I hope you all had a happy and festive holiday season. Now that we’ve celebrated the new year and made our resolutions, it’s time for our industry to celebrate a special anniversary and resolve to strive for an even brighter future. The 20th annual Illinois Governor’s Conference on Tourism, themed “The Future is Ours,” will be at the Palmer House Hilton in Chicago Feb. 7 - 9. I strongly urge all of you to attend what is sure to be an important and exciting event.

Top 10 Reasons YOU and your office should attend the 2007 Illinois Governor’s Conference on Tourism

10) It’s our 20th anniversary! This is a milestone for our industry that we will celebrate and use as an opportunity to look at new and original ideas to move our industry forward.

9) The Future is Ours – This is our theme and it could not be more appropriate. The 2007 Illinois Governor’s Conference will be a wonderful chance to build on past successes and spotlight new ideas.

8) Easy access to information – Keep checking www.iltourismconference.org for information on the conference. Here you can register, book your hotel room and submit entries for the Governor’s Awards. It will be updated regularly, so check back from time to time.

7) The icebreaker – What better place to celebrate the future than Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry? You’ll be able to wander many of the fascinating exhibits while networking at our opening-night reception. Transportation will be available.

6) The second night – Brand new to the conference this year are a wide range of options for a fantastic evening out. Many fine restaurants surround the Palmer House Hilton and discounted theater tickets will be available in limited quantities for Wicked, Blue Man Group and The Second City comedy troupe. Transportation will be available.

5) Talented and fascinating speakers – There are far too many to name here, but we’ve assembled a stellar roster of experts who will educate and entertain. Expect topics to include emerging technologies, travel trends, blogging, multicultural marketing and much more. Also, don’t miss the comprehensive industry update presented in the “State of the State” address on Thursday morning. Continued >

Success Story

Every month, ITN profiles a tourism industry leader whose success can be used as an example of how to develop fresh ideas to promote Illinois. This month, we introduce Marc S. Schulman, president of The Eli’s Cheesecake Company.

Marc S. Schulman is president of the country’s largest specialty cheesecake bakery - The Eli’s Cheesecake Company, located in the Northwest Side of Chicago. Eli Schulman, Schulman's late father, invented Eli’s Cheesecake as the signature dessert for his popular Chicago restaurant, Eli’s – The Place for Steak. The now-famous dessert was merely a local delight until 1984, when Schulman put his rising legal career on hold to take over the cheesecake company. Now the company produces more than 20,000 cheesecakes each day.

Schulman grew up in the tourism business thanks to his father, who was a great community booster, restaurateur and also a member of the former McCormick Place Board. As a high school student, he was a docent for the Chicago Architectural Foundation and gave tours of destinations such as the Loop, Frank Lloyd Wright's Oak Park, Pullman and Graceland Cemetery.

In 1999 Schulman was named the first winner of the Chicago Visitor’s Choice Award for Visitor Marketing. He has also been recognized as one of 10 Outstanding Young Citizens by the Chicago Junior Association of Commerce and Industry for his business and civic achievements, as well as one of the first “40 Under 40” by Crain’s Chicago Business.
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