Statewide News

Governor Blagojevich invites groups to “Meet In Illinois”

Last month, Gov. Blagojevich sent letters to thousands of Illinois executives and regional meeting planners inviting them to choose Illinois for their next meeting or event. The letters highlighted the diversity of Illinois meeting facilities and directed readers to the new Illinois Meetings and Conventions Web site, www.meetinillinois.com, which provides several event planning tools, including:

• Up-to-date, detailed listings of more than 700 Illinois facilities

• A Request for Proposal (RFP) feature that enables planners to obtain proposals from multiple CVBs based on the event specifications submitted through the Web site

• A link to www.enjoyillinois.com, which features information on dining, events and attractions throughout Illinois

• A free downloadable version of Illinois Meetings Destination Guide, which contains information on Illinois’ seven regions, contact information for CVBs throughout the state, vital statistics on facilities, transportation information, and dining and attraction options.

For information on how your organization can participate in the Meet In Illinois program, contact Kelsey Holt at 312-814-2349 or kholt@ildceo.net.

Save the date for 2006 Illinois Governor’s Conference on Tourism

From Feb. 22 to 24, 2006, travel professionals from throughout Illinois and neighboring states will converge on the state’s capital for the industry’s premier event, the annual Governor’s Conference on Tourism. The 19th annual conference will be held at the Hilton Springfield and will again provide top-notch educational and networking sessions, along with a few exciting new touches that attendees won’t want to miss.

Planning is well underway for this important event. Please visit www.iltourismconference.org for more information as it becomes available.

Star sightings

The newest and certainly most star-studded feature on Illinois’ African-American Web site, www.soulfulillinois.com, is My Illinois. This exciting new component includes firsthand testimonials from native Illinois celebrities sharing their memories of life in the Land of Lincoln. Each month, a well-known athlete, actor, artist or the like will explain how their home state has impacted their life and career, and share some of their favorite places to go and things to do in Illinois. The first three celebrities to be featured are famed jazz musician Ramsey Lewis, former Chicago Bear and current San Francisco 49ers coach Mike Singletary, and television actress and songstress Lisa Raye.

Fall-O-Ween(SM) finale

This year’s Fall-O-Ween season was full of rich autumn activities that enticed media and visitors alike. The state’s fifth season ran Sept. 1 through Oct. 31 and featured activities including haunted houses, corn mazes, fall festivals and winery events.

To ensure that both visitors and media would take advantage of all the Fall-O-Ween offerings statewide, IBOT distributed a Fall-O-Ween kit to all CVBs and RTDOs to help them brand Illinois’ original season. Also, an aggressive media relations campaign resulted in reaching more than 55 million consumers. With the support and cooperation of CVBs, RTDOs, associations and attractions across the state, Fall-O-Ween will continue to draw visitors to Illinois during this unique travel season.

International journalists get their kicks on Route 66

IBOT continues to actively promote Illinois as a desirable international destination. Most recently, IBOT hosted a group familiarization trip in early October that focused on three attractions: Route 66, the International Route 66 Mother Road Festival, and Chicago. Four German and four British journalists from publications such as Reisen Exclusive, Max, Chrom & Flammen, Münstersche Zeitung, Urlaub Perfekt, Brigitte, Kronen Zeitung, Hamburger Abendblatt, Car Magazine, The Independent and Boys Toys participated in this unique experience.

The centerpiece of their trip was experiencing all the chrome, horsepower and RPM’s of the International Route 66 Mother Road Festival in Springfield (Sept. 30-Oct. 2). The festival is an annual event featuring hundreds of classic vehicles, live entertainment, celebrities, local food vendors, memorabilia, one-of-a-kind automotive exhibits and contests. This year’s festival featured legends such as “Big Daddy” Don Garlits, king of the dragsters; 18-year old racing sensation Justin Allgaier and performances by rock musician Gary Puckett.

In addition to attending the festival, journalists were able to cruise down sections of old Route 66 and visit route icons such as the Old Log Cabin restaurant and Route 66 Hall of Fame in Pontiac and the Gemini Giant at Wilmington’s Launching Pad Drive-In.

IBOT liaised with the Chicago Office of Tourism to arrange accommodations and activities in Chicago. The press group enjoyed the Chicago Architecture Foundation’s river tour, a Millennium Park Greeter tour and meals at several quintessential Chicago restaurants including Lou Mitchell’s.

Overall feedback from participants was extremely positive, with one journalist commenting, “I had a fantastic time and was very impressed by Illinois.” Coverage is scheduled to appear in the near future.

Thanksgiving greetings

As we enjoy the warmth and excitement of this season, IBOT would like to thank all of you for your steadfast efforts in making Illinois a leading travel destination and the thriving state where we work and play. We are thankful to work with such an amazing group of professionals and wish you all the best this holiday season. Happy Thanksgiving!