Slow time for tourism gives CVB time for preparations

Saturday, March 15, 2008

What a crazy winter it has been, my fair cities. But, with the approaching of spring, I see the light at the end of the tunnel. As you read this, I will have just returned from my penultimate trade show, Group Leaders of America (GLAMER) in Memphis, Tenn.

The final show of the season will be another GLAMER show, this time in St. Louis. After that there won't be another until November when the season starts again with the National Tour Association.

So, I hear you ask, how am I spending my time now that the shows are winding down? Mostly I play Solitaire all day -- just kidding. Actually, although this is a "down time" tourism-wise, it's a great time of year to get a jump on a lot of other projects. One important project that the CVB is gearing up for is a Conversion Study which is being co-funded by the Missouri Division of Tourism.

The Conversion Study will help us measure how effective our marketing has been by following up with people who have requested information about Sikeston and Miner to see if they came to visit, how long they stayed, and so forth. This study is very exciting for us, as it will help us to hone our marketing approach in the years to come.

Right now the big job is just to compile a list of all the contacts we had during 2007 and the beginning of 2008 -- no small feat, as we have had literally thousands of inquiries. Once that has been accomplished, we will turn the results over to Jerry Henry & Associates, a research firm who will conduct the surveys and compile the data.

Uh oh--I said the "d-word"-- I can hear the snores already. What? You were only resting your eyes? This is how you always focus? You might be able to get away with that at a Monday morning meeting, but I can tell your eyes aren't on the newsprint. Don't worry, though, when we get the results, we'll just give you the highlights.

This is also an important time of the year for follow-up. This is the slow season for tour operators as well, so this is the best time to hit them with new ideas for setting up tours in our area. Many people are also planning vacations during this time of year, so we are placing a lot of ads in magazines such as Midwest Traveler to try and hit that leisure travel demographic. Oops -- another d-word-- I'd better just go into the big finish.

OK, so I don't have flaming batons, a tiger, or a high dive into a glass of water. But I do have the promise of more great work to come and many exciting events for locals and tourists alike. Go to http://www.visitsikeston-

miner.com/calendar.html for a list of this year's upcoming events or, as always, feel free to call 471-6362 for more info.

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