Tourism Industry News - Travewisconsin.com

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JANUARY 2012

Stephanie Klett
Department Secretary
608.266.2345
sklett@travelwisconsin.com

Council Perspectives | Marketing and Tourism News | Industry Relations | Grant News
Conference Update | Wisconsin in the News | Travel Green Wisconsin

Secretary Message

Hello Friends –

What an unbelievable first year it's been for tourism, it's been a full-on sprint! Looking back on the year, we've increased our budget, putting it all into marketing. We've leveraged earned media by using celebrities with Wisconsin roots and ties in our advertising. Our Welcome Centers are open and serving travelers. In every promotion and marketing initiative, we strive to be as effective as possible.

2012 will be another big year. Two new summer ads are debuting at the Tourism Conference in March. We are making the most significant change in 20 years this spring as we move to a new research vendor to measure tourism's economic impact. And this year we will consider changes to TravelWisconsin.com to keep it user-friendly and cutting edge. That's just for starters! All the more reason I kissed Lucky the Carp at the New Year's Eve Droppin' of the Carp in Prairie du Chien – so I could bring good luck to all of our work and the state's tourism industry this year.

The best way to learn more about all of these exciting developments is to join us at the Governor's Conference on Tourism in Green Bay, March 4-6. Registration is open! I hope to see you there.

Warm Regards,

Like what you see in this month's Travel Wisconsin News? Share it on Facebook and Twitter.

Lola Roeh
Chair
Governor's Council on Tourism

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Council Perspectives

Our 2012 Tourism year started with a bang or should I say a snowball fight! If you haven't seen the new David Zucker-directed winter TV spot featuring the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and Mother Nature at work in Wisconsin, you must! True to our brand of Fun, this commercial sharpened the focus on Wisconsin Tourism, with great response from our guests and our industry alike. Congratulations to the Department of Tourism for hitting the sweet spot on Fun!

Council Committees have been meeting independently over the past several months, bringing reports back to the full Council Meetings. Independent meetings will continue with full reporting at the March Council Meeting, which takes place at the Tourism Conference. Before that time, the Council will also refine the Council Strategic Plan for 2012 to distribute at the March meeting. It is exciting to see some of this work come to fruition over the past year.

And speaking of our Tourism Conference, you may have seen that registration for WIGCOT opened last week. This is a great place to connect with industry partners, learn new trends from this power-packed line-up, and take home new tools and strategies for your business. Take advantage of this valuable resource, as this Conference promises to be the best ever--and it's Fun! We look forward to seeing you there, reconnecting with old friends in Wisconsin Tourism and meeting new ones!

Best, Lola

COUNCIL MEETING SCHEDULE
March 4, 2012 at the Governor's Conference on Tourism
April 26, 2012
July 26, 2012
October 18, 2012



	Dave Fantle Deputy Secretary 608.266.8773 dfantle@travelwisconsin.com	Top of the page Marketing Update Zucker Spot Goes Viral The 30-second spot is getting noticed on the web with over 22,000 views on YouTube. We encourage you to post the video on your own websites to help us spread the word that winter is fun in Wisconsin! A Director's Cut and a "Behind the Scenes" video will also be available shortly. Check out the Wisconsin in the News section to see some of the terrific media coverage resulting from our new spot. 126% Increase in Fall Color Report Views We're already looking ahead to summer but it still pays to take a look back at how our marketing efforts performed this fall. Overall visits and pageviews to TravelWisconsin.com increased 16-18%. The Fall Color Report was viewed 549,797 times, an increase of 126% over last year's 243,267 visits. Both increases are indicative of good integrated marketing efforts. A boost in things like fall earned media (up from $3.9 million in 2010 to $6.6 million in 2011), social media growth, increased click-thru's from digital advertising and ongoing SEO efforts all played a role in the website's performance. Enhancements to the Fall Color Report made it easy for visitors to click on nearby attractions, events, dining and more. Over 65% of people viewing the Fall Color Report continued on to other pages. For more web and social media stats, be sure to check out our monthly Department Metrics report. Share the Fun with "Winter Break" Facebook App Remember counting down the days until your winter break as a child? Well, we're giving you the power to declare a Winter Break for a friend. The Facebook app allows social users to pick out a winter event or activity (indoor or outdoor fun!) and send a "Winter Break" certificate to someone on their "friend list." Check out the fun on Travel Wisconsin Facebook page. Staff Announcements Two of our staff members have taken on additional responsibilities and, with that, title changes. Joellyn Merz is now our Director of Technology & Customer Service and Lisa Marshall's title is now Communications Director. In other staff news, we expect to make an offer by the end of the month to a candidate that will fill our Web Marketing Project Manager position. That person is expected to be on board by the conference.



	Dawn Zanoni Special Events and Markets Manager 608.266.3978 dzanoni@travelwisconsin.com	Top of the page Conference & Education Online Conference Registration Now Open Green Bay Native and actor Tony Shalhoub would like to invite you to the conference. Register before January 31st and receive a $50 early bird discount! Highlights for this year's conference include keynote speakers Peter Shankman and Peter Greenberg, a Green Bay Packer themed marketplace – including surprise appearance from a player, and a kick-off address by Governor Walker and Secretary Klett. Check out the full agenda here. It's not too late to recognize someone who has shown dedication, creativity and excellence in the tourism industry with a Governor's Tourism Award. Nominations will be accepted through Friday January 20th!

Abbie Hill
Grant Coordinator
608.261.6272
ahill@travelwisconsin.com

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Grant News

Grant Tip of the Month
Looking for another set of eyes on your grant application or for an idea for a grant? Get your grant ideas and drafts reviewed in at the Wisconsin Governor's Conference on Tourism in March. Make an appointment now for a Monday or Tuesday consultation with Abbie at WIGCOT. Email Abbie at ahill@travelwisconsin.com or call her at (608) 261-6272.

Meetings Means Business Grants Awarded
The first round of MMB grants were recently awarded to the following:

Eau Claire CVB, $2750, Heating the Midwest
Fox Cities CVB, $2,000, NACVSO Training Conference
Greater Green Bay CVB, $12,500, Living Proof Live
Greater Madison CVB, $20,000, Wing Ding 36

GRANT APPLICATION DEADLINES
Joint Effort Marketing – Feb. 1, April 1
Destination Marketing – April 1
Meetings Mean Business – April 1
Ready, Set, Go! – May 1
Tourist Information Center – July 1



	Sarah Klavas Industry Relations & Services Director 608.266.3750 sklavas@travelwisconsin.com	Top of the page Industry Services Journal Sentinel Sport Show Opportunity The Department of Tourism will exhibit at the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel Sport Show at State Fair Park in West Allis, March 7-11. The Department will staff the booth, distribute travel publications and share our Wisconsin sports and tourism knowledge with show-goers. We invite you to join us at our booth. Here are some things to consider: We have space in our booth for one partner per day. You may display and distribute your promotional printed materials as well as assist with the distribution of Department publications. Your staff should be available to work open to close shifts at the show. The booth is 200 sq. feet and includes the Department of Tourism exhibit. No need to bring an exhibit with you. The Tourism booth is located in a high-traffic area adjacent to State Parks and the DNR exhibit. Partners will be asked to contribute $150 per day for this partnering opportunity. Since only five spots are available, names will be drawn at random for this partnership opportunity. If you are interested, please contact David Spiegelberg at 262-515-2806. All requests must be in to David by February 3, 2012.



	Lisa Marshall Communications Director 608.267.3773 lmarshall@travelwisconsin.com	Top of the page Wisconsin in the News Mittens Across Lake Michigan The friendly rivalry between Wisconsin and Michigan turned into an opportunity to help those in need – and our industry rose to the occasion. As a state, we collected over 2,300 mittens and other warm winter items for local charities around the state. A HUGE thank you goes out to all those who participated as mitten drop-off sites! Zucker Ad Creates Media Buzz The Associated Press ran an in-depth story about Zucker and our new winter campaign, which was then picked up in over 50 newspapers across the nation, including national outlets like The The Huffington Post and CBS online. The Journal-Sentinel's Jim Stingl also covered the story in his column. See some of the coverage. In the News This Month Other notable coverage this month now posted in the Media Room includes: Journal Sentinel's "State of Play" - 12 funky festivals for 2012 USA Today Guide (Chicago Edition) – Minocqua Winter Park, Granite Peak Ski Area, Eagle River and Cascade Mountain are all mentioned in this round-up of top winter sports Journal-Sentinel "Minocqua Quieter but Cooler in the Winter"

Shelly Allness
Program Manger & Liaision
608.261.8767
mallness@travelwisconsin.com

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Travel Green Wisconsin

Travel Green Logo

New Reduced Fee Structure for Travel Green Wisconsin!
As we continually strive to improve and enhance Travel Green Wisconsin, we have implemented a new fee structure for Travel Green Wisconsin certification, effective this month.

For all new applications, regardless of size or number of employees, there is now a flat fee of $95.
Renewals will occur every other year, instead of every year, for a flat fee of $75.

Working This is a substantial savings for both new and renewing businesses and addresses the #1 obstacle that prevented more tourism businesses from participating in the certification.

The new fee structure was adopted after a focus group of sustainable tourism leaders met to provide the Department with input and recommendations for Travel Green Wisconsin. The Governor's Council sub-committee for Travel Green Wisconsin, led by Council Member Joe Klimczak, considered the focus group recommendations and provided a more detailed recommendation.

Other recommendations to improve the program that are currently under consideration include:

Streamlining the application form and developing an online application.
Increasing marketing and marketing opportunities for certified members.
Creating synergy opportunities between other sustainable programs, such as Clean Marinas, and local communities that are interested in marketing sustainable travel as part of their tourism product or brand.

Congratulations to these new TGW certified members:
Living Adventure Inc., Bayfield
Humble Be Yoga and Dance, Washburn
Country Inns and Suites, Middleton
Madison Children's Museum, Madison
Tower Hill State Park, Spring Green

Harnessing the power of tourism to build a better Wisconsin. See how on: http://industry.travelwisconsin.com.
	Wisconsin Department of Tourism 201 W Washington Ave Madison, WI 53703 1-608-266-7621	If you would like to unsubscribe from our mailings or sign-up to receive the Travel Wisconsin News, please use this link or visit http://industry.travelwisconsin.com.