Visit Montgomery presents strategic plan aiming to unify county's tourism brand

Visit Montgomery presented its updated destination strategic plan and a linked brand assessment to the Montgomery County Council's Economic Development Committee on Sept. 28. Kelly Groff, president and CEO of Visit Montgomery, and Aviva North of Coraggio Group described a five‑pillar strategy that focuses on brand unity, destination connectivity, community engagement, visitation growth and organizational capacity.

"Montgomery County is the National Capital Region's premier cultural destination," Aviva North said, summarizing the brand assessment's vision for the county and arguing that a more unified brand architecture and storytelling approach is needed to compete with nearby markets. The consultants recommended reworking Visit Montgomery's website from an inventory of listings to narrative-driven content, strengthening sub-brands (for agritourism, sports, conventions and cultural programming) and investing in targeted campaigns and partnerships.

The plan lays out year‑one actions including a website upgrade and additional consumer research, creation of a pipeline for conferences with a life‑sciences focus, and initiatives to improve cross‑county destination connectivity so visitors disperse benefits beyond core hotel districts. Consultants emphasized the role of familiarization tours and resident-facing programming to turn local ambassadors into promoters of county attractions.