Now You Know

April 27, 2004

In this issue:

- travelwisconsin.com News
- Free Money!
- Have You Heard?
- Regional Successes
- Could We Ask a Favor?
- Department Meetings

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travelwisconsin.com News

We're toying with a "website-within-a-website" concept in order to highlight events or promotions that, because of their significance or interest, have generated material sufficient to support a separate site.

This month we're experimenting with our "Golf Wisconsin" promotion so if you go to http://www.travelwisconsin.com/golf you'll see the kind of site we have in mind.

In addition to a lot of great photos, the new site features details on the upcoming Golf Wisconsin Day (May 16), facts and trivia on Wisconsin's past and present, a "Course of the Week", and the "Dairyland Dream 18" which is a fantasy round created by combining challenging holes from 18 different Wisconsin golf courses, among other features.

In the last edition of Now You Know we bragged about taking the new 2004-'05 Wisconsin Travel Guide online, and now that's been done. Click on the "Get A Free Travel Guide" button at the lower left of the travelwisconsin.com home page to order your electronic version of the Guide.

Like the printed version, the e-guide will be available to our online visitors for the next two years, and e-versions of other Tourism publications will be added as availability and finances dictate.

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Free Money!

Well, kind of. It has been suggested that the Department could be of service by identifying and "pre-screening" grant programs that travel industry partners may qualify for.

Therefore, on an occasional basis, the Free Money! feature will offer information on possible grant opportunities.

This week we'll describe the Early Planning Grant (EPG) program available through Wisconsin's Department of Commerce. The program is designed to help individuals and small businesses obtain professional advice regarding the feasibility of starting up or expanding a business.

The program provides successful applicants with up to 75% ($3,000 maximum) of the eligible costs of hiring a qualified, independent third party to develop a comprehensive business plan. Such an exercise helps formalize a business owner's goals and objectives and is crucial to attracting the financing necessary to start or expand a business.
For an online application kit go to: ftp://www.commerce.state.wi.us/EPG%20Manual.pdf

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Have You Heard?

Tom Lyons, Door County Chamber of Commerce Marketing Director is leaving that position after 10 years for a position as Public Relations Manager with Directions, Inc., an advertising agency in Neenah. Tom will be succeeded by Jon Jarosh who has been the Door County Chamber's Membership Director.

Phil Fritsche is the new Executive Director at the Beaver Dam Chamber of Commerce. Phil was formerly Executive Director of the Germantown Chamber of Commerce. Dennis Fay, formerly the Department of Tourism's legal council, has accepted a position as attorney at the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection.

Jeff Scanlan is the new Director of the Chippewa Valley CVB's Sports Marketing program. Jeff succeeds Joel Everts who has accepted the sports marketing position for Packer Country Regional Tourism in Brown County.

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Regional Successes

The effectiveness of regional cooperation in marketing is evident everywhere you look, and we're seeing more and more evidence of the willingness of local organizations to partner up with others in their region to get more bang for the buck.

One good recent example is the new Hayward Lakes Visitor and Convention Bureau. Previously the Sawyer County region was represented by the Sawyer County Recreation Committee, the Hayward Lakes Resort Association, the Hayward Chamber of Commerce, the Birchwood Business Association, the Cable Chamber of Commerce and other smaller groups. Each was plugging along, cooperating pretty well, and scoring individual successes…but members of each felt there might be a better way to develop a combined marketing campaign for the region.

After about three years of discussion, a small group including Cheryl Treeland, Wendy Schroeder and Bob Stuchal sat down to finalize the concept of a coordinated marketing organization…and the Hayward Lakes VCB was born. Now, with 287 members, a marketing plan, nearly a dozen marketing partners and a new visitor guide to their credit the new organization is humming along and the results are palpable.

Similar new organizations are popping up elsewhere. The 18 member Harbor Towns Assocation is a good example. A new organization called Lakes, Trails and Streams is attracting member organizations from Adams, Juneau, Marquette, Monroe and Vernon counties. Milwaukee, Racine and Kenosha are exploring cooperative marketing opportunities…and on it goes. There's much to be learned from these joint efforts and they represent the future of effective tourism marketing in Wisconsin.

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Could We Ask A Favor?

The Department has a new mailing address, P.O. Box 8690, Madison, WI 53708-8690. Could you take just a minute right now to update your records so we can keep getting your stuff after the forwarding period ends? Thanks.

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Department Meetings:

May 6. Governor's Council on Tourism, 10:00a.m. - 2:00 p.m. Governor's Conference Room. State Capitol. Madison.

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