Statewide News

Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum opens to a grand celebration

More than 15,000 people attended one of the Illinois tourism industry’s most significant occasions – the dedication of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum on April 19. The dedication, attended by dignitaries including President George W. Bush, Gov. Rod Blagojevich, Sen. Barack Obama, Sen. Dick Durbin, Rep. Dennis Hastert and others, marked the official opening of the museum honoring one of Illinois’ most celebrated figures.

IBOT spearheaded a very successful media relations program for the museum. The dedication was covered by more than 275 media from more than 80 outlets nationwide and abroad, including local, regional and national press. Extensive coverage by outlets such as “The Today Show,” “CBS This Morning,” C-SPAN, USA Today, The New York Times and many others showcased Illinois to the nation as a premier travel destination with world-class offerings.

The official dedication was preceded by three days of Lincoln-themed festivities that included a ”Looking for Lincoln” historical block party, a Lincoln scholarly conference, an interfaith service, and a laser and fireworks spectacular.

Additionally, IBOT coordinated a satellite media tour (SMT) on April 19 during which museum representatives conducted 27 live TV interviews via satellite from the museum. The SMT was a huge success yielding nearly 3 million impressions.

The excitement and publicity related to the opening of the museum is a sample of what’s to come for the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum and Illinois. For more information on the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum, visit www.alplm.org or call 217-588-8844.

Holiday PR efforts start early

This month Jan Kostner will meet with top-tier magazine and newspaper editors in New York to showcase Illinois’ family-friendly holiday events and attractions. The goal of the meetings is to expand national media coverage about the state in travel, parenting and family magazines such as Arthur Frommer's Budget Travel, Parents, Redbook and Woman’s Day.

Since many of the magazines have up to six-month lead times, Edelman secured early appointments to meet their holiday deadlines and give them the information they need to include events such as the Magnificent Mile Lights Festival, the Holiday Festival of Lights at Cuneo Museum and Gardens, and Christmas Time at the Dana-Thomas House, in their upcoming articles. The meetings will also provide an opportunity for the bureau to develop relationships with influential editors, as well as obtain real-time feedback from journalists.

2005 Illinois Road Show

In mid-June Jan Kostner, members of the IBOT staff and partners from the state’s advertising, PR and diversity agencies, will hit the road to meet with members of the Illinois tourism industry. The Road Show crew will travel to five markets throughout the state over the course of four days.
With plenty of good news to share, Kostner will update industry members on the 2004 economic impact and visitor numbers, as well as share plans for upcoming statewide marketing initiatives.

While specific dates and press conference locations are still under consideration, the goal of the Road Show is to inform media and industry stakeholders about the status and importance of Illinois’ tourism industry.

Look for additional Road Show details in next month’s issue.

IBOT launches Illinois meetings and conventions Web site

This week, IBOT will launch the new Illinois meetings and conventions Web site, www.meetinillinois.com, designed to make it easier than ever for organizations to plan a meeting or conference in Illinois. The Web site will be a one-stop resource for meeting and convention planning that offers the tools necessary to help individuals organize professional events in Illinois.

The Web site’s features include a comprehensive listing of more than 700 Illinois facilities and a Request for Proposal (RFP) feature that enables planners to receive proposals from multiple convention and visitor bureaus based on the event specifications submitted via the Web site. The site also links to www.enjoyillinois.com, which features information on dining, events and attractions throughout Illinois, as well as a downloadable version of the Illinois Meetings Destination Guide presenting information on Illinois’ seven regions, contact information for convention and visitors bureaus throughout the state, vital statistics on facilities and more.

In addition to the Web site, IBOT is coordinating additional outreach efforts to attract regional businesses and organizations to Illinois for their events and meetings by highlighting the vast array of Illinois business event offerings through letters from Gov. Blagojevich.

For more information on this important niche market, or to learn more about the Illinois meetings and conventions Web site, contact Kelsey Holt at 312-814-2349.

IBOT’s spring/summer ad campaign gets underway

Beginning May 15 and continuing through July 31, Illinois travel opportunities will be touted to millions of potential visitors through IBOT’s spring/summer advertising campaign. To remain consistent with the state’s branding efforts to date, the upcoming campaign will focus on Illinois’ magnificent 3-day getaways.

A highlight of the campaign will be the 19 bookable packages available to visitors at www.enjoyillinois.com. Travel packages will be available in six categories including arts & culture, family fun, outdoor activities, romance, golf and cycling. The updated packages include destinations and attractions from across the state such as Chicago/Chicagoland, Galena, Springfield, Decatur, Quad Cities, Alton, Utica, Carbondale and Rockford to name a few.

Creative elements of the campaign continue to evolve while still utilizing the dramatic black and white photography that, according to research, has been well-received and effective in converting interested parties into visitors. The call-to-action for all advertising outreach will be for visitors to log onto our newly refreshed Web site or call to get their free travel kit, to learn more and/or book a magnificent 3-day getaway.

Ads will run in the following markets: Chicago, Indianapolis, St. Louis, Champaign/Springfield/Decatur, Peoria/Bloomington, Quincy, Quad Cities, Rockford, Grand Rapids, Milwaukee and Detroit. A combination of local and regional outlets will run print (newspaper and magazine), online and TV advertisements to support our spring/summer travel message.

In addition, the campaign will focus on active niche interests and passions including golf, biking and history. Ads placed in targeted publications such as Adventure Cyclist, American History and Golf Digest will reach this high-value audience.

Fam visits Chicago and Illinois

Through proactive media relations efforts, IBOT continues to target key media through familiarization tours to Chicago and Illinois. Over the past several months, the state has been host to a group of German journalists representing G/Geschichte (history magazine), hr-info (radio station) and Die Welt (nationwide daily newspaper). These major targets not only covered the grand opening of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum, but also historic Route 66.

Additionally, Damian Barr from The Times, London, recently visited Chicago during which time he conducted an interview with the Chicago Tribune real estate editor, and participated in a Chicago Greeter Tour of Millennium Park and a Chicago Architectural Foundation tour of the Merchandise Mart.

Looking ahead to summer, groups from both the UK and Germany will be coming to visit for a fam to correlate with Blues Fest (June 9-12) in Chicago where they will encounter the complete Chicago Blues experience. Interviewing Blues experts and musicians and experiencing the city’s famous clubs will enable journalists to get a first-hand look at a major aspect of Chicago’s personality.