To help you get to know who’s who in Illinois tourism, ITN profiles an industry leader each month. This month, we introduce Kim Rosendahl, Director of Tourism for the Springfield Convention and Visitors Bureau.

As director of tourism for the Springfield Convention and Visitors Bureau, Kim Rosendahl leads the development of strategic planning and marketing programs for the international and domestic leisure tourism markets. She also spearheads the Springfield Commission on International Visitors, which is affiliated with the U.S. State Department in Washington, D.C., and provides professional programming and hosting services for international dignitaries visiting Springfield during federally sponsored U.S. visits. Her other responsibilities include advertising, sales and collateral material development, visitor publication development, packaging programs, Web site development, lead generation programs and public relations. Additionally, Rosendahl oversees the Bureau’s Visitor Services department, managing all consumer fulfillment as well as the onsite visitor center operation.

Over the past eight years, Rosendahl has played a vital role in implementing a marketing program to bring Springfield into the international tourism arena. As part of that program, she successfully formed marketing partnerships with Chicago and St. Louis. She also facilitated the development and implementation of the Illinois Route 66 Heritage Project and the National Scenic Byway to build Route 66 travel as a destination driver for Illinois.

While she has experienced many milestones throughout her career, Rosendahl is particularly proud of last summer’s marketing campaign, which targeted travelers from St. Louis and Chicago. This was the first time a major partnership program was formed between the Springfield CVB, the Springfield Hotel and Lodging Association, the Illinois State Fair, Amtrak and the Illinois Bureau of Tourism. Together they pooled resources to increase overnight stays during the summer months, a period that had experienced a downturn in occupancy since 9/11. The campaign had a major impact on the city, resulting in a large number of three-day, two-night packages being sold in June, July and August. The campaign was also recently recognized at the 2006 Illinois Governor's Conference on Tourism. Plans are already underway for a similar promotion this coming summer.

Rosendahl has participated in many significant projects throughout her tenure at the Springfield CVB. One of the biggest for the Bureau and the Springfield community was last year’s opening of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum (ALPLM). A cooperative effort between the city, the state and the federal government, Rosendahl and the Bureau worked diligently to ready Springfield to open what has since become a world-class attraction. The ALPLM’s impact on the Springfield community, the region and state has already exceeded expectations, and will likely continue to be a key destination driver for visitors from throughout the world for years to come.

Rosendahl is also the founder, president and executive producer of the International Route 66 Mother Road Festival, which debuted in Springfield in September 2002. This annual event, now in its fifth year, will take place Sept. 22-24. She also currently serves as chairman of the board for the Illinois Route 66 Heritage Project/National Scenic Byway.
 
Prior to joining the travel industry and becoming director of tourism for the Springfield CVB in 1994, Rosendahl was part owner of M&R Direct, a direct marketing firm in Springfield, where she served as executive vice president and creative director. M&R Direct's client list included AT&T, Walt Disney World and American Express.

Before forming her marketing firm, Rosendahl spent 10 years at The Horace Mann Companies, a national insurance company, as its director of national advertising. Her responsibilities included managing direct response copywriters, graphics design artists, media placement staff and telemarketers. Early in her career at Horace Mann, she served as a corporate trainer responsible for developing and teaching a variety of customer service, management development and business writing training programs.

“I'm very proud to be a part of the Springfield Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Illinois hospitality industry. We've proven that by working together and partnering with both the public and the private sectors, we can have a major impact on the tourism industry in our communities," said Rosendahl.
 
Travel is one of Rosendahl’s great passions. And while she’s had the chance to see many parts of the world, Chicago remains one of her favorite destinations. She also admires many of the European capitals and their rich history. Her other interests include reading and writing, and she has hopes to someday publish a novel.

Rosendahl attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where she majored in political science. She began her professional career as a radio journalist covering the Illinois legislature at the Illinois State Capitol in Springfield. A lifelong Springfield resident, she revels in the opportunity to promote her hometown to visitors from throughout the world. Married for nearly 24 years, Rosendahl and her husband, Mick, have two sons, Zach, age 22, and Josh, age 18, as well as a Shih-Tzu, Marley, named after musician Bob Marley.