When you become a member of Butler County Tourism & Convention Bureau (BCTCB), you become part of a county-wide initiative that promotes your business. Funded by a 5% bed tax collected by hotels, motels, B&Bs and cabins, the Bureau works to make Butler County, PA an appealing destination for tourists, event planners and meeting planners.
Our mission is to promote Butler County as an attractive tourism and business destination.
Benefits of Membership
Listing in the Official Visitors Guide (OVG)
An Official Visitors Guide (OVG) is produced annually by the bureau staff. This 58-page full-color guide is distributed in response to requests for information. As a member, you receive a free listing in the OVG and can increase your exposure by advertising. In addition to more than 13,000 impressions online, with an average of 3 minutes reading time, 80,000 copies of the OVG are distributed annually by the following means:
- Toll-free Call Requests
- 30+ County-wide Brochure Racks
- Distribution Service in PA, NY, OH, MD, D.C. and VA.
- Leads from Advertising
- State Welcome Centers
- State Website Leads
- Trade & Travel Shows
- Fairs & Festivals
- BCTCB Website Requests
Web Exposure
BCTCB members receive a listing with three photos and a description on the Butler County Tourism & Convention Bureau’s website, www.VisitButlerCounty.com. In addition, members are linked from BCTCB’s website and may make additions and changes to their listing. An online calendar of events provides each member an opportunity to publicize Butler County events year-round. Online banner advertising is also available. BCTCB’s website is linked to the state tourism website, www.VisitPA.com, and other county and regional sites. Responsive design makes our website viewable on all types of electronic media. The Bureau staff also utilizes social media sites such as Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube to further promote the county
Visit Butler County, PA! APP
In an effort to market our members and maximize the time spent in Butler County, the Tourism Bureau has a digital mapping tool, VisitWidget, which helps visitors and residents alike plan their perfect day. This interactive experience provides a new way to explore what Butler County has to offer, including upcoming events, popular restaurants, top attractions, shopping and points of interest. Users can digitally map out their own itinerary, share their plans via email or social media and take it with them on their phones.
Benefits of VisitWidget include:
- Increased exposure of your business
- Online calendar events sync with the app
- Web-Widget Universal availability of itinerary from desktop to mobile
- User-friendly Routing to and between locations
- Tour Promotion/Creation
- Shares posts from the Tourism Bureau’s Facebook page
- Ability to share itineraries with friends to help spread brand awareness
- Integration with the website to dynamically pull in content about our members
The interactive planning tool is accessible via our new mobile app (Visit Butler County, PA!) and on our website https://butlercounty.visitwidget.com. Look through the website and download the app on your phone to see how it works: www.VisitButlerCounty.com/explore-butler-county
Cooperative Advertising
BCTCB members can participate in cooperative advertising which helps stretch your marketing dollars. In addition, the Bureau contracts with various publications, radio, TV, billboard and online media for advertising. Using budgeted Bureau funds allows individuals and groups to combine resources for ad placement.
Public Relations
BCTCB has strong PR connections. The Bureau is represented in MATPRA, the Mid-Atlantic Tourism Public Relations Alliance. Monthly, events are sent to local media and information is submitted to VisitPA in accordance with their editorial calendar. The Bureau also conducts tours for writers, and other media outreach is conducted to support members when applicable.
Communication
To keep members well-informed about what BCTCB is doing, a variety of communication tools exist. As a member, you will receive frequent emails, have access to a members-only section of the website, get a monthly e-newsletter, and have opportunities to attend monthly board meetings and quarterly membership meetings. BCTCB’s toll-free number, 866-856-8444, enables tourists throughout the United States and Canada to contact us free of charge and is listed in all BCTCB advertisements.
Group Marketing
BCTCB participates in regional marketing initiatives designed to attract visitors from across the US and Canada. BCTCB promotes its members to the group tour market. A group sales committee creates packages, itineraries and special offers to entice groups to the area.
Professional Networking
As a BCTCB member, you will have opportunities to meet and network with other members as well as travel and tourism leaders.
Event Representation
BCTCB staff represents the Bureau and its members at a wide variety of fairs, expos, festivals, conferences, luncheons and speaking engagements throughout the year.
Promotional Web Pages
Special web pages are created to feature holiday sales, events and other promotions. This gives members more opportunities for additional exposure.
Brochure Distribution
Members are given the opportunity to include their materials in our office brochure rack. We ask for approximately 250 brochures so visitors may pick them up or request a mailing. BCTCB also offers a Brochure Rack Program. For $100 per year, we’ll add your brochures to a portion of our county-wide racks. To start, 2,500 brochures are needed. Contact us for availability and specific details.
Grant Program
A grant program enables members to apply for monies to implement a project or improvement. Funds are awarded once a year and applications are available on the members-only section of the website. Grants require a 25% match and membership for at least one year before applying.
Membership Criteria & Responsibilities
BCTCB bylaws qualify tourism-based industries as businesses that fall into the following categories. Each category has one representative on the board of directors.
- Agritourism
- Arts & Culture
- Breweries, Wineries & Distilleries
- Campgrounds
- Conference, Meeting & Banquet Facilities
- Fairs, Festivals & Attractions/Family Entertainment
- Great Outdoors
- History & Heritage
- Lodging
- Restaurant, Catering & Concessions
- Shopping
- Sports & Sports Venues
- Transportation
We also welcome businesses as Supporting Members who believe in our mission. Members are asked to provide support through annual dues, voting, and participation in meetings and other relevant activities. In addition, professional conduct through good customer service, ethical business practices and clean, well-maintained facilities are expected. The board of directors is responsible for approving all memberships.
Membership Levels
$215 Standard
- Name, address, phone number, website and 25-word description in the Visitors Guide
- Listing on website (name, address, phone, description, weblinks and photos plus map system and tagging capabilities)
- Brochure distribution at the BCTCB office
- Networking and educational opportunities
$160 Non-Profit
Includes all Standard membership benefits. A 501-C3 or equivalent form is required to document status. Please include it with your application.
Contributing Membership beginning at $500
Includes all Standard membership benefits. Exclusive benefits as negotiated with BCTCB. A partnership package will be individually tailored to suit the needs and mission of your company or organization.
- Logo presence at networking and educational events
- Banner ad on website
- Enhanced presence in the visitors guide
Additional Options:
$100 Brochure Rack Program
Based on availability, the Bureau will distribute standard tri-fold tourism-based brochures in racks throughout the county. At least 2,500 brochures are required to initiate the program.
$110 Additional Location
Members having more than one location in the county can add additional listings for each location in the visitors guide and on the website. If a business has a different name it will be considered a separate member at the $215 rate.
Membership dues are renewed annually on January 1, of each year.
Whenever you're ready to become a Member please give us a call Toll Free at 866-856-8444
