The Park City Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Bureau is saying goodbye to its pinecone branding after two decades. CEO Jennifer Wesselhoff said the change is years in the making. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Wesselhoff said the term “event fatigue” also spread across the Park City community.
“When we did our resident sentiment survey, we learned that residents were feeling disconnected to one another and outnumbered," she said. "We wanted to really ensure that tourism continued to be embraced in the community.”
Other campaigns were launched to highlight the positives of tourism, including 2023’s “Winter’s Favorite Town.” But Wesselhoff said the chamber wanted more than a seasonal campaign; it wanted a brand representing the community.
The new emblem is a series of the letter P in a circle. Wesselhoff said the P represents Park City, prosperity, passion and more. The new logo features a cooler color palette for the changing seasons including green forests, blue dark skies, yellow wildflowers and silver for Park City’s mining history.
“Some people visually see a snowflake, or a bicycle wheel or a flower or a grouping of friends," Wesselhof said. "It's also a nod to our Olympic heritage.”
Wesselhoff said the new branding was also focused on the chamber’s 10-year sustainable tourism plan.
“It was really time to think about how do we position ourselves to our target markets, not only to attract the type of visitor who is in alignment with these really ambitious, sustainable tourism values, but also how do we educate them and inform them and manage them on responsible visitor behaviors,” she said.
As part of the sustainable mindset, the chamber coined a new word, “mountainkind.” It’s a person or place that is inclusive, caring, friendly, respects nature and supports local arts and nonprofits.
The chamber will showcase the rebrand for locals at the Visitor Center in Kimball Junction May 23 with a free barbeque lunch.
