Well, it’s time to roll our sleeves up and get to work. First, let’s take it upon ourselves to lobby each and every Councilperson to let them know Main Street is ready and willing to take the lead in determining the direction tourism must take. The great thing is most of the people I have spoken with believe that we are the anchor but not the end all, be all, of tourism. Main Street is willing to share the stage with the other attractions and other areas of interest St. Charles has to offer.
One councilman spoke about the sports in the area and from what I heard the response was “we already do that.” Well, we do market to the sports teams they say. Go down to Mueller Park on a weekend and look at the people. Most are guests in our City but they have no idea what we have to offer. Something as simple as a kiosk providing information about Main Street, Bass Pro and the Casino would help expose soccer moms and dads to what St. Charles has to offer outside the sporting arenas. These little things are missing. Would you ever invite guests to your home without giving them directions? That is what we do all the time.
Main Street can be a positive force if we move quickly on an agenda that allows for a marketing campaign that creates a sense of wanting to be, instead of the stale and lifeless marketing we have now. Our City is in need of a new direction in marketing. The editor asked me to include slogans that the former Convention and Visitors Bureau director would have created for Las Vegas instead of the award winning, and probably a phrase that will live on forever, “What happens in Las Vegas stays in Las Vegas.” If our previous director would have created the slogans this is a quick sample; “Las Vegas-you can gamble.” Las Vegas-where it is a dry heat.” “Las Vegas-it’s in the desert so bring sunscreen.”
We have missed so many opportunities because we never really wanted to know who and what are market was and we never created any marketing that would bring people in the numbers that the CVB tried to take credit for.
This new convention center with all the splendor it possesses, has the potential to bring in guests we never had, but if we don’t change the thinking of the CVB that we are more than historical than we are destined to continue to go in a downward spiral.
