Submitted by Gwynn Stewart, MS, Assistant Professor of Community Development – Ohio State University Extension
I recently attended the Community Development Society (CDS) conference in the beautiful New York Finger Lakes (also known as FLX) region that explored the theme of “Innovative Pathways to Thriving Communities: Technology, People, and Place-based Collaboration.” The event was hosted at the Hobart and William Smith Colleges in Geneva, New York – a lovely campus. There were attendees from all around the world and many from higher education and Extension!
From a tourism perspective, there were a variety of opportunities for learning and for excursions as well. We had the opportunity to visit the historic Smith Opera House for a tour and movie. This venue hosts a variety of performances and events in the region and has been in operation since 1894. They focus on arts and tourism as an economic driver.
We visited a fantastic Tourism Welcome Center located at Seneca Lake. It was active with visitors learning about the lakes, shopping for wine and I❤️NY merchandise and regional treats such as wine ice cream. Guests and residents actively enjoyed the walking path along the lake, a playground, fishing from the pier, bike and kayak rentals, and more.
When I asked a staff member at the Welcome Center what was one thing I didn’t want to miss before I left Geneva, she quickly responded, “Nothing. We are a college town, lots of bars. You should go…” and she provided other suggestions outside of the area. From a tourism training perspective, this serves as a reminder that workers need customer service and specific local tourism destination training related to the area they are being asked to serve. Focused training to ensure that service professionals are providing guests with key information to help the tourism economy grow by supporting local businesses and entrepreneurs is critical. Resources are available from Ohio State University Extension and from Oregon Sea Grant/Oregon State University Extension.
As we drove into the region, we noted the fields of vineyards and the lovely terrain. One of the conference plenary panels featured professionals from the New York state winery and viticulture scene that was very engaging and informative. The panelists (Gina Lee, Viticulture & Wine Technology program at Finger Lakes Community College; Julia Hoyle, Hosmer Winery and Apollo’s Praise; Maiha Johnson Dunn, Beverage Education Manager, New York Kitchen; and Sarah Gummoe, Winemaker, Dr. Konstantin Frank Winery) each shared knowledge on winemaking and marketing from their perspectives. They discussed workforce pressures, the need for mentors and career lattices, regionalized workforce training and partnership efforts, as well as tips for marketing and agritourism. They also discussed what is happening with customer education such as tasting flights, and a class called “Wine for Normies” — that’s “normal” folks like you and me. In addition, the book “Summer in a Glass: The Coming of Age of Winemaking in the Finger Lakes,” by Evan Dawson was recommended and the panel presentation was recorded for a future edition of the “Spilled Salt” podcast by Maurreen Ballatori, the panel moderator.
I also learned there are more than 134 varieties of grapes grown across New York State and that there are vineyards in California closing as they have simply priced themselves out of business due to bottle pricing increases. Also, wine and arts partner well. Some vineyards are engaging in “value-added” services to customers including art performances, unique “story-led” events, “pop-ups” at the welcome center, and more.
The panelists also fondly noted their partnership with NY Extension professionals gaining input through gatherings of growers, training on agriculture and pest management, and more, all science based.
The conference also featured the downtown Buzzoto Center, a local entrepreneur center. Sessions included supporting breweries and local community leaders in the Outdoor Recreation sector through entrepreneurship educational curriculum. There was an interesting session on the “Geography of Beer” and how breweries tap into the “neo localism” movement that aims to help businesses retain and deepen their local culture, identities, and connection as “social hubs or third places.” Examples included breweries from New York to California. After all, 79% of the U.S. lives within ten miles of a brewery.
A wide variety of other session topics also linked to tourism such as asset-based community development, community vitality and placemaking, as well as affordable housing, broadband expansion, and providing digital literacy.
In another session, focused on the CDS and Local Development & Society Journals and other potential special publications, Editor-in-Chief Craig Talmage noted the need for more book reviews, letters to the editor, and for young scholars to submit and to be mentored in this “academic journalism.” Be sure to check out his article “Community development on tap: How local breweries provide creative community-centered spaces and initiatives for advancing economic and social capital.”
Overall, it was a great conference loaded with sessions relevant to tourism, a great deal of networking, and the potential for future collaboration! Learn more at cdsociety.org/2025cdsconference/.