Episode 13: Creating a Niche Culinary Trail, with Meg Vanek

In this episode, you will learn about working with partners to create a niche culinary trail from Meg Vanek.

Meg Vanek is the executive director of the Cayuga County Convention and Visitors Bureau and has served in this capacity for 20 years. She is originally from the Finger Lakes but left the region at 17, graduated from the University of California at Santa Barbara, and worked in the property management and hospitality industries in southern California and England for 14 years before returning to the region. In addition to her position as executive director of the Cayuga County Convention and Visitors Bureau, she also serves on the Board of Directors of the NYS Tourism Industry Association, the Cayuga Lake Scenic Byway, the Finger Lakes Regional Tourism Council, as well as several other tourism related committees.

What you’ll learn about in this episode:

• Meg’s background
• How Meg has helped Cayuga County stand out from the crowd by presenting a unique experience for the visitor- The Finger Lakes Sweet Treat Trail
• How Meg blended agriculture and culinary assets together in The Finger Lakes Sweet Treat Trail
• What’s coming up for the Sweet Treat Trail in 2017.
• How competitors worked together on the Sweet Treat Trail to grow their own businesses
• What great partners look like to Meg
• A business that thought outside of the box in order to be eligible for the Sweet Treat Trail
• How Meg set realistic expectations for new partnerships
• The Sweet Treat Trail’s upcoming appearance on HGTV

Ways to contact Meg:

• Finger Lakes Sweet Treat Trail: tourcayuga.com/farm-to-table/finger-lakes-sweet-treat-trail