Statewide News

The Main Event: 2006 Illinois Governor’s Conference on Tourism

The 2006 Illinois Governor's Conference on Tourism, "The Main Event: Winning the Tourism Game," is now accepting registration for the Feb. 22-24, 2006, event! The conference will be held in Springfield and will captivate attendees from across the state with top-tier, industry-renowned speakers and experts, as well as the opportunity to network with colleagues and make valuable new contacts.

Leading industry experts speaking at the conference include NTA President Hank Phillips, internationally recognized futurist Watts Wacker, NBC technology expert Omar Wasow, famed speaker and former Disney executive Doug Lipp, and former Chicago Bear Tom Waddle. These and other authorities will share refreshing and valuable insights.

The opening night icebreaker will be held at one of Illinois’ latest and greatest attractions, the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum—an event that will certainly be one for the history books!

Early bird registration provides significant savings and ends on Jan. 13. For more information or to register online, visit www.iltourismconference.org or call 888-658-0749.

To become a conference sponsor or participate in the trade show, please contact Patrick Snyder of Visit Illinois at psnyder@visitillinois.net or 312-658-0749.

To participate in the Governor’s Awards program, please contact Bonnie Heimbach at nitdo@visitnorthernillinois.com or 815-547-3740.

To donate an item for the silent auction, please contact Jo Kathmann at jkathmann@thetourismbureau.org or 618-397-1488.

American Bus Association names 2006 Top 100 Events in North America

The American Bus Association (ABA) has released its annual list of Top 100 Events in North America for 2006, which includes Chicago's Light Nights on the Magnificent Mile and Belleville's Way of Lights festival. The two Illinois events were chosen for their ability to offer excellent entertainment value to both tour groups and individual travelers from around the world.
 
The Illinois group tour industry is also gearing up for the ABA's 2006 Marketplace in Nashville, Tenn., Feb. 2-6. On the heels of an extremely successful Marketplace in Chicago last year, Illinois plans to have a large presence at the 2006 Marketplace to promote top group tour attractions and accommodations, as well as IBOT's newly redesigned group tour Web site www.tourillinois.org. The team will also be touting the new Team Illinois Group Travel Planner, available online starting in January.
 
To view the complete list of ABA's Top 100 Events in North America, or to learn more about Marketplace 2006, visit www.buses.org.

Discover bald eagles in Illinois this winter

Flying high above the snow-covered hills and icy lakes and rivers this month are more than 3,000 bald eagles that have migrated south from the northern states and Canada to make Illinois their temporary home. During January and February, visitors can view these magnificent creatures in their natural habitat and celebrate their migration with special events, tours and festivals.
 
Experience the flight of the bald eagle at Starved Rock State Park in Utica with the Starved Rock Bald Eagle Tour. The birding continues at Starved Rock during Eagle Watch Weekend at Starved Rock Lodge with a raptor awareness presentation featuring a live bald eagle, a birds of prey show and an opportunity to view eagles in their natural habitat.
 
The Clinton Bald Eagle Watch offers activities for the whole family including live bird programs, exhibits and storytelling. Visitors to the 19th annual Bald Eagle Days in Rock Island will enjoy events that include a wildlife art show and environmental fair, Native American storytelling, music and dancing. Eagle enthusiasts will flock to the Clock Tower, one of the Quad Cities’ oldest and most recognized historic structures, for an Eagle Watch and Clock Tower Tour.
 
Downstate Illinois draws birding fanatics to the Union County Refuge in Union, one of Southern Illinois’ most popular bird-watching destinations, to view both wintering eagles and Canada geese in their natural habitat. Pere Marquette Bald Eagle Days offers a family-friendly educational program, plus an opportunity to view eagles at Pere Marquette State Park in Grafton.
 
IBOT offers additional information on Illinois’ eagle watching festivals and events through its travel counselors at 1-800-2CONNECT or at the Bureau’s Web site, www.enjoyillinois.com.

2006 IGGVA annual conference

Raise your glasses and toast one of Illinois’ burgeoning industries! This year’s Illinois Grape Growers and Vintners Association (IGGVA) Annual Conference will showcase an array of wine-related events and speakers at the Hilton Springfield, Feb. 24-26—immediately following the 2006 Illinois Governor’s Conference on Tourism. Highlights will include interactive discussions on wine production, innovation in the vineyard, increasing Illinois grape acreage and more. Thinking about joining the Illinois wine industry? A concurrent session will be held for new and prospective grape growers to discuss the economics of establishing a vineyard.
 
Additional activities will include a public wine tasting, a wine reception followed by a five-course banquet dinner and auction, and regional and state IGGVA membership meetings.

For more information on IGGVA and the upcoming conference, please contact IGGVA’s Bill McCartney at pbm2@verizon.net.

World Travel Market in London a “sweet” success

The members of the Chicago and Illinois partnership were busy promoting the Land of Lincoln to a worldwide audience at World Travel Market (WTM) in London, Nov. 14-17. Attracting more than 45,000 industry professionals from more than 193 countries, WTM provides an opportunity for the global travel trade industry to meet, network, negotiate and conduct business.

To make a lasting impression, the partners at the Chicago and Illinois booth hosted a “Sweet Home Chicago” reception, complete with chocolate from Illinois candy shops. Numerous tour operators attended the reception along with more than 25 media representatives, including freelancers, travel editors for daily newspapers, and magazine travel and feature writers. Several of the interviews conducted at the WTM reception resulted in potential familiarization trips.

To raise Illinois’ international profile even further, preparations are underway for ITB Berlin. Considered the largest travel trade show in the world, ITB will take place March 8-12, 2006, in Germany.

For more information about ITB Berlin, contact Tiffany McQuillen at tmcquillen@ildceo.net.

Happy New Year!

Warm season’s greetings from the Illinois Bureau of Tourism! We wish you and your families, friends and co-workers the very best of happiness and health in the New Year!