Oneida County Tourism excited to welcome guests from far and wide for IIHF tournament

While tourism has been on the rise in Oneida County in recent years, the International Ice Hockey Federation Women's World Championship in Utica will kick things up a notch.

With teams and their staff already arriving and staying at Turning Stone Resort Casino and hockey fans pouring in from across the United States, Canada and the world to catch the action on the ice, Utica is set to play host to thousands of visitors for the tournament, which runs April 3-14.

Oneida County Tourism President Sarah Foster Calero said she and her staff couldn’t be more excited about this unprecedented event.

“This is, as far as I know, the biggest event that will have ever been hosted in Utica and Oneida County,” Calero said. “I think we're used to the Boilermaker and we've seen what that can do for the area, like the economic impact and just how many people it brings in, but with IIHF, I think this is even a different level.”

Nicole Kelly, general manager of Utica University Nexus Center, also noted the air of excitement surrounding this momentous occasion.

“Anytime you're welcoming the top women in a sport from the entire world into your community, it's an incredible honor,” Kelly said. “And I think the fact that the IIHF and USA Hockey awarded Utica, Oneida County, the Adirondack Bank Center and the Utica University Nexus Center with this honor is tremendous."

"And we've really flipped into high gear. I know our entire staff is working on making this the best and most memorable event possible. And I know Oneida County is a main sponsor of the event, and has made a full commitment to making sure that this is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for all involved.”

Be our guest

Oneida County Tourism wants to be like a concierge service for out-of-towners, starting from the moment guests receive their room keys. Calero said that the agency has ordered 50,000 key card inserts for every hotel and motel in the county which will include QR codes leading guests to the Oneida County Tourism website.

From there, visitors can find links to everything from the tournament schedule and ticketing to the Heart of NY Craft Beverage Trail.

Calero said that Oneida County Tourism has launched a new tourism tool called the Discover Utica trail. Modeled after the craft beverage trail, it features over 100 local businesses and uses a web application and GPS, allowing users to “check in” with their phones at each location.

Checking in to businesses allow users to accrue points which can be used towards prizes.

Visitors can access the Discover Utica trail here and sign up for free via email or SMS.

“People will look for things to do,” Calero said. “Let’s just say they’re people from Canada who are here to see their family member play, but their games are spread out, so they have downtime. And we want to encourage them to explore Utica and Oneida County because that just contributes to that underlying factor of having a huge economic impact on the area.”

With the Discover Utica application, users only have to check in to five businesses to win a limited-edition IIHF-themed poster designed by local artist Maria Vallese, who goes by the nom de paintbrush Retro Sorrento. The poster highlights Utica attractions like the Stanley Theatre and the Adirondack Bank Center. Its design also includes the Haudenosaunee flag in acknowledgment of the Oneida Indian Nation's heritage and importance in the region.

Oneida County Tourism will mail prizes to Discover Utica trail users once they return to their homes, whether that’s Syracuse or Montreal.

Robust promotion

Calero said that her organization has been working closely with other stakeholders to promote the tournament. They’ve erected four billboards across Oneida County to help drive local awareness and coordinated social media campaigns that target locals, folks in Canada and people within the six-hour drive radius that Calero refers to as the tourism sweet spot.

“It's been very collaborative, and that really just comes down to the fact that we’re talking USA Hockey, IIHF, Oneida County, the Adirondack Sports Council – there are a lot of involved partners, and they've been helping us get what we need,” Calero said.

Oneida County Tourism has its Welcome Center right in Union Station, and train passengers will be greeted by banners announcing the tournament, courtesy of the Adirondack Sports Council. Visitors can also grab game schedules and travel guides from the Welcome Center, which is open seven days a week.

Kelly expressed appreciation for the support that Oneida County Tourism has provided.

“They’ve been instrumental in helping promote the event,” Kelly said. “And obviously, they are the tourism board for Oneida County, and Oneida County is the main driver behind the IIHF World Championships even being here. So there has been a lot of inter-communication and co-promotions between our entities, and we look forward to it only increasing as the event draws closer.”

Oneida County Tourism is planning to set up a booth at the Subaru World Championship Village at 470 Whitesboro St. in Utica, where they will also distribute travel guides and brochures. The village will feature a Ferris wheel, interactive games, live music and more.

Michael Lehr, director of marketing for Mohawk Valley Garden, emphasized that the village will create even more fun for locals and visitors alike on top of the games.

“It’s going to be a massive festival as well,” Lehr said.

A rush of activity and energy

Between the beverage trail, Discover Utica trail and various travel guides, Calero hopes that visitors to the county will have no trouble finding places to eat, things to do in between games and attractions to explore in addition to the fan village.

Oneida County Tourism wants to show off what the county has to offer and is excited about the economic impact that the tournament will create, with thousands of visitors spending their money locally at restaurants, gas stations and more.

“Our main goal is to bring people into Oneida County, have them stay here, but this whole thing really comes down to, what is the experience going to be like for people who have come from out of town? What is it going to be like for these teams?” Calero said. “We want them to have the best possible impression of Oneida County, and that kind of relies on people who live here too, because they're going to be interacting with us, they'll be visiting our local businesses. So if people who live here are aware of what's going on, I think that really brings it to the next level.”

Lehr said he anticipates that locals and visitors alike will get caught up in the exhilaration of the tournament.

“The big thing will just be that the whole city’s going to kind of have this vibe and energy that will get created in a couple of days,” Lehr said. “I think by April 5, everyone's going to feel like it's a world championship in the whole city. I think that's what locals will start to pick up on is, ‘Oh, this is something that is huge for our area, changing our area.’ And I think that energy will infect everybody pretty quickly.”

This article originally appeared on Observer-Dispatch: Oneida County Tourism to welcome IIHF tournament guests