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Convention & Visit Rep July - ODUBUQUE AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE CONVENTION AND VISITORS BUREAU MEMO To: Fr: Date: Terry Duggan, Mayor Mike Van Milligen, City Manager Jan Hess, Administrative Assistant Greg Maim, Chair Sue Czeshinski, Director Quarterly Report~uly through October 2001 October 18, 2001 Dubuque County Supervisors City Council Members c) During the third quarter, the Convention & Visitors Bureau has maintained its focus on attracting group tours, meetings, conferences, and individual travelers to the area. The Bureau is also working with travel writer media, planning additional Customer Service Training with the Hospitality Committee, and our ongoing focus in the marketing of Americas River. The Convention & Visitors Bureau has had heavy activity in each of these areas to boost marketing and promotional efforts in preparation for Americas River as this will be the next large attraction to draw visitors to the area. Regional partnerships continue to evolve.- The Convention & Visitors Bureau has worked with Galena, IL very closely to assist in the marketing of Dubuque as a destination, but as a region to ir~crease travel from the Chicago market and heighten awareness of the Dubuque area. One large promotional success the Bureau saw during July was featured in the July 15 Sunday Travel addition of the Chicago Tribune. The article focused on Dubuque as the next great destination for travel out of the Chicago market. Three pages of color photos and excellent text featured Dubuque as a wonderful getaway seen through the eyes of a travel writer from the Chicago Tribune. The Group Tour Marketing Committee continues to market to Bank Club, tour operators, and group leaders to draw more visitors to the area. In September, seven committee members attended the Iowa Bank Marketplace. They met with over 150 planners looking at group travel options for the next two years.'The Committee Members staffed a row of seven trade show booths promoting Dubuque and America's River as their theme. Dubuque had the strongest presence at the show having an entire isle of members being showcased. The Convention & Visitors Bureau also attended Cruise Tour & Travel Expo and met with 50 group tour planners in Minneapolis following the Bank Travel Show. During this time, group planners had the opportunity to sign up for the upcoming Spring Familiarization Tour (FAM) to take a look at what Dubuque has to offer featuring the Americas River project. The Group Tour Marketing Committee & Convention Marketing Committee hosted a FAM Tour with twenty-seven meeting planners and tour operators showcasing the Dubuque area and the Americas River project. These participants visited Dyersville, Dubuque, and Galena during their three day tour of the area. it was an event pact tour with 90% of the group looking at future dates and one tour operator booking eight trips to our area next year as a result of this showcase. The meeting planners were extremely interested in the Americas River project. Materials were distributed to planners for future meeting bookings. The Convention Marketing Committee continues to work to promote Americas Riveras a midwest and national convention destination as well as working with current groups coming to Dubuque. Through the work of our new Sales & Services Manager Jeni Ginter, in July the CVB serviced thirty-five groups with 6200 delegates. The Bureau also received the resignation of Ged Shafer as Convention Marketing Manager. She has taken a position as Development Director at the Dubuque Museum of Art. She has been replaced by Amy Link who came back to Dubuque from the Chicago area. Amy began her role as Convention Marketing Manager on October 15, 2001. The Hospitality Task Force is working in partnership with Clarke College to develop programming to better serve the needs of both management and front line tourism industry professionals in preparing them to provide outstanding customer service. The partnership with Clarke will begin this year and will focus on customized training to all service employees of tourism related businesses. Directional Signage continues to move forward. On September 11th the DOT staff met with the Bureau and the City and approved all sign locations that the Task Force had requested. The project can now move forward. Dubuque has been commended for taking the time to work with the DOT staff as a partner in making this new project happen. The Iowa Department of Transportation has requested that Dubuque be a pilot project showcasing this new signage system to the rest of the State of Iowa. The next step in the Directional Sign process will be the approval of district area names to place on signs that will be constructed by the DOT and designed by a graphic designer. Travel Writers Task Force continues to work on advancing its programming to attract more writers and media to the Dubuque area for future travel and tourism. Dubuque hosted five travel writers as part of an Eastern Iowa FAM trip hosted by the State of Iowa. Members in the group represented Omaha World Herald, Chicago Tribune, AAA Home & Away, as well as others. Americas River Marketing continues to move forward as well as design and architectural drawings for the Education and Conference Center. The Convention & Visitors Bureau has hired Bill Giest of Zgeist Consulting to facilitate the planning retreat to decide the rolls of the partners in the marketing of Americas River. The first session took place on October 11 at the Chamber of Commerce. The session outcome was to develop a structure within which the partners of Americas River can work to effectively market Dubuque as a destination. The Marketing Committee has been appointed by the City Manager to oversee the marketing of the Amedcas River and to make sure all initiatives are effective. Cindy Steinhauser will facilitate this group process. The Bureau continues to participate in the planning of the Education and Conference Center, The Bureau continues to monitor the impact of the events of September 11th on the tourism economy. Initial indications were that cancellations could be substantial to the Dubuque area. Cancellations at this point do not seem to be as severe as first thought. More travelers are taking shorter trips versus longer trips from the Chicago, Milwaukee, and major metro markets. The CVB will continue to work with area tourism industry members to position ourselves to work through these difficult times and continue to keep tourism thriving in our area. The Convention & Visitors Bureau is also heavily involved in an event planned for 2004 to assist in the public relations effort to promote Americas River. The Grand Excursion Reenactment of 1854 will take place in 2004. Convention & Visitors Bureau's all along the upper Mississippi River have partnered to prepare for this large event. The tour will take place October 16 to feature the Grand Excursion stop in Dubuque as a partner with all the other river destinations that will participate in 2004. America's River at 1_.4~ ounded more than 200 years ago, Dubuque's premiere location on the Mississippi River--where Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin converge-- makes it an accessible city for regional and national meetings/conventions in the Midwest. Coming to Dubuque in 2003: Amer/ca's River at the Port of Dubuque, a $188 million dverfront development including the Mississippi P4ver Discovery Center and Aquarium, the Mississippi Riverwalk and Amenities, the Mississippi Riverfront Homl and Indoor Waterpark and the Mississippi River National Education and Conference Center. Scheduled for completion in September 2002, the 200-room luxury Mississippi Riverfront Hotel and 24,000 square foot Indoor Waterpark will offer dramatic views of the river, deluxe restaurants, and entertainment services. The adjacent 114,000 square foot Mississippi River National Education the Port of Dubuque and Conference Center, scheduled for completion in 2003, will feature state-of- the-art technology, classrooms, assembly space, exhibit facilities, and distance learning capabilities. Along with a variety of other excel- lent lodging facilities with meeting space, Dubuque also has unique, quaint meeting and conference facilities offering comfortable, intimate surroundings for smaller groups. Delegates and guests can enjoy the many year-round options for off-site after-meeting activities: non-gambling and gambling cruises on the Mississippi River, antique and boutique shopping, live greyhound racing, historic city tours, art and history museums, the Field of Dreams movie site, golf, hiking and biking during summer months, and both downhill and crass-country skiing during winter months. Call now for information about our meeting destination. Nearest airport: Dubuque Regional Airport, 8 miles south of Dubuque Number of area hotel rooms: 2000 Nearby entertainment: Mississippi River cruises, gambling casinos, art and history museums, golf, Field of Dreams movie site Largest area meeting facility: Five Flags Civic Center Total square feet of space: 27,000 re will you find that unique, special, and one-of-a-kind place for your next meeting? find it in Dubuque--Masterpiece on the Mississippi. For a variety of groups and a variety of reasons, Dubuque is the ideai location for business and pleasure. From the Fi~e Flags Center to turn-of-the-century mansions, from a cruise on the river to lush bent grass fairways, Dubuque is your perfect meeting destination. Come and create your owr~ masterpiece-- in Dubuque. ,_------o Call 800-798-4748 or visit us at www. dubuquechamber, com. ' A u g u s t 2 0 0 1, V o I. 9 N o. 4 Dubuque hosts Winter Basketball Tournaments Dubuque, Iowa will host bvo college basketball tournaments in November and December 2001. November 16-18, 2001 will bethe 19th National Catholic Basketball Tourna- ment at Loras College. Since the first tournament at Loras, the NCBT has played host to teams representing 45 colleges from 25 states and the District of Columbia. Teams for the 2001 tournament include: Benedictine University, Cabrini College, College of St. Scholastica, Dominican University, Edgewood College, St. Norbert College, Siena Heights University, St. Thomas Aquinas College and St. Vincent College. 2001 wi]] be the final National Catholic Basketball Tournament and will be celebrated with an invitation to a reunion for all former members of championship teams, all members of the Bradley Academic Awards (named for former US Senator Bill Bradley, a fan and supporter of NCBT) as well as members of the NCBT Hall of Fame. For more information contact Loras College Sports information Director Dave Beyer at dbeyer@loras.edu, or 563~588-7407; or Athletic Director Greg Capell gcapell@loras.edu or 563- 588-7826. The Fifth Annual Clarke College Holiday Basketball Tournament will be held on the Clarke College Campus December 27-31, 2001. The men's tournament field includes Clarke College, Cardinal Stritch University, Barat College, University of Dubuque, MidAmerica Nazarene University, Tri-State University, Viterbo University and William Penn College. The women's tournament field consists of Clarke College, Briar Cliff University, Millikin University, Mount Mercy College, Northland College, University of Wiscon- sin-Plattevi[[e, University of Wisconsin- Whitewator. For more information Contact Clarke College Athletic Director Curt Long 563- 588-6462 or c]ong@clarke.edu, or Sports Information Director Jerry Hanson 563- 588-6360 or jhanson@ciarke.edu. NASCAR speeds through tri-states Every year, the crowds grow bigger and the racing grows more exciting, yet many aren't even aware that the tri-state area is proud of its renown as the finest NASCAR Dirt-Track Racing location in the DUBUCL IOWA 79 speedways within 15 miles of each other in Dubuque County. Each weekend, thousands of spectators arrive to witness the excite- ment of live racing competition at the Farley Speedway and the Dubuque Fairgrounds Speedway. On Friday nights, the Farley Speedway comes alive with sights, sounds, and rea] speed! Every Sunday night, the shorter, yet packed-with-intensity Dubuque Fairgrounds Speedway is caught up in a frenzy of serious racing competition.The tri-state speedways are also home tracks of the 2000 Nascar Racing Series National Champion, Gary Webb. With local and regional competitors racing each weekend, the NASCAR racing experience is readily available. And fast! These cars reach top speeds of 130 miles an hour coming down the straight-stretch and clawing the turn as they try to stay on the track. As the sport continues to attract fans of all ages, more families turn out each week to enjoy the action of live racing close to home. No need to travel for hours for all the th?ills of the speedway! Farley Speedway is just 10 minutes west of the Dubuque Fairgrounds Speedway on the western edge of the city. The competition is intense, and the experience is one-of-a-kind! Get a double dose of NASCAR racing--the fastest growing spectator sport in the country--at the Farley Speedway and the Dubuque Fairgrounds Speedway every Friday and Sunday night! For more information, contact www. simmonspromotionsinc.com. CONTINUED... Join in the spirit at Iowa Winter Games Feb. 1.3, 2002 For some real winter fun in the tri-states, try the iowa Games, either as a spectator or as a participant! The Iowa Winter Games will be held February 1-3 in Dubuque. This year, the Games celebrate the Olympic spirit in Salt Lake City as well as ]n Dubuque. The Games take place at various venues around the city, including skiing at Sundown Mountain and ice skating at Five Flags Civic Center. The Iowa Games are festivals of Olympic- style competition for amateur athletes in a variety of spor~s from all over the state. Athletes of all ages compete in the games, which are part of a rapidly growing state games movement which is sweeping the country. In 1987, iowa became the 36th state to join this effort to provide its citizens with access to quality sports facilities and the opportunity to compete in amateur sporting events. The Games focus on building sports- manship and character at all ages and are built on the following six pillars of character: trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, and citizenship. For athletes wishing to compete, the entry deadline for ice hockey is mid-December. Deadlines for the rest of the team sports are mid-January and later. Sports include basket- ball, cross-country and downhill skiing, figure skating, horseshoes, ice hockey, mall walking, 5k road race, roller hockey, indoor soccer, snowboarding, swimming, table tennis, and volleyball. For entry form books, call 800/964-0332 or Iogon to www. iowagames~org. Enjoy the "Masterpiece on the Mississippi!" 300 MAiN STREET SUITE 200 P.O, BOX 705 DUBUQUE, IA 52004-0705 Prsrt Std U.S. Postage PAID Dubuque, IA Permit No. 69 Editor's Note: This newsletter is intended as an update on the latest in the Dubuque area. Dubuque is a community of 62,000 located where Iowa meets Illinois and Wisconsin. These articles are copyright free and may be reprinted as they appear or may be used as background material for your own article on Dubuque.