It Starts At The Beach Visitors’ Activities Guide

The GO TO source of area information for thousands of residents, cottagers and visitors!

If you’re not in the guide – how will customers find you?

PRINT, DIGITAL & WEB MARKETING

Grand Bend & Area Chamber of Commerce produces the official guide to the Lake Huron shoreline, covering Lambton Shores, South Huron and Bluewater (Arkona, Bayfield, Dashwood, Exeter, Forest, Grand Bend, Hensall, Ipperwash, Kettle & Stony Point, Northville, Parkhill, Port Franks, St. Joseph, Thedford, Zurich and more.). Original editorial content and photography showcases the area’s commercial and natural assets to those making vacation decisions and local residents. Distributed locally and across Ontario, the print guide is produced VIRTUALLY online and editorial content refreshes the brand-matching WEBSITE.

This advertising opportunity is OPEN TO ALL LOCAL BUSINESSES (you don’t need to be a Grand Bend & Area Chamber Member). Plus – we extend Chamber Member discounts to members of local BIAs and sister Chambers (Exeter BIA, Forest BIA, Bayfield Chamber, South Huron Chamber & Zurich Chamber).

GREAT Advertising Value!

  • Full year circulation
  • Your location mapped on the Lambton Shores pull-out map OR on the Regional, Exeter, Bayfield, Zurich or Hensall Map
  • Your business listed in the Advertisers’ Index with your phone number, ad page number, map and map marker number
  • 30,000 Ontario-Wide & Local distribution

It Starts At The Beach is distributed far and wide…

  • 60+ Ontario Tourist Travel Centres & municipal kiosks
  • 240+ local hotels, restaurants, businesses & attractions from Sarnia to Goderich
  • Municipal Facilities & Libraries in Lambton Shores, South Huron, Bluewater and North Middlesex
  • London Airport, Huron Country Playhouse, Blyth Festival, Victoria Playhouse
  • Thousands of copies picked up at the Welcome Centres in Grand Bend, Exeter & Goderich
  • Mailed to interested travellers, travel writers and meeting planners

Download the 2024 Visitor Guide Advertising Package (PDF)

2024 AD SIZES & PRICES

Visitor Guide AdSize
(inches)
Chamber & BIA MembersNon-Members
Back Cover Page***8.125-in x 10.875-in$3,500Not available
Inside Covers***8.125-in x 10.875-in$2,500Not available
Section Kick-Off Page***7.25-in x 9.687-in$1,800$2,000
Centre-Fold Page7.25-in x 9.687-in$1,800$2,000
Full Page7.25-in x 9.687-in$1,500$1,740
Half Page - horizontal7.25-in x 4.5-in$800$925
Half Page - vertical3.5-in x 9.687-in$800$925
Quarter Page - horizontal7.25-in x 2.25-in$500$625
Quarter Page - vertical3.5-in x 4.75-in$500$625
Sixth Page3.5-in x 3.125-in$350$450
Twelfth Page3.5-in x 1.5-in$225$325
Map Advertiser - Full Back Panel**7-in x 8.75-in$3,000Not available
Map Advertiser - Half Page Back Panel**7-in x 4.375-in$1,500$1,740
Map Advertiser - Front Panel Logo w/Sponsor Statement**1.5-in x 1.5-in$500$700
Trail Route Logo Spot w/Sponsor Statement1-in x 1-in$125**$125**
Own the Town Map Sponsor***1-in x 1-in$125**$125**
  • *Centre-fold falls in the Taste Explorer section and therefore ads must be food or beverage related.
  • ** $125 “Own The Town” spots with minimum purchase half page guide ad.
  • ***No discounts on premium placement ads, map or trail logo placements, ItStartsAtTheBeach.ca profiles or Outdoor Map & Literature Board ads. No additional discounts on already discounted web bade ads.

Working Together We Are All Stronger!

We are pleased to extend Chamber Member pricing to the Forest and Exeter BIA members, as well as to our sister Chambers of Commerce members at South Huron, Bayfield, Zurich and Huron Chambers.

OWN THE TOWN & MAP ADS

The Lambton Shores Pull-Out Map has a double life! Next to the printed guide, maps are the most asked for pieces of information. The Lambton Shores street map includes an index of 396 businesses with phone numbers and mapped locations – updated annually! A thousand copies (1,000) are given to the Lambton Shores Nature Trailblazers for distribution at trade and consumer shows and at trail heads.

Own The Town – $125

Display your logo and website address on the town of your choice, with a minimum half page ad buy. Only 9 towns! Arkona, Bayfield, Exeter, Forest, Grand Bend, Hensall, Thedford, Zurich and the Regional map.

Own The Front Panel- $500 – one opportunity

Your business logo with a map sponsor statement on the map’s front cover.

Own The Trail Map logo Spot – $125

Pick the trail route of your choice, we’ll add your logo with a sponsor statement beside the trail’s title for just $125 with the purchase of a half-page ad. Provided on a first come first served basis, there are 13 trails from which to choose.

DISCOUNTS & DEADLINES

EARLY BIRD DISCOUNT: Book & Pay by August 31, 2023

Invoice must be paid by August 31 or discount voided and replacement invoice issued.

ARTWORK SUBMISSION DISCOUNT

Use last year’s ad or send us your new ad at time of booking and receive an additional 2% over and above any other discounts you’re leveraging!

MULTIPLE AD DISCOUNT

Save 12% on second and succeeding ads. Discount applies to the smaller ad(s).

GOODWILL DISCOUNT

Registered charities, service clubs and fundraising events save 20%.

ARTWORK REQUIREMENTS

Artwork: All ads must be supplied in a format that meets commercial print process specifications (300DPI): PDF (PDFx1/a preferred), PSD, AI, InDesign (packaged), EPS, TIFF, JPG. All colours and images to be converted to CMYK (no spot colours or RGB). Convert True Type Fonts to outlines. No Rich Black text. Rich Black fills to be 100% black / 40% cyan. Ad artwork to be “at size” or larger. Do not use images from a website, they are not high enough resolution.

Not Accepted: Files created in Corel Draw, Quark Xpress, Microsoft Office, Canva (i.e. Word, Publisher).

Advertiser assumes all responsibility for the accuracy of information in supplied material.

Email to info@itstartsatthebeach.ca or by Dropbox (www.dropbox.com). Submitted artwork by you or your designer is considered FINAL.

Art Services 

If you decide to contract with Stacey or Jessie, be sure to let them know you are advertising in our guide so that the correct rate is charged.

  • Stacey Downing: stacey@sddesign.ca, 519-870-7527
  • Ashley Track 21: Ashley@track21.ca,

We have every advertisers raw graphic files (PSD) from previous guides available for use by the designer of your choice. Simply contact Sydney at info@itstartsatthebeach.ca for the files (provided at no cost).

GET ON ITSTARTSATTHEBEACH.CA

The trusted source of online travel-planning information, including editorial, business listings, maps and event, ItStartsAtTheBeach.ca serves the community as a directory of what to do, what’s happening, where to eat, where to shop, and where to source various products and services.

Business Listing: $125

Being listed on the website is reserved for Chamber members, but with a minimum sixth page ad buy you can be added to the website for just an additional $125 for a full year listing. Your listing includes business name, address, phone, email, links to your website and social media pages, Google map, photos and business description.

Web Badge Advertising: Starts at $45 per month

This is a special opportunity for It Starts At The Beach advertisers! 

  • Campaign Duration: 3, 6, 9 & 12-month slots / Minimum 3-month buy
  • File Formats: gif, jpg, jpeg, png, swf
  • File Weight: 25kb for standard graphic; 35kb for Flash/swf

Our Google Analytics for ItStartsAtTheBeach.ca indicates that in 2019 the website had 115,372 page views, 74,344 unique sessions and a monthly average visitor rate of 17,263. Most are women visitors (57%).

Campaign Pricing

CampaignMember PricingNon-Member Pricing
3-months$45 - 10%$50 - 10%
6-months$84 - 10%$94 - 10%
9-months$117 - 10%$130 - 10%
12-months$144 - 10%$164 - 10%

GET ON THE MAP & PUBLICATION BOARD

The Map & Publication board, located outside the Tourist Welcome Centre, is a unique opportunity to encourage a visit to your business location. Summer pick-up rate indicates 1,000 people view the board weekly.

  • COST: $249 for 12 months
  • SIZE: 13-inches wide by 8-inches tall. Send us a high-resolution PDF or JPG and we will print your full-colour ad on professional quality, photographic paper for FREE.

Don’t Forget Social Media – Connect With Us For Free

We post photos, events and area promotions on Facebook.com/itstartsatthebeach.  In 2021, we had 179k+ likes, 227k+ “engaged” users and average monthly post impressions of 36k+. Make sure your business is connected to us. #grandbendtoursim  #itstartsatthebeach

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