Statewide News

Advertising space available in 2007 Illinois Travel Guide

The Illinois Bureau of Tourism is pleased to announce that Madden Preprint Media (MPM) has been selected as the official publisher of the Illinois Travel Guide. 

MPM will be bringing a number of exciting new electronic components to the Travel Guide process that will help ensure broad exposure for Illinois tourism to both domestic and international travelers.  In addition, a team of award-winning print and electronic designers will help guarantee an approach that attracts and motivates target consumer segments. IBOT features a call-to-action for travelers to order a free copy of the Illinois Travel Guide in nearly all of its advertising and public relations efforts.

To maintain the highest levels of readability and creative integrity, the Illinois Travel Guide will limit advertising to no more than 30 percent of the entire publication.  Thus, advertisers’ messages are designed to stand out.  Ad space will be reserved on a first-come, first-served basis.  To learn more about this exciting new approach and for advertising opportunities, please visit 2007 Illinois Travel Guide or contact Pati Flannery at (800) 226-0584 or pflannery@maddenpreprint.com, or Joan Leslie Sharp at (800) 785-4833 or jsharp@maddenpreprint.com. 

Save the date for the 2007 Illinois Governor’s Conference on Tourism, 20th Anniversary: The Future is Ours

From Feb. 7 - 9, 2007, travel professionals and industry leaders from Illinois and neighboring states will converge in Chicago for the industry’s premier event, the annual Governor’s Conference on Tourism. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the conference, which will be held at the Palmer House Hilton and will again provide top-notch educational and networking sessions, along with exciting new activities that attendees won’t want to miss.

Planning is well underway for this important event. Please visit www.iltourismconference.org for more information as it becomes available.

IBOT and Sports Illinois to host inaugural Illinois Sports Congress

IBOT, in partnership with Sports Illinois and ICCVB, will host the inaugural Illinois Sports Congress, Dec. 7-10 in Vail, Colo., to encourage sports rights holders to host their sporting events at any of the spectacular venues throughout Illinois. The conference will provide exposure for all Illinois sports-related entities to key sports rights holders through educational seminars, networking opportunities and a tradeshow highlighting different areas of the state.

The convention will kick off with an opening night reception featuring special guest John McDonough, president of the Chicago Cubs. Other highlights will include educational seminars led by industry experts such as Scott Kelly, director of UK Sports Marketing Academy; Kate Middlestadt, director of Doping Control, USADA; and sports trend analyst J. Talty O’Connor of Convey Communications Corp. Attendees will also have the opportunity to learn about the planning resources and tools available to organizations that hold their sporting events in Illinois. In addition, representatives from Sports Illinois will be on hand during the tradeshow reception to provide attendees with detailed information about the variety of facilities throughout the state.

For more information on Sports Illinois, visit www.sportsillinois.com.

Holiday greetings 

As we share the warmth and happiness of this season and offer thanks for the many blessings that have enriched our lives, IBOT would like to thank each and every one of you for your steadfast efforts to make Illinois a leading travel destination, as well as the thriving state in which we work and play. We are truly thankful to work with such an amazing group of professionals and wish you all the best this holiday season. Happy Holidays!