Pikes Peak Outdoor Recreation Alliance (PPORA) was approved to participate in the Restart Industry Associations Program by the Colorado Tourism Office (CTO) in September 2021.
PPORA is a collection of outdoor businesses, conservation nonprofits, government entities, and individuals that recognize the value of the area’s natural and recreation assets to Colorado both as an economic driver, and for general health and well-being. PPORA’s mission is to strengthen the outdoor recreation industry for the Pikes Peak region through leadership and collaboration. PPORA serves the Pikes Peak area, identified as El Paso, Teller, and Fremont counties.
PPORA was paired with Bobby Chappell, a CRAFT Mentor from the Tourism Consulting Collaborative, with experience in destination stewardship planning, visitor use management, and sustainability standards to deliver 75 hours of free consulting to conduct the activities listed below.
The purpose of this project was to gain a better understanding of the makeup, needs, and sentiment of the local outdoor recreation industry. This information will be used for PPORA to better prioritize efforts in supporting the region’s outdoor industry, inform regional planning, and benchmark the local industry to monitor growth and change in the future for better advocacy. Finally, the process is expected to help PPORA enhance their ability to communicate the organization’s value proposition to regional stakeholders.
Project objectives included:
- develop a needs assessment survey that meets the stated purpose of the project
- design survey with stakeholder engagement and manage survey distribution
- analyze survey results to provide understanding of the local outdoor industry that includes stakeholder sentiment and needs
- develop a report that summarizes the survey results and recommended next steps
PPORA achieved the following results with its Restart Industry Associations Mentor:
- survey planning and stakeholder input process
- data analysis report with breakdown of various components of the PPORA outdoor industry association survey that includes an executive summary, respondent categories, respondent sentiment, open-ended response summary, and industry benchmarking
“The consulting PPORA received through our participation in the Restart Industry Association program was so helpful because it was not cookie cutter but tailored to our unique needs and challenges. Our consultant helped us design and implement a strategy that gave us some excellent insight into the needs and aspirations of our industry stakeholders which will better equip us to serve and strengthen our local outdoor industry in the future.” - Becky Leinweber, Executive Director, Pikes Peak Outdoor Recreation Alliance
About Restart Industry Associations Program
The Restart Industry Associations Program supports Colorado tourism industry associations to drive faster recovery as they emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic. Awarded industry associations receive 75 hours of free consulting and $10,000 in direct marketing support from the Colorado Tourism Office. This program was made possible by a CARES Act Recovery Assistance grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration.