside of Townsend.
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