Statewide News

Setting the Stage for success at the 2005 Governor’s Conference on Tourism

The 2005 Illinois Governor's Conference on Tourism, "Setting the Stage," was a show-stopping success! A total of 650 tourism professionals from across the state benefited from the conference's top-notch educational speaker line-up as well as exciting social and networking opportunities in Chicago last week.

The conference kicked off at the House of Blues where delegates were treated to a rockin' icebreaker reception hosted by Where Chicago Magazine. On Wednesday morning, attendees heard the latest on the significance of the tourism industry in Illinois and future plans from DCEO Director Jack Lavin and IBOT Deputy Director Jan Kostner. Other conference sessions featured nationally renowned experts who discussed trends in special events, Internet marketing, the international tourism outlook, performance management, agritourism and more. Following a performance-filled evening social sponsored by the League of Chicago Theaters and a live auction, the conference concluded Thursday with the annual Governor's Awards luncheon emceed by Chicago ABC7 feature/entertainment reporter, Janet Davies.

Congratulations to all of the tourism professionals who were recognized with Governor's Awards for their innovative marketing initiatives. Special recognition goes to Caterpillar, Inc.; Alex Panozzo, former Heartland Spa chef, Kankakee area farmer and agritourism advocate; and Toby Olszewski, publisher of The Herald /Country Market in Bradley and the Beverly Review in Chicago, who won the prestigious "Friend of Tourism" awards for all that they've done to support tourism in Illinois.

And thanks to the generosity of conference attendees, more than $18,000 was generated through the silent auction.  These funds go toward scholarships for Illinois tourism students, so everyone should feel proud of their contributions.  Thanks to Marge Heissinger and Roger Carmack for their tireless efforts to make this year's auction a record-breaking success.

On behalf of the Bureau, special thanks goes to Visit Illinois' Patrick Snyder and Wendy Perks Fisher for their continued partnership and hard work on this event and to Governor's Conference Chairperson Kimberly Bless for leading the team.  Additionally, special appreciation goes to the conference airline sponsor, United, and printing sponsor, Master Communications, for all that they did to make the conference a top performance. And for many months behind the scenes, the Governor's Conference planning team at Edelman worked diligently with IBOT staff to ensure the best conference possible. A huge thanks to Mia Casey, Cindy Urman, Katie Grywalski and Julie Connolly for all of their effort and enthusiasm.

The Governor's Conference team is already looking forward to the 2006 Illinois Governor's Conference on Tourism, which will be held at the Springfield Hilton, February 22-24, 2006.  Please mark your calendars and, in the meantime, feel free to contact Lisa Link at lisa_link@commerce.state.il.us with any suggestions as to how the Governor's Conference team can best meet your conference needs in '06.

Time for www.enjoyillinois.com redesign

Last year changes were made to IBOT’s consumer Web site, www.enjoyillinois.com, to make the site more user friendly, reflect the branding message, “Illinois. Mile After Magnificent Mile,” and to highlight the magnificent 3-day getaway itineraries.

This year, the bureau will take www.enjoyillinois.com steps further with additional enhancements and a dramatic new look. Each Web page will have a consistent look and feel throughout to better present the wealth of statewide information available. Seasonal features — such as a profile of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum complex — will be highlighted. Additionally, our time-honored features, such as last year’s look at Illinois water parks, will be updated with current information and visually improved to reflect the many exciting new additions and developments found at statewide attractions and destinations.

One major difference of the site will be the horizontal navigation bar that will make traveling the magnificent miles of Illinois’ Web site easier and more enjoyable than ever. Here users will be guided to the most frequently used areas of the site, including: 3-Day Getaways, Top Spots, Brochures & Maps, Features, Travel Professionals and the Illinois Media Center.

Some areas of the site, such as Top Spots and Related Links, will be completely redeveloped. The Top Spots section will feature the 10 most marketable attractions in each Illinois region as reflected by the input of many of our industry partners. Likewise, the Related Links page will be streamlined to include the most useful and productive links for our consumers.

Other sections will also be given a new look. Where press releases are currently listed, media can now benefit from the Illinois Media Center, an interactive resource complete with images and contact information to make writing about Illinois easier than ever for journalists. And the Brochures & Maps section will make fulfillment materials available with Adobe pdf format for viewing and printing.

The new and improved www.enjoyillinois.com launches April 15, but expect updates and further expansion regularly. This is only one step — though a big one — in ensuring that IBOT’s consumer Web site will be a primary resource for travelers and a vital tool in promoting the state.

Sport, meeting and group travel planning made easier

Without a doubt, consumers looking for Illinois sports, meetings and conventions and group travel information will enjoy the many additions and changes being made to all of the bureau’s niche sites. All three of the Web sites — www.sportsillinois.com, www.tourillinois.org and www.meetinillinois.com — will integrate with the “Illinois. Mile After Magnificent Mile” branding and will offer visitors ease of navigation on and between the sites.

To stay in the game and continue serving the important sports market, sportsillinois.com will feature an expanded facility search function that lets sports planners find their perfect venue in Illinois. New to the site is a data-capture tool that will allow Sports Illinois members to easily update their venue information, and a downloadable Sports Playbook that highlights Sports Illinois members and the top sports facilities throughout the state. To give credit to industry stakeholders, the Member Spotlight Feature — to be updated quarterly — will highlight new sports facilities, events and success stories. For easy access to information, there also will be a calendar of events listing and a link to a media section where releases from Sports Illinois members may be read. Events rights holders will be able to submit their request for proposals online, as well as join Sports Illinois to increase member participation.

To encourage business travelers to “Meet in Illinois,” updates to www.meetinillinois.com include an expanded facility search that will enable meeting planners to find the perfect venue in Illinois. A new feature on the site, a downloadable Meeting Destination Guide, will highlight Meet in Illinois participants and top meeting and convention facilities in the state. Additional improvements include a Member Spotlight Feature that will be updated quarterly to highlight a new meeting facility, event or success story, and a media section that will include features about Illinois meeting events and venues. The site will continue to offer events rights holders the ability to submit their request for proposals online.

Brand new to Illinois’ Web site line-up is www.tourillinois.org, serving the group tour market, which will offer visitors a variety of statewide group tour itineraries, as well as provide the option to search group-friendly accommodations and attractions. New each quarter, the Destination Spotlight section will highlight an exciting group destination, and the Group Travel Planner Resource page will highlight Illinois tour operators and motorcoach companies. Visitors to the new site can also download the Team Illinois Group Travel Planner Guide.

Bureau welcomes new multicultural firms

Following an extensive review, IBOT, together with our general market advertising agency of record, JWT Chicago, have selected The San Jose Group and Beaman Inc. as the state’s Hispanic and African-American advertising, marketing and public relations agencies.

This decision marks The San Jose Group’s (SJG) reappointment to the IBOT Hispanic assignment, having served as its most recent Hispanic agency for the last four years. Incorporated in 1981, SJG is a consortium of marketing communications companies specializing in reaching the Spanish-speaking Americas. The agency currently serves a diverse mix of blue chip clients, including ATA Airlines, U.S. Cellular, Hormel Foods, National Pork Board and GlaxoSmithKline. SJG will help IBOT and JWT develop a fully integrated marketing campaign that will serve as a strategic follow-up to the agency’s most recent efforts for the state.

SJG’s primary objective will be to continue stimulating increased travel and overnight stays within Illinois among Hispanics living in Chicago and throughout the Midwest. The campaign will include such components as outdoor, radio and print advertising; grass roots outreach at community events; and public relations and online marketing. SJG also will help ensure that IBOT’s call centers and booking agents are aligned with the proper resources to effectively serve prospective Spanish-speaking travelers. The campaign’s creative theme will be designed to extend the reach of JWT’s successful “Illinois. Mile After Magnificent Mile” campaign in a manner that will resonate with the Hispanic target market’s culture and travel behaviors.

New to the Illinois team, Beaman Incorporated (BI) is a full-service public relations firm that specializes in advertising, media relations, corporate communications and strategic community outreach on a local and national level to African-American communities. Founded in 1996, BI has represented major corporations, government agencies and nonprofit organizations, including the Illinois Department of Transportation, The White House, Wyndham International, Coca-Cola Enterprises, Sears, British Petroleum and the National Association of Black Accountants.

BI will develop a fully integrated marketing and public relations campaign that focuses on Chicago as the initial destination or hub that generates travel to other parts of the state. Its efforts will target travelers from collar states such as Wisconsin, Indiana, Michigan, Iowa and Ohio — and Chicago and its surrounding areas, as well as major cities with a high population of African-Americans such as Washington D.C., Atlanta and Philadelphia. The campaign will include print and radio advertising; grass roots community events; public relations and the development of a new Web site, www.soulfulillinois.com. The campaign centers on using local personalities’ testimonials to help position Illinois as a great place to visit. A special effort will be made to secure corporate partnerships to help the state extend its marketing resources and gain greater visibility within the African-American community.

SJG and BI will both help IBOT and JWT to formulate and offer culturally relevant travel packages to replicate the success of IBOT’s “Magnificent 3-Day Getaway” positioning.

Spring e-newsletter highlights Illinois’ blossoming attractions

Just as temperatures began to warm throughout the state, IBOT’s spring e-newsletter arrived in the e-mail inboxes of nearly 60,000 potential travelers. While showcasing Illinois destinations such as the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, the Looking for Lincoln heritage area, Grizzly Jack’s Grand Bear Lodge and Water Park, and Six Flags’ Hurricane Harbor, as well as various outdoor activities throughout the state, it also provided a list of Illinois spring events and a link to enjoyillinois.com to order Illinois’ spring travel kit.

If you would like to be added to the e-newsletter distribution list, please contact Brad Strauss at bstrauss@ildceo.net.

Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum opens with grand festivities

The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum in Springfield will open to much fanfare with a series of magnificent events, April 16-19. The festivities will pay a memorable and patriotic tribute to Abraham Lincoln, as well as present visitors with a first look at this much-anticipated museum.

The museum invites the public to commemorate this historic occasion by attending events such as “Looking for Lincoln,” a two-day historic block party on April 16 and 17 featuring entertainment reminiscent of Lincoln’s era, including re-enactors, music, folk dancers and artists from throughout Illinois. Other events include a torchlight parade, concert, fireworks and laser spectacular on April 17, and “Lincoln in the Twenty-First Century,” a scholarly conference examining Lincoln’s life and work, April 17 and 18. The festivities culminate with the public dedication on April 19, and will feature speeches by the governor and other distinguished guests.

The museum will be open to the public on Saturday and Sunday, April 16 and 17, to provide a sneak peek to visitors there to participate in the grand opening festivities. Guests to the museum complex will enter the museum’s two state-of-the-art “exhibit journeys” off a 4,700-square-foot central interior plaza. Each journey makes a different time and aspect of Lincoln’s life come alive – from his meager beginnings to his assassination. The museum will be closed on Monday, April 18, but will reopen to the public immediately following the dedication ceremony on Tuesday, April 19.

The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum is part of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum (ALPLM) complex in downtown Springfield.

For more information on the museum and grand opening events, contact the ALPLM at 217-558-8844 or visit www.alplm.org.

Illinois Great Rivers Ride

In conjunction with the Western Illinois Tourism Development Office and Opportunity Returns, Illinois will host the first Illinois Great Rivers Ride September 11-18, 2005. Participants will enjoy the scenic beauty and attractions along a 400-mile stretch of the Rock, Mississippi and Illinois rivers. The noncompetitive bike ride will offer a range of one-of-a-kind experiences as it winds through Rock Falls, Rock Island, Henderson County, Nauvoo, Quincy, Pleasant Hill and Pere Marquette State Park making many stops along the way for bikers to discover Illinois’ rich treasures.

Participants can take advantage of a variety of activities along the route, including music under the stars at Henderson County’s Big River Forest Preserve; dinner and entertainment in Rock Island’s downtown arts and entertainment area; a stop in Nauvoo for a tour of Baxter’s Vineyards and night golf at Nauvoo State Park; an architectural tour and an evening at the “Black Water Night Club” in Quincy. The final day takes riders to Pere Marquette State Park for a Jimmy Buffet-themed party and fireworks.

The Illinois Great Rivers Ride is limited to the first 300 cyclists. The cost is $300 and includes breakfasts, dinners, entertainment and camping. Discounted hotel rates along the route are also available. For more information and to register for the Illinois Great Rivers Ride, visit www.illinoisgreatriversride.com or call 877-477-7007 (ext. 217).

ITB Update

Chicago and Illinois once again hosted a booth at this year’s International Tourism Bourse (ITB), the world’s largest tourism fair, held in Berlin, Germany, March 12-17. Tiffany McQuillen represented IBOT at the conference, which was attended by countless tour operators and top-level travel media. Along with United Airlines, IBOT hosted a media breakfast that conveyed Illinois tourism highlights to more than 50 members of the German news media. The breakfast served as an introduction to Chicago’s summer events, the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum and the unveiling of Rockford’s favorite dinosaur, Jane.

Many Illinois tourism partners had a hand in promoting the Land of Lincoln in Berlin. In attendance were representatives from the Chicago Convention and Tourism Bureau (CCTB), Chicago’s Essex Inn, the Rockford CVB, the Champaign County CVB and the Springfield CVB, which sponsored a special Springfield Café for conference attendees.

During the week the Illinois team met with nearly 35 top tour operators and a dozen media representatives at the fair. More than 10,400 exhibitors – an increase from 2004 – covering 181 countries and territories participated in the fair.