February 15, 2008
Group Sales/Marketing Internship Guidelines
Company Background:
The Amish Experience, RT 340, between Bird-in-Hand and Intercourse, is one of Lancaster County’s leading hospitality industry attractions. The Company operates on the property of Plain and Fancy Farm, the oldest family style restaurant in Lancaster County.
Preliminarily, it should be noted that tourism is Lancaster County’s second leading industry, behind only agriculture. The County has become synonymous with “Amish Country” and has long been a prime destination of travelers from around the world, with primary visitation coming from visitors from the Northeast United States.
The Company’s business consists of:
1. The Amish Experience Theater. One of only three experiential theaters in North America, the theater features the 27-minute, five-screen, special effects production of “Jacob’s Choice”, the story of an Old Order Amish family of today whose struggles to maintain family values and traditions are presented against the 400 year history of the Amish in Europe and in America. “Jacob’s Choice” has been critically acclaimed in various publications and is universally well received by all who witness it.
2. The Amish Country Homestead. The Homestead is Lancaster County’s only officially recognized Amish “Heritage Site.” The Homestead has been in operation since 1959 and features an Old Order Amish home of today. Daily tours show how the modern Amish have adapted in many ways to modern life, while preserving the core beliefs of their culture and traditions. Many of the scenes of “Jacob’s Choice” were filmed in the Homestead.
3. Amish Country Tours. The Company, since 1959, has conducted daily farmlands tours in vans and motor coaches of the Amish Countryside to individually ticketed customers. The Company’s intensive certified guide training program has assured that visitors on board an Amish Country Tour learn accurately of the Amish while observing them at work and at play along back country roads.
The Company markets Homestead tours, Theater presentations and Professional Guide Service to both the individual and group markets. Another important part of the business is the marketing and packaging of tours to schools and the group market.
4. Amish Country News. For nearly 20 years, the Company has published the leading hospitality publication in Lancaster County and surrounding areas. With 500,000 copies printed and distributed annually, each of the seven issues contains news of area events, articles of interest about the Amish, and advertising of businesses in the local tourism industry.
Internship Specifics
The Group Sales/Marketing internship is a unique opportunity to gain hands-on experience working to market and sell group tour packages to one of Lancaster County’s leading attractions, the Amish Experience. Group tour clients include professional tour operators, motor coach operators, tour brokers, group leaders, schools, and receptives.
The Group Sales/Marketing Intern will become knowledgeable in the business of the Company as well as the hospitality industry including such concepts as tiered pricing, group itinerary development, tour planning and logistics, etc. A stipend of $100 per week will be provided during the internship based on a 40 hour work week.
The summer Group Sales/Marketing internship begins as soon as the student’s Spring Term ends and extends through the start of the Fall Term. Some weekend day/days may be required.
Responsibilities and Tasks Include:
- Development of Marketing Materials.
- Developing a broad perspective of the Hospitality Industry.
- Targeted Email and ground mail distribution of Group Marketing Materials.
- Courtesy phone calls to existing and potential tour operators, group and youth leaders.
- Assistance in planning and execution of group itineraries.
- Learning student travel, tiered pricing, tour development, target marketing, planning itineraries.
- Direct contact with visitors in the box office, greeting buses, student groups and daily planning and logistics.
- Gaining an insight into various group tours operated by the Amish Experience in order to gain insight from the customer’s perspective.
- Assistance with vendor letters, confirmation calls to customers and preparation of invoices.
- Monitoring and evaluation of group tours, sending of thank you letters and general follow up after a group visit.
- Other related tasks associated with group sales and the successful execution of a group tour from start to finish.
- Learning use of custom and off-the-shelf data base and contact manager software.
Contact
Christina Glaudel, General Manager
717-768-8400 ext. 211,