NORTH CONWAY - The eastern slopes of the White Mountains have long been a tourist destination in winter, summer and fall. There are outdoor activities to suit even the most sedentary person, and a range of lodging and dining choices wide enough to fit anyone's vacation budget.

Though the chief attraction of the region - its scenic mountains - only changes at a geologic pace, the way the area is marketed is rapidly changing, and the Mount Washington Valley Chamber of Commerce is keeping up with those changes.

That was the word at the chamber's annual meeting Tuesday night at the Red Jacket Mountain View Resort, where Jason Robie of Ridgeview Technology reported on the chamber's electronic and social media marketing effort, and Marti Mayne of Maynley Marketing highlighted the organization's public relations program.

Mayne noted that TripAdvisor rated North Conway the most affordable ski town in the Northeast, and ranks it No. 2 nationally.

"We're known as a very media-friendly area," Mayne said. By courting the media and providing content, such as foliage reports and photographs from ski areas and the Mount Washington Auto Road, the chamber was able to generate coast-to coast media coverage that, if it were paid advertising space, likely would have cost close to $250,000.

In November, the chamber will host a weekend for ski writers and regional family travel journalists. During the next year, Mayne said, they expect to host around 40 journalists from across the U.S. and Canada.

"We continue to put a focus on Canadian media," Mayne said.

The presence on Facebook allowed the chamber to promote itself at no cost except labor. "It was too good to be true," Robie said. The chamber's blog has been a successful advertising avenue for members, giving them space for press releases on store openings, promotions and events. The blog is getting 13,000 visitors a month.

The chamber launched a new website design, and Robie reported that it generated traffic of 675,727 visitors, with about 1,846 individuals visiting each day, viewing 11,300 pages daily. The average site visit was about eight minutes.

From August 2011 through July 2012, the chamber took in $635,443 in revenues, spending $248,000 for marketing and $393,260 for operational expenses.

Chamber treasurer Kim Tibbetts reported that there was an increase of $10,000 in the dues collected, adding that the chamber changed its billing process slightly. Invoices went out in envelopes with windows, she said, making the recipients much more aware that a bill was inside.

Executive Director Janice Crawford reminded members at the meeting to take advantage of chamber benefits.

At the well-attended dinner following the meeting and social hour, the chamber recognized four local residents as White Mountains Treasures: longtime arts and music promoter Cindy Russell, who has been the executive director of Arts Jubilee since 1983; attorney Ken Cargill, who has served as counsel and advisor to more than 50 nonprofits in the valley; Bayard Kennett, who, in addition to managing his family's realty and land holding companies has been a Conway selectman, school board member, precinct commissioner, hospital trustee, among other volunteer positions; and Peter Pinkham.

Pinkham's involvement in the valley goes back to the days when the area was known as the Eastern Slopes Region.

He bought the inn that bears that name in the 1950s, and is a founding member of the Chamber of Commerce, serving as its executive director in the 1990s.

He worked promoting the new branding of Mount Washington Valley, and was a shareholder and director of Attitash. He's also a published mystery writer, a former Conway selectman, school board and budget committee member.

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Sara Young-Knox may be reached at syoungknox@newstote.com.