Marina Dock Age

Gary Guertin, general manager of Harborage Yacht Club & Marina in Stuart, Fla., and Robin Hicks-Conners, president and CEO of the Martin County Historical Society, host a weekly radio show about local tourism.

When it comes to unique marketing efforts in challenging economic times, Gary Guertin, general manager of Harborage Yacht Club & Marina in Stuart, Fla., has some creative ideas. “People don’t even need to think outside of the box,” he said. “Just throw the box away.”

Guertin’s marketing plan is “ever-changing” and always ready to be flexible when new opportunities present themselves. Last year Guertin started one new venture, which he hopes to continue for quite some time. Every Friday morning, Guertin hosts Talkin’ Tourism, a weekly radio show that focuses on the local, South Florida, and statewide tourism scene. Guertin hosts the show in part because he knows that supporting local tourism is good for a marina’s business.

Embracing tourism

Guertin embraces tourism far beyond its reach at his marina. Harborage Yacht Club & Marina is a member of the area Chamber of Commerce and a partner of VISIT FLORIDA, which is the official tourism industry marketing corporation for the state of Florida. As chairman of the Martin County Tourism Board and a past director of the Treasure Coast Marine Industries Association, Guertin is passionate about “tourism as a whole, in terms of the entire economy.” Guertin also knows how much Harborage depends on tourists bringing their boats to the Treasure Coast area.

By focusing on tourism overall, marine and local businesses can join together to attract tourists to a specific region. “If you can get someone to think about coming to a region first,” Guertin explained, “then, you can get them to come to your place.” Guertin’s personal passion for tourism and his desire to support local tourist attractions led him to start his radio show, which has been on the air for more than a year now.

Talkin’ Tourism

Every Friday at 10 a.m. EST, Guertin hosts Talkin’ Tourism on Florida’s Treasure Coast. Though the marina sponsors and produces the show, Guertin insists it’s not a Harborage show. For an hour each week, Guertin and his co-host Robin Hicks-Conners, president and CEO of the Martin County Historical Society, talk everything tourism. Although the show is fun and informative week after week, Guertin said this does not come easy. “It takes perseverance and a lot of work to prepare for the radio show,” said Guertin.

Inside the show

From the Captain’s Lounge at Harborage, the show spotlights important tourist destinations and festivals and other events happening in the Treasure Coast area. It also includes an educational element. “In addition to educating local people about the importance of tourism and how it helps the local economy, the show introduces the people that help make tourism happen,” said Guertin. The show sometimes has a fishing spin, including many appearances by sportfishing’s major contending captains, but it’s not entirely marine-industry focused. The show profiles art and culture festivals and invites many local tourism experts such as Doug Noble from the Florida Museum of Natural History and Tom Colucci, executive director of the Treasure Coast Sports Commission. Guertin and Hicks-Conners have also welcomed luxury charter boat businesses, airline owners, Chamber of Commerce executives, local hotel and resort owners, and even a family of sailors stopping at Harborage on their way to the Bahamas. Food tourism, which is big in the area, is often a show topic, said Misti Guertin, of Regan Communications Group, Harborage’s public relations firm.

Blog it

Harborage capitalizes on the marketing potential of the radio show and increases its potential audience via the Internet. The show’s companion, a blog (http://talkintourism.blogspot.com), not only links to a live stream of the show, but it also includes pre- and post-show blogs that are coordinated by Misti Guertin. In addition, fans of the show can view photos on the blog site and see the taping of the show, not just listen. Guertin and Regan also link the many blogs and photos with Facebook and Twitter to further promote the show and ultimately, Harborage Yacht Club & Marina.

Co-opetition

Marinas that don’t have the resources or ability to host a weekly radio show can still capitalize on the concept behind Talkin’ Tourism, which is why Guertin devotes so much of his time to it. He gets excited about tourism. Most importantly, he does more than just his radio show to support it. He joins together local businesses and organizations to bring tourists into an area with the belief that everyone will benefit from these visitors.

Guertin is also no stranger to partnerships or marketing strategies. He partnered with a marina in the Bahamas to produce advertisements geared toward transient boaters. From that, he developed Flahama – a tourism partnership concept that embraces the best of Florida and the best of the Bahamas. Much like his radio show, Flahama supports local tourism and his marina.

Guertin and Hicks-Conners traveled to Bimini Bay Resort and Marina in the Bahamas for their fourth international remote broadcast.

Harborage also has business partnerships with several marinas in South Florida and the Bahamas. “These are similar properties that share our belief that if we collaborate together, we can get more bang for our buck,” said Misti Guertin. For boaters traveling from one marina to another, these partnerships result in a shared discount that varies from facility to facility and season to season. It often includes coupons for a percentage of dockage or a free night’s stay.

Some of these marinas have also looked to capitalize on the success of the radio show. Most recently, Guertin and Hicks-Conners traveled to Bimini Bay Resort and Marina in the Bahamas for their fourth international remote broadcast.

“Another term that I like, one that my co-host came up with, is co-opetition,” Guertin said, referring to marinas that are essentially in competition with each other but work cooperatively to attract tourists. “Get people focused on your general area, then they can further research what marina best fits their needs.”

Anna Townshend is senior editor of Marina Dock Age. She can be reached by phone at 847/647-2900 ext. 1308 or via e-mail at: atownshend@prestonpub.com.