December 2004
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From the State Travel Director
The morning session consisted of updates on tourism trends and how effective our campaign has been. We were very pleased to hear that our new slogan, “Illinois. Mile After Magnificent Mile,” is already proving to be quite successful. Recognition and branding levels are eight times higher than they have been for any previous slogan. Focus groups conducted earlier in November showed that the campaign has improved the image perception of Illinois with a focus on the wide variety of interesting attractions and its ability to offer something for everyone. Other key findings include a 37 percent increase in consumer inquiries between 2003 and 2004, and significant increases in Web inquiries in September and October of 2004 showed a 120 percent rise over the same time period in previous years. As of October 2004, hotel motel tax revenue is already up 3 percent as well. Continued > Industry Insider
Following a nationwide search, Chicago’s North Shore Convention & Visitors Bureau (CNSCVB) proudly named 16-year industry veteran Gina Speckman as its new executive director October 2004. As executive director, Speckman is responsible for promoting CNSCVB and developing programs that will attract even more visitors to the area. She also will work toward increasing the number of local municipalities and businesses that partner with the CNSCVB in its efforts to promote the region to business and leisure travelers. Currently, the CNSCVB represents Evanston, Skokie, Wilmette and Northbrook. Speckman was previously the senior director of marketing communications and membership for the Chicago Convention and Tourism Bureau (CCTB). Since 1988, she had been employed by the CCTB in a variety of positions including director of special projects and director of membership. In her most recent position, Speckman was responsible for all the electronic, print and verbal communications programs utilized by the Bureau in positioning the City of Chicago as a leading destination for business and leisure travelers. She created and implemented a strategic plan for the department on an annual basis and managed the relationships of all CCTB outsourced vendors. Other responsibilities included directing the content, design and technology of the CCTB’s three Web sites, and managing the editorial and overall production of six consumer and trade publications with a total circulation of more than 1 million. Speckman also was instrumental in managing the city’s first toll-free visitor information call center. Prior to joining the CCTB, Speckman was employed in the Corporate Communications Department of the Chase Manhattan Bank in New York where she managed program funding for the metropolitan New York City area. She also was employed in a variety of other marketing communications positions, including: Exxon Corporation, the Urban Business Assistance Corporation, the Massachusetts Council on the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts, as well as Eclipse Jazz in Ann Arbor, Mich. Continued > |
Just a few weeks ago, our advertising partner, J. Walter Thompson, hosted a day-long seminar for IBOT marketing staff and representatives from the Illinois tourism industry that focused on Illinois tourism – where we are as an industry and in what new directions we can go. This session, called Day One, was enormously productive and I would like to thank all those who put so much work into its planning and execution.
To help you get to know who’s who in Illinois tourism, ITN profiles an industry leader each month. This month, we introduce Gina Speckman, executive director of Chicago’s North Shore Convention and Visitors Bureau and vice president of the Chicago Plus Regional Tourism Development Office.
Rod R. Blagojevich, Governor
Patrick Quinn, Lieutenant Governor
Jack Lavin, Director, Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity
Jan Kostner, Deputy Director, Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic
Opportunity, Bureau of Tourism
Lisa Link, Public Relations Manager, Illinois Department of Commerce
and Economic Opportunity, Bureau of Tourism
Published monthly by the Illinois Department of
Commerce and Economic Opportunity, Bureau of Tourism
100 West Randolph Street, Suite 3-400 Chicago, IL 60601
Phone: 312/814-4733 FAX: 312/814-6175
Where no TTY number is listed in this or other DCEO, Bureau of Tourism publications, the hearing impaired may use the state TTY relay: 217/785-6055
The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, Bureau of Tourism manages industry efforts that result in sustainable and significant economic and quality-of-life benefits for Illinois residents.
