Convention & Visit Bureau ReporMemo
TO:
FR:
Mayor Terry Duggan
City Council Members
Mike Van Milligen, City Manager
Jim Wailer, Chair
County Supendsors
Jan Hess, Administrative Assistant
Greg Malm, Chair
Sue Czeshinski, Director
RE: Quarterly Report
DT: April 11, 2002
The following steps were taken in the first quarter toward the.accomplishment of each of
the Bureau's marketing objectives.
Goal 1
Objective A: Develop leisure business to Dubuque targeting group tour business
regionally and nationally.
The CVB attended the American Bus Association convention and had scheduled
appointments with 25 tour companies and networked with over 3,500 tour
industry representatives during a three day period. All operators had interest in
tours to America's River.
The CVB attended the National Bank Travel Management Show and met with 30
bank planners and networked w/th hundreds of plarmers. America's River was of
great interest for upcoming tours to the area.
· Follow-up promotional items and materials were mailed to all leads.
· Dubuque's America's River project was featured in the national publication Bank
Travel Magazine as a must see tour.
· The Bureau placed cooperative advertising in Bank Travel Magazine to promote
Dubuque for group trips.
Objective B: Develop leisure business to increase visitor spending to Dubuque by
targeting individual consumers in Chicago, Milwaukee and Des Moines.
JOt MAIN STREET SUITE 200 P.O. Box 705 DUBUQUE, IA 52oo4-o7o5 (563)557-9200 (563)557-i59~
E-MAIl,: INFO@TRAvELDLrBUQUE.COM WEB SITE: WwW. TRAvELDuBuQUE.COM
· The CVB placed Spring advertising in Chicago newspapers, internet sites,
magazines, and billboards to attract visitors from these markets:
· Visitor inquiries for Jan-March 2002 totaled 6,100 phone inquiries and
over 30,000 user sessions on the Chamber/CVB website.
2002 Visitors Guides featured a two page America's River insert and were
distributed at travel shows in Chicago and Milwaukee, at Welcome
Centers, and visitor brochure racks in a 250 mile radius.
Objective C: Market Dubuque as a convention and meeting destination for state,
regional, and national groups.
The CVB attended the Iowa Society of Association Executives showcase
in Des Moines and met with 100 meeting planners. The booth showcased
America's River and strong interest in the conference center for meetings
in 2004 and 2005 was expressed.
· The CVB is currently working with 27 meeting planners on bids for the
new center.
· Over 250 leads are being cultivated for meetings, conferences, and
conventions in the new center.
A full page ad was placed in Association News Magazine targeting
meeting planners in surrounding states featuring the America's River
project. This ad ran with a feature on new meeting venues in Iowa since
Dubuque was featured in March. One large lead out of Chicago has
already come from this ad placement.
Objective D: Increase the number of out of town travelers attending festivals and
events.
Goal 2
· Printed and began distribution of 25,000 Spring/Summer Festivals &
Events brochures and placed all events on the website.
Objective A: Provide ongoing customer service training and community awareness
of the tourism industry.
· The CVB partnered with Clarke College to bring the Disney Institute to Dubuque
in February. 289 CEO's and top level management attended the seminar.
· The CVB sold sponsorships to provide tourism industry packages for the Disney
and Clarke trainings. Over 45 packages were purchased immediately to go
through the entire training program. Over 300 employees have registered to
attend the Clarke front line trainings.
* The CVB ran an ad campaign to promote the Clarke Campaign during March
which made the registration very successful.
Objective B: Implement f'mal phases of the Directional Signage Program
· The CVB and city received approval on district names from Council in January.
· The CVB and city received approval from the IDOT on sign locations and
funding to make the signs in March.
· The design RFP committee has been set up.
Objective C: The Convention and Visitors Bureau will remain active in the
America's River Effort
· The Bureau has participated in all internal and external design reviews with HOK
Venue.
The Bureau has served on the Port of Dubuque work group and assisted in the
Phase I2[ standards and development process.
The America's River Marketing Committee continues to meet bi-weekly and has
had a retreat and field trip to the District in Rock Island for ideas on ways to
develop a structure for the future of the Port of Dubuque development.
A Dubuque debut
victorian mansions that serve five-course
dinners and gingerbread storefronts that
offer imported lace and china have long
made Dubuque the home of charm.
Soon, this charismatic river town in north-
east Iowa will be home to so much more.
After years of anticipation, the first phases
of "America's River," a $188-million national-
scope project on the Mississippi River, will be
opening in upcoming months.
"The America's River project will feature
the Mississippi River Discovery Center and
Aquarium and the Mississippi Riverwalk and
Amenities," said Sue Czeshinski, director of
the Dubuque CVB. fi-hanks to this project, we
will soon be able to fully showcase our loca-
tion on one of the world's biggest attractions -
the Mississippi River."
/ DOWNIT)WN ***
~. ~'~ ~,/Take advantage of all that
~ ~:~; ~ Downtown Davenport
~ ,~, has to offer.
WATERLOO CONVENTION
& VISITORS BUREAU
215 E. 4th Street
Waterloo, IA 50703
800-728-8431 www.wateftoocvb.org
Showcase, indeed. This amazing museum
and entertainment complex will be the only
place on the entire 2,400-mile stretch of the
Mississippi that captures the historical, envi-
ronmental, educational, and recreational
majesty of the river.
The scenic one-third mile Riverwalk,
scheduled for completion in the summer of
2002, wilt link many existing and new venues
along the river like the Star Brewery
Amphitheater, the landing for the Delta Queen
and public art exhibits. Open in early 2003,
the Discovery Center and Aquarium, featuring
30-foot wide aquariums, stocked with alliga-
tors, otters, paddlefish and other indigenous
fish and wildlife, will also have a national
repository for river history and ecology.
Beginning in the fall of 2002, another part
of this magnificent project- the Mississippi
Riverfront Hotel and Indoor Waterpark- will
open its doors to fun-lovers of all ages. This
luxury hotel will offer 194 rooms with dramatic
views of the river and all of the Dubuque's
glitzy new and charming old scenery.
But, for those who have not had enough
excitement gambling at Dubuque's river casi-
nos or riding the world's steepest railway in
downtown, the Riverfront Hotel will invite spit-
ired visitors to more thrills and spills at a
24,000-square-foot indoor waterpark with four-
story high waterslides, body slides, flume
rides and hundreds of aquatic activities.
Even more is scheduled to open at
America's River in 2004. Appropriately, there
is excitement in Dubuque because as what
started as a small town dream will soon be a
big-time reality.
"America's River has the world class appeal
that it takes to draw national and international
visitors to Iowa's door step," said Czeshinski.
our group tours the bluff-top streets of our quaint Mississippi river city, they'll go
to Victorian times. Because our pre-Civil War boomtown, founded more than
~ 200 years ago, features the gingerbread architecture and historic sites of a city with a past.
From the mansion where General Grant dined to our 123-year-old Town Clock and the city's otdesr
theater--the Grand Opera House, Dubuque offers your group the chance to get ~ the
historical. They'll also go crazy for our riverboat rides, Victorian Progressive
Dinners, antiques, boutiques, casinos, restaurants, hotels, and more.
Come to Dubuque. For the history. And the year-round fun! ~ '
ue.com.
DUBUQUE FIVE FLAGS
563-556-2000 · £xt 125
CASINO
1-800-LUCICf JO
SPI IT b __
800-747-8093
Dubuque Inn
800-747-7760
Dubuque Convention
& Visitors Bureau
800-798-4748
www. Tr avelDubuque.com
800-373-3647
C,:)ME DISCOVER AMERICA'S RIVER AT THE PORT OF DUBUQUE, IOWA
Ionia's much-anticipated Mississippi River attraction will be ready to hostyour conference beginning in 2004.
Come and experience the nostalgia of 'old man river' and the hospitality of Iowa's premier conference destination.
· Conference center offers 115,000 sq. ft. of facility space with meeting rooms
· Accommodates from 10 to 1,000 delegates
· Pre-function space and patio area overlooking the Mississippi River
· 192 room hotel connected to the conference center via covered skywalk
· Iowa's first hotel with an indoor waterpark
· Riverwalk and bike trail along the Mississippi River at the Port of Dubuque
·AdditionaI opportunities at the site include the Mississippi River
Museum and Aquarium, an outdoor amphitheater with seasonal attractions,
riverboat gaming and sightseeing tours
· Centrally located between Chicago, Minneapolis, Des Moines and St. Louis; Just 15 minutes from Galena, Illinois
Reservations for hard hat FAM tours are available now. CaIl the Dubuque CVB to reserveyour space today!
American Airlines, a proud sponsor of the America's River pro}ect, offers regional jet service from Chicago to the
Dubuque Regional Airport. Additional service from Minneapolis is provided by Northwest Airlines.
Riverfront Hotel and Waterpark
For ini'ormation or to schedule a tour, contact Amy Link, Convention Marketing Manager for the
Dubuque Area Convention & Visitors' Bureau, 800-798-4748 or e-mail alink@dubuquechamber, com
Circle 113 on Rapid Response Form
Z
~ CLARKE
COLLEGE
DUBUQUE, IOWA
NON-PROFIT
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
DUBUQUE, IA
PERMIT #69
Clarke College and Dubuque Area
Chamber of Commerce
1550 Clarke Drive
Dubuque, IA 52001
~ CLARKE
COLLEGE
DUBUQUE, IOWA
~DUBUqUE.com
Clarke College and Dubuque Area
Chamber of Commerce
1550 Clarke Drive
Dubuque, LA. 52001
NON-PROFIT
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
DUBUQUE, IA
PERMIT #69
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