IBOT is in the midst of planning the 2008 Illinois Governor's Conference on Tourism, February 13 -15, at the Springfield Hilton (don't miss it!), so now is a good time to look back on the strategies set at last year's conference to see how they have been implemented.
The theme of last year's conference was "The Future is Ours." During my State of the State of Tourism Address, I spotlighted new technologies available to promote Illinois and advance the goals of our industry. The core component of these technologies is citizen-generated media, a medium of communication that allows people to influence products, brands and corporate institutions online through blogs and multimedia posts, among other things.
The Seven Wonders of Illinois campaign was our first foray into this medium. The initiative sparked an incredible level of participation and enthusiasm from the public, the media and the industry, garnering thousands of nominations from every corner of the state. Twelve attractions were chosen for each region.
Following the nomination process, consumers were invited to vote each week on their favorite attractions, allowing citizen-generated media to really come into play. Consumers were truly invested in seeing their nominations become the final Seven Wonders of Illinois. Consumers urged their friends to vote, campaigned through e-mails and blogs, and some even took out ads in local newspapers. The media took notice and we received a tremendous amount of coverage as the competition became heated. The resulting Seven Wonders of Illinois were justly recognized – but, really, all the nominees were winners and benefited greatly from the exposure.
Building on the success of Seven Wonders of Illinois, we made our annual Fall-O-Ween™ push interactive by unveiling Fantastic Fall-O-Ween Road Trips. Announced via Webcast, this promotion offers a dedicated microsite housed on enjoyillinois.com that features six Illinois road trip itineraries showcasing all that we love to promote about fall in Illinois, including the beautiful fall colors, distinctive attractions, Magnificent 3-Day Getaways and must-see festivals and events.
The site also allows consumers to share their favorite fall experiences and suggested destinations along Illinois’ scenic routes. By featuring these first-hand testimonials, we have been able to take advantage of valuable peer-to-peer marketing.
These integrated initiatives were the result of seamless teamwork between marketing and PR agencies, and their efforts have led to unprecedented results. September's Fall-O-Ween launch saw a 31 percent increase in Web inquiries over last year's numbers. Now that we have got our feet wet, expect more innovative uses of new technologies in 2008.
We are also proud of our more traditional PR and marketing accomplishments. Over the past year we have shared record-breaking economic numbers during our annual Road Show, built broadcast partnerships with stations like WGN-TV and WLS-TV in Chicago, created a set of spectacular Offbeat Illinois posters, promoted annual events like the Illinois Great Rivers Ride and much more.
These successes can be attributed to the hard work and creativity of the Illinois tourism industry. Let's see if we can top ourselves in 2008!
