“Your Best Bet for Eagles” Campaign: Driving Visitors through Partnerships
Alton Regional Convention & Visitors Bureau's partnership with the Argosy Casino in Alton

The Alton area is home to the second largest Bald Eagle population in the United States and eagle watching has become one of the primary destination drivers to Southwest Illinois during the winter months. In an effort to build the region’s visitor base and travelers’ knowledge of the visiting eagles and related events, the Alton Regional Convention and Visitors Bureau sought a partnership with another year-round Alton destination driver, the Argosy Casino Alton. The Alton CVB began planning the partnership during the summer of 2006, in order to have a program in place before the beginning of eagle season in December. 

Objective

The Alton CVB worked with Argosy Casino Alton to reach a larger, targeted audience and encourage those already traveling to Alton for the casino to incorporate the Alton Eagle Meet and Greet, an annual program that provides visitors an up close view of the magnificent birds, and other area events in their travel plans. 

Strategies

In order to achieve the campaign objective, the Alton CVB set out to identify a partner with a consistent and loyal customer base that was considered a destination driver for Alton. The Alton CVB ultimately partnered with Argosy Casino to help reach visitors as the casino already has a captive audience who are familiar with the Alton area and are likely to return. 

Tactics

The Alton CVB used the following tactics to encourage extended stays and participation in eagle watching activities from Argosy patrons:

• Created a "Your Best Bet for Eagles" branded insert to include in the December Argosy newsletter, which reaches 23,000 Argosy preferred members
• Created a window cling billboard for the Argosy entrance walkway driving phone inquiries and visit to the Alton CVB Web site, visitalton.com, for the Eagle Watching Guide
• Capitalized on existing billboard located in a high-traffic area along I-270 between Illinois and Missouri to send commuters the message that "Every Day is Eagle Day from Alton to Grafton"

Results

Partnering with the popular Argosy Casino Alton allowed the Alton CVB to reach a larger audience of travelers who have already visited Alton and encourage them to plan an extended return visit. By leveraging the casino’s current marketing tools, (newsletter, billboard and onsite branded placements) the Alton CVB encouraged visitors to look beyond the casino doors and discover what the area has to offer.

“Each year we continue to raise the bar on eagle promotions and programming,” said Alton CVB President/CEO Brett Stawar. “Partnerships like the one with Argosy have made all the difference. With so many reasons to visit our destination, it’s our job to make sure people know what all we have to offer. And thanks to Argosy, people are more aware and extending their stay in our area.”

The relationship built with Argosy gave the Alton CVB the opportunity for billboard placements along one of the busiest stretches of highway in St. Louis. The CVB was able to reach a greater amount of potential visitors to promote eagle season without incurring extra costs.

Topline results of the “Your Best Bet for Eagles” include:

• Increased visitor numbers 21 percent during eagle watching season from 11,768 in 2006 to 14,242 in 2007
• Increased Web traffic 18 percent during eagle watching season from 11,741 in 2006 to 13,774 in 2007
• Promoted eagle season messaging to 23,000 Argosy preferred members through the casino newsletter
• Reached 57,592 drivers per day along I-270 from December 1, 2006  through January 29, 2007 through billboard advertising