Photography Provided
Sometimes it takes a major life event to look at things through a different lens. We’ve all had that opportunity in 2020.
For reasons I will get to in a minute, I want to unveil something we at Visit Hendricks County have discussed and been working on since the pandemic began back in March – a new community website, geared specifically for our residents, which we are calling the Hendricks County Locals Guide. You can find it right now online at AllinHendricksCounty.com all thanks to great services like Fort Worth Web Design that help make the websites more appealing and easy to use.
Back in March, with everyone staying at home to flatten the curve throughout the country, it became obvious that until visitors began to return we needed to support our locals, highlighting the “good stuff” in our community through a new initiative we call “All In, Hendricks County”.
We anticipated adding this approach to our agency’s role in the county in the near future, but with the coronavirus pandemic as the catalyst, we were able to pivot quickly to provide a resource to our residents to help them during the early days of the pandemic. All of our messaging, partnerships, promotions, website content, social media channels and attention focused on our locals.
We shined the spotlight on local individuals and businesses making a difference in the community when they couldn’t directly serve visitors and residents. We also provided resources for our locals including information on where to find jobs, where to get more information about local health and safety, where to learn what restaurants were offering, where to find ideas for things to do at home and much more.
We quickly realized the same information we share with visitors could be repackaged and promoted to residents. They, too, can benefit from our staff’s 60-plus years of expertise and knowledge about this community.
What You Can Expect
For those who have seen and used the “Community” portion of our Visit Hendricks County site in recent months, information on the new site will be similar. We want to stick to what we know and what we’re good at.
We plan to provide insider information and inspiration, both within Hendricks County and surrounding areas within an hour’s drive, at AllinHendricksCounty.com. We will focus on things to do, events, and all the latest news, as well as updates, openings and closings involving local attractions such as our restaurants, shops, parks and other amenities.
It won’t be the place to go to learn when the latest road project will be completed, what houses are for sale in the area, or what local ordinance governs whether you can add a shed to your backyard. There are places where you can find that information in our county. We plan to have our site direct you there, but just know that will not be what this site is about.
Our popular Hendricks County Insider blog will supply the new site with content we think our residents will find useful, such as recent popular stories we’ve already posted including “Top Parks & Trails Within an Hour of Hendricks County”,”Top Outdoor Dining Options in Hendricks County”, and our “Going Above and Beyond” series highlighting local people and businesses making a difference in our towns.
We will also answer frequently asked questions about our community. We plan to have sections of the site geared toward specific towns, and to the different segments of our local population including families, seniors, newcomers and more. With your help, we even hope to show pictures of you and your neighbors enjoying our amenities.
But that’s not all. Our organization also specializes in helping to plan weddings, and helping event organizers find the perfect venues in our county for special occasions.
So, if you are or ever will be planning a wedding, or need to find the perfect venue for an event such as a reunion, birthday party, corporate retreat or anything else, this new website will be the place to go to find it in your own backyard.
We also regularly produce printed pieces like our Wedding Guide and Visitor Guide that you can request through the new site for free, and we will mail them directly to your home so you can learn even more about the hidden gems and resources we have right here in Hendricks County.
We Welcome Your Input
While we try to fulfill what we believe is an unmet need in our community, we realize we don’t have all the answers. We hope you can help us by providing feedback on how we can make this site even better so that it truly feels like the community’s website.
We value input and would love for you to peruse the new site, and share with us what is missing or what you would like to see. You can share your thoughts and recommendations for the site through the “Contact Us” form on the website, via email at Info@VisitHendricksCounty.com, or by calling us at 317-718-8750.
So, let’s do this together. Are you ready for an online resource dedicated solely to the Hendricks County community? Are you ready to be All In, Hendricks County?
Check it out at AllinHendricksCounty.com.
