Manic Monday | ”What’s an instameet?” I asked
8 social media gatherings celebrating #ExploreBCDay in the Thompson Okanagan
I overheard a statistic the other day; over 300 million people use instagram daily. I am not one of them…. Although I may not have instagram, it doesn't mean that I am not a believer in the platform. I think that in terms of tourism marketing there is no better platform to visually showcase a region or experience. It allows even the most artistically challenged to express themselves through images and video and connect with others who share their interests. So, when I first heard about the concept of Instameets I was very intrigued to see this online community who hide behind their usernames and smartphone screens actually get together in the real world and well...instameet each other.
Let me backtrack a bit. An Instameet is: where a group of photographers and Instagrammers come together, at a pre-determined time and place, to take photos of an area or product of shared interest and post them to Instagram using a certain hashtag.
The hashtag being used this weekend at various 8 events across the province is #exploreBCday in celebration of BC Day!
Great photos will taken across the whole region!
We have seen incredible responsiveness by Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs) across the Thompson Okanagan eager to host a Destination British Columbia Instameet event. There are 14 (and counting) organizations hosting instameets on Aug. 1st! The following is a list of the communities / destinations will be hosting instameets and the hashtag each will be using in addition to #exploreBCday
Kamloops-- #exploreKamloops
Penticton--#visitPenticton
Armstrong-- #exploreArmstrong
Vernon-- #exploreVernon
Shuswap-- #exploreShuswap
Kelowna-- #exploreKelowna
West Kelowna-- #visitWestside
Wells Gray-- #WellsGray
Merritt - #ExploreMerritt
Manning Provincial Park - #ManningPark
Peachland - #FeelinPeachy
Sun Peaks– #SunPeaks360
Vernon Predator Ridge - #predatorridge
Big White - #SummerBigWhite
I find this very encouraging. It is great to see so many destinations investing time into social media promotions. Another benefit is that some of the photographers attending these instameets will become valuable destination advocates for years to come. Plus, what a great way to celebrate this beautiful province on BC Day!
As for me, well, you don't need to be an avid “instagrammer” to take and appreciate beautiful images of the Thompson Okanagan… who knows, maybe I will join the 300 million and get an instagram account. How does “@Manic_Mandziuk” sound?
What are you doing on BC Day?
I encourage and challenge you to get involved by:
By going and meeting the passionate photographers in your community
If you can't attend, be sure to get involved by posting your favorite BC Day pic using the hashtag #exploreBCDay
Follow along by searching the #exploreBCday hashtag!
Glenn Mandziuk, TOTA President & CEO
