I want to get started moving the discussion to what is right about Main Street and all of St. Charles. These things are what the marketing should be all about. Main Street first, this is truly a special place. It is a shame that the previous director of the Convention and Visitors Bureau believed it should only be appreciated by out of town tourists. His marketing has us in dire straits as we speak.
Main Street can and should be appreciated and visited by the more than 2 million residents of the Greater Metropolitan Area. If the marketing would focus on the dreaded day-trippers, then expand out, Main Street would be thriving. In the past the day-trippers were not a focus because the hotels would not get room nights. Well that’s not our problem. If the hotel built based upon false promises from the CVB then shame on them.
Main Street could benefit from marketing through the parks system. I have said this before. The soccer fields and ball fields are missed opportunities to capture the parents of the kids who are playing. The parks department and the CVB should work to raise awareness of what is just around the corner. Even Wapelhorst Park could help by telling guests of the many fine places to go just around the corner from them. Granted it isn’t Main Street but the taxes generated from the eating establishments go to the CVB and that money is spent on marketing.
The CVB is the only City department that can truly affect their own budget. If they increase the sales in restaurants they make more money. If they find out of town guests to stay in a hotel they make more money. Now the restaurants are much easier to sell because the market is so close. The hotels get a little tricky.
Speaking with a Councilman who knows in his own words “enough to be dangerous,” he said that many in the local area fill hotel rooms for different occasions. That is why you see local efforts by local hotels to market rooms. The hotels get it, our CVB just never did.
To get back to what is right with St. Charles, I think you need to really look at our park system. They bring teams in from all over the country. Once they are here the CVB depends on “rack cards” (the little cards that sit in racks in the lobby) or a TV spot add that runs in the hotel room when the guest first turns the TV on. Now these two are okay, but if the CVB would work as hard with the teams as they do with the tour writers we might see an increase in volume to Main Street and restaurants in St. Charles. St. Charles does get people here, we just don’t tell them were to go once they are here.
The other right thing about St. Charles is Lindenwood University. Sure they might not always be high on most lists for their business practices, but they do bring in people. The CVB in the past refused to work with Lindenwood and that truly demonstrates the lack of understanding of a comprehensive marketing campaign. The CVB should have a liaison that works with Lindenwood and when they are having a production, game, event or parents night, the CVB should have a presence to insure that those in attendance know what St. Charles has to offer.
This just in, for some reason Steve Powell is still attending Convention Center Oversight committee meetings. WHY? This guy just won’t leave. Is it not a conflict of interest for him to participate in our meetings when serving as the director in Peoria? Wait maybe he is in St. Charles to get some of our residents to visit Peoria’s historic district. After all their money is no good to Main Street St. Charles since they live here. Leave please Steve!!!!!!!!!
