Operations Implementation Program 2025/26

RTO7’s offer of the Operations Implementation Program (OIP) for 2025/26 is contingent upon the Ministry of Tourism, Culture & Gaming's approval of RTO7’s 2025/26 Business Plan.


If you have never participated in a program with RTO7 before, we recommend that you reach out to Kim Clarke, kclarke@rto7.ca or Robyn Hewitt, rhewitt@rto7.ca, and set up a call to talk through your proposed campaign and application.


RTO7 reserves the right to limit the number of programs/funds that one stakeholder may receive per year.


Read the Operations Implementation Program Guidelines for important background information before completing this application. 


The documents linked to within this application will open in a new window in your browser when clicked on. We highly recommend that you log into a Google account (directions in the link) to access this form and know that your progress is automatically saved as a draft for 30 days so you can return to it. If you choose not to do this or to work offline;

  • You will need to complete and submit the form all in one sitting

  • Be sure to save a copy of your submitted application.

Please see our Blog on why you should create a Google Account for your Business.


Operations Implementation Program Details


If you have funds to contribute to a campaign, please consider applying through the Partnership Program for Social Media Advertising


The Operations Implementation Program (OIP) is a support initiative offered by Regional Tourism Organization 7 (RTO7) for tourism operators in Bruce, Grey, and Simcoe counties. Through this program, eligible tourism operators can leverage $1,000 of their operational expenses (such as mortgage payments, rent, insurance, capital investments or inventory purchases) to receive a matching $1,000 social media advertising campaign.  The campaign, managed by RTO7's Digital Marketing Agency of Record (The Aber Group), aims to promote the operator's business as part of RTO7's 2025/26 Business Plan. The program is designed to assist with marketing efforts and boost visibility for local tourism operators, with all projects required to be completed by March 31, 2026.


The term ‘tourism operator’ is defined as a tourism, festival, heritage, and cultural, consumer-facing organization that has direct access to the consumer and relies on that tourism consumer for their income.  DMOs, BIA's, Chambers, and Municipalities will be considered on a case-by-case basis. If you fall into one of these categories, please contact RTO7 staff BEFORE applying.  As noted above, please read the Operations Implementation Program Guidelines. Stakeholders are limited to 1 social media advertising program per season, (i.e., 1 OIP or 1 Partnership Program Social Media Advertising).


FESTIVALS & EVENTS ONLY

Festivals and events may use this program as a part of their marketing efforts.   Festivals wishing to applying for OIP must be a minimum 2 days in length and encourage overnight stays in commercial accommodations. 7-8 weeks lead time before each festival or event is required.


Note that this form of advertising is particularly effective for consumers in the 'dreaming' phase of their travel journey. During this stage, potential travellers are exploring ideas and gathering inspiration for future trips. As a result, you can expect to see increased traffic to your website from this campaign; however, immediate conversions or bookings may not occur right away.


Tourism Operators interested in the Operations Implementation Program will be required to demonstrate the following:

  • You have a Facebook PAGE (for business) and are actively engaged on the platform (i.e. post at a regular frequency and respond to comments within 24 hours).

  • You must have current marketing collateral (within the last 3 years); high-resolution images (1 MB) and/or video (60 sec or less) that can be used in a social media campaign. 

  • You have a mobile friendly website that is up to date and reflects your current offerings, hours, and contact information.

  • You must carry liability insurance of at least $2,000,000 and provide RTO7 with a certificate of insurance.

In order to launch the campaign, you will need to allow The Aber Group to act as an advertiser on your page.  Only individuals with “full control” (not partial) will be able to accept or assign task access. If you have Facebook access to a Page, you can view your access by completing the following steps:

  1. Log into Facebook, then click your profile photo in the top right

  2. Click see all profiles, then select the page you would like to switch into

  3. Click your Page profile photo on the top left side to go onto your Facebook Page

  4. On the left bar that now appears, click settings

  5. From there, click page setup and page access

  6. Under People with Facebook Access, click your profile to see your access levels. Page Owners will have profiles that say that they have full control and will be able to accept access invitations.


If you do not have full control of your Facebook Page, and cannot determine how to move forward at this stage of the program, the campaign will need to run through the BruceGreySimcoe platforms and will be required to pay a $200 administrative fee.


To receive funding for social media marketing, you must demonstrate at least $1,000 pre-tax of operational expenses such as mortgage or rent payments, utilities, insurance, inventory, etc. Partners MUST provide proof of payment of these expenses (i.e. cancelled cheque or e-transfer confirmation) with the final report.

  • The Aber team will write the copy for the ads. You will need to provide images or videos for the campaign.  The Aber team will not edit the visual collateral you provide, so it must be "camera ready".

  • You will have final say on the ads. Note, the ad copy developed by the agency is often fairly straightforward - while it may seem counterintuitive, experience has repeatedly shown that this copy tends to perform better than clever, sizzling ad copy. If you have very specific branding/tone requirements, in some instances it may be easiest for you to contribute to the copywriting under the agency's direction. Once the copy is approved, the agency will then execute the media buy and optimize the campaign over the duration of the project.  While the Aber Group will be placing and measuring/optimizing the results of your campaign (the media side), you will be responsible for:

    • designing your campaign i.e. you will already know the purpose or goal of your campaign, the graphic theme and messaging, etc. before applying for this program (this can be as simple as having a selection of good images and messages in mind through to having full blown ‘ads’ developed by a creative agency).

    • supplying the campaign creative - a selection of 5-10 current, high resolution images (min 1 MB) and/or at least one video (60 sec. max) - note that  Meta will optimize to the strongest  performing creative.

      • Creative  may be video/imagery developed through RTO7's Video/Image Development Program or partner's own (approved) video/images.

      • If using your own video/imagery:

        • Must be approved by RTO7 prior to application acceptance (see criteria for approval below)

        • Video(s) must have the BruceGreySimcoe and Ontario logos added to the video (at partner’s expense)

        • Partner must be willing to sign off that all models featured in the video have signed releases.

  • Once the project is approved, all communications regarding the project MUST be conducted in Basecamp (provided by RTO7).

  • It is assumed that you have a fully functional website already (since you will be driving traffic to it with a social media advertising campaign) that:

    • is up to date, easy to navigate and reflects current offerings, hours  and contact information

    • displays properly on desktop and mobile devices (this is critical as over 80% of our target markets  are using  mobile  devices  to access your campaign)

    • is under your control for the purposes of updating content in a timely manner

    • Partners will need to have or develop a landing page consistent with what is portrayed in the video/imagery (e.g. an ice fishing video should direct traffic to an ice fishing landing page or at minimum a page outlining a variety of winter activities, of which ice fishing is one).

  • Campaigns will run for 4 weeks.

  • Facebook and Instagram posts will be posted from the partners account (by Aber who you will need to provide access to) and copy, a call to action and a physical link will drive traffic to your website.

  • Partners will be responsible for responding to comments generated as a result of the campaign every day

  • It is possible to be funded for both a video/image development and social media advertising project (using the video/images developed) in one Partnership year; however, this requires SIGNIFICANT lead time to ensure the collateral is edited and ready in time for the campaign


    We want you to be open to the idea of starting on a journey towards economic, social and environmental sustainability. Sustainability isn’t a requirement to get funding for 2025/26. However, projects that show they’re working to include or improve sustainable practices—using clear and measurable plans—may be prioritized in the application review process. The Operations Implementation Program application process is competitive, and many people apply for the available funds. We welcome applications from all eligible businesses and organizations. No matter where you are in your sustainability efforts, we’re here to guide you through the process.

The red asterisks below indicate required fields.

Senior Organization Rep

Note this is the individual with signing authority for the project and ultimate responsibility for the execution and completion of the project if approved. It is this individual that we would send the Agreement to for signature in DocuSign (with a copy to the day to day contact below).

Project Rep

Note this person will be the day-to-day decision maker for the project,  responsible for execution of the project and regular communications with RTO7 and agencies, and should have skills and experience in managing projects of a similar nature as well as available time to devote to the project


Please note that it takes a minimum of 3-4 weeks setup from project kick-off call to campaign launch (subject to change based on demand). If you are running a festival or event, please allow for 7-8 weeks before your festival date.



Please use the exact address as it appears on Facebook


To launch the campaign, you will need to allow The Aber Group to act as an advertiser on your page. In Facebook, only individuals with “full control” (not partial) will be able to accept or assign task access. 

To prevent delays in the campaign setup stage, please provide the name of the individual who has full control of the Facebook Page by following these steps:


  • Log into Facebook, then click your profile photo in the top right

  • Click see all profiles, then select the page you would like to switch into

  • Click your Page profile photo on the top left side to go onto your Facebook Page

  • On the left bar that now appears, click settings

  • From there, click Page  Set up and Page Access 

  • Under People with Facebook Access, click your profile to see your access levels. 


Page Owners will have profiles that say they have full control and will be able to accept access invitations.


Please take the time to check on this - If it turns out you do not have full control of the Facebook Page, it will greatly delay the campaign (until Meta sorts it out) or it will need to run through the BruceGreySimcoe platforms and you will be required to pay a $200 administrative fee.


Please use the exact address as it appears on Instagram  e.g. @brucegreysimcoe OR www.instagram.com/brucegreysimcoe/

Below are target markets (geographic, segment and activity) that BruceGreySimcoe targets in our campaigns; please check off those that you would like to target in your campaign.


Please review these considerations for appropriate targeting for YOUR offering.


Note: If your asset or event is not targeted clearly at attracting tourists (i.e. people from over 40km away), you will need to justify why/how you are marketing it as a tourist attraction and detail local community partnerships such as overnight accommodation collaborations.


RTO7 Target Geographies

This could be an event, an attraction, an asset, a season, a destination, an activity, etc. And you could be promoting it to couples, families, young professionals, grandparents, age, gender, interests, etc.


Please keep in mind that although this is an awareness campaign, revenue generation by tourism operators is of key importance and should therefore be considered in what you are promoting to your target audience e.g. we are more likely to approve/promote activities that are associated with businesses that stand to benefit e.g. a tour guide, an outfitter, etc. than simply beautiful vistas or free hiking trails.


What is the specific message(s) that will be communicated through the campaign?


Key Activities, Milestones & Responsibilities

The following is an approximate sequence of events for the campaign you will be undertaking if approved:


  1. Project evaluation and approval – RTO7

  2. Project Agreement – RTO7 & Partner; logos on Partner website; Typsy training completed by partner 

  3. Kick-off conference call with RTO7 staff to confirm project objectives, timelines, targets, messaging, etc. – RTO7 & Partner

  4. Develop collateral appropriate for campaign (if not already developed) and add to Basecamp - Partner

  5. Provide Aber access to Facebook - Partner

  6. Landing page URL ready – Partner

  7. Provide draft ad copy for review by partner/RTO7 – Aber

  8. Upon approval, launch campaign – Aber

  9. Brief report to Partner following campaign summarizing impressions, clicks, CTR, CPC, recommendations in Basecamp - RTO7

  10. Final reporting and analytics to RTO7 - Partner

Performance Metrics

Please indicate HOW or what indicator your organization will use to evaluate the success of this campaign. This will be the overriding metric we will use to optimize your campaign results.


Please also provide a baseline value and your expectations of this campaign below.

Last Year's Baseline Data


If you did a comparable campaign in the recent past, please provide a baseline value to which you’ll compare this campaign - typically data from the same period last year as the proposed campaign period this year.

Anticipated Result This Year


We also want to know what your expectations are of the campaign this year (in equivalent units to the baseline data if provided above).


Please be sure to include your rationale for what you hope to achieve e.g. if you expect to increase a metric by X, what is that based on? (e.g. a significant budget increase, a modest annual increase based on prior project learnings and efficiencies, etc.) 

In addition to the metric identified above, if you would like to also measure conversions (i.e. downloads, bookings, sales, signups, etc.), then please provide:


 

a) The Metric You Will Measure (in what units)

b) Last Year Baseline Data for that Metric

c) Anticipated This Year


Keep in mind that conversions i.e. tickets sold, overnight bookings etc. can only be attributed to the campaign if you are selling tickets/rooms online. Note that (as depicted in the graphic below), this form of advertising is particularly effective for consumers in the 'dreaming' phase of their travel journey. During this stage, potential travellers are exploring ideas and gathering inspiration for future trips. As a result, you can expect to see increased traffic to your website from this campaign; however, immediate conversions or bookings may not occur right away.




Metric #2

PROJECT MANAGEMENT & REPORTING

Please confirm that the following are in place CURRENTLY in order to qualify for funding.

The following links outline some of the requirements you are agreeing to below:


Social Media Best Practices

Claim/update Your BruceGreySimcoe Website Listing

Sign up for RTO7 E-blasts

Destination Ontario's Intake Form

Claim/update Your Google My Business Listing

Sign up for/complete your free Typsy Training


The following links apply to some of the requirements you are agreeing to below:


Google Analytics Installation

How To Share Access to Your Analytics


SUSTAINABLE TOURISM

How many times in the last 5 years has your organization received funding support from RTO7's Partnership or Implementation Programs?

Details can be found on the RTO7 Take the Pledge page


Demonstrating your pledge commitment may help strengthen your eligibility for participation in the 2026/27 programs.


Details can be found on the RTO7 Employee Turnover Rate page


Collecting and reporting on your Employee Turnover Rate may help strengthen your eligibility for participation in the 2026/27 programs.


Please complete the Region 7 Tourism Stakeholder Business Performance & Sustainability Survey


Completion of the above survey may help strengthen your eligibility for participation in the 2026/27 programs.


RTO7 has created a toolkit to provide tourism stakeholders with resources and tools to share consistent “Visit Responsibly” messaging across the region. Our goal is to simplify the process of implementation for stakeholders, ultimately leading to a strong, consistent, and unified message in the region to the consumer.


Demonstrating your “Visit Responsibly” messaging may help strengthen your eligibility for participation in the 2026/27 programs.


Please outline the ways in which the PROJECT you have proposed meets sustainability criteria - economic, social and/or environmental.

Are you applying on behalf of your tourism members or tourism businesses within your catchment? (e.g. a DMO or BIA or municipality).

How many NEW partners are you collaborating with on this project? (i.e. your organization has not partnered with them in past).

What is the anticipated revenue generation potential of this project, and how does it create value for the local economy (e.g. through direct sales, partnerships with local businesses, or attracting high-yield visitors?).

Given your goals, what is the long-term growth potential of this project? Growth is an important part of sustainability, and can come from enhancing the value of your offerings, increasing visitor spend or optimizing operational efficiencies. See the Resource Guide for more suggestions regarding how to achieve long term growth. Please let us know what areas of growth you're looking at in the next year:

High Medium Low No Growth Potential
Increasing revenues (from point-of-sale or ticketing systems tracking ticket sales, bookings, merchandise, services, etc.)
Increasing spend/visitor
Sustaining/growing the number of jobs
Increasing visitor numbers (in areas with capacity)
Increasing repeat visitation
Improving sentiment and consistency in online reviews/ratings and customer surveys
Balancing seasonality to achieve more consistent growth across seasons vs. limited to peak season
Increasing (positive) engagement on social media platforms (followers, likes, shares, etc.)
Increasing website traffic and online inquiries/bookings
Increase in volume and quality of media coverage (e.g. influencers, travel blogs, news outlets, etc.)
Monitoring recognition from industry organizations for best practices, etc.
Decreasing the impact of tourism on local ecosystems (resources, energy, waste, etc.)
Improving community engagement and benefits to the local community (including partnerships, cultural preservation or jobs)
Increasing visitor awareness of their role and responsibility in sustainability
Introduction (and performance) of new tourism products/experiences
Increasing collaborative offerings with local businesses

Is this project a new experience/offering or are there any new or revitalized elements to it, intended to attract new audiences or provide an enriched experience or otherwise enhanced to ensure continued vibrancy?

Check any of the boxes below that align with your ORGANIZATION'S strategic or aspirational goals (i.e. if you are pursuing or are interested in pursuing longer-term objectives such as those below, we want to recognize your efforts/intent).

Tech Compass is a limited-time offer of expert guidance to navigate and deploy tourism technology

The following link outlines one of the requirements you are agreeing to below:


Eligible Sources of Funds

Operations Implementation Program Guidelines


Please type your name below to confirm your acknowledgment and acceptance of the information provided