Statewide News

2006 Illinois Road Show kicks off at the Brookfield Zoo

Representatives from IBOT and its marketing agency partners will take to the open road today for the 2006 Illinois Road Show. Themed “The Power of One” to emphasize the importance of a unified industry working together, the six-market media tour will tout the significant economic and social benefits of Illinois’ travel and tourism industry. The crew is scheduled to make stops in Brookfield, Rockford, the Quad Cities, Peoria, Springfield and Carbondale.

In each market, IBOT representatives will announce the 2005 visitor numbers and give an overview of successful 2006 initiatives including the first full season of Fall-O-Ween™, Illinois Wine Month, the Illinois Great Rivers Ride, and the launch of WTTW’s Wild Chicago’s Illinois Road Trip. The group will also share upcoming plans expected to draw visitors to Illinois as well as the latest series of “Offbeat Illinois” posters, the vintage-style poster campaign created to showcase the state’s unique, lesser-known attractions.

A complete schedule of presentation sites is as follows:

Monday, June 5
9:00 a.m.: Brookfield Zoo, Brookfield – Hosted by the Oak Park Area Convention and Visitors Bureau (Chicagoland)
1:00 p.m.: Clock Tower Resort and Conference Center, Rockford – Hosted by the Rockford Area Convention and Visitors Bureau (Northern)

Tuesday, June 6
9:00 a.m.: Hampton Heritage Center, Hampton – Hosted by the Quad Cities Convention and Visitors Bureau (Western)
2:30 p.m.: The Gateway Building, Peoria – Hosted by the Peoria Area Convention and Visitors Bureau (Western)

Wednesday, June 7
9:00 a.m.: Illinois State Museum, Springfield – Hosted by the Springfield Convention and Visitors Bureau (Central)

Thursday, June 8
8:30 a.m.: Stone Creek Golf Club and Resort, Makanda – Hosted by the Carbondale Convention and Visitors Bureau (Southern)

The Bureau encourages travel industry representatives and stakeholders to show their support and attend their local Road Show event. For more information on the 2006 Illinois Road Show, please contact Anne Dattulo at (312) 240-2829 or anne.dattulo@edelman.com.

Bureau encourages spring/summer travel with $25 Shell gas cards

To offset soaring gas prices and promote travel to and within Illinois, IBOT has partnered with Shell to offer travelers a free $25 gift card when they book a spring/summer 3-Day Getaway package now through Aug. 31, 2006 (or while supplies last). IBOT recently launched new spring/summer 3-Day Getaways on www.enjoyillinois.com, offering a variety of themed travel packages from romance, outdoor adventures and family fun to girlfriends’ getaways, arts and culture, NASCAR and Lincoln. The gift card will be mailed to participants after the trip is taken. 

Offbeat Illinois attractions featured in exclusive merchandise

Prompted by enthusiastic response to the Bureau’s Offbeat Illinois advertising campaign, consumers can now purchase posters and additional items featuring the vibrant, eye-catching artwork used in the state’s vintage-style campaign at www.enjoyillinois.com.

The merchandise is available through a partnership between IBOT and CafePress.com, an online marketplace offering e-commerce services to create and sell a wide variety of customized products. Any proceeds from the sales will fund future efforts to promote Illinois tourism.

Items from the Offbeat Illinois advertisements, including posters, t-shirts, magnets, aprons, note cards, journals and baby bibs, are available today. Illinois attractions depicted in the artwork include:

• Cave-In-Rock, a 55-foot wide cave in Southern Illinois that was a hideout for bandits, pirates and other outlaws on the Ohio River during the 1800s.

• The World’s Largest Catsup Bottle, measuring 170 feet, in Collinsville. The beloved roadside attraction was built in 1949 by the producer of Brooks Old Original Tangy Catsup.

• The Chester Gould Dick Tracy Museum in Woodstock, which pays homage to the yellow fedora-wearing crimestopper Dick Tracy and his creator Chester Gould. Museum visitors can explore Gould’s legacy through historic documents, memorabilia and photographs.

Two more posters will be revealed and corresponding merchandise will be available in late June. A third wave of advertisements and merchandise will launch this fall featuring two more destinations.

Cyclists gear up for the second annual Illinois Great Rivers Ride

This summer, hundreds of cyclists will take to the road for the second annual Illinois Great Rivers Ride, Sept. 10-16. The ride, sponsored by Governor Blagojevich, Opportunity Returns, the Illinois Department of Transportation and IBOT, will showcase the scenic beauty of Illinois as riders wind their way along the Rock, Illinois and Mississippi rivers.

This seven-day noncompetitive ride begins Saturday, Sept. 10 in Rockford and will travel nearly 400 miles concluding on Saturday, Sept. 16 in Alton. In addition to fantastic scenery, participants will enjoy spectacular attractions such as the National Great Rivers Museum; exciting activities including night Frisbee, basketball and horse-drawn carriage rides; and engaging performances from live music to historic reenactments. New this year, cyclists will be treated to ethnic celebrations featuring traditional German, Native American and Mexican fare and entertainment. Each evening, riders will have the option to sleep beneath the stars in tents at state parks and campgrounds or in designated hotels or motels.

The registration fee for the Illinois Great Rivers Ride is $450 and is limited to adults 18 years old and older, their children, and the first 300 cyclists who sign up before Monday, Aug. 14 at 9:00 AM (CDT). Registration includes the cost of camping, breakfasts, dinners, evening festivities, towel service, snacks and water. A support and gear truck as well as transportation from Alton back to Rockford also included in the registration fee. An opportunity for adults and children to ride for a shorter number of days is also available.

For more information or to register, visit www.illinoisgreatriversride.com or call 877-477-7007 (ext. 217).

Chicago and Illinois luring international visitors with an opportunity to Savor Chicago

On May 9, the Illinois Bureau of Tourism, the Chicago Office of Tourism and the Chicago Convention and Tourism Bureau unveiled a new brand identity and logo created to attract leisure visitors from the United Kingdom, Germany and beyond.

The unveiling took place in Orlando, Fla., during the Travel Industry Association of America’s 2006 International Pow Wow. Pow Wow was held from May 6–10 and is the travel industry's premier international marketplace and the largest generator of Visit USA travel. Attendees got the first glimpse of the alliance’s new logo, which features a bold blue script evocative of the color of Chicago’s lakefront and the headline “Simply Magnificent.”

In addition to a new brand, the Chicago teams are also busy promoting the city’s summer public relations initiative – Savor Chicago. The city is getting more attention than ever for its amazing and diverse dining options. Most recently, Vogue magazine food writer Jeffrey Steingarten stated what native Chicagoans have known for a long time – “Chicago is the most exciting American city in which to dine...There’s so much young talent...so much creativity and exuberance. The culinary evolution that has been happening there for years has accelerated.”

This summer, UK and German media groups will be visiting Chicago to experience what everyone’s been talking about. From Avenues at the Peninsula Hotel on the Magnificent Mile to “sci-fi” cooking at Moto in the Warehouse District, these high-profile journalists will leave with not only a great story, but a full stomach.