TOURISM TODAY
September/October 1999
Tourism Web site now offers publication ordering
Planning a Wisconsin vacation just got easier, thanks to the Department’s new online publication ordering system. Visitors to the Department’s Web site can now, with the click of a mouse, order the same statewide publications offered through the Department’s toll-free number and Wisconsin Travel Information Centers.
"We are excited to offer this convenient way of ordering Wisconsin travel information online," Moose Speros, Wisconsin Department of Tourism secretary said. "With today’s increasingly busy schedules, it is important to make finding and receiving travel information as easy as possible."
In its first two weeks online, nearly 1600 people ordered publications. The most popular were the Travel Guide, Wisconsin Attractions Guide and Map, Fall Sampler and State Parks Guide. Orders came from as far away as Thailand and Slovenia, however most were from our core markets of Wisconsin, Illinois and Minnesota.
The Department captured additional information from its online customers through a brief survey included on the order form. Of the survey respondents, most were between 30-45 years of age and planning a fall or summer leisure vacation. About one-half were frequent visitors to Wisconsin while the other half had not visited the state in the past two years.
The Department’s Web site has been averaging more than 25,000 users per week over the past few months. The most popular pages are the activities and attractions listing, the travel guide, state park information and lodging links. Additional features will be added to the site in the next few months, including the ability for users to query for specific travel information.
New publications for fall/winter
Four Department publications are being prepared for the coming fall/winter season.
An updated version of the Official Wisconsin Travel Guide includes corrected listings and an attractive new cover.
An all-new, colorized edition of Wisconsin’s Rustic Roads will be ready for the fall colorama touring season. Produced in cooperation with the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, the guide includes all 84 rustic roads. Each listing includes a small map and brief description of the characteristics of the road. The guide includes pictures of many of the roads taken by photographer Bob Rashid.
The 1999-2000 Fall/Winter Event & Recreation Guide is also ready for distribution. The Department’s major winter fulfillment piece, the guide includes downhill and cross-country skiing, snowmobiling and sleighrides, as well as 750 fall/winter events from September 1 though March 30.
The final seasonal piece is an all-new second edition of the Wisconsin Snowmobile Guide. The guide will promote eighteen new loop tours around the state. Each will be mapped and accompanied by an extensive narrative description of the attractions on- and off-route.
Winter campaign snowballs
Always working to stay one step ahead of Mother Nature, the Department is ready to launch its winter marketing campaign.
In early November, a direct mail piece highlighting indoor and outdoor activities will be sent to existing and potential customers. The mailing includes a bounce back card that allows customers to request additional information, and the Department the ability to learn more about customer interests.
Wisconsin’s winter splendor will be advertised in newspapers in our top markets including The Chicago Tribune, The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, The Minneapolis Star Tribune and the St. Paul Pioneer Press. Magazine targets have been expanded this year to include several niche publications that cater to winter sports enthusiasts.
The Department will also promote the season to visitors entering the state on a billboard on I-90 near Kenosha, set to run from October through February.
The campaign includes promoting current snow conditions, in-season trips, and events on radio traffic reports in our core markets. A radio promotion will include two major giveaways in each market, one for the romantic segment and one for the outdoor adventurer.
Winter public relations publicity efforts include media kits, media familiarization tours and pitches, Web site updates, snow condition reports and hotline and television interviews.
Briefly...
Department staff hits the road
Department of Tourism staff will head to southwest Wisconsin October 11-13 on its seventh familiarization tour. The tour will feature several listening sessions with area tourism organizations and businesses as well as visits to local attractions.
The October FAM tour kicks off the Department’s second familiarization tour rotation around the state. The FAM tour program was initiated in 1996 as a means for Department staff to experience our state’s tourism product and meet industry representatives.
New location, new address
Plans for the official grand opening of the new Superior Wisconsin Travel Information Center are underway although the WTIC has been open since September 1. In the meantime, please note the following changes: mailing address is WI Travel Information Center, PO Box 35, Superior, WI 54880; shipping and physical address is WI Travel Information Center, Highway 53 & 2 Rest Area 23, Superior, WI 54880; phone number remains 715/392-1662; fax changes to 715/398-3775.
Council Strategic Planning Session set
The Governor’s Council on Tourism, the Leisure Marketing Committee, and Department managers will convene September 8 and 9 for a strategic planning session to focus on moving the tourism industry forward in the next century.
"This session will allow us to do some long-term strategic planning and map out the tourism course for the next few years," Tom Diehl, Governor’s Council on Tourism chair said.
A report detailing the plan will be available upon completion of the session.
New JEM contacts
Lakeshia Jones has resigned her position with the Department as the JEM Program Coordinator to pursue a Masters of Science degree in educational administration at UW-Madison.
For questions and assistance regarding the JEM Grant program, please contact Sue Hamilton at 608/266-6792, or Chris Haworth at 608/261-6272.
Secretary Speros appointed to Monona Terrace board
Gov. Thompson recently appointed Sec. Speros to the Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center Board. Speros will serve as the one state appointee of the 14 member board. Other members were appointed by the City of Madison and Dane County.
"The Monona Terrace has helped put Wisconsin on the map in the meetings and convention market," Speros said. "I am pleased to be part of a group that is stimulating economic development throughout the area."
Sec. Speros will serve a three-year term with an opportunity for reappointment.
Return completed summer event forms by Sept 15th
Survey forms for the 2000 summer calendar of events were mailed August 15. To be considered for inclusion in the Department’s printed Event & Recreation Guide for next summer, event information must be submitted by September 15, 1999.
If you have Internet access, the Department prefers that you submit your event information online at travelwisconsin.com/event. If you don’t have Internet access, fill-out the paper event forms you received and submit them via the U.S. Mail or fax (608/266-3403) just as you’ve always done.
Heritage Tourism Conference fast approaching
There is still time to register for the 1999 Wisconsin Heritage Tourism Conference, September 16-18 in Lac du Flambeau.
The ’99 conference, Forging Partnerships for the New Millennium, includes a session moderated by Sen. Brian Rude on developing partnerships to promote cultural heritage attractions and a field session highlighting the rich heritage of the Lac du Flambeau Reservation.
Gail Lord, co-founder of LORD Cultural Resources Planning and Management (LCRPM) will deliver the keynote address. LCRPM provides consulting services to museums and heritage areas throughout the world.
Educational sessions include: Native American history, funding resources, marketing, and living history interpretation.
The Department is joined in presenting this conference by the Wisconsin Federation of Museums, Wisconsin Trust for Historic Preservation, Great Lakes Inter-Tribal Council and the State Historical Society of Wisconsin.
For more information contact Lee Ann Merrill at 608/266-7299 or visit our industry Web site.
Plan now for the 2000 Conference
Preserve, Promote & Partner – The Future of Tourism. This theme will direct the 2000 Governor’s Conference on Tourism and guide an agenda that offers an expanded format.
The 2000 conference plans for nine breakout sessions per day allowing participants to select three sessions, instead of two. Following the 1999 success of track-directed sessions, the 2000 conference will provide breakout sessions within four tracks: leisure travel & marketing, meetings & conventions, special events and cultural tourism.
The 14th annual conference will be held at the Midwest Express Center in Milwaukee, March 19-21. Overnight accommodations can be arranged at the following hotels:
The Milwaukee Hilton (host hotel)
3 night package at $285.00
414/271-7250 or 800/HILTONS for reservations
The Holiday Inn Milwaukee City Center
$84.00 flat rate per night
414/273-2950 or 800/HOLIDAY for reservations
The Milwaukee Hyatt
$90.00 flat rate per night
414/276-1234 or 800/233-1234 for reservations
The Ramada Inn Downtown Milwaukee
$67.00 flat rate per night
414/272-8410 or 800/228-2828 for reservations
All facilities listed are within three blocks of the Midwest Express Center. For a listing of other accommodations, please call the Greater Milwaukee CVB at 800/554-1448. Please direct questions regarding the conference to Dawn Aspenson at 608/266-3978.
Governor’s Council on Tourism update
Gov. Thompson recently appointed Gregory Swanberg to the Governor’s Council on Tourism. A veteran of the restaurant business since 1971, Gregory currently owns Swanberg’s Bavarian Inn in Manitowish Waters. Gregory fills the Council position vacated by Mike Pitzo.
In additional Council news, we welcome the newly appointed Leisure Marketing Committee chair, Bill Geist, and five new committee members. The appointments were made under the direction of Council Chair Tom Diehl. The committee now has fewer council members and represents diverse areas of the state and industry affiliations.
The new appointees to the Leisure Marketing Committee are: David Rosenwasser, president of Promotion Management, Inc.; Kathleen O’Leary, marketing director for Wisconsin State Fair Park; Linda John, president of the Chippewa Valley Convention & Visitor’s Bureau; Bruce Greenhill, director of sales at the Pointe Hotel and Conference Center in Minocqua; and Keri Olson, public relations director of Circus World Museum.
The new Leisure Marketing Committee members replace Bill Hanbury, Jack Culley, Romy Snyder, and Jim Van Matre. Continuing committee members are Geist, Kelli Trumble, Bill Otto, Le-Vern Boyd and Cheryl Zaug.
The Department of Tourism and the Council thank outgoing members for their years of hard work and dedication, and welcome new members aboard.
1999-2000 Consumer Show Schedule
The Department is scheduled to attend the following consumer shows:
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Chicago Ski and Snowboard Show, Nov 4-7, Chicago
- Vacation Destination Expo, Nov 19-21, Grand Rapids, MI
- Arlington Sportfishing Expo, Jan 7-10, Arlington Hgts, IL
- Chicago Sport Show, Jan 22-30, Chicago
- St. Louis Sport Show, Feb 8-13, St. Louis, MO
- Great Golf Show, Feb 18-20, Minneapolis
- Adventure Travel Show, Feb 18-20, Chicago
- Indianapolis Sport Show, Feb 18-27, Indianapolis
- Detroit/Auburn Hills Sport&Travel Show, Mar 2-5, Detroit
- Milwaukee Sport Show, Mar 10-19, Milwaukee
- Minneapolis Sport Show, Mar 10-19, Minneapolis
For more information on the Department’s participation in consumer shows, please contact David Spiegelberg at 414/279-6856.
Governor’s Council on Tourism Member Highlight
Gary Roberts
The year was 1960. Gary Roberts, at that time a teenager, landed a job as a waiter in Wisconsin Dells. The job was a means to buy a car and pay for college, but in hindsight it was the first of many steps in a successful hospitality career.
For the past 21 years, Gary has owned and operated Piggy’s, one of six restaurants he has owned in the Coulee Region. His experience in restaurant promotion and marketing, and his two terms as president of the La Crosse Chamber of Commerce, led him to a position on the Governor’s Council on Tourism and the Council’s Legislative Subcommittee.
"My position on the Council has helped me gain perspective on Wisconsin’s tourism industry," Gary said. "Each member carries a different bag of experience and that is what helps the Council make decisions that benefit the entire state."
Under Gary’s ownership, Piggy’s has become one of the state’s top restaurants. It has received nationwide recognition, including the 1990 American Pork Producers Council National Restaurant of the Year Award.
As with any business, customer satisfaction is Gary’s main concern. He stays active in the tourism industry and encourages Piggy’s 60 employees to improve their skills through the restaurant’s weekly training programs covering everything from wine service to information about the area’s top attractions.
"The Council’s decisions affect restaurateurs, hotel operators, attraction owners and the traveler in large and small destinations," Gary said. "That’s what makes my job on the Council one of my most important priorities."
Moving State Government
Deputy Secretary Mary Sheehy joined Gov. Thompson and a team of state government officials in Racine and Kenosha August 29-31 during Moving State Government.
The annual excursion takes government on the road to offer state officials and local residents the opportunity to learn about each other’s roles and strengthen partnerships between communities and the state.
Gov. Thompson put the spotlight on the area’s tourism industry while charter fishing on Lake Michigan and at a breakfast reception at Carthage College for Kenosha area businesses and local officials.
Deputy Secretary Sheehy also participated in a listening session at S.C Johnson’s Wingspread Conference Center in Racine and a final tourism assessment presentation in Burlington. The trip was rounded out by visits to the Kenosha Wisconsin Travel Information Center, and Racine/Kenosha area attractions.
Thanks to the Racine and Kenosha CVBs for their help coordinating the event.
Wisconsin hosts Great Lakes directors
Great Lakes of North America (GLNA) travel and marketing directors will hold their annual meeting in Lake Geneva September 22-24th. Hosted by the Grand Geneva, the meeting will focus on international marketing of the Great Lakes region and an evaluation of past programs.
"We are pleased to host this group of tourism marketers," Moose Speros, Secretary of the Department of Tourism and Chairman of the GLNA said. "It is a great opportunity to showcase our state during one of our most beautiful seasons."
In addition to Wisconsin, GLNA member states include Michigan, Minnesota, Indiana, Illinois, Ohio and the Province of Ontario.
Fall color reports begin Sept. 8th
To keep the media and consumers alert to fall color changes, the Department will again offer fall color reports September 8 - October 27.
Fall color information is available by calling 800/432-TRIP or by visiting travelwisconsin.com. These are also distributed to the media.
A special thanks to industry contacts who report weekly color updates. The information is a hot item for media and travelers looking for fall travel tips.
If you are interested in having your area’s fall color included in the report, please contact Suzie Meyer with AB&L at 414/271-0101.
