NEOEDD is offering the popular "Destination Creation" workshop for business owners. The class will be held Mondays and Thursdays from April 26 - May 20, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. The workshop series consists of 8 sessions.

You will learn how to change your business into a Consumer Destination that is consistently preferred by your customers,  helping your business capture more market share, even when larger, better-capitalized competitors seemingly have the advantage. As a business owner, you will learn how to use the strategy and tools to keep local customers spending money with your business, and how to immediately start drawing customers from well beyond your immediate marketplace. This series will give you the framework for how to think about your business, the changes you will need to make in order to pivot to online sales, and how you will position your business to become a destination that customers will frequent during the time of COVID and beyond.

The destination business concepts will be presented in recorded videos by small business mentor and professional speaker Jon Schallert. NEOEDD Executive Director Lisa Dawson, a certified facilitator of the program, will bring decades of experience working with businesses to the online discussions about the concepts.

The program comprises eight chapters and a bonus session:

Chapter 1: Introduction to Becoming a Destination Business

Chapter 2: Foundation of a Destination Business​ & COVID-19 Bonus Workshop

Chapter 3: Leadership Responsibility​

Chapter 4: Targeting Your Most Profitable Customers

Chapter 5: Capturing Consumer Media Attention

Chapter 6: Creating Ultra-Services & Customer Focus

Chapter 7: Marketing the Destination Business

Chapter 8: Collective Marketing​

Learning materials including webinars may be accessed via computer or mobile device for up to six months following the class via the Destination University portal.

The course will take place as follows:

Mondays and Thursdays from April 26, 30, May 3, 6, 10, 13, 17 and 20 from 5:30-7:30 p.m.

The regular fee for the course is $399. However, NEOEDD is offering a special option for businesses in Baker, Union and Wallowa Counties. Sign up and pay $199 now and receive $199 back after attending the entire series (with no more than one excused absence) and submitting a plan for implementing new actions to improve your business. If coming up with the registration fee is out of reach, scholarships are available for business owners in Baker, Union, and Wallowa counties who have a low-to-moderate income. Please contact Lisa Dawson via email or 541-426-3598 for scholarship information.

Cancellation Policy: Tickets are non-refundable but may be transferred to another individual and/or redeemed for another scheduled course.

Here's a preview of Jon Schallert describing a destination business https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddkyeyrXZpQ&feature=youtu.be.

This workshop is subsidized by a grant from Business Oregon.