Last month I had the pleasure of addressing the Southern Illinois Tourism Conference held at the John A. Logan Conference Center in Carbondale. I’d like to thank Debbie Moore from the Carbondale Convention and Tourism Bureau for hosting the conference. It was great to see so many dedicated professionals sharing ideas as we discussed ways to best promote the region and the state.

During my keynote address, I talked about the many ways in which IBOT assists and works with regional partners. This includes coordinating statewide research and marketing efforts, hosting major industry events and spearheading innovative grant programs. How we conduct our research and analyze the data was expounded upon by Jan Kemmerling of our Springfield office. Additionally, representatives from our ad agency, JWT, and our public relations agency, Edelman, presented their extremely valued contributions to our efforts.

The conference created a foundation to build upon at follow-up conferences in September and January. Those agendas will include discussions more specific to the needs of Southern Illinois region and the role of CVBs. For instance, we’ll look at potential packages featuring sites such as the Shawnee Hills Wine Trail and the Southern Illinois Golf Trail. Advertising outreach will also be addressed as well as how to get media coverage in Southern Illinois newspapers. The January meeting will zero in on how individual businesses can most effectively market themselves. Continued >

Industry Insider: Robin Beaman

To help you get to know who’s who in Illinois tourism, ITN profiles an industry leader each month. This month we introduce Robin Beaman, president of Beaman Incorporated, IBOT’s new agency of record for the African-American market.

Robin E. Beaman, president of Beaman Inc., has 20 years of experience in entertainment and corporate public relations. Her practice focuses on corporate communications, media relations and community outreach. The firm is committed to an unmatched level of excellence, cost-effective service and the highest in ethical standards.

Beaman has designed innovative communications campaigns for major corporations, government agencies and nonprofit organizations including Coca-Cola, British Petroleum, Dow Chemical/Dow Corning, Sears, Wyndham International, Comcast, the Illinois Department of Transportation, the American Lung Association, ShoreBank, Money magazine and the National Association of Black Accountants, that delivered maximum national publicity, increased sales and reinforced consumer loyalty.

For example, more than 20 million viewers experienced the “Softer Side of Sears” when Beaman landed Sears on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” to honor an American hero. Sears gave the hero a $60,000 shopping spree to share with needy children and a Hawaiian vacation. Sears even surprised Oprah with a $100,000 check to purchase the Oprah Angel/Habitat for Humanity House in New York City. Continued >