bluefield – A free seminar coming Oct. 15 to Bluefield will be offering opportunities to benefit from the economic activity being generated by the thousands of out-of-state guests who travel each week to southern West Virginia to ride the Hatfield-McCoy Trails.
The Hatfield-McCoy Effect: How to Expand Your Tourism Business seminar will take place Tuesday, Oct. 15 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Bluefield Art Center Theater in downtown Bluefield. The center is located at 500 Bland Street.
Jim Spencer, executive director of the Bluefield Economic Development Authority, said the seminar is free and registration is not required.
Spencer said the seminar’s goal is to help established businesses that are in the adventure tourism industry as well as entrepreneurs that are interested in starting an adventure tourism business.
Business coach Harold Patterson of the West Virginia Small Business Development Center will speak along with Jamie Null, executive director of the Mercer County Convention & Visitors Bureau, who will present a short course on marketing a business.
The seminar’s keynote speaker, Jeffrey Lusk, executive director of the Hatfield-McCoy Trail Authority, will talk to entrepreneurs about the trail system’s economic impact, the industry’s needs and how to grow tourism-related businesses.
The Hatfield-McCoy Trail has seen increasing ridership each year as more ATV tourists come to the region. In 2023, the trail authority sold a record 92,500 trail passes. The goal this year is 95,000.
Mercer County has seen many entrepreneurs open lodging in Bramwell, Bluewell and the Bluefield area, Lusk said. Besides providing places for ATV tourists to stay, there are opportunities for businesses offering ATV rentals, parts and services for off-road vehicles, restaurants and food services.
“Everything you need when you go on vacation, they’re going to need here,” Lusk said.
Riding the Hatfield-McCoy Trail has become a recreational activity that’s available all year. While rain is often a problem for outdoor sports, it doesn’t bother ATV riders; in fact, many riders prefer muddy conditions, Lusk said. ATV gear such as heated seats let riders enjoy the trails all year.
The seminar is sponsored by the Bluefield Economic Development Authority, Mercer County Convention & Visitors Center and the Hatfield-McCoy Trails.
Contact Greg Jordan at
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