NEWS RELEASE
ORILLIA DISTRICT CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
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For those who are tired of spending time wading through internet search listings, the Orillia District Chamber of Commerce (ODCC) has created a new app that is all about local.
Explore Orillia & Lake Country was created to provide a mobile guide to the Orillia & Lake County region, which includes the City of Orillia, townships of Oro-Medonte, Severn, and Ramara, and the Chippewas of Rama First Nation. It not only provides a convenient directory of local businesses and organizations, but also provides tourist information and community resources in the palm of one’s hand.
The app is free to download through Google Play and the App Store and provides outstanding ease of use with no account setup or login required. Users can scroll through the app’s streamlined categories to find restaurants, things to do, municipal and emergency information, and more.
For local businesses, the app provides a convenient and affordable digital advertising opportunity, and every business in the region receives a basic listing for free. Any local business who is not listed can request to be listed through the app or by contacting the ODCC. Members of the ODCC can receive a login that allows them to edit and customize their own listing.
“At the core of every healthy community is a thriving business community. Here at the ODCC we are always looking for ways to support our local business community and we are very excited to have an app that connects local businesses with residents and visitors. We moved from a paper directory to a more fluid and continually updated app directory to ensure our members were given more exposure,” says Scott Walker, president of ODCC and broker at BMO Nesbitt Burns.
“The success of the app depends on businesses promoting our new tool, and for the consumer to find it easy to use. When you open the app and start exploring, it is all very fast links and you can go into a website, then back out and hit the map button to get to where you need to go. It is like having a phone book on your phone so you can see if you can obtain something locally first. According to American Express, 68 cents of every dollar spent locally at a small business stays in your community, so it is in all of our best interest to look at that rather than just initial price from a foreign source,” says Allan Lafontaine, executive director of the Orillia District Chamber of Commerce.
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