We could not have asked for a more productive and inspiring Governor’s Conference. Thanks so much to everyone whose hard work and perseverance made our 20th anniversary an unforgettable event.

Of course, those of you who attended the conference deserve the ultimate credit for making “The Future is Ours” not just a slogan, but a reality. So many wonderful ideas were brought up in our breakout sessions, on the trade show floor and even at our social events. Now we must keep the momentum going by continuing to think creatively and keeping the lines of communication open.

I was pleased to announce a number of new initiatives during my State of the State of Tourism address. The Seven Wonders of Illinois is an innovative initiative that received a tremendous amount of press attention within days of its unveiling. It has brought new levels of interactivity to our Web site as consumers nominate and vote for their favorite attraction in each region. When we announce the winners in late spring, each will be the subject of a downloadable video, yet another inroad we are making to take full advantage of emerging technologies. So be sure to log on to www.enjoyillinois.com and vote for your choice for the Seven Wonders of Illinois.

Other new initiatives included the first opportunity to download the “Illinois Whistle” (the catchy tune in all of our commercials) as a ringtone for your cell phone. We will also be updating the enjoyillinois.com database support system, which will replace Siebel with with a more advanced and user-friendly program. You’ll be hearing more about this program as we head into the spring.

This concept of emerging technology was a major theme throughout the conference. Dave Serino, founder and e-strategist of Gammet Interactive, focused on appealing to the web savvy consumer by reviewing key Web marketing trends and tactics. Steve Rubel, senior vice president of Edelman’s me2revolution team discussed the power and growing influence of blogging and other citizen-generated media. Emerging technologies were also emphasized by our speakers in a number of our “Great Sessions.” Andrew Zolli and Keith Reinhard both expressed the importance of emerging technologies during their presentations on the future of our industry.

While there’s not room here to thank everyone who deserves it, I would be remiss if I did not recognize Gov. Blagojevich for providing the occasion for our gathering, as well as DCEO Director Jack Lavin who so clearly crystallized our direction during the State of the State of Tourism address. We could not have accomplished what we did without the leadership of Nina Winston, the executive director of the Illinois Tourism Alliance, along with the dedicated teams at Edelman, Paulette Wolf Entertainment and Events and the IBOT staff. Also, a sincere thanks to conference chairs Gina Speckman and Holly Agra for their wonderful work, as well as Grant DePorter, the Illinois Tourism Alliance’s chair, who always goes above and beyond the call of duty for our industry.

During the awards ceremony I regret that, in my excitement, I forget to mention two staffers whose hard work is greatly appreciated. I’d like to give them special recognition and let you know that Kelsey Holt-Austin, who handles our niche markets, and Beth Livingston, who handles the marketing partnerships, are two essential team members who deserve much credit for all we’ve accomplished.

Now that we have celebrated the past twenty years and seen a sneak preview of the future, I know we’re all looking forward to implementing what we have learned.

Finally, I’d like to announce that the ITN will be going through some changes that will help increase its usefulness and impact. We will now be distributing bi-monthly, which will allow a greater focus on seasonal themes, such as our upcoming spring/summer advertising campaign, the theme of our May issue. This will also relieve potential “information overload” and ensure that all content included is vital to our industry. Time-sensitive items will continue to be made available in periodic More-To-Come e-mails.