DUBLIN, Ga. — The visitor center in Dublin is trying something new to get more people out to city events. Visit Dublin's Executive Director Miriam Lewis said they're hoping to see more turnout.
"Going to some events or different festivals and just not seeing it super well attended," Lewis said.
It was that problem that got her thinking about solutions.
"We're promoting tourism outside of Laurens County, but what can we do to kind of spark some excitement inside the county?" she said.
That's how they landed on a new program they call the Community Advocate Program.
It recruits some of Dublin's biggest fans to share events, surveys and things they love about D with their friends and family.
"Making a program for them so that they can, they can be advocates for things that are going on and share events that are happening before they happen," Lewis said.
The program starts off by gifting small gift cards from local businesses to the advocates. The program also works on a point system. Advocates rack up points for doing things like volunteering a shift at the visitor center, posting about their favorite building on the downtown walking tour and checking in by posting at their favorite restaurant.
If they get 25 points at the end of the program's six month run, they get a gift basket. There's a social hour halfway through the program to get the advocates together to share how it's been going.
"If we have these community advocates that are also going to tell people that, that's just word of mouth. [That] means everything right — word of mouth can make or break anything," Lewis said.
Piper McAfee isn't from Dublin, but she moved there in 2017 with her husband.
"When people ask me about Dublin, I'm always right away saying I love the community aspect. There's so much to do, so much to be involved with," she said.
When she heard about the new program launching, she knew it was calling her name.
"It was kind of one of those things where they said 'Hey, we see that you're a big cheerleader for our community. Would you like to help us cheer a little louder?' And I love Dublin so I was an immediate yes," McAfee said.
She works in marketing herself, so she knows the potential in using social media to bring people together.
"We're all influencing our circle. And so I think that's what's the magic behind this program," McAfee said.
Lewis said in about three months, they'll start looking for people to fill a second group of advocates. You can keep an eye out for more information at this link.