Explore Waterloo Region is the Destination Marketing Organization for the Region of Waterloo.
Our objective is to attract leisure and business travellers, group tours, meetings and sporting events to Waterloo Region. We also work together with our members on destination development, and to promote festivals, events, attractions, restaurant and hotel offerings.
We attract visitors to this area by telling our region’s story: by letting visitors know that the same amazing attractions, events, shops, restaurants and people that make Waterloo Region a great place to live also make our region a great place to visit.
We invite you to be part of our story!
MEMBERSHIP CRITERIA
Explore Waterloo Region welcomes tourism or hospitality related businesses located in any of our region’s townships or cities to apply for membership.
MEMBERSHIP COST
Membership with Explore Waterloo is free! Memberships will be automatically renewed at the end of each calendar year unless otherwise requested.
MEMBERSHIP BENEFITS
Explore Waterloo Region Membership Benefits include:
- A 100-word listing on Explore Waterloo Region’s (EWR) website
- Access to EWR’s Member Portal – a website designed specifically for members that provides access to information, educational opportunities, programs, tools, leads, marketing opportunities and more
- Access to EWR’s Event Calendar to promote your events
- Invitations to attend member-only webinars and workshops
- Opportunities to participate in media/influencer visit itineraries, which provide exposure to writers and digital content creators looking for destination stories
- Opportunities to collaborate with EWR on social media and/or be featured on EWR social media channels
- Opportunities to participate in destination development initiatives such as Experience Packages, tourism-designed trails, etc.
- Opportunities to host meeting planners and tour operators
- Access to leads & referrals
- Access to the Festival & Event Impact calculator
- Networking opportunities with the tourism community at EWR’s Annual General Meeting – a members-only event that provides an in-depth look at the past year’s results and details about strategies for the year ahead. Members have voting privileges at the AGM
- Subscription to EWR’s monthly member newsletter
- Sustainable Business Support: Access to a partially subsidized membership to Sustainable Waterloo Region’s Impact Network to advance your sustainability goals.
- Culinary Certification Assistance: Take advantage of subsidized opportunities to obtain Feast ON certification and showcase your commitment to local food.
- Explore Waterloo Region amplifies positive messages and images that promote our region across our marketing channels. As an EWR member, you grant Explore Waterloo Region permission to use images posted on your business’s social media channels as user-generated content (UGC) for promotional purposes, including on your website listing, in EWR social media posts, blogs on our website and other marketing materials that showcase Waterloo Region and its tourism experiences.
Members are also invited to use the #ExploreWR hashtag to engage directly with our social media conversations, and are invited to send social collaboration requests for our consideration.
Please note that memberships expire at the end of each calendar year and will be automatically renewed unless otherwise indicated.
For questions regarding membership please contact [email protected]