I hope that you're all having a wonderful summer and have taken the opportunity to promote (and attend!) some of our high-profile summer events. From historic museum exhibits and massive sporting events to tasty festivals and exciting new Web sites, summer 2006 has certainly been memorable.

Summer began early this year with the spring openings of three celebrated museum exhibits. These included Mrs. President: From Martha to Laura at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum and Leonardo da Vinci: Man, Inventor, Genius at Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry. Receiving the most publicity, of course, was the long-awaited return of King Tut to the Field Museum in Chicago. Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs has been a highly acclaimed smash, having hosted more than a half million visitors since its opening. All three exhibits will remain open throughout the summer.

Illinois has been featured prominently on movie screens this summer. The success of the romantic comedy “The Break-Up” put many Chicago attractions in the spotlight. I recently had the opportunity to travel to London to tout the Illinois connections for another blockbuster, Pixar's computer-animated hit “Cars.” Much of “Cars” is set along our famed Route 66, which originates in and winds throughout the Land of Lincoln. On July 10 I attended a London screening along with 100 trade and industry partners to promote the movie’s Illinois ties to UK media. For more information on these and other Illinois movie connections, check out our new Web site, www.onscreenillinois.com. Continued >

Industry Insider: Fran Bolson

To help you get to know who’s who in Illinois tourism, ITN profiles an industry leader each month. This month, we introduce Fran Bolson, president of the Greater Woodfield CVB.

August’s industry insider is Fran Bolson, who brings years of experience and accomplishment to her new position as president of the Greater Woodfield Convention and Visitors Bureau. Bolson took over the presidency in March and has since been working hard to develop Greater Woodfield into a premier destination for business and leisure travel. She is also current president of the Chicagoland Regional Tourism Development Office, a marketing association of 15 area convention and visitors bureaus.

In 1996 Bolson began her tourism career by joining the Lisle Convention and Visitors Bureau, serving as its president and CEO until 2001. During this time, Bolson volunteered to author a chapter on strategic alliances for the book Fundamentals of Destination Management and Marketing. Published by the Educational Institute of the American Hotel and Lodging Association for the International Association of Convention and Visitor Bureaus (IACVB), the book is targeted at tourism professionals and academic programs. It provides insights from 18 industry experts, including Bolson, who offer details and personal experiences to explain modern CVBs’ processes and techniques to generate visitors.

Bolson’s chapter on alliances provides examples on the benefits of partnering CVBs with various governments as well as private and nonprofit organizations to maximize the success and awareness of both entities. To illustrate her point, Bolson cites the public-private partnership between Benedictine University and the Lisle CVB in the development of the Lisle-Benedictine University Sports Complex, a project she worked on during her term as LCVB president. Continued >