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.

Shifting from Southern to Northern Illinois, I’m pleased to report that Rockford’s Burpee Museum of Natural History is readying for the opening of its long awaited “Jane” exhibit. Jane, of course, is the fossilized skeleton of a dinosaur found by museum staff and volunteers in southeastern Montana in 2001.

Jane is unique for a number of reasons, particularly because of the mystery surrounding exactly what kind of dinosaur she is. Scientists are unsure whether the bones are from a juvenile T. Rex or a pygmy cousin of the T. Rex called a Nanotyrannus. Either way, it’s a rare and important find, which has brought well deserved acclaim and attention to the Burpee Museum.

The museum has been and will continue to host a number of Jane-related functions, including “Jane Days” every Saturday through June 11 during which visitors are invited to meet members of the Jane discovery team. June 29 will mark the official unveiling of the skeleton in an exhibit called “Jane: Diary of a Dinosaur” along with Jane’s debut party in July. A scientific symposium is also planned for September 16.

At IBOT, look for a Jane feature on www.enjoyillinois.com, as well as a promotion in our summer e-Newsletter. I look forward to seeing you in Rockford for this (pre)historic event.

Sincerely,