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Vermont Outdoor Guide Association Mission Statement "Dedicated to the support and promotion of professional outdoor leadership, education, and stewardship." Membership Information |
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VOGA Benefits |
About VOGA |
Industry Information | ||||
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Business Assistance
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Vermont Outdoor Guide Association provides support and promotion
for recreational services, including guides, outfitters, outdoor educators, lodging
providers, tour operators, retail and rental businesses and support services for the
recreation and travel industry. Keep up with industry related news and
take advantage of our many membership benefits.
If the recreation industry is important to
your business, you should be a member of VOGA.
Learn More
About VOGA
Should Vermont end it's ban on nature guides and paddle sport
professionals use of state access areas with canoes and kayaks?
Learn more.
Will Vermont's
guiding industry be forced to pay a 6% amusement tax? For a message from
the Tax Department Click HERE
After one of our members had been informed by
the State that his company owed taxes as a "place of amusement" under the
sales/use tax law, VOGA contacted the Tax Department for clarification.
Information from the Tax Department is expected soon. Stay tuned. Has any
other guide service been charged with this tax? Please contact us.
info@voga.org
Support our Efforts to Make Release Forms Legally Binding
Click
Here
To help your customers find a wide variety of recreational services, please feel free to use the logo below on your website to link to our Recreation
Directory.
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Access to Land & Waterways Ambassador Program Membership Directory Outdoor Education Network Taxes and Recreation Vermont Outdoors Woman
So Much to Do, One Resource!!
www.voga.org
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Our Primary
Sponsors
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| About VOGA | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Customer service, access to natural resources, risk management, affordable advertising and resource stewardship are just a few of the issues that we all must deal with. By working together, our members are strengthening Vermont’s image as a destination for outdoor adventure and skill development opportunities while growing their own businesses. Vermont Outdoor Guide Association (VOGA) was organized in 1996 as a non profit 501-C6 organization of recreation based professionals and support organizations. Run by volunteers for over 10 years and assisted by grants from state departments, the state legislature and several other organizations, our membership has grown to nearly 200 businesses. More importantly, our web site has become a primary resource for recreation based information in Vermont. Annually, we are helping over 500,000 visitors find things to do and places to stay in and around Vermont. We continue to act as advocates for outdoor professionals regarding access to private and public lands, improved risk management and insurance policies and increased state marketing of our members' services and products by lobbying our legislature and serving on numerous planning committees and councils. "Much like the branches of a tree, our industry reaches out in all directions. We each approach the use of natural resources in a personal way, based on past experiences and individual choice. Still, the spectrum of differences is supported by a common thread of issues. They include educational opportunities, ethics, access to land, access to industry information, risk management, insurance, stewardship, finding qualified staff, advertising, legislative issues, multi use issues, population distribution, and more. The point is that we have much more in common than we have differences and by working together, we not only help ourselves but we are firmly establishing Vermont as a destination for outdoor adventure." Gray Stevens, Executive Director, VOGA VOGA Members Code of Ethics.
* Obey all State and Federal
laws. VOGA members proven to have violated any of the above codes will lose membership and their listing(s) will be removed from our website with no refunds..
Who are the VOGA members? Who Should Join? Guides, outfitters and outdoor educators must have certifications in their field of work. Minimum certifications are First Aid and CPR. For training opportunities and classes, visit: www.voga.org/outdoor_education_events.htm * All
forms of Recreation Based Lodging Annual dues range from $100 to $300, based on the type of business. Your membership year runs for one year from the month your application is accepted and payment made. Ask about seasonal discounts and payment plans.
When joining VOGA, please be sure to inform your staff and to keep us updated regarding your news, events and job openings. Your information will be posted online and through other media, at no extra charge to you. Becoming a Member - Printable Application Becoming a VOGA member can provide significant benefits to your company. Print the application today, fill it out and mail it. Your benefits begin IMMEDIATELY. |
| Benefits For VOGA Members | ||
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As you evaluate your potential membership in VOGA, consider carefully, our exciting array of benefit programs, all designed to make your business more productive and profitable. Links shown in blue will show examples. Call the Office with questions or for more information 802-425-6211. Partners and Support: Our support members include companies with expertise in insurance, internet, marketing, promotion and more. Networking with VOGA members first can save you time and money. Partnerships between guide services, tour operators, recreation gear shops and various lodging providers create offerings far beyond individual capabilities and increase each partners' visibility at minimal extra cost. Staff & Communications: Our Staff is available to assist members in fully utilizing all of our benefit programs. VOGA publishes a monthly Email Newsletter of industry information and hosts a bulletin board with Industry alerts. Our Staff also spends significant time assisting and providing member referrals to potential visitors. Our office email and phone provide an constant stream of referrals for our members. Benefits:
* Low cost,
high
visibility. |
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| Business Support & Development | ||
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VOGA assists our Guide/Outfitter members in numerous ways, including; Support: ·
Advocates
for access to private & public land & waterways. Insurance Assistance Northland Insurance Group
The strength of the magnificent wilderness of
Ross
Insurance and Company Posting your job openings on our web site provides assistance in locating permanent and seasonal staff. VOGA Members can place your job openings here for free. Email your information to us. info@voga.org View job listings at: Recreation Job Openings Land Access With more and more Vermont land being posted we have assembled and maintain web based information on this subject. Vermont Outdoors Woman and Vermont Outdoor Education Network are part of the VOGA family. These divisions of VOGA offer significant promotion and exposure potential for your company. |
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| Advertising and Marketing with VOGA | ||
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Where VOGA Advertises | Advertising Discounts | Marketing Product Discounts | Web Site Savings Ambassador Program | Vacation Package Development | Sponsorship Opportunities
All VOGA members receive a free expanded listing including
email and web link on our
web site.
The web site traffic averages 1000 page views per day, with steady growth. During 2010, we are
finishing a redesign of the web
site. If you have a suggestions concerning the web site redesign, please
email your
suggestions to
info@voga.org.
Where VOGA Advertises
Vermont Recreation Ambassador Program Our Recreation Ambassador Program was established in February 2004 to promote VOGA members and Vermont across North America, the program has now grown to participation in over 50 trade & travel shows per year. It is designed to give our member Ambassadors recognition for representing Vermont as a recreation vacation destination, and to increase public awareness of the VOGA web site. If you are planning to attend a consumer trade show please contact the Office (802-425-6211) for details on becoming an Ambassador. While still in it's infancy, we are very proud of this program, its results and participants. Visit: www.voga.org/vermont_recreation_ambassador.htm
Advertising Discounts for VOGA Members Save $125.00 when advertising on VisitNewEngland. Contact: info@visitnewengland.com "Main Street & Back Roads Magazine, published in southern & central Vermont, would like to offer VOGA members the ability to either BARTER a portion to all of their advertising OR discount 25% off the cash rate card. For more information, email vermontquarterly@aol.com or visit www.vermontquarterly.com ." Vermont Sports offers a 25% discount for any advertisement. Contact: advertising@vtsports.com
New Horizons in Sports Classic Stitching
Save on Website Design and Hosting
Power Shift
Motomo Enterprises
Recreation Based Vacation Package Development
Adventure Guides of Vermont
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| Advertising With Banners | ||
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Target your audience with a banner ad and link near the top of the page(s)
of your choice. Banner ads for 6 months: $349 front page, $249 for any internal page. One Month on two pages: $60 Special rates for multiple page placement. Need a banner ad developed? We charge $50 per hour with a one hour minimum.
Call the Office with Questions and for your specific needs. 800-425-8747 Many thanks from us all. A strong recreation industry requires strong advocates. Vermont
Outdoor Guide Association
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