impressions - Visit Milwaukee

August, 2010
648 N. Plankinton Ave. #425
Milwaukee, WI 53203
414.273.3950
www.visitmilwaukee.org
UPdates
By Paul Upchurch,
President & CEO
414.287.4233
pupchurch@milwaukee.org
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Members Only
New Members
Briefings from Brent
The Big Sell
The Scoop
Service in the City
Updating Your Listings
Marketing Minute
Get on the Bus
2
2
3
3
4
4
5
5
6
Mark your
caLendars!
SEPTEMBER 15
VISIT Milwaukee Open - The Bog
To sponsor and/or register to
to golf: www.visitmilwaukee.org/vmo
SEPTEMBER 23
VISIT Milwaukee 101
Invites will go out in early September
LASTING
IMPRESSIONS
It’s August in Milwaukee and the summer continues to sizzle with
signature events like the Wisconsin State Fair (Aug 5-15), the 30th
anniversary of Irish Fest (Aug 19-22) and Mexican Fiesta (Aug
27-29) in its 33rd year – all events that residents from all over
the state, as well as tourists from the Midwest, nationwide and
internationally, return to each year.
The Milwaukee County Zoo’s Milwaukee A La Carte (Aug 19-22)
invites families to “Feast with the Beasts.” And joining these
established events is the Malibu Open (Aug 6-7), a new event
which brings the world’s top water ski distance jumpers and
slalom champions to the Veteran’s Park Lagoon. This exciting event
includes finals on Saturday night under stadium lighting.
The elite of the golfing world will descend on the world-famous
Whistling Straits golf course near Kohler for the PGA (Aug 8-16).
This prestigious sporting event will draw an estimated 35,000
visitors from all over the world, many of whom will stay in
Milwaukee.
Milwaukee knows how to organize events and festivals and does
it in style in premiere venues such as the Henry Maier Festival
Park, State Fair Park, the Zoo, our County Parks and renowned golf
courses. It’s just one reason why conventions such as the American
Chamber of Commerce Executives (750 delegates Aug 4-7) and
the American Legion (12,500 delegates from Aug 25-29) choose
Milwaukee as their meeting destination.
August is no time to rest on our hospitality laurels, but to try even harder to make sure Milwaukee
visitors go home with a great impression and spread the word about all this great city has to offer.
It’s a wonderful month for family fun and activities in Milwaukee – enjoy!
Membership notes
It’s oftentimes said that the best compliment a sales person can receive is a referral. To that end, I would like to
encourage our members to help spread the word about the benefits of VISIT Milwaukee membership.
Recently, Aldo Madrigrano, President of Beer Capitol Distributing, offered the assistance of his salespeople, to
distribute information to his customers about VISIT Milwaukee. This unsolicited offer is a huge benefit to an
organization like ours. Aldo is leveraging his existing relationships with his customers to help VISIT Milwaukee. In
essence, we just increased our sales force exponentially!
Members Only
B y Todd O’Leary,
Director of Membership
414.287.4252
toleary@milwaukee.org
First of all, I would like to publicly thank Aldo for his generous offer and willingness to help us. It is greatly
appreciated! Secondly, I encourage all of you to help us increase VISIT Milwaukee’s ability to market our
destination – through new memberships in our organization.
Please share your ideas on increasing membership with me. If you have any leads on businesses that should
become VISIT Milwaukee members, please share them with myself or Fran Jackson. It would be a huge
compliment to us and to our organization!
VISIT Milwaukee welcomes the new members below. If you
have any leads on businesses that should become a VISIT Milwaukee
member, please contact me!
Welcome
New Members!
By Fran Jackson,
Membership Sales Manager
414.287.4248
fjackson@milwaukee.org
Wisconsin Maritime Museum
75 Maritime Drive
Manitowoc, WI 54220
920-684-0218
866-724-2356
www.wisconsinmaritime.org
Norma Bishop – Executive Director
museum@wisconsinmaritime.org
Segway of Wisconsin
at Discovery World
500 N. Harbor Drive
Milwaukee, WI 53202
877-773-4929
www.segwayofwisconsin.com
Sam Mattox – Tour Manager
dwtour@segwayofwisconsin.com
Chic Lounge
131 N. Jackson Street
Milwaukee, WI 53202
414-763-9444
www.chicloungemilwaukee.com
Rita Johnson
rita@chicloungemilwaukee.com
SpiN Milwaukee
233 E. Chicago Street
Milwaukee, WI 53202
414-831-SPIN (7746)
www.spinmilwaukee.com
Jill Wellskopf – Director of Marketing & Events
jill@spinmilwaukee.com
City Screen Printing & Embroidery/
Inferno Marketing Group
1910 S. 81st Street
Milwaukee, WI 53219
414-771-1414
www.cityscreenprint.com
William Hoag – President/Owner
bill@cityscreenprint.com
Chili lili’s Chili Bar
525 E. Menomonee Street
Milwaukee, WI 53202
414-897-0555
www.chilililis.com
Jay Schiek – Owner
chilililis525@gmail.com
Nouvo Centanni
218 N. Water Street
Milwaukee, WI 53202
414-221-6565
www.nuovocentanni.com
Joe Hite – General Manager
info@nuovocentanni.com
distil
722 N. Milwaukee Street
Milwaukee, WI 53202
414-220-9411
www.distilmilwaukee.com
Wes Shaver – Marketing Manager
info@distilmilwaukee.com
TAPping into the numbers
Trends Analysis Projections, LLC produces the TAP Report monthly for VISIT Milwaukee. This valuable
tool is available to all members and contains information that can be used to make strategic decisions
within your organization.
The section called “8 Year Pace Report” shows definite convention room nights and
tentative convention room nights into the future by year and by month. It also shows a
variance from a consumption benchmark, which is a three-year historical average and
a DA consumption benchmark which is our targeted goal. These variances allow you to
quickly analyze if Milwaukee convention bookings are ahead, even, or behind previous
years and months.
briefings from brent
By Brent Foerster,
VP of Sales & Marketing
414.287.4226
bfoerster@milwaukee.org
The Pace percentage allows you to quickly calculate how many convention rooms we
expect to actualize in a future year if all factors remain constant. Pace forecasting is not an exact science, however, this calculation
takes into consideration five years of history and also evaluates booking patterns into the future. As events in our industry affect
meeting planner booking patterns, this formula is able to take that into consideration. To get the forecasted convention room night
pace, take the Pace percentage (107% for 2011) and multiply it by the consumption benchmark (158,894) and you get the current pace
forecast (170,016).
The last useful section is the Peer Set Benchmark. This allows you to see how competing Midwest cities cumulatively are doing toward
the convention room night pace targets. This can be used to forecast future demand and potential competition in the Midwest both by
year and month.
If you have questions about the report or want to know how to better make use of the information, please contact me and I will be
happy to meet with you. I am also scheduling Jeff Eastman, the developer of this report, to present to us sometime in September.
A Season of Conventions
It is with great excitement that I write to you in midst of a great summer convention season in our city.
Groups are reporting record attendance and a desire to come back to Milwaukee as their attendees rave
about their experiences in our city!
the big sell
By Mia Nardi, Director of Sales
414.287.4259 /
mnardi@milwaukee.org
Your VM sales department conducted three site visits and went on two sales trips to both Chicago
and Madison. We also attended CESSE (Council of Engineering and Scientific Society Executives)
where we are establishing relationships in this very important market segment and with long term
hopes of hosting the event!
We are planning for a very busy August as we attend two of our largest conventions “Connect
Marketplace” (SMERF groups) and ASAE (American Society of Association Executives). Stay tuned next
month to hear how they went!
Unifying our MARKet
A few years ago, a group of community volunteers led by Dean Amhaus at the Spirit of Milwaukee,
worked to develop a new symbol or “mark” that embodies today’s Milwaukee. The end result was a
rendering of the wing spread open at the Calatrava addition to the
Milwaukee Art Museum.
Other cities have iconic identifiers – the St. Louis Arch, Golden
Gate Bridge, Statue of Liberty and Sydney Opera House immediately
come to mind. It only made sense that the Art Museum come to
symbolize “new” Milwaukee. Shortly after the mark was unveiled,
VISIT Milwaukee embraced it (with a minor modification) as the new
logo for our organization and quickly the new symbol was being used
by businesses throughout the region, from storefront decals, to print
ads to corporate letterhead.
the scoop
By Dave Fantle,
Vice President of
Public Relations
414.287.4253
dfantle@milwaukee.org
The mark made sense a few years ago and it works today as a unifying symbol for our community.
If you haven’t used the mark (or stopped using it), I hope you will consider bringing it back and featuring it proudly as part of your
organization. Give me a call or shoot me an email if you want to tap into the mark.
The VISIT Milwaukee Services department will be busy in August hosting convention attendees and golf fans from
around the world.
-Annual Summer North American Conference for the Society for the Study of Reproduction will be in town July
30-August 3 with 1,200 attendees.
-The American Chamber of Commerce Executives will bring their Annual Convention to Milwaukee, August 4-7.
750 executives from throughout the country will attend.
service in the City
By Dave Larson,
Director of Convention Services
414.287.4224
dlarson@milwaukee.org
-The PGA Championship will return to Wisconsin August 9-15. Whistling Straights in Kohler, WI
will play host for the tournament but Milwaukee will host many of the fans, sponsors, and media
for this world-class event.
-The American Legion will bring their National Convention back to Milwaukee, August
26-September 2. Their 10,000+ attendees will take over the city, including a parade through
downtown Milwaukee on August 29th.
The Services department is also traveling to get ready for some conventions coming to town in 2011. We will be traveling to Anaheim,
CA to get ready for the International Association for Food Protection’s Annual Meeting which will take place in Milwaukee July 31-August
5, 2011. We will also be traveling to Austin, TX to get the National Guard’s attendees excited about coming to Milwaukee August 23-30,
2011 for their general conference.
UPDATING Your Listings
Our ongoing “tour” of our Members Only section continues this month by covering “Manage Your Events.” This
section is very popular amongst our membership, as it is one of our many free membership benefits and very
visible to our visitors. Also, keep in mind that our Calendar of Events is used as the basis of our weekly social
media campaigns.
To access your events, go to members.milwaukee.org (no www) and login. Click on the Manage Your Events
link located under the orange Manage Your Profile menu bar at the right of your screen. Here you are given three
options: Add - if you would like to add a new event, click this link, enter all required information and click submit.
Open - if you would like to view or edit events previously submitted, click this link and click submit if changes are
made. Delete - if you have an event that has been cancelled, highlight the event and click delete. We will contact
you directly to verify the deletion.
We do encourage you to send us an image to post alongside your event. Please submit an image in .jpg format no
larger than 275x270 to jhauck@milwaukee.org. This will be added to your event once it is approved.
Members
Covered
By Maria Strand,
Membership Coordinator
414.287.4259
mstrand@milwaukee.org
We ask that members only submit events they are conducting; ie: not for your partners. Also, please do not submit a “delete request” for
past events, as we wish to keep a record of events.
We look forward to helping you promote your events!
Marketing Minute
By Rachel Oliver,
Director of Marketing
414.287.4250
roliver@milwaukee.org
Love
Love
I
LOVE
Summer…it is a great time of year and we are thrilled to be making the most of it. From the launch of our new website in early June to the continued
buzz surrounding our social media campaign to the invitation through our marketing efforts in the Chicago area for our neighbors to experience summer
here, we have been building awareness and excitement about Milwaukee. Here are just a few samples of the many great things people are saying about
our hometown:
I LOVE LOVE LOVE Summerfest...its been generations my family has attended since the first opening day back in the 70’s ...now, my
daughter’s generation. Keep the flow of fun, music and food in the sun! -Sarah, via Facebook
I love visiting Milwaukee! The city has wonderful architecture and numerous cultural events at any given time to enjoy. -Lora Niemeier
I love Summerfest and Irish Fest and German Fest and Festa Italiana and Zoo ala Carte... –Amy, via Facebook
Pridefest was sooooo sweet, Kathy Griffin and Patty Labelle...u rock Milwaukee! -Tonya, via Facebook
And people are continuing to learn more about Milwaukee every day through our efforts! The social media success has received kudos from Deep Dish
Creative as being a leader in the Destination Marketing industry. Having social media feeds “parked right into their website” is very convenient for the
consumer and Deep Dish Creative states the opportunity to connect with all fans at once as “unfolding beautifully.”
We look forward to continuing to market the destination using traditional media and new social media platforms. This combination is a great way to
increase brand awareness and excitement to visit Greater Milwaukee!
free exposure, for Pete’s sake
Get on the bus!
By Wendy Dobrzynski
Group Tour Manager
414.287.4222
dobrzynski@milwaukee.org
Thank you so much to the Forest Home Cemetery for hosting our July Explore Milwaukee’s Best Meeting.
If you haven’t visited the Forest Home Cemetery, be sure to stop in and explore the “Halls of History” to
learn more about the Milwaukeans and Wisconsinites who shaped our city and state. You can also visit the
resting places of the Blatz, Pabst and Schlitz
families, the Davidsons, Lunt and Fontanne and
others. They offer group tours on a variety of
subjects. Watch for your email invitation to the
August Explore Milwaukee’s Best Meeting.
Social Media and group tour... check out the
Facebook page of the American Bus Association.
Flat Pete’s trek across North America has taken him around the county and as stated
in the July 19th issue of the ABA Insider, “he crossed back into the United States
and headed to the Milwaukee Art Museum, as well as to have a chat on motorcoach
tourism and travel with reps from the Milwaukee CVB.” Flat Pete has been seen
throughout the Greater Milwaukee
area. Where will he go next? It’s up
to you!
If you haven’t yet taken Flat Pete for a tour at your attraction, restaurant or hotel, now’s the
time. Print out a color copy of him, (www.buses.org) take him to your favorite group tour spot,
snap a photo and post it to ABA’s Facebook page. It’s a great way to earn no-cost attention for
your destination and show ABA operators what you offer for group travelers.
Be sure to periodically check the “Members Only” section of the VISIT Milwaukee website for
the list of group tour “prospects.” These prospects are generated from various means, including
the appointments that are scheduled at industry trade shows and reader response inquires
from advertisements in industry trade publications. These tour operators and group leaders
have indicated their interest in bringing their group to the Greater Milwaukee area and are in
need of your information.
If you would like to learn more about how VISIT Milwaukee is promoting our members to the
group tour and international markets, please do not hesitate to contact me.
clarification from July voice
GO Airport Connection will continue to donate vans to Growing Power as they are able,
which may or may not total six vans by the end of 2010. These donated vehicles will not
be powered by propane, but will be diesel or gasoline-powered vehicles.