On Aug. 7, I had the opportunity to host the Bureau’s first ever Webcast to present our initiatives for this year’s Fall-O-Ween festivities. More than 25 CVB/RTDOs called in to our conference line and logged onto their computers for the PowerPoint portion of the presentation. It was an innovative use of the latest technology and we’ve received some very positive feedback on it.

For those who were not able to join us, I’d like to share some of the key points covered and encourage all of you make the most out of promoting Fall-O-Ween, our “fifth” season. We created Fall-O-Ween to help us own the fall season and rise above the offerings of our competitors. With numerous fall festivals, Halloween events, scenic drives and agritourism activities, Fall-O-Ween gives visitors even more reasons to travel throughout the state from Sept. 1 through Oct. 31.

Fall-O-Ween provides CVBs and RTDOs an “umbrella” theme under which they can build their own packages and partnerships to drive overnight stays and increase awareness of fall tourism offerings. This partnership is a great way to add value to travel packages and help mitigate marketing costs. Additionally, a series of bookable Fall-O-Ween 3-Day Getaways are showcased on enjoyillinois.com.

Last year’s debut of Fall-O-Ween was a great success as demonstrated by the nearly 300 media placements that resulted in more than 26 million consumer impressions in publications such as USA Weekend magazine and Midwest Living. To capitalize on this momentum, our PR agency will conduct major outreach to key media outlets, including TV, radio, newspapers and magazines across the state and the Midwest. They’ll also target national media with specialized pitches. Continued >

Success Story

We are very proud to name Brett Stawar, executive director of the Alton Regional Convention and Tourism Bureau, as our first ITN “Success Story.” For this new feature, we will look at tourism industry leaders whose success can be used as examples of how to develop fresh ideas to promote Illinois.

Brett is an Alton native and has a long history of more than 15 years working in the area. In October 2004, he joined Alton Regional Convention and Visitors Bureau as the president/CEO. The Alton CVB represents northwestern Madison, Jersey and Calhoun counties. The region is filled with hundreds of popular tourism attractions, including the Lewis and Clark State Historic Site and Interpretive Center, the National Great Rivers Museum, the Meeting of the Great Rivers National Scenic Byway, various Civil War and Underground Railroad historic sites, Raging Rivers Water Park, eight golf courses, nearly 20 quaint B&Bs and much more.

Stawar is most proud of his work in strengthening relationships with cities that are shifting toward tourism as a means of economic development. According to Stawar, “After my first year of work, we started a tourism summit that recapped the significant contributions the CVB made to the region. Right after that meeting, a non-believer in tourism and our CVB approached me and said that he now understands what it is we are doing to improve our local communities. What a testimony to the work that each of us does at the bureau.” Continued >