greater green baygreen-bay.s3.amazonaws.com/digital_files/2/2015cvb_ar.pdf · convention center...

12
GREEN BAY greater Convention & Visitors Bureau 2015 Annual Report

Upload: others

Post on 14-Jun-2020

2 views

Category:

Documents


0 download

TRANSCRIPT

Page 1: greater GREEN BAYgreen-bay.s3.amazonaws.com/digital_files/2/2015cvb_ar.pdf · Convention Center expansion will have a profound effect on the growth of our convention business. At

GREEN BAY greater

Convention & Visitors Bureau

2015 Annual Report

Page 2: greater GREEN BAYgreen-bay.s3.amazonaws.com/digital_files/2/2015cvb_ar.pdf · Convention Center expansion will have a profound effect on the growth of our convention business. At

DM

AP

A

CC

RE

DIT

EDWELCOME

On behalf of the Board of Directors, management and staff, we would like to thank you

for your support of the Greater Green Bay Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB). The

CVB, working together with regional and local tourism businesses, community leaders

and elected officials, is dedicated to growing Greater Green Bay’s tourism economy,

improving the visitor experience and enhancing the quality of life for our residents.

We are pleased to share with you our 2015 Annual Report. Our community’s tourism

industry experienced an exceptional year with direct visitor spending of $614 million,

a 4.3% increase over 2014. The total economic impact on our community rose to more

than $1 billion! Hotel occupancy rates grew 2.7% and the average daily rate rose to

$97.48 an increase of 8.4% over 2014.

The CVB Board of Directors is pleased to report the CVB’s funding mechanism from

room tax collections continues to provide the organization with a stable, secure budget.

In fact, the CVB realized growth in visitor generated revenue of 9.8%. This financial

stability and growth makes it possible for the CVB to enter agreements with clients to

provide services and financial support to conventions and sports tournaments well into

the future.

The Annual Report provides a number of 2015 highlights. The opening of the KI

Convention Center expansion will have a profound effect on the growth of our convention

business. At the time of printing, we have realized an economic impact of more than

$24 million directly related to this exciting expansion. Greater Green Bay attractions

continued to expand and open new exhibits. It was an exceptional sports year, as we

had the opportunity to host national and regional championships for bowling, fishing,

hockey, soccer and basketball! The spectacular new scoreboard installed in the Resch

Center already has clients discussing extending contracts well into the future.

The dedicated staff of the CVB works hard to promote and sell our community. We look

forward to working with our many partners to continue growing the positive impact the

tourism industry has on our community.

The Greater Green Bay CVB maintains its international reaccreditation from Destination Marketing Accreditation Program (DMAP) which is a part of Destination Marketing Association International. DMAP’s globally recognized accreditation serves as a visible industry distinction that defines quality and performance standards in destination

marketing and management.

The Greater Green Bay CVB is one of only 250 organizations in the world to have received

this distinction.

Accreditation standards cover a wide variety of topics including governance, finance, management, human resources, technology, visitor services, group services, sales, communications, membership, brand management, destination development, research/market intelligence, innovation and stakeholder relationships. The Greater Green Bay CVB is committed to operating with the highest ethical and performance standards.

Brad TollPresident/CEO

Greater Green Bay Convention & Visitors Bureau

ON THE COVER: Downtown Green Bay. Photo by Jim Koepnick

Dear Members and Tourism Partners,

Page 3: greater GREEN BAYgreen-bay.s3.amazonaws.com/digital_files/2/2015cvb_ar.pdf · Convention Center expansion will have a profound effect on the growth of our convention business. At

The CVB has made tremendous progress on its 2013-2016 Strategic Plan. The board has monitored the

progress and has begun planning to update and refresh the plan in 2016. The plan identified four priority

initiatives:

Destination Marketing, Sales and Services -To market, promote and service Green Bay and the Lakeshore

as a visitor destination through strategies enhancing the awareness and conversion in all targeted markets.

Destination Development - To be a supporter and facilitator of industry and infrastructure product for the

proper development of the destination experience.

DMO Community Relations - To communicate the benefits of tourism and the value of the Greater

Green Bay CVB to community stakeholders.

DMO Finance and Administration - To be financially viable and accountable, produce work based on

research and be a partnership-based organization with a professional staff.

From these priority initiatives, 17 program/project action activities were identified. The CVB board and staff

have accomplished 16 of these activities and are working on the final one identified in the plan. A couple

of major accomplishments are: attaining 501(c)6 tax status, developing a community training program,

implementation of a visitor market research program and visitor center research and development plan.

The 2014-2016 Strategic Destination Plan and the CVB’s update on execution of it is available in the CVB office.

“HALO EFFECT” is Economic Development It is a common myth that tourism marketing promotes only tourism. In a recent study of tourism campaigns in nine states, the research firm of Longwoods International, demonstrated how each state’s tourism promotion campaign created a “halo effect,” lifting not only visitorship but driving business development, real estate sales, purchase of second homes and even college recruitment.

When combined with an actual visit, the impact of tourism marketing on all these activities was even more magnified. Tourism promotion goes beyond influencing travel. It improves public perceptions of the destination as a place to live, attend school, start a career or business, or purchase a home. The CVB is committed to working with our community partners to grow economic development opportunities in Greater Green Bay.

Role of the Destination Marketing OrganizationThe Greater Green Bay Convention & Visitors Bureau is a not-for-profit regional destination marketing organization (DMO), committed to improving the visitor experience for the last 45 years. Our goal is to increase the economic impact of tourism, encourage partnerships among tourism businesses and enhance the quality of life for all residents.

STRATEGIC PLAN

Page 4: greater GREEN BAYgreen-bay.s3.amazonaws.com/digital_files/2/2015cvb_ar.pdf · Convention Center expansion will have a profound effect on the growth of our convention business. At

2015 TOURISM IMPACT5.4 Million people visited Brown County

$614 Million (+4.3%) Brown County Visitor Expenditures

Brown County Visitor Spending by Season $ Millions

1.8 million33%

Overnight Visits

3.6 million67%

Day Visits (+2.8%)11,293 Jobs

Supported in Brown County

Recreation, Arts, Entertainment

18.7%$115 million

Direct Visitor Spending includes hotels, retailers, restaurants, attractions, transportation services and other businesses, and supports jobs in Brown County.

2015 Research Provided by Tourism Economics, Wayne, Pennsylvania.

Retail

19.7%$121 million

Food & Beverages

23.6%$145 million

Accommodations

21.5%$132 million

Transportation

16.5%$101 million

Q1

Q2

Q3

Q4

$118.4

$146.4

$192.9

$155.9

Brown County tourism generated $39 million in local taxes.

Without taxes generated by tourism, each Brown County household would need to pay $855 to maintain the current level of government services.

2013 2014 2015

Page 5: greater GREEN BAYgreen-bay.s3.amazonaws.com/digital_files/2/2015cvb_ar.pdf · Convention Center expansion will have a profound effect on the growth of our convention business. At

D.K. Shifflet Destination ResearchResearch is essential for keeping marketing on target. The CVB contracted with research firm, D.K. Shifflet to dissect what the Green Bay visitor looked like. We learned why people travel here, their activities, length of stay, how many people in their party and much more, using three years’ worth of statistics.

The findings were presented during the “Power of Travel Tourism Summit” held during National Travel and Tourism Week. This is the same meeting in which we announced the economic impact figures for Brown County. The creation of future marketing plans and sales initiatives will use this research as a guide to continue the growth of tourism spending in our destination.

Growing Our Social Media FootprintFacebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube and Pinterest. Having a presence in the social space is an important part of the marketing plan. The CVB has all of these accounts for our leisure travelers. We also manage multiple accounts for Green Bay Restaurant Week and the KI Convention Center. Each platform has its promotional advantages. Daily messaging is created by the marketing department to communicate with potential travelers, meeting planners and specific demographic groups. In summer, we introduced the #LoveGB hashtag. Anytime that hashtag is used in a social media post, we can see what people are saying about our community.

Printed Guides Are PopularEach year we produce the official Green Bay Visitor Guide. While some travelers choose to gather information about destinations online, most eventually request a guide via mail, or pick one up from one of our racks within the community. We printed 225,000 magazines in 2015. The guide includes attractions, dining, lodging, an event listing and editorial stories and photos that help depict our community. This is our main fulfillment piece for inquiries.

In addition to the Visitor Guide, the CVB creates a dining guide, calendar of events and an attractions brochure. All have different distribution avenues; brochure racks, convention/sports attendee bags, event information tables and our Mobile Visitor Center.

BE

ST.

PR

OM

OT

ION

. EV

ER

.

Green Bay Restaurant WeekWe completed our third Restaurant Week proving that this promotion

has an outstanding impact on the community. It brings people to our community as a day visitor AND as an overnight visitor. A total of 69

locally-owned restaurants participated for the eight-day dining event. Every menu was promoted on the www.gbrestaurantweek.com website. The marketing campaign included: radio, television, print advertising and tons of social media.

2015 was the final year we were able to receive a Joint Effort Marketing (JEM) Grant from the Wisconsin Department of Tourism. Through generous in-kind donations and sponsorships, the CVB was able to match the $63,250 that we received in the three years of granting. These robust marketing funds helped us build brand awareness for return diners year after year.

Presenting sponsor Reinhart Foods spearheaded the effort in adding a kick-off event. We created a high school “Culinary Challenge”. The ticketed event drew 450 people to taste food created by students. Both competing schools received donations to their culinary programs. A Judge’s Award and a People’s Choice were presented. It was a great way to give back to the community and reward the efforts of our up and coming chefs.

37,500 meals served

100% of the Restaurants served NEW customers

1,250 Hotel Room Nights were reserved

97,914 Website Visits and 793,467 Page Views

Economic Impact $1.549 million

MARKETING PROJECTS

1.14 million Website Page Views

105,000 E-news Recipients

Page 6: greater GREEN BAYgreen-bay.s3.amazonaws.com/digital_files/2/2015cvb_ar.pdf · Convention Center expansion will have a profound effect on the growth of our convention business. At

Long before the September 2015 Grand Opening of the new space, the CVB marketing

and sales department put together a promotional plan to integrate the highly

anticipated expansion. We increased our presence in meetings industry print and

online publications, and added sponsorship and tradeshow strategies incorporating all

the space available in our destination. The plan started in late 2014 and will finish in late

2016 with full marketing material integration of the new facility.

Professional photography was taken, sales materials were updated and the journalist

familiarization tour, “Meeting Spaces and Places” fulfilled a publicity initiative. The CVB

maintains www.kiconventioncenter.org and @KIconvention on Twitter.

GREEN BAY, WISCONSIN

Our contagious spirit makes

us one of the Midwest’s top

convention destinations.

Combine big city amenities with

small town charm and we’re a

great fit for large conventions

and small meetings alike.

Our CVB Team provides free

concierge services. Call us today

to learn about what amenities

we offer.

There’s no place quite like

Green Bay.

We’re Newly Expanded and Ready to Book Your Event!The KI Convention Center in Green Bay, Wisconsin now has 78,000 square feet of meeting and event space. See beautiful waterfront views and cityscapes from our second story, as well as brand-new updates to the existing ground level facilities. Not only have we gotten bigger, but our neighborhood is filled with new restaurants, activities and events spaces we know you’ll love.

KI CONVENTION CENTER • 78,000 square feet of flexible meeting space

• 376 attached guest rooms with the Hyatt Regency Green Bay and Hampton Inn Green Bay Downtown

• Outdoor plaza pre-function or reception space

• Restaurants and shopping are within walking distance

• Offers waterfront views and riverside walking trail

• One contact, one contract – managed and operated by the Hyatt Regency Green Bay

RADISSON HOTEL & CONFERENCE CENTER• 30,000 sq. feet

• 353 guest rooms

TUNDRA LODGE RESORT & CONFERENCE CENTER• 20,000 sq. feet

• 162 all-suite guest rooms

COMFORT SUITES HOTEL & CONFERENCE CENTER• 20,000 sq. feet

• 115 all-suite guest rooms

F.K. BEMIS CONFERENCE CENTER• 12,000 sq. feet

• Adjacent to 46-suite Kress Inn

LAMBEAU FIELD• 80,000 sq. feet

• Close proximity to hotels

BOOKING SPECIALS for 2016 & 2017 www.kiconventioncenter.org

888-867-3342 www.meetingreenbay.com

Contact:Beth Ulatowski, Director of Sales

[email protected]

Host your meeting in a winning city with a great team!

KI Convention Center Opens Expanded SpaceJournalists Tell Our StoryInviting journalists to see and experience our destination is a major part of the CVB’s public relations plan. Throughout the year, journalists are invited to tour Greater Green Bay to see attractions, attend events, dine out and take in the culture that surrounds our community. The journalists write stories and share them with readers across the country. The value of a full-page article written about your city is a credible source of travel information and can be very influential in making a travel decision.

We hosted three themed tours (1) Summer Attractions (2) Packers Football Weekend and (3) Meeting Spaces and Places. The feedback was all-around positive, and we see stories long after the visit.

141 Media Interviews

594 Story Pitches

245 Editorial Stories Written

Earned Media Value $768,842

Page 7: greater GREEN BAYgreen-bay.s3.amazonaws.com/digital_files/2/2015cvb_ar.pdf · Convention Center expansion will have a profound effect on the growth of our convention business. At

DESTINATION SERVICESPackers Training Camp Delights FansIt was another awesome year of Packers practices, bike rides and autograph signings! The CVB brings the Mobile Visitor Center (MVC) to camp every day that it’s open and staff and volunteers are there to greet visitors, answer questions, provide directions, suggest places to go and sights to see.

The CVB also has maps out so people can place a pin in their hometown. Forty-nine out of fifty states were represented on our map (just missing Delaware!) and 31 international countries. In addition to the maps, visitors can sign up to win a pair of tickets to a Packers home game, and take a “selfie” at the new Selfie Station. It is estimated that Training Camp and Packers Family Night brings approximately 90,000 to 100,000 fans to the area with an economic impact of around $9 million.

Group Tour Planner Gets a FaceliftA brand new Greater Green Bay Group Tour Planner hit the shelves in 2015. This guide is geared toward motorcoach tour operators and other group leaders who plan itineraries in Greater Green Bay. With so many new and exciting attractions and events in the area, an update to our three-year-old guide was needed.

A dozen itinerary ideas including “A Natural Excursion” and “Get a Good Taste of Green Bay” make recommendations for community stops that are themed to the interest of a group. Itineraries for youth groups and religious groups are also included, along with classic itineraries like shopping tours, history and arts tours. Planning tools like maps, a group-friendly destinations listing and climate complete the guide. The design and printing of this publication is supported completely by advertising.

Taking Care of BusinessThe CVB’s Group Services staff works to ensure convention/sports delegates and meeting planners have a positive and memorable experience, encouraging extended stays and return visits to our area. Our meeting concierge service helps planners choose the perfect spouse/guest programs, guided tours, entertainment and speakers.

In 2015, we pre-printed and assembled 4,000 name badges. Volunteers assisted with 300 hours of on-site delegate registration and staffing information tables at conventions and sporting events. In addition, our team assembled over 10,000 welcome packets with coupon books, visitor guides and dining guides. These packets were distributed at meetings and events throughout the area. The coupon books offered discounts at our partner restaurants, attractions and retail shops.

Our online housing reservation system is appealing to groups using multiple hotels, making it quick and easy for their attendees to make a hotel reservation. In 2015, the services staff managed 10 online housing events which processed 2,500 hotel reservations through the CVB’s online housing system. An upgrade to this system is planned for early 2016, making it even more efficient and user-friendly.

617,663 Brochures Distributed

209 Events Serviced

10,150 Welcome Packets

1,047 Volunteer Hours

GREATER GREEN BAY CONVENTION AND VISITORS BUREAU

Page 8: greater GREEN BAYgreen-bay.s3.amazonaws.com/digital_files/2/2015cvb_ar.pdf · Convention Center expansion will have a profound effect on the growth of our convention business. At

CONVENTION & SPORTS SALESPromoting at the TradeshowsThe Greater Green Bay CVB sales team was very busy in 2015. They attended nine national meetings and conventions tradeshows and four sports event planner tradeshows during the year. As a result of attending these shows, 128 new qualified leads were distributed to Greater Green Bay hotel partners for proposals. In addition, we added 225 new and qualified accounts to our database for future follow up and sent mailings to all of these new contacts. One of the new tradeshows the CVB attended this year was IMEX America. We partnered with the Wisconsin Department of Tourism to attend this international show and had great success and visibility, we are looking forward to returning again!

Selling Inside the DestinationIn the spring, the CVB worked with the Tundra Lodge Resort to host the Meeting Professionals International – Wisconsin Chapter’s April Education Day, followed by a brewery tap room tour through Green Bay. In June, we hosted several clients and their guests to attend the sold-out Eagles concert at the Resch Center. This was a great opportunity to chat and further develop relationships with these accounts. Along with the Greater Green Bay Area Lodging Association, the CVB hosted meeting planners and their guests for a Packers vs Lions game in November. This included a familiarization tour of various meeting and event facilities, as well as an opportunity for our lodging partners to meet and mingle with the meeting planners. In addition, the sales team worked with our hotel partners to host 200 site inspection participants.

Taking the Show on the RoadThe CVB sales team continues to contact and research meeting and event planners on a daily basis. In 2015, a direct mail was sent outlining what’s new in our market, including the KI Convention Center expansion, to the entire database of meeting planners. Various in-person sales appointments were held in Madison and Milwaukee throughout the year, as well as an organized phone blitz to target new meeting planners for Green Bay.

2015 2014 2013 221,505 219,016 204,200

$113,131,595 $111,097,009 $93,255,220

2015 2014 2013 203,036 138,038 196,154

$122,605,956 $76,420,498 $91,039,420

KI

CO

NV

EN

TIO

N C

EN

TE

R

Now OpenThe KI Convention Center completed a large expansion which doubled the amount of meeting and event space to approximately 80,000 square feet. The expansion features a raised space over the street and parking areas for unparalleled views of the downtown district and beyond. New technology from Cineviz adorns the convention center in the form of digital and interactive way-finding, mapping, branding boards and video screens.

After major renovations, The Hampton Inn Green Bay Downtown opened their doors in September, 2015 in time for the launch of the expanded KI Convention Center. Connected to the KI Convention Center, the Hampton Inn anchor’s one side of the KICC, while the Hyatt Regency anchors the other side.

With the expanded KI Convention Center, the new Hampton Inn Green Bay Downtown and the Hyatt Regency Green Bay Hotel all under one roof, our city now has the “convention package” many convention groups are looking for. You can learn more by visiting www.kiconventioncenter.org.

Number of room nights utilized and the economic impact.

221,505 room nights confirmed for future years, and economic impact.

Page 9: greater GREEN BAYgreen-bay.s3.amazonaws.com/digital_files/2/2015cvb_ar.pdf · Convention Center expansion will have a profound effect on the growth of our convention business. At

SPORTS EVENTS HOSTED2015 was a great year for Greater Green Bay and the sporting events that were held in

the area. Aside from the annual events, the area was host to the following state/national

events:

• United States Bowling Conference Championship Series. This event showcased 1,254

bowlers (both pro and amateur), with six events taking place between February and

August. Events included the USBC Masters, the USBC Queens and USBC Senior

Championship tournaments. The USBC Masters finals was broadcast LIVE on ESPN to

3.5 million viewers.

• USA Hockey Women’s & Girl’s Tier I National Championships. There were 44 girl’s

teams and 32 women’s teams competing to be crowned National Champion.

• Wisconsin Amusement & Music Operators State Pool Championships – approximately

1,500 pool/billiards players participated inside ShopKo Hall and the Brown County

Arena.

• US Youth Soccer Midwest Regional Championships – 214 soccer teams from 13 states

played in Appleton and De Pere for a chance to move on to the national championships

in Tulsa, OK.

• USA Gymnastics Region IV Championships

• National Walleye Tour – 128 angler teams (128 professional anglers matched up with

128 amateur anglers) fished in the Bay of Green Bay for $60,000 in prize money.

Special thanks to all our local volunteers, facilities, partners, attractions, hotels and

restaurants that helped show our great hospitality when these events were in town.

The Greater Green Bay CVB, the Radisson Hotel and Conference Center and the Oneida Nation were hosts of the Boomers in Groups (BiG) Conference held in October. More than 250 motorcoach conference delegates from 31 states and three foreign countries came together for networking, educational sessions and one-on-one marketplace appointments.

The CVB hosted a Friday evening tailgate dinner at Lambeau Field that included a tour of the newly-renovated Packers Hall of Fame and stadium tours. Saturday afternoon was filled with a variety of community bus tours. Major attractions, breweries, wineries and food sampling were all included. Saturday evening was a specially-themed dinner that showcased the Oneida Nation smoke dancers, and some of Oneida’s specialty foods.

Hosting the conference was a great way to get people to experience our wonderful community first-hand. Many of them had never been to Green Bay before and were thrilled with our Midwestern hospitality and the tremendous variety of things to see and do here. Future tours have already been booked as a result of this conference, and we look forward to the “BiG” economic impact this event will have as the buses come rolling into our community in the future.

BiG

CO

NF

ER

EN

CE S

cores in

Green

Bay

Page 10: greater GREEN BAYgreen-bay.s3.amazonaws.com/digital_files/2/2015cvb_ar.pdf · Convention Center expansion will have a profound effect on the growth of our convention business. At

Events Grants ReceivedMany times there are additional costs associated

with hosting a sports event. In 2015 the CVB secured

additional funding for six major competitive sporting

events that occurred in Greater Green Bay. Funding

came from the Wisconsin Department of Tourism and

Brown County Stadium District. Without this monetary

support, the CVB would not have been able to bid and

win these events.

• Districts Youth Conference

• USBC Championship Series

• WIAA State Girls’ Basketball

• WAMO State Pool Championships

• USA Hockey Women’s & Girl’s Tier I National

• US Youth Soccer Midwest Regional Championships

Championships

One of the key first steps in securing a sporting event for the area lies in making the initial contact with

a prospective client. With having a majority of clients outside Greater Green Bay, and in most cases…

outside the state of Wisconsin; that normally means attending sports related conferences, and making

sales trips to those clients.

The CVB has been a partner with SportsWisconsin, a combined sports marketing effort between the

Wisconsin Department of Tourism, WACVB and the participating destinations. In 2015, a group of

nine destinations hosted a reception in Indianapolis as a way to network with some of the larger event

rights holders located in that city. Some examples of associations that attended the event are: Horizon

League, USA Gymnastics, NCAA and other groups that call Indianapolis home.

Last year, sports sales attended four conventions/tradeshows related to the sports tourism market.

• National Association of Sports Commissions (NASC) Sports Event Symposium

• S.P.O.R.T.S. – the Relationship Conference

• Connect Sports and USOC Olympic Sportslink

• US Sports Congress

At these shows, destinations have an opportunity to schedule one-on-one appointments with the

various event rights holders attending the tradeshow. Aside from appointments, opportunities exist to

network with event planners and hold more in-depth discussions with them about their events.

One of those conferences was held in Milwaukee last year. With the close proximity to Green Bay, we

invited a select group of event rights holders to come to Green Bay a few days before the conference

and tour some of our sports facilities. And what tour of Green Bay sports facilities would be complete

without a tour of historic Lambeau Field?

Grants Received

$128,500 Economic Impact

$11.8 millionRoom Nights

25,800

Selling Green Bay to Tournaments

Page 11: greater GREEN BAYgreen-bay.s3.amazonaws.com/digital_files/2/2015cvb_ar.pdf · Convention Center expansion will have a profound effect on the growth of our convention business. At

A Year in Review2015 was a great year for the Partnerships Department. Our renewal rate for partnerships was

at 95%, the highest it’s ever been! We were excited to welcome 44 new tourism partners into

our Partnership Program as well. There was a lot happening in the community by way of ribbon

cuttings, grand openings and expansions throughout the year. The Partnerships Department

attended more than 200 events in support of our partners in Brown County and Algoma.

Many new tourism friendly businesses opened their doors in 2015 including: Hampton Inn, The

Automobile Gallery, Prohibition Lounge, Cannery Public Market, Expedition Addicts, Packers Hall

of Fame, 1919 Kitchen and Tap as well as Leatherheads Brewing Company. We are so happy

to have them in the tourism family. They appeal to a diverse audience, and we look forward to

promoting them to visitors. The Hyatt on Main changed its name to the Hyatt Regency Green Bay,

and the KI Convention Center unveiled its expanded space in September.

Award-winning PartnersIn October, the CVB hosted its annual Fall Tourism Awards Luncheon recognizing tourism partners

who made a difference in the industry over the last year.

The 2015 Tim Quigley Tourism Award went to Pastor Rob Weise. Pastor Rob and his group have

been hosting the Districts Youth Conference every January in downtown Green Bay for 15 years,

and is booked at the KI Convention Center through 2018! The first convention in Green Bay started

with about 1,500 attendees and has grown to over 3,400. This is a valuable partnership because

all of these attendees support many of our shops, attractions and restaurants...and fill up hotels

throughout the city!

The 2015 Business Partner in Tourism was awarded to Sue Broberg, owner of C&M Presents, for

going above and beyond the call of duty to help the CVB. Sue is very engaged in providing

outstanding service to motorcoach tours. She highly values the industry and works hand-in-hand

with our staff to provide the best possible experience to our visitors. Sue most recently coordinated

all the tours for 250 motorcoach planners who attended the Boomers in Groups Conference we

hosted throughout Green Bay. Sue goes out of her way to make each tour unique!

The CVB also recognized the 2015 Event of the Year. This award was presented to the United States

Bowling Congress (USBC) Championship Series. The event was held at Ashwaubenon Bowling

Alley during the span of several months accounting for 4,000+ room nights for a total economic

impact of $2.5 million. Green Bay saw visitors from all over the world because of this event. The

USBC Masters Live TV finale had 3.5 million viewers. The award was accepted by Ashwaubenon

Bowling Alley on behalf of the USBC.

COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS & PROGRAMMING

Page 12: greater GREEN BAYgreen-bay.s3.amazonaws.com/digital_files/2/2015cvb_ar.pdf · Convention Center expansion will have a profound effect on the growth of our convention business. At

Executive Committee

ChairBruce WolfOwnerComfort Suites/1951 West/Rock Garden

Vice ChairPat OlejniczakHotel ManagerKress Inn – St. Norbert College

SecretaryCarol Van VreedeCEO Skyline Exhibit Resource

TreasurerDebbie BukouriczSenior Manager Schenck Business Solutions

At LargeGeoff LacyPartnerStrang, Patterson, Renning, Lewis & Lacy

Board of Directors

Susan GarotExecutive DirectorGreen Bay Botanical Garden

Mary Ellen GillespieAthletic DirectorUniversity of Wisconsin-Green Bay

Kristine HallGeneral Manager Hyatt Regency Green Bay/ KI Convention Center

Joy KriegerExecutive DirectorAlgoma Chamber of Commerce

Steve NinhamGeneral ManagerRadisson Hotel & Conference Center

Tom OlsonRetired Executive

Ed PolicyVice President/General CounselGreen Bay Packers

Judy TulliusManager Bay Park Square Mall

Staff

Brad TollPresident/CEO

Beth UlatowskiDirector of Sales

Brenda KrainikDirector of Marketing & Communications

Julie GerczakDirector of Tourism & Bureau Services

Jessica DiederichDirector of Partnerships & Business Development

Cameron Teske Marketing Manager

Denise HumphreyConvention Sales Manager

Joel EvertsSports Sales Manager

Patti DrabesGroup Services Manager

Kristine Leibforth Convention Sales Representative

Sally GrahamVisitor Services Coordinator

Laurie LongAdministrative Assistant

Debbie BreecherBrochure Distribution

1901 S. Oneida Street, P.O. Box 10596 | Green Bay, WI 54307-0596

1-888-867-3342 | (920) 494-9507

www.greenbay.com |

Thank you to our Corporate PartnersSt. Norbert College • Bellin College • Green Bay Packers

Delta • Vandervest Harley-Davidson

University of Wisconsin-Green Bay • Reinhart Foodservice

Oneida Nation • Kwik Trip • Cabela’s