thought I could handle the project
management of the construction itself. I was right here for all
phases of the building. It took us about 13 months.”
CENTER STAGE
Our first impression when we entered the
Bedford Welcome Center was that we have not seen anything like
it in Virginia. It is a very unique combination of exhibit
hall, promotional center, information desk, local museum, and
community center. Everywhere you look there is something to
draw your attention. Display cases show the wares of local
artisans and antiques dealers. A gift shop ensures that you
don’t have to leave empty handed. And the courteous staff
are so efficient, it’s hard to realize even when you are
told that they are volunteers. This place is designed to get
visitors to each and every attraction and amenity in the city and
county, and if you spent even an hour in the visitor’s
center, you would want to plan an extended vacation there.
We asked what, if anything surprised her
about the outcome of the completion of the center. “The
space itself is very different,”she said. “This
design is so functional. We can have different activities going
on in four or five sections of the building, and one does not
really interfere with the other one. Or you can have one big
event and use the whole building, and it just really gives a
great space to all the people that we have that come in here
and have receptions or meetings here. It gives their guests
something to look at and to do, and they just love that aspect
of it.”
She said even some in the community who
were naysayers from the beginning “leave saying,
‘This makes me so proud to be from Bedford.’
It’s really become a source of pride for the
community.”
She said another thing that also surprised
her was the overwhelming number of visitors they have
attracted. “I did not think that we would have had the
amount of people coming through here that we have had. We
celebrated our 10,000th visitor before we were open six months.
We’re talking about in the middle of winter!
REGIONAL PROMOTION
We asked her what she thought the Bedford
Welcome Center could teach other jurisdictions about capturing
a healthy tourism market. “I would say that you have got
to pool your resources. You’ve got to not really worry
about your boundaries. You’ve got to promote what is
around you whether it is in your jurisdiction or not.
You’ve got to promote yourself as a
region and that means promoting your neighbors, and sometimes,
I think that’s hard for jurisdictions to say,
‘well, do we want to be spending our dollars where we are
actually helping promote someone else?’ But you have got
to do it because the travelers certainly don’t pay any
attention to our jurisdictional lines.
“You’ve got to tell your
story. We can really sit here and sell Bedford, and we’ve
got to [travel] and sell Bedford.” She said attending
trade shows and promoting your locality has huge benefits to
any community. They have not spent a lot of time
in the last year or so on the road because of construction, but she said going to shows is an essential part of marketing. “You’ve just got to do those things.”
in the last year or so on the road because of construction, but she said going to shows is an essential part of marketing. “You’ve just got to do those things.”
Overall, she said they could not do it
without the leadership and support of the local government
officials. When we first visited her after Nanci got her job in
Bedford, the two of us had lunch with former Board of
Supervisor Lucille Boggess. Lucille had been a Constitutional
Officer, and was instrumental in getting the D-Day Memorial off
the ground. She lost two brothers in a 24 hour period during
the D-Day attacks. She was a terrific advocate for tourism in
Bedford. Bill Rolfe, who was the Bedford County Administrator
(now Orange County Administrator) was an early tourism promoter
back in the 1990s. He was the first person we ever heard talk
about the D-Day proposed memorial. Back then it was going to be
in Roanoke. Bedford was eventually chosen because more men died
from there in that campaign than from any other American town.
If you are considering a tourism program
for your community, or better yet, within your region, do
yourself a favor by visiting the Bedford Welcome Center. See
for yourself what is possible with determined leadership and a
hard working staff. Why not spend at least one night to explore
the amenities yourself? See how visitor friendly the place is,
and take advantage of the free amenities too, like the
breathtaking mountain sunsets. Who knows? We may just see you
there. 
For more information:
Nanci N. Drake
Director of Tourism
Bedford Welcome Center
816 Burks Hill Rd.
Bedford, VA 24523
(540) 587-5682
