UPDATE: November 8, 2024

Limited funds are available to support winter campaigns ending before March 28, 2025. 

The Operations Implementation Program (OIP) is designed to assist tourism stakeholders in BruceGreySimcoe with a social media advertising campaign to promote their operation as part of RTO7’s 2024/25 Business Plan.

RTO7 will match your $1,000 investment in operational expenses with a $1,000 (plus HST and fees) social media advertising campaign. Examples of eligible operational expenses that can be used to leverage marketing funds include property taxes, mortgage costs, insurance, inventory purchases, etc. You must be able to demonstrate these expenditures by providing a copy of the receipt/invoice and proof of payment (e.g. cancelled cheque or e-transfer confirmation) with the submission of your final report. Please ensure that expenses are only used once for RTO7 programs. Aside from the operational expenditures invested, there is no cost to the operator. RTO7 will cover the cost of the media spend, social media agency fees, and HST. 
 
Stakeholders interested in the Operations Implementation Program will be required to demonstrate the following:

• You have an active Facebook PAGE and are actively engaged on the platform (i.e. post at a regular frequency and respond to comments within 24 hours).
• In order to launch the campaign, you will need to allow The Aber Group to act as an advertiser on your page. In the new Pages experience on Facebook, only individuals with “full control” (not partial) will be able to accept or assign task access.  
• You must have current collateral (produced in the last 3 years); high-resolution images (Min 1MB) and/or 1-3 videos (60 seconds or less) that can be used in a social media campaign. See Resource Guide for best practices.
• Your website is mobile friendly and must be up to date, reflecting your current offerings, hours of operation, and contact information.
• Partners will need to have a landing page consistent with what is portrayed in the video/imagery (i.e. a campaign promoting ice fishing should have a related video and direct traffic to an ice fishing landing page or at minimum, a page outlining a variety of winter activities, of which ice fishing is one). 

Stakeholders who have cash to put towards a campaign should apply to the Partnership Program - Social Media Advertising.  
 
Municipalities, DMOs, BIAs and Chambers will be considered on a case-by-case basis.  Please contact RTO7 staff BEFORE you apply. Contact details are listed below. 
 
Strong partnerships and a coordinated, collaborative approach to product development, regional planning and marketing are essential to the future sustainability and increased competitiveness of tourism across BruceGreySimcoe.  All projects will support RTO7’s business plan goals of improving profitability and preserving the environment and social fabric in and around our communities. Please note that applicants to all RTO7 Programs will be asked for input to future data collection parameters around sustainability.
 
The Administration Fee will once again be waived for 2024/25. Postal code analysis through Environics Analytics will still be provided to program participants free of charge upon request.  
 
Applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis until January 31, 2025 or until the program is fully subscribed.
 
Please review the Operations Implementation Program Guidelines below BEFORE starting your application. 

• Operations Implementation Program Guidelines
• Operations Implementation Program Application

If you require more information or have any questions, contact Kim Clarke at kclarke@rto7.ca / 519-379-2506 or Robyn Hewitt, rhewitt@rto7.ca / 647-549-2983.

2023/24 Operations Implementation Program Campaigns

• Essentially Lavender - Picnic in the Fields
• Big Canoe Project
• Red Hen Artisanale
• Travelling Chicken
• South Bay Fields
• Bruce County Bookstore
• Mill Pond Gallery
• Mill Pond Cafe
• Collingwood Music Festival
• Shipyard Kitchen Party
• Folmer Landscaping & Garden Centre
• Gussapolooza
• Cobble Beach
• Lighthouse Blues Fest
• Southampton Inn
• Midland Food Tours
• Tyrolean Village Resorts
• Cafe KittyHawk
• Morrison Pumpkin Farm
• Christmas on the Bay Meaford
• Craigleith Manor Boutique Bed & Breakfast
• Maggie + Dix Home and Garden
• NVCA - Festival at Fort Willow
• Four Winds Music Festival
• Boho Beaver
• Tamarac Island Inn & Motel
• Sweetwater Festival
• OSRD - Holiday Magic
• Ty The Poetess - Hororing the Crown, 1 Year Down
• Orillia Fairgrounds Farmer's Market - Winter Markets
• NVCA - Spring Tonic Maple Syrup Festival
• Horseshoe Resort - Horseshoe Pride Week
• Fern Resort