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CVB Quarterly Report July 2007 Memo To: Roy Buol | Mayor City Council Members Mike Van Milligen | City Manager Wayne Demmer | Chair Dubuque County Supervisors Mary Ann Specht | Administrative Assistant Denise Dolan | Dubuque County Auditor Fr: Ken Haugen | Convention & Visitors Bureau Board Chairman Sue Czeshinski | Convention & Visitors Bureau Director Re: Convention and Visitors Bureau | Quarterly Report Dt: 15 August 2007 The last several months have been very busy. The Convention and Visitors Bureau has worked with conventions, group tours, implemented a consumer campaign and a hospitality campaign, worked with travel media, area festivals and assisted with the America’s River Festival. New staff has been hired and the CVB is now fully staffed with an outstanding team. The Bureau welcomes Keith Rahe, as Director of Sales and Zoë Pole as Sales Manager. Keith has worked with the CVB for many years as , our Board Chair, Attraction General Manager at the Left and Center Field of Dreams and is the staff coordinator for the America’s River Festival. Zoë Pole interned with the Dubuque CVB several years ago and has most recently moved back to the Dubuque area from Milwaukee where she was assistant manager at Coach. Kelley Schiesl has also been promoted to Director of Marketing but will still remain a part of the Convention and Visitors Bureau team. Convention Marketing Convention business has made a strong impact on the local market this season. June occupancy was significantly increased over June of 2006 due to an increase in the number of groups and individuals coming through the area. The sales staff has done an excellent job of working with area members to continue to sell and service incoming groups. A : International Association of Women Ministers, North few of these include American Trainers Association, Iowa Certified Assessors Association, and Illinois Society of Professional Farm Managers & Rural Appraisers Summer Meeting The Convention Marketing effort has also included travel shows such as Destination Showcase and Affordable Meetings in Chicago. These shows were coordinated with input from hotel and attraction members. Both shows generated over 80 leads. These leads were distributed to members for follow up and were also followed up on by staff. Site tours are being scheduled for those meeting planners interested in coming to look at area facilities. Convention, meeting and reunion bids continue to be submitted for consideration including PDINAFSA Region IV 2009 Regional Conference , , IMA Annual MeetingEagles Club Bowling Tournamentand Sweet , , Adelines International Regional 22 Competition. Staff is also preparing for upcoming conferences in Dubuque including the Iowa Tourism Conference, Iowa League of Cities and the Iowa Fire Chiefs Association. Advertising was placed in Mid America Meetings Magazine this spring to highlight what Dubuque has to offer as a meeting location. Editorial copy also featured Dubuque in this publication used by many planners to get ideas on destination and facility options for upcoming meetings. The Group Sales committee has been working for the past several months on the planning of a fam tour for group leaders. The committee will host the tour September 9-11, 2007. The attendees will be group leaders and bank travel planners looking for ideas for future trips. The committee will also be conducting a Sales Blitz in Rockford in August to Corporations to visit with meeting planners about bringing their corporate groups to Dubuque. Interns, Chelsea Ellingson and Katie Simmons have been working to identify and schedule appointments for staff and tourism industry members attending the trip. Consumer Marketing Consumer Marketing efforts have been targeted in the surrounding area to encourage visitors to take shorter and more frequent trips. The CVB has placed billboard, radio, print and direct mail to attract visitors to Dubuque. Postcard promotions have been planned for the coming year and themes have been expanded to include: Culture and the Arts, Wine Tours and Nature Tours. Existing package promotions will be maintained and will include Skiing, Gaming, Family Fun, Romance, and Golf. 10,000 postcards are printed for each of the 8 themes for a total of 80,000 postcards. According to national and regional reports, gas prices although higher this year than last, have not impacted travel. The Travel Industry Association and AAA had anticipated increases in travel this summer season. This has held true and has had varying effects on the area. Travelers appear to have not been as apprehensive about travel and have taken trips despite hirer prices at the pumps. Dubuque has seen increased travel to the area as well during the 2 quarter. Dubuque CVB nd and Galena CVB continue to promote Dubuque as a “Trip on A Tank Of Gas” Destination from Madison, Chicago Suburbs, Des Moines, Cedar Rapids and the Quad Cities. Many of our members are running gas promotions and this type of destination messaging enhances their effort. Iowa Tourism Co-Op Television Program SCOPE: $20,000 30 second TV Commercials featuring participating partners. Spots will run in the Chicago market over a 4 to 6 week period in Spring 2008. Each community can feature 3 locations. Integer Marketing Group out of Des Moines will have a 4 person production crew in town August 23 & 24 th 1.Family walking down the Riverwalk, Grand River Center in the background with a pan to excursion boats. 2.Hilton & DGPC. 3.National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium – touch tank & otter tank Public Relations for the Michael Mette Case We have been receiving negative feedback from the Chicago area regarding a recent news story that began airing on July 13th. Michael Mette, a Chicago Police officer was sentenced to five years in prison for an October 2005 incident in Dubuque. An ad hoc public relations committee was gathered. The nature of the story has an impact on both tourism and education in Dubuque. We all understand how important the Chicago market is to these two industries. Sue Czeshinski, Valorie Woerdehoff and Kelley Schiesl gathered a core group of people key to tourism and education public relations together on Wednesday, July 18. It included Peter Smith of The University of Dubuque, Mike Cyze of Clarke College, Angie Fitzpatrick of Loras, Randy Gehl and Roy Buol of the City of Dubuque and County Attorney, Ralph Potter. Ralph shared the facts of the case. The above news stories do not correspond to the facts. Justice was served. There was solid discussion by the committee and a recommendation for a single location for information. Ralph compiled a fact statement on the case that is available at www.dubuquecounty.org/offices/countyattorney. Inquiries can then be directed to the Dubuque County web-site. Requests for comment are to be directed to Ralph Potter at the County Attorney’s office at 589.4470. In response to these inquiries we have written two tools. These have been reviewed and approved by our legal counsel, Mike Coyle. This pro-active step has built a united front on this issue. While it is our hope that the inquiries subside, the nature of the story is such that it could go national. If it would go national, we already have some of Dubuque’s brightest PR resources collaborating to help put Dubuque’s best foot forward. The following reply was for letters and emails received: The Dubuque Area Chamber of Commerce recently received your letter expressing your concerns about visiting Dubuque. We are sorry that you would consider not coming back to Dubuque for any reason. Dubuque has long been a popular tourist destination and thanks to our excellent law enforcement department is considered a safe place to live, work and visit by the over 1.5 million people that come here each year. As with any incident, there are always two sides to the story. In an effort to be as forthright and as transparent as possible, Dubuque County has posted the full accounting of this tragic set of events on their website so that all the facts of the case can be known. We encourage anyone that is concerned about the case and its outcome to refer to www.dubuquecounty.org/offices/countyattorney for a thorough and accurate accounting. We thank you for alerting us to your concerns. Sincerely, Dubuque Area Chamber of Commerce Hospitality Committee With an increase in visitation to the area the Iowa Welcome Center Staff have taken Hospitality on the Road and have been out at remote locations assisting visitors at area hotels as well as in the Welcome Center. The Hospitality Patrol is a pilot program of the Hospitality Committee and it has been staffed by volunteers and Welcome Center staff. This program has been well received so far. Staff and volunteers have worked at area events and every Friday from 3:00pm -6:00pm at hotels and Saturdays at Farmers Market to assist visitors with ideas on things to do. A weekly calendar has been created to hand to visitors to let them know what is happening in Dubuque each weekend. Visitors also receive a 6 month calendar of events and a visitor’s guide to assist them. America’s River Festival The Convention and Visitors Bureau also worked to promote and assist in the America’s River Festival again this year. With good weather and great entertainment the event was well attended and fun for all ages. Public Relations & Marketing The Public Relations effort continues with several features on Dubuque happening recently. Those include a feature in the Des Moines Register, Quad City Times and the Iowa Natural Heritage Magazine featuring the Heritage Trail. The Dubuque CVB hosted travel writer Peter Guttman August 10 in th Dubuque at the National Mississippi River Museum and Dubuque area. Peter is an internationally known and recognized writer who has tremendous credentials. Peter writes for National Geographic Traveler, Conde Nast Traveler, and a series of books on unique travel. He was also recognized as the Travel Journalist of the year by the Society of American Travel Writers. The SATW is the most prestigious journalist association in America. (~ =;r., i~ J 4 s §y~ ~A k '1 t. ~Q^ ~ ~~ 1 ~ h. •r .~ Si -~ 'r r ~'~ d ~_~ Quarterly Report Q2 2007 COME AND EXPERIENCE THE NOSTALGIA of the Mighty Mississippi River and the hospitality of icwwa s newest, premier state-of-the-art conference destination. The S 188 million America's River project in Dubuque, Iowa features state-of-the-arc confer- ence facilities, high- quality hotel accommodations, great outdoor amenities, shopping, restaurants and gaming -the perfect setting for your next confer- ence,meeting or event Call the Dubuque CVB today for a Destination Planner packet and an individual site tour of Iowa's newest and most popular meeting destination. Call I -800-798-4748. =Grand River Center offers 86,000 square feet of rentable meeting space =Accommodates meetings and events from 10 - 3,000 delegates • Pre-function space and patio offer sweeping views of the majestic Mississippi River Wireless Internet access throughout the conference center - 193-room Grand Harbor Resort and Waterpark is connected to the conference center via a covered skywalk Approximately 400 hotel rooms within walking distance including the Holiday Inn. Plus the new 116-room Hilton Garden Inn and the newly renovated 151-room Best Western Midway Hotel are just a few minutes away. Beautiful riverwalk and bike trail runs along the Mississippi River - Other nearby attractions include the Smithsonian affiliated National Mississippi River Museum i Aquarium, the Alliant Energy Outdoor Amphitheater, sightseeing tours and meal cruises on the Spirit of Dubuque and Miss Dubuque riverboau, shopping, great restaurants, gaming at the renovated Dubuque Greyhound Park & Casino and more! •DUBUQUE_ Hilton ~II•~ "° .'I ~ ~ i , GREYHOUND ®GardenInm Dc~~c~~x~E ~ , , PARK~ta .: „~.,utD DubuyurDuwntown RIVER RIDES' Grand ffardvr ....,..... _.,...... 800.373.3647 B77.STAYHGI 563.583.8093 866.690.4006 1.800.HOLIDAY 800.336.4392 www.dgpc.com www.dubuquedowntown.gardeninn.com www.dubuqueriverrides.com www.grandharborresort.com www.kinseth.com www.bestwestern.comlmidwayhoteldubque • • • ~ • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • i • • National Mississippi River Museum 8 Aquarium • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • -~ m °° ~ ~ ~ by La o `~ rry St ne` s fi ~, C _ s '_4 ra g wz~ T51~ " S _ . a ~ L. After rail service ended in 1979, Heritage Trail, Inc., a private, non-profit group, was formed to assist the Dubuque County Conservation Board in developing a trail. Unfortunately, a bitter fight pitted property rights advocates and adjacent landowners against recreationists and conservationists. Trail advocates urged protection of the natural beauty, noted the rugged corridor's low value for agriculture and touted its potential tourism becefits. Opponents challenged the railroad's title to the land, argued against spending public money for recreation and voiced fears of trespassing and vandalism. Emotions ran high. At one public meeting, opponents shouted, "Burn the bridges!" Suspicious fires damaged a half-dozen of the line's more than 30 wooden bridges. Hog manure was dumped on the trail. Barricades were erected. Arnie Brimeyer, directorof the Dubuque County Conservation Board; his successor, Bob Walton: and IiNHF's Mark Ackelson received deaths threats. Heritage Trail, Inc., president Doug Cheever of Dubuque said trail supporters insured the bridges with a policy backed by Lloyds of London. They hired the Pinkerton detective agency to deter trail vandalism. The vandalism and threats ended, but other obstacles remained. Although land records showed that the railroad had clear title to 95 of the 100 parcels of land it had bought in the 1880s, several lawsuits disputed the ownership. Meanwhile, owners of some of the remaining five tracts initially blocked plans for a continuous trail. (Notably, a plan to extend the trail from Dyersville through Delaware County to Backbone State Park was never pursued because of landowner opposition.) Undaunted, Heritage Trail, Inc., developed parts of the Dubuque County trail where the ownership was not contested, and several trail segments opened in 1982. The entire corridor finally was completed in 1986, after the Conservation Board negotiated agreements with the remaining landowners. Booming popularity As one of Iowa's early rails-to-trails projects, the Heritage Trail has proved hugely popular. An adjacent landowcer who initially had opposed the trail now declares it "was the best thing that ever happened for Dubuque County." A 1992 study by Penn State University estimated economic benefits of 51.2 million per year from about 135,000 trail users. According to Dubuque County Conservation Board director Brian Preston, those figures likely have increased in the ensuing 15 years. The board has begun a survey to update those estimates. While even trail opponents agree that the opposition has faded, some question how much economic benefit the trail actually creates. Others argue that trails are a luxury funded by all taxpayers to benefit only a few. Proponents say the benefits are only beginning to be counted. ~ Iowa Natr~nrl Hsntags - Su~wer 2007 Continued on page 8 Like other laws trails, Heritage Trail contributes to the local quality of life, economy and public health. Many partners Heritage Trail exists because of "a lot of people of goodwill coming together,° said Doug Cheever of Dubuque, president of Heritage Trail, Inc. As with other Iowa trails, acquiring, building and maintaining Heritage Trail has required an array of public and private partners. It began with a dedicated core of local volunteers. Heritage Trail, Inc., board members donated $12,000 for a down payment to buy the 380-acre corridor. Area businesses, led by Flexsteel and the Woodward Communications Foundation, also contributed. The Dubuque County Conservation Board, the lead public partner, added $135,000 to complete the $215,000 purchase. DCCB carries most responsibilities today as trait owner and manager. The $400,000 cost of development came from state and federal grants, plus donations from more than 700 individuals and organizations. The Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation provided technical and fundraising assistance.Today 1 N H F continues to work for increased public trail funding, along with regional and national trail connections, such as the Mississippi River Trail. cC__ learn more at 1nM.org/mag 7 i --. L~ learn more at irNtforg/mag Bridge repairs and routine maintenance of the limestone chip surface on the trail take time and money, concedes Preston, but he thinks it's worth the effort and expense. "It's one of our more heavily visited areas, definitely." Pam Lowey, managerofThe Bike Shack in Dubuque, notes the Heritage Trail is good for local business. She says the trail has encouraged biking-especially by older people, families or casual cyclists who don't feel comfortable on busy streets or highways. Tourists at Dubuque's other attractions-such as the National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium-often bring their bikes and extend their visits. Looking ahead Though officially "completed" in 1982, the Heritage Trail keeps growing. According to Laura Carstens, city planner for Dubuque, Heritage Trail was the catalyst for acity-wide, 18-mile trail system. The next phase includes a bridge over busy U. S. Highway 52 on the north edge of Dubuque. County officials also are seeking state and federal grants to pave road shoulders to Link the city of Cascade with the Heritage Trail by way of Farley. The Heritage Trail will be a spur of the 10-state Mississippi River Trail (MRT), now under development. Future plans include a trailside camping area and improved management of prairie remnants and other natural areas along the corridor Bob Walton, who retired as Conservation Board director in 2006, praised Brimeyer, Cheever and others who began more than 25 years ago to lay the groundwork for the continued success of the Heritage Trail. "At that point in time, it was a mighty ambitious thing to do," Walton said, "but the entire region continues to reap the benefits. It's a great resource for the county." /NHF ntentlier Lurry Sturae !i-~es ira Clct~~ton Cuutr(y; nut fur trout Nie Heritage Tiuil. He's• cut occu~ionctl trail riser, cored kus Ju!!u-ved itr prugress fur nwre than 35 t~ectrs_ . eowo ~man0! rltnto~t - S 20®7 Visiting Heritage Trail Location-Dyersville to Dubuque, passing through or near Farley, Epworth, Graf, Durango, Sageville length--26 miles, plus Links to Dubuque trails Surface--compacted limestone More iMormation o www.dubuquecountycomMeritageTrail.com o Dubuque County Conservation Board, 563-556-6745 o Dubuque Area Chamber of Commerce, 800-798-8844 In addition to enjoying great scenery, Heritage Trail users can also explore natural and cultural history, such as the world-famous outcrop of naut)loid cephalopod fossils Weer Graf, the 1867 Lattnerviile Church near Graf, or aging mile markers from its railroad days. Printer-friendly article page Page 1 of 2 • herald-dispatch Rco~ m~ This is a printer friendly version of an article from the The Herald-Dispatch To print this article open the file menu and choose Print. • Back Riverfront development success means big changes for Dubuque _ ~+- .r,~.-._._.~._.,___.__,_.~,.~,~..__~~~~--' By Jean Tarbett Hardiman . The Herald-Dispatch • July 22, 2007 S Based on the experiences of other cities, successful riverfront development could take years of planning and several million dollars. • But it's been done. Dubuque, Iowa, has had success with amulti-million dollar riverfront project that's equated to millions of dollars in city real estate sales, thousands of new jobs and heaps of tourism dollars for that city and state. Dubuque is a Mississippi River city with a population of about 57,000 sitting in Dubuque County, Iowa, which • has about 95,000 people -- not so unlike here. It was watching its population decline. In the 1980s, it had an average 8 percent unemployment rate, and it saw its population drop by about 8 percent. • In the mid 1990s, it started planning a riverfront project, prodded by the Dubuque Historical Society, which • proposed a $25 million river museum/aquarium. It ended up being a $58 million facility, but the society raised every last dollar, said Dubuque's city manager, Mike Van Milligen. • From there, the vision grew. "Through that riverfront planning process and that component that was composed, we developed the • America's River project, and it ended up being a $188 million renovation of our riverfront," Van Milligen said. • It opened in 2003, after several years of planning and atwo-year construction period. The America's River project was funded through the city of Dubuque, state and federal government, and private enterprises, Van Milligen said. In its first two years, America's River attendance sparked an $18 million increase in Iowa tourism spending. "We have been overwhelmed with the response to this tremendous offering," Sue Czeshinski, executive director of the Dubuque Convention & Visitors Bureau, said on the America's River: Port of Dubuque Web site. "The project has exceeded our initial projections for visitor traffic and is a shining example of how government • and private enterprise can work together to provide a resurgence and vitality to a community." • The 90-acre riverfront area in Dubuque includes an amphitheater, plaza, river museum and aquarium and more. • "We have a concrete floodwall, and we buried it and had a riverwalk put on top of it -and connected to that is • a Grand River Resort and WaterPark and the Grand River Center, which is a city-owned convention center. . "We had to go through (the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers) permitting process to bury the floodwall, and they had a lot of requirements, which we met and they were satisfied," Van Milligen said. It also is connected with i • . http://www.herald-dispatch.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070722/NEWSOI/7072203... 8/14/2007 • • • • i • • • • • • • • Printer-friendly article page 35 miles of fitness trails in the area. Page 2 of 2 And Dubuque isn't finished, he said. The city was insistent not to call it quits with its first big success. It's planning Phase II of the project, a $225 million investment that would include a Great Rivers Center, A Rivers Research Center and a RiverMax Theater. So far, the port project has been good for more than tourism. For the city of Dubuque, the project has meant a dramatic increase in the investment in the downtown area, including construction and building renovations, as well as a net gain in jobs. Last year was the fifth consecutive year of record real estate sales in the city, at more than $200 million. It was a 108 percent increase over the sales in 2000, the city reports. From February 2006 to February 2007, Dubuque created 19 percent of the net new jobs in the entire state, at about 3,500, a report from the city of Dubuque says. "It's been a huge boon for our community," Van Milligen said. Copyright ©2005 The Herald-Dispatch http://www.herald-dispatch. com/apps/pbcs.dlUarticle?AID=/20070722/NEWSO 1 /7072203... 8/ 14/2007