TOURISM TODAY
March/April 1998
Tourism Week celebration To feature Sesquicentennial
As part of the state’s Sesquicentennial celebration, the Wisconsin tourism industry will once again join in celebrating National Tourism Week, May 3-9, with a host of activities throughout the state.
Local CVBs and chambers, information centers and attractions will host open houses, awards banquets, motivational luncheons and promotional events to showcase the economic strength and growth of Wisconsin’s tourism industry.
Tourism Day in Madison
Tourism Week activities in Madison will begin Monday, May 4, with a legislative reception; an opportunity for legislators to meet with their tourism constituents.
Activities continue on Tuesday, May 5, with "Tourism Works for Wisconsin Day." The focus of Tourism Day will be a lunch-hour celebration on the State Capitol Square. Tourism organizations from across the state will set up booths on the Square to promote their festivals, destinations and attractions. Traditionally, the celebration attracts thousands of lunch-hour strollers, eager for tourism information.
At noon, a tourism rally on the steps of the Capitol is expected to feature Governor Tommy G. Thompson.
National Tourism Day
Tourism and the Wisconsin Sesquicentennial will be celebrated across the state on Wednesday, May 6. Industry members are encouraged to celebrate this day in their own communities. The Department’s tourism consultants can suggest activities for local and regional celebrations.
Classroom Program
The Department of Tourism will send all Wisconsin fourth grade teachers special Tourism Week classroom packets. This year’s packet will highlight the Sesquicentennial, focusing on locations where students and their families can experience Wisconsin history. Also included in the packets will be a Sesquicentennial bookmark for every fourth grader. The Department of Tourism partnered with the Wisconsin Sesquicentennial Commission in developing this year’s packet.
More Information
For more information on Tourism Works for Wisconsin Day or National Tourism Week, please contact Donney Moroney at 608/261-8203 (telephone), 608/261-8213 (fax) or e-mail Donney at dmoroney@tourism.state.wi.us. Previous Tourism Day participants will receive an informational mailing in mid-March.
Heritage Tourism Conference May 14-16
in Fond du Lac
"Celebrating History" is the theme of the 8th annual Wisconsin Heritage Tourism Conference set for May 14-16 at the Ramada Plaza Hotel in downtown Fond du Lac.
This statewide conference sponsored by the Wisconsin Department of Tourism, Wisconsin Trust for Historic Preservation and the State Historical Society brings together historians, preservationists and representatives from the tourism industry.
The conference opens on Thursday, May 14 with the first of two Sesquicentennial events planned for the conference; a voyageur landing at Lakeside Park on Lake Winnebago. At 4:00pm, opening remarks will be followed by a French voyageur canoe reenactment by the Northwest Brigade of Illinois. Thursday evening activities include an informal reception and a walking tour of downtown Fond du Lac.
Friday begins with a continental breakfast followed by a series of six breakout sessions including a two-part session by Boris Frank on preparing a strategic plan for fund raising. In the afternoon conferees can chose from three unique "mobile workshops" – a tour of the Galloway House & Village; a tour of the Waupun area including the Horicon Marsh and the city’s historic Statues; or historic downtown Ripon and the area’s "Talking Country Roads" program. Tours will stop for lunch in area restaurants. Friday evening there will be a dinner with a "lesson" on Wisconsin history with Governor Lee Sherman Dreyfus (invited). After dinner, join the festive crowd and learn period dances at the Sesquicentennial Governor’s Gala Ball.
Saturday’s schedule begins with a keynote address by Milwaukee Mayor John Norquist (invited), followed by three more breakout sessions. The conference concludes following a luncheon with Diana Parker of the Smithsonian Institution who will be talking about the Wisconsin Folklife Festival.
Registration materials for the 1998 conference will be mailed in March to all past conference attendees. Conference information will also be available at the Wisconsin Heritage Tourism booth at the 1998 Governor’s Conference on Tourism, March 1-3 in Madison.
All conference sessions will be held at the Ramada Plaza Hotel in downtown Fond du Lac. Through April 30 the conference registration fee is $75.00 which includes an informal evening reception on Thursday; Friday’s breakfast, lunch and dinner; Saturday’s breakfast and lunch plus all conference breaks and materials. After April 30, registration fees increase to $100.00. A one-day registration is also offered for $50.00.
For more information on the Heritage Tourism Conference or the Wisconsin Heritage Tourism Program, contact Lee Ann Merrill, Heritage Tourism Coordinator, at P. O. Box 7976, Madison, WI 53707-7976; phone 608/266-7299; or e-mail Lee Ann at lmerrill@tourism.state.wi.us.
BRIEFLY…
BIG APPLE MEETS BIG CHEESE: Howie Shafron of Oceanside, New York fared better than the Green Bay Packers on Super Bowl weekend and won the "Wisconsin – Your Among Fans" Super Bowl Sweepstakes. Shafron will enjoy a nine-day tour of Wisconsin’s Cheese League this summer visiting the NFL summer training camps of the Packers, the Saints, the Bears and the Chiefs.
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IT’S HISTORY: The Department is teaming-up with the Wisconsin Sesquicentennial Commission to sponsor a series of radio spot commercials featuring events in the Sesquicentennial year. The Department will script and record the spots each week showcasing festivals and events from across the state. The 60-second update will be aired on 44 affiliate stations in 39 markets throughout Wisconsin. Each station will broadcast the spot about twice each week.
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MOOSE NAMED TO VICE POST: Moose Speros has been elected Treasurer & Vice Chair of the Board of Directors of the Great Lakes of North America, (GLNA) at their annual meeting held in Indianapolis, January 7-9. The post is responsible for the financial operation of the GLNA. Speros will serve a one-year term. The GLNA is a regional tourism organization that markets Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Ontario and Wisconsin to Germany and the United Kingdom.
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ON TIME & UNDER BUDGET: The new Spring/Summer Event & Recreation Guide is in the warehouse and ready for distribution. The 88-page, full-color piece lists events from April through September, as well as a full menu of summer recreational opportunities.
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Sara St. Clair joins PR staff
Sara St. Clair has joined the Department as the new public relations specialist in the Bureau of Media and Industry Services. She began her duties on February 2.
Sara grew up in Madison and is a December, 1997 graduate of UW-Eau Claire with a degree in journalism. For several summers, she worked as an LTE public information officer at the Wisconsin Department of Transportation in Madison. Sara has also interned with the corporate communications staff at Luther/Midelfort Mayo Health System in Eau Claire, and served as a press release writer for the UW-Eau Claire News Bureau.
In her new position, Sara will be responsible for weekly radio updates and will assist in many day-to-day public relations activities. Sara’s office phone number if 608/261-8767.
Don Woodruff passes
Donald A. Woodruff, 68, a former Director of the Wisconsin Division of Tourism, died January 26, 1998 in Wauwatosa.
Woodruff was the director of the then-Division of Tourism from 1980-83. Prior to his work in the Division, he was the national advertising manager for OMC Evinrude.
He was also one of Wisconsin’s foremost outdoor authorities, authoring hundreds of hunting and fishing columns serialized in regional and national magazines. He was one of the original editors of Fishing Facts magazine, and founder and publisher of Wisconsin Outdoorsman. He was also the originator and first host of the popular television program, Outdoor Wisconsin.
Spring campaign to feature Sampler, radio & newspapers
The Department’s first-ever spring marketing campaign is designed to bolster travel during April and May by highlighting spring activities and events.
The centerpiece of the spring campaign will be the Spring Sampler featuring a "catch spring fever" theme. It will entice travelers with an emotional snapshot of Wisconsin as they picture themselves enjoying spring blossoms, wildlife, whitewater canoeing and kayaking, trout fishing, biking and golf. A variety of festivals held around the state will be the final hook that will draw people out of their winter cocoons to explore the season of rebirth.
The spring marketing campaign will target the state’s core markets – Wisconsin, Northern Illinois and Minneapolis/St. Paul. The Spring Sampler will be inserted into the April issue of the Wisconsin DNR magazine Natural Resources and in the May/June Issue of Wisconsin Trails. A $200,000 media budget will buy newspaper and radio ads highlighting the season for two weeks in April. In addition, plans for special radio promotions and contests are in the works. Special FAM tours and magazine pitches are also being scheduled.
Governor proposes $1.5 million boost for tourism budget
This year’s State of the State message by Governor Tommy G. Thompson included a special $1.5 million promotional budget increase for the Department of Tourism.
"In Wisconsin, we can’t afford to ignore the great potential of our tourism industry," Gov. Thompson said in the speech. "Therefore, we propose an additional $1.5 million for tourism marketing efforts so we can fully capitalize on the growing drawing power of America’s State."
The Department’s current promotional budget $7.7 million per year has not increased since 1994. Since then, advertising costs have increased fifteen percent. Mailing and printing costs have also risen. At the same time, the tourism budgets of competing Midwestern states have increased: Illinois’ tourism budget is currently $35 million, Michigan’s is $14 million and Missouri’s is $13 million.
If approved, the Department could channel additional funding to the Joint Effort Marketing (JEM) grant program, and to increased seasonal marketing campaigns in spring, summer and winter. The budget boost could also fund unique marketing opportunities such as the Sesquicentennial, national conventions, international marketing and Internet marketing.
The Wisconsin State Legislature is expected to vote on the Governor’s initiative this spring.
Co-op newspaper program a banner success
More and more Wisconsin tourism businesses and organizations are taking advantage of the Department’s newspaper co-op advertising program. In 1997, the number of column inches bought under the Department’s banner jumped 21 percent over 1996.
The co-op program offers the Wisconsin tourism industry low rates in key market newspapers. By advertising under the Wisconsin tourism banner, participants receive significant frequency and volume discounts.
In 1997, The most popular co-op newspapers were the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the Chicago Tribune and Madison’s Wisconsin State Journal. The three papers averaged a 14% increase in industry participation in their Sunday travel sections. The mid-week "Wisconsin Weekender" banner in these papers also increased substantially over 1996. Minneapolis area newspapers, the Chicago Sun Times, and the Copley Chicago Newspaper group also saw more Wisconsin travel advertising in 1997.
To learn more about the Department’s newspaper co-op program, as well as the magazine and radio co-op programs, contact Diane Liebe of Laughlin/Constable at 414/270-7109; or any of the Department’s tourism consultants.
Your community Can benefit from Tourism Manual
Finally…everything you need to know about the Wisconsin Department of Tourism at your fingertips! The Tourism Development Manual is hot off the press and available to Wisconsin tourism business and organizations.
This new guidebook is full of helpful information specifically designed to assist communities seeking to increase tourism or initiate a tourism development program. The manual provides information on Department services, its strategic marketing plan, tourism trends and analysis, customer service basics and much more. Its handy binder format will allow users to add new or updated information as needed.
To receive a copy of the Tourism Development Manual, please call Sue Hamilton, Bureau of Media and Industry Services, at (608) 261-8212, or your area tourism consultant.
From Hollywood to Ashland: Bill, Billy Bob, Brent & Bridget
The Wisconsin Film Office worked with the crew of A Simple Plan to help find locations for the movie filmed near Ashland this winter.
The Paramount film starring Bill Paxton (Twister, Titanic), Billy Bob Thornton (Sling Blade), Brent Briscoe (Sling Blade), and Bridget Fonda (Jackie Brown, It Could Happen to You), filmed outdoor scenes in the Ashland area for four weeks in January and February. The film brought 150 cast and crew members and more than $1 million to Ashland and Iron Counties
The film is directed by Sam Raimi (The Quick and the Dead). It tells the tale of two brothers and a friend who stumble onto nearly $4 million in stolen money and go to great lengths to keep the money a secret from local authorities. Their tangle of lies eventually leads them to doubt each other and to a finale of deceit and murder.
A Simple Plan is expected to be in theaters in October, 1998.
Summer Campaign Targets Families and Couples With Two New Television Spots
The Department’s summer advertising campaign will target families and couples in markets with a proven value to Wisconsin. The campaign will be timed so Wisconsin has a presence in pre-season, start-of-season, and in-season. The campaign will be integrated with the new Spring effort, as well as co-op advertising, public relations, the multi-cultural marketing campaign, and Wisconsin’s Sesquicentennial; a promotional synergy aimed at bringing tourists to Wisconsin this Spring and Summer.
This summer’s campaign will feature two new TV spots, each highlighting relaxing reasons to get away to Wisconsin. The spots suggest that relaxation, tranquillity and togetherness are synonymous with a Wisconsin vacation. The campaign will also use radio, newspaper and magazine to promote events, attractions and activities, as well as drive requests for travel information.
Media buys will target families and couples in markets with a proven value to Wisconsin. In order to stretch the advertising budget as far as possible, markets have been prioritized by proven value and return-on-investment potential. Markets have been divided into the following tiers: Tier 1 - Chicago, Milwaukee, Twin Cities and Rockford; Tier 2 - Madison, Green Bay, Dubuque and Cedar Rapids; and Tier 3 - St. Louis and Indianapolis. Wisconsin will continue to have a presence in other markets through regional advertising.
The campaign will schedule advertising throughout the Spring and Summer seasons. To capture early planners and counter the competition, advertising will begin in early March. The focus will switch to Spring for two weeks in April, followed by another push for Summer. In season, the campaign will promote events, attractions and target last-minute planners.
The Summer campaign will kick-off with a four week push beginning the week of March 9. The media mix will be a combination of television, radio, and newspaper in all markets, with the heaviest concentration in Tier 1 and Tier 2 markets.
In April, the focus will switch to Spring for two weeks. The campaign will begin with a "Spring Sampler" insert in the April Wisconsin DNR Magazine and the May/June issue of Wisconsin Trails. Newspaper and radio ads will run for two weeks. There will also be a special radio promotion in Minnesota.
In late April, the campaign will use television and newspaper for another summer push closer to the season. In Tier 1 markets, spot television will air for two weeks starting April 27. This will be followed with a four-week schedule of cable television beginning May 18. Newspaper ads will appear in various travel and main news sections.
To promote in-season trips and events, traffic report sponsorships will air in three markets. In Chicago, traffic sponsorships will air for eleven weeks starting March 9. In the Twin Cities and Milwaukee, the sponsorships will air for six weeks beginning May 25.
In addition, the Department will sponsor Discover Wisconsin, the Whad’ Ya Know radio show, and the Big Top Chatauqua’s Sesquicentennial performances.
To complete the package, the Department will continue to offer several co-op advertising opportunities. While Department’s advertising messages increase the awareness of the state, direct industry ads can "close the sale." Opportunities are available in newspapers, magazines and radio. Direct mail leads from the Department’s database of callers are also available. For more information on these opportunities, contact Diane Liebe at Laughlin/Constable, 414/270-7109. For more information on the Department’s marketing programs, contact your area tourism consultant.
