CVB Board Panel Meets With Tourism Director
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
Bringing tourists to northern Indiana is the goal of the Northern Indiana Tourism Development Commission.
NITDC, as it is known, is composed of nine convention and visitor bureaus. The local CVB is one of the members.
The Kosciusko County Convention Recreation and Visitor's Commission asked NITDC representatives to talk about the benefits of belonging to the group.
NITDC director Dan Bearss and Porter County tourism director Lorelei Weimer appeared at the Visitor's Center in Warsaw Friday.
For $37,500, Bearss said, this county's attractions are highlighted in Midwest Living magazine, block ads (30 ads in six issues) in the Chicago Tribune's newspaper Travel Section (26 weeks) and the new Northern Indiana Getaway Guide. The promotions package also includes a spot in the Indiana Toll Road Travel Directory, which is distributed on the I-80/90 toll road.
Occasionally Midwest Living features a local business or attraction in an article. An example is Brooke Pointe Inn, owned by commissioner Fay Medlock.
She said people checked in with the Midwest Living issue featuring the hotel for two years.
Bearss said if region wanted to get the same kind of return, on its own, costs would be around $192,395.
"No other regional organization pools its resources from CVBs to the Indiana Tourism Commission to private organizations, like we do," Bearss said.
Adding that the CVB representatives all have input and made decisions about where their advertising dollars go and what will be featured.
The program brings in 15,000 "leads" or calls about the region. These are forwarded to the Indiana Tourism Commission, not the local Visitor's Center.
"Indiana's Tourism Bureau has the smallest budget of any neighboring state and a lot of their advertising dollars go to Detroit and Louisville, not to Chicago," Bearss said.
Commission president Deb Wiggins said the county has approved hiring a tourism consultant, who will visit the county several times next year and furnish a report.
"We haven't had any comprehensive research or figures to know how to draw people hear. We need to know what, for example, Warsaw does that might connect with Syracuse or Mentone."
Weimer said the research indicates that people are neutral about traveling to Indiana, but once they've visited, they're likely to come back six times.
Bearss said the NITDC is redesigning the Getaway magazine. Five travel writers were sent out to the nine regions last year. They also contracted the former editor or Midwest Living to put together the new publication.
The magazine will be sent to people who ask for a copy and be available at regional CVBs. It will feature at least three stories about Kosciusko County, along with other counties.
The organization also is developing an interactive Web site that will be constantly updated.
"We found too many local Internet providers say 'You can do this and you can do that,' then they nickel and dime you to death for every update," Weimer said.
She added that the NITDC has three-, five- and eight-year strategic and business plans to share.
The local commissioners approved membership with the NITDC for 2006.
KCCRVC members are Deb Wiggins, Jan Carter, Fay Medlock and David Taylor. Jon Shrofe, John Elliott and Joy McCarthy-Sessing were absent. [[In-content Ad]]
Latest News
E-Editions
Bringing tourists to northern Indiana is the goal of the Northern Indiana Tourism Development Commission.
NITDC, as it is known, is composed of nine convention and visitor bureaus. The local CVB is one of the members.
The Kosciusko County Convention Recreation and Visitor's Commission asked NITDC representatives to talk about the benefits of belonging to the group.
NITDC director Dan Bearss and Porter County tourism director Lorelei Weimer appeared at the Visitor's Center in Warsaw Friday.
For $37,500, Bearss said, this county's attractions are highlighted in Midwest Living magazine, block ads (30 ads in six issues) in the Chicago Tribune's newspaper Travel Section (26 weeks) and the new Northern Indiana Getaway Guide. The promotions package also includes a spot in the Indiana Toll Road Travel Directory, which is distributed on the I-80/90 toll road.
Occasionally Midwest Living features a local business or attraction in an article. An example is Brooke Pointe Inn, owned by commissioner Fay Medlock.
She said people checked in with the Midwest Living issue featuring the hotel for two years.
Bearss said if region wanted to get the same kind of return, on its own, costs would be around $192,395.
"No other regional organization pools its resources from CVBs to the Indiana Tourism Commission to private organizations, like we do," Bearss said.
Adding that the CVB representatives all have input and made decisions about where their advertising dollars go and what will be featured.
The program brings in 15,000 "leads" or calls about the region. These are forwarded to the Indiana Tourism Commission, not the local Visitor's Center.
"Indiana's Tourism Bureau has the smallest budget of any neighboring state and a lot of their advertising dollars go to Detroit and Louisville, not to Chicago," Bearss said.
Commission president Deb Wiggins said the county has approved hiring a tourism consultant, who will visit the county several times next year and furnish a report.
"We haven't had any comprehensive research or figures to know how to draw people hear. We need to know what, for example, Warsaw does that might connect with Syracuse or Mentone."
Weimer said the research indicates that people are neutral about traveling to Indiana, but once they've visited, they're likely to come back six times.
Bearss said the NITDC is redesigning the Getaway magazine. Five travel writers were sent out to the nine regions last year. They also contracted the former editor or Midwest Living to put together the new publication.
The magazine will be sent to people who ask for a copy and be available at regional CVBs. It will feature at least three stories about Kosciusko County, along with other counties.
The organization also is developing an interactive Web site that will be constantly updated.
"We found too many local Internet providers say 'You can do this and you can do that,' then they nickel and dime you to death for every update," Weimer said.
She added that the NITDC has three-, five- and eight-year strategic and business plans to share.
The local commissioners approved membership with the NITDC for 2006.
KCCRVC members are Deb Wiggins, Jan Carter, Fay Medlock and David Taylor. Jon Shrofe, John Elliott and Joy McCarthy-Sessing were absent. [[In-content Ad]]