The Champaign County Visitors Bureau, a committee of the Champaign County Chamber, is completing plans to attend the AAA Great Vacations Travel EXPO in Columbus on February 8-10. The EXPO is one of the largest travel shows in the nation, connecting hundreds of destinations and attractions with thousands of target consumers.
The Visitors Bureau will be one of over 150 vendors offering information on attractions and events from destinations around Ohio and across the country.
At the EXPO in 2018 visitors were given the Champaign County Community Guide, and brochures of local attractions, destinations and events occurring in 2018. If your group is sponsoring an event in 2019, the Visitors Bureau will distribute rack cards or literature promoting the event. The printed material must be delivered to the Chamber of Commerce office, 127 W. Court St. by Feb. 4.
Local attractions and destinations are also invited to drop off materials. Don’t miss the opportunity to publicize your event or attraction!
To further promote Champaign County, the Visitors Bureau has partnered with the Ohio Travel Pavilion to participate in three additional travel shows and the Ohio Travel Pavilion exhibit at the Ohio State Fair in 2019. This will expand the reach of the Visitors Bureau at a reasonable cost and offer the opportunity for tour operators and individuals to see what Champaign County has to offer. In addition to the travel shows, the Visitors Bureau is working to bring the train excursions back to Urbana. Three excursions visited in 2018, bringing hundreds of visitors each trip to experience Urbana’s shops and restaurants. The response of the visitors was positive and future trips are anticipated.
The Visitors Bureau is chaired by Pat Thackery of Paradiso/Carmazzi’s. Additional members are: Tom Coles of Bundy Baking Solutions, Elton Cultice of Grimes Field Airport, Margaret Piatt of Piatt Castles, Emily MacKendrick of One Eleven, Adam Moore of the City of Urbana, Jason Hoelscher of Bittersweet Knolls/Blue Frog DIY Supply, Sandy Gonzalez of Honeysuckle Creations, and Susie Koennecke, Chamber Coordinator.
The mission of the Visitors Bureau is to promote Champaign County as a premier destination of leisure travel, highlighting the area’s historical, cultural and recreational attractions. It is funded primarily through the collection of bed tax and with few hotels in the area, the budget is limited. To raise money, an event calendar including photos of local attractions and events is being offered.
“As we strive to promote area events, we felt the calendar was an excellent way to inform the public of events scheduled for 2019,” said Pat Thackery, committee chairman. The calendars are $10 each and are available at the Chamber office.
For more information or questions about the Visitors Bureau, call the Chamber office at 937-653-5764.
