Statewide News

Illinois Great Rivers Ride shifts into high gear

The much-anticipated Illinois Great Rivers Ride kicks off Sept. 11 when more than 200 participants from 23 states will begin a seven-day noncompetitive ride along 385 miles of the Rock, Illinois and Mississippi rivers.

The festivities will begin Saturday, Sept. 10 in Rockford, where cyclists will be treated to a "Jammin' with Jane" welcome reception and dinner at the Burpee Museum of Natural History. The next morning, participants will enjoy opening ceremonies before they set out on what promises to be a spectacular experience. During the ride, cyclists will enjoy the beauty of some of Illinois' most scenic areas while being treated to activities and entertainment that includes:

• A Mexican fiesta dinner in Rock Falls
• A Channel Cat water taxi ride on the Mississippi River in Rock Island
• A bluegrass concert in Big River Forest Preserve in Henderson County
• A visit to the state's oldest winery, Baxter's Vineyards, in Nauvoo
• Architectural tours in Quincy
• Horseback riding and hay rides at the Heartland Lodge in Nebo
• A Jimmy-Buffet-themed dinner complete with entertainment and fireworks at Pere Marquette State Park in Grafton

For more information on the Illinois Great Rivers Ride, call 877-GRR-7007 (ext. 217) or visit www.illinoisgreatriversride.com.

Photo shoot to highlight Illinois on the silver screen

An extensive statewide photo shoot is set to begin this month in preparation for "Illinois Movie Sites & Sets," an integrated program premiering next spring, to generate awareness and interest in the state's many movie sites. Combining travelers' passion for cinema with tourism, the effort will feature sites where movies were filmed in Illinois, as well as interesting facts about each location and information about nearby attractions and accommodations.

The photo shoot will capture landmarks and attractions in every region of the state, including Chicago's Daley Civic Center, seen in The Blues Brothers; Woodstock's Town Square, featured in Groundhog Day; and the Ohio River in Metropolis, seen in U.S. Marshals, among many others. Look for more information on Illinois Movie Sites & Sets on www.enjoyillinois.com this spring.

It's Fall-O-Ween (SM) in Illinois

It's time to start spreading the word about the state's newest season — Fall-O-Ween! Fall-O-Ween, which runs from Sept. 1-Oct. 31, is a distinctive, not-to-be missed fifth season in Illinois that offers the best of autumn, including unique fall festivals, wine tastings and eerie events.

To generate media coverage for both Fall-O-Ween and Illinois Wine Month, IBOT will drop off special Fall-O-Ween-themed press packages to Chicago radio stations in early September. IBOT has also partnered with AAA Living to produce a 20-page guide detailing Fall-O-Ween festivals and events throughout Illinois. The guide will be inserted in the September issue of AAA Living and distributed to 350,000 subscribers and approximately 130,000 consumers in the Illinois Now! database. It will also be used as a fulfillment piece for consumer requests.

In addition, all CVBs and RTDOs have received a Fall-O-Ween starter kit to help them publicize their region's Fall-O-Ween events. The kits include press materials and key messaging, as well as Fall-O-Ween logos and decals. For more information on Fall-O-Ween events and activities, visit www.enjoyillinois.com.

African American fam a success

Beaman Public Relations conducted their first press familiarization trip for IBOT Aug. 18-22. Themed after the overall African-American market campaign, the "Soul of Illinois" trip was an exciting media showcase of what the destination offers travelers, highlighting arts and culture, culinary, shopping and more. Five out-of-town media members representing key publications attended including Black Enterprise Magazine, Savoy Magazine, New York Carib News, Caribbean Star (Atlanta), Soul of America.com and Travel Beyond Borders Magazine.

Many returned with a commitment to doing multiple stories, profiling travel venues as well as the people behind these places. The travel editor and travel writer from the Chicago Sun-Times also joined the group to see firsthand how IBOT is targeting the African-American travel market. The trip was supported by several tourism partners, including: Chicago Office of Tourism; Bronzeville Metro Convention & Tourism Council; Springfield Convention and Visitors Bureau; Burnham Hotel; the Illinois Grape Growers and Vintners Association; Amtrak; Southwest Airlines and a host of Illinois restaurants, museums and other venues.

The fam concluded with a trip to the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum which proved to be a favorite! Amtrak provided complimentary transportation for the media to Springfield, where the group was hosted by Kim Rosendahl and Alicia Erickson from the Springfield Convention and Visitors Bureau. The resulting media coverage from the press trip is already underway, with a story in the Chicago Sun-Times travel section on August 28. IBOT's first major press event for the African-American press was a huge success.

New scenic byways guide now available

Illinois is home to five glorious scenic byways - the Great River Road, the Historic National Road, the Illinois Lincoln Highway, the Meeting of the Great Rivers Byway, and the Ohio River Scenic Byway. To share the beauty and opportunity for discovery along these treasured routes, IBOT is offering a new 32-page guide featuring updated information about them.

Now available, 175,000 copies of the guide have been printed, with 100,000 being polybagged with the September/October issue of Midwest Living. The guide enables visitors to experience the sights and sounds of the byways through a multitude of images that showcase the key destinations and points of interest along their routes. Five pages of "Byway Highlights" provide a sampling of the key attractions, restaurants, shopping, detours, camping and lodging recommendations along each of the byways.

Consumers can order the new guide online on the brochure ordering page at www.enjoyillinois.com, where they can also view downloadable files, or by calling 1-800-2CONNECT. The guides are also available at all Illinois Scenic Byways offices statewide.

Illinois attracts diverse audiences

As part of an overall goal to broaden Illinois' national media coverage, IBOT hosted a familiarization trip on Aug. 5-7 for representatives of U.S. and U.K. gay and lesbian publications and Web sites.

Seven participants traveled to Chicago from Los Angeles, New York and London, including writers and editors from Out Traveler magazine, Next magazine, Gay Times, Instinct magazine, IN Los Angeles magazine, Passport magazine, www.westhollywood.com, www.gay.com and www.planetout.com. The group enjoyed experiences throughout their stay that included lodging at the Sofitel Chicago Water Tower, dinner at The Peninsula Hotel's Shanghai Terrace, a special tour of Millennium Park and an excursion to Oak Park.

The group also met with Gay Games representatives and learned why Illinois is a gay-friendly destination and an ideal travel destination because of its strong arts environment, architecture and nightlife. Jan Kostner met with this influential media group, providing an introduction to IBOT and its role within the state, as well as to discuss upcoming attractions and events relevant to each publication.

Coverage as a result of the fam is expected to appear in the next six months, reaching millions of potential travelers to Illinois.

IBOT staff member takes off

Jordan Engerman, IBOT's marketing manager for nearly five years, has departed the bureau for a career at Chicago's hometown airline, United. In the newly created position of product manager for specialty/niche markets, he is responsible for managing a portfolio of business-to-business products including meetings, conventions, government, charters and nonprofits.

Engerman was instrumental in a variety of milestones in Illinois tourism including the creation of the award-winning magazine, Illinois Now!, and the launch of the "Illinois. Mile After Magnificent Mile." branding campaign. Although he'll be greatly missed, we look forward to working with him in his new position. Best wishes, Jordan!