On this page:

• Initiative Overview
• Planning Team
  
• Initiative Partners
  
• Upcoming Training 
• Recent Training
  

Initiative Overview
The purpose of the Maine Woods Tourism Training Initiative (MWTTI) is to deliver a comprehensive, multi-modal training program to meet educational needs expressed by tourism businesses and their employees in the Maine Woods.  MWTTI began by organizing county level networks of public and private training providers in Franklin, Piscataquis, and Washington counties. Now in its second year, MWTTI plans to organize new local tourism training networks in Aroostook, Penobscot, and Oxford counties, and offer a second round of investment in ongoing training activities in its original pilot counties. Click here to visit the MWTTI Press Room.

In the first year, MWTTI offered fourteen new training opportunities to business in Franklin, Piscataquis, and Washington counties. Training offered includes workshops on customer service for frontline staff and managers, interpretation skills, regional destination information, and specific marketing skills. DVD lending libraries and a new basic customer service online workshop made training available to businesses unable to attend workshop training.

USDA Rural Development and the Betterment Fund provided funding for MWTTI. 

Planning Team
Representatives of Greater Franklin Development Corporation, Eastern Maine Development Corporation, University of Maine Center for Tourism Research and Outreach, Maine Office of Tourism, Northern Forest Center, Northern Maine Development Commission, Piscataquis County Economic Development Council, and Sunrise County Economic Council.

Initiative Partners
State Partners: Representatives of the Community College System, Local Workforce Investment Boards, Maine Office of Business Development, Maine Office of Tourism, Maine Small Business Development Centers, Women's Business Centers at CEI, Maine Center for Tourism Research and Outreach, and University of Maine Cooperative Extension.

Workshop Partners: Aroostook County Tourism, Aroostook-Washington Workforce Development Board, Down East Business Alliance, Elderhostel, Greater Fort Kent Chamber of Commerce, MaineStream Finance, Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands, Maine SeaGrant, Maine Small Business Development Centers, Northern Maine Development Commission, Orland House B&B, Piscataquis Chamber of Commerce, Presque Isle Area Chamber of Commerce, University of Maine at Farmington, University of Maine Cooperative Extension Franklin County Office, Washington County: One Community, Washington County Community College, and the Women’s Business Center at CEI.

DVD Lending Library Partners: Jay-Livermore-Livermore Falls Chamber of Commerce, Flagstaff Area Business Association, Franklin County Chamber of Commerce, Moosehead Lake Region Chamber of Commerce, Piscataquis Chamber of Commerce, and Rangeley Lakes Chamber of Commerce.

Aroostook County

• Get Ready for the Biathlon
  January 19 in Fort Kent and January 20 in Presque Isle. The Maine Small Business Development Centers, Northern Maine Development Commission, Aroostook County Tourism, Greater Fort Kent Chamber of Commerce, and the Presque Isle Area Chamber of Commerce partnered to bring training to local businesses preparing for the E.ON IBU World Cup Biathlon Events in Presque Isle on February 4-6 and in Fort Kent on February 10-13. The training covered customer service skills, appropriately handling cultural differences, educating visitors and athletes about fun things to do and see in Aroostook County, and an overview of the history and expectations for this year's Biathlon.
  
  
• Customer Service Training
  April 26 in Frenchville, April 27 in Caribou and April 28 in Houlton. Rod Thompson, Maine SBDC Certified Business Counselor at NMDC, will conduct this training to provide you with the tools necessary to be prepared for tourists to ensure that they have the greatest experience during their visit to the area. One person's fantastic experience provides an unlimited amount of exposure and an opportunity for them to come back and hopefully bring more people with them. Anyone who provides services to the general public would benefit from the class, including gas station attendants, taxi drivers, front desk workers at lodging establishments, retail store clerks, convenience store clerks, waiter-waitress-host, bartender and grocery store employees.
  
  
• How Can Social Networking Help Enhance My Business?
  June 29 in Caribou (Presenter), Fort Kent (Polycom), Houlton (Polycom) and two Polycom locations in Washington County. A large number of small businesses are promoting their brands on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and other social media outlets. This three-hour workshop will provide you with the most effective tools to incorporate social media into your marketing campaign.
  

Franklin County

• Give 'em the PICKLE
  March 16 in Wilton and June 8 in Oquossoc. Give ‘em the PICKLE is a nationally renowned, highly effective and respected customer service training. Industry veteran Julie Guerin will conduct the training bringing her 20+ years of experience in customer service training for a large Maine retailer to you!  Highly entertaining and motivational, this workshop will inspire both management and employees to do the most important thing they can do in business...take care of the customer! 
  
  
• Maximize Your Marketing Money
  April 5 in Farmington. Nancy Marshall, Nancy Marshall Communications, will offer her expertise on how to make the most of your marketing money using message mapping, press releases, brand marketing, web presence and social networking on any budget.
  
  
• So You Think You Know Franklin County?
  
  June 15 in Rangeley. When your customers ask, “What is there to do around here, anyway?” you need to be prepared to respond to them with enthusiasm and knowledge of the local area. This training does all that and more, including how to quickly tune into customers’ potential. Workshop trainers include Susan Atwood, Wilson Lake Inn; Leigh Breidenbach, University of Maine at Farmington; Tyne Hagerstrom, Comfort Inn and Suites; and Judy Morton, Rangeley Lakes Region Chamber of Commerce. 
  
  
• Connecting Our Visitors to Their Visit
  June 28 in Farmington. Marc Edwards, Tourism Economic Development Educator, University of Maine Cooperative Extension Franklin County Office will conduct this training focused on how interpreting the natural, cultural, and historical attractions of our area can enhance your opportunities as a business owner to better connect with your visitors. 

Oxford County

• Social Media and Online Marketing
  May 26 (three sessions) in Bethel with Shannon Kinney from Dream Local. Social media and online marketing are increasingly important for tourism businesses of all sizes. Two different workshops will be offered in Bethel to provide attendees from across Oxford County with specific tactics for success in the online market world. The first session offered twice, Top 10 Tips to Market Your Business Online, provides a general overview and introduction to social media marketing strategies. The second session, Making Social Media Work for Your Business, will address best practices, return on investment and other more advanced topics.
  
  
• Give 'Em the PICKLE: Delivering Outstanding Customer Service
  June 7 in Bethel, June 27 in South Paris, and June 28 in Rumford. Highly entertaining and motivational, this nationally recognized workshop will inspire both managers and employees to do the most important thing they can do in business...take care of the customer! Participants will leave the workshop with a toolbox to help them reinforce the workshop's key elements of Attitude, Consistency, and Teamwork needed to provide world-class customer service each and every day.
  

Penobscot County

• Fundamentals of Social Media
  
  May 25 in Millinocket. Kelly Cotiaux, a partner and marketing specialist of Sephone Internet Solutions, will conduct this training to help you invest in the future of your business. Kelly will share her more than 20 years of experience working in Marketing Management, Media Planning, Advertising, Promotions, Corporate Training, and Public Relations. 
  
  
• Regional Destination Training
  June 22 in Millinocket and July 13 in Bangor. Answering the question, "What is there to do around here?" is a service employee's biggest challenge. Designed to give answers to this question, the program will cover the Maine Highlands region. Events, attractions, and other highlights, are provided for almost every community in the two counties. A great program for employees in all positions and at all levels.
  

Piscataquis County

• Marketing 101: What is Marketing?
  February 1 in Dover-Foxcroft. Deb Boyd from the Piscataquis Chamber of Commerce and James Macomber from MaineStream Finance will conduct this hands-on training focused on helping you create your own marketing plan for your business through exploration of understanding what marketing is, and how to use it to further develop your business once you leave the training environment.  
  
  
• What Does Your Website Say About You?
  March 8 in Dover-Foxcroft and Greenville. John Rust of John Rust Consulting will conduct this seminar focused on current “best practices” for website design and “must have” items every website needs to succeed in today’s challenging environment.
  
  
• How to Maximize Your Website Message for More Business
  March 15 in Dover-Foxcroft and Greenville. John Rust of John Rust Consulting will conduct this seminar intended to help businesses understand how to market their website to prospective customers using a variety of free practices. It will include a brief look at pay-per-click advertising and the purchasing of links. Search Engine Optimization techniques will be covered.
  
  
• How Social Networking Can Help Your Business
  March 22 in Dover-Foxcroft and Greenville. Kelly Cotiaux, a partner and marketing specialist of Sephone Internet Solutions, will conduct this training to help business owners understand what types of social networking are most important to their business and offer advice on how to do it in a way that will be acceptable and effective for their business.
  
  
• What is there to do around here, anyway?
  April 28 in Dover-Foxcroft and Greenville. This training is focused on how to keep Piscataquis County visitors in the neighborhood longer, leaving behind more of their vacation funds, and giving them a reason to come back for more adventures. Presenters include Donna Fichtner, Tourism Development Consultant; Deb Boyd, Executive Director, Piscataquis Chamber of Commerce, and Bob Hamer, Executive Director, Moosehead Lake Region Chamber of Commerce. 
  

Washington County

• Regional Destination Training - What's there to do around here?
  December 7 in Trescott Township. Your ability to answer questions like this and provide useful information to visitors can increase your tips and build customer loyalty. Come learn how to promote Washington County to keep tourists here longer and keep them coming back! Sponsored by the Cobscook Bay Area Chamber of Commerce.
  
  
• Customer Service - What's it all about?
  January 26 in Calais. Roland Bechard from the Down East Business Alliance will conduct this training focused on teaching attendees good customer service skills that  create visitors to your business or community who want to stay longer, spend more, have higher "intent to return" and provide positive word of mouth advertising. 
  
  
• Marketing Your Tourism Business
  April 29 in Machias. Ruth Cash Smith, a certified business counselor with the Women's Business Center at CEI, will present this marketing workshop is geared towards Washington County entrepreneurs. Participants will learn about the six components of successful marketing, plus take away several no-cost or low-cost ideas for finding, creating, attracting, and satisfying customers.  
  
  
• How Can Social Networking Help Enhance My Business?
  June 29 in Machias (Polycom), Calais (Polycom), and three locations in Aroostook County. A large number of small businesses are promoting their brands on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and other social media outlets. This three-hour workshop will provide you with the most effective tools to incorporate social media into your marketing campaign.