'Collaborative regional partnership makes the area stronger and more profitable'
An interview with Lula S. Cassidy, executive director of the Greater St. Charles Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Q. What is the main goal of the Greater St. Charles Convention and Visitors Bureau?
A. The mission of the Greater St. Charles CVB is to promote the greater St. Charles area as a travel destination for family vacations, leisure tourists, conventions, sports events and meetings and to enhance the tourism economic impact to our community through increased visitor spending and overnight accommodations.
The bureau lives by the philosophy that collaborative regional partnership makes the area stronger and more profitable.
Expanding and increasing overnight accommodations by supporting our many tourism partners in their service areas will enrich the tourism impact of the businesses in St. Charles. This philosophy is a movement we celebrate and call #tourismbeyondboundaries.
Q. Tell us about the award you recently won.
A. In March at the Illinois Governor's Conference on Travel and Tourism the Greater St. Charles Convention and Visitors Bureau team was thrilled to learn we had been nominated in three out of the nine categories for innovative tourism.
The three categories included Best Festival or Event, Best Cooperative Partnership & Best Visitor Publication. It was a magical moment, as they announced the winner of the "Best Visitor Guide" to the Greater St. Charles CVB. It was such an honor to be nominated in a category that represents such large and talented CVB's in and around the state. Capturing the award for our "hometown area" means more than just the "Best Visitors Guide." It is all the incredible people, hotels and businesses that are inside that guide that make the greater St. Charles area amazing every day. So when we say it's a team effort, it is really more like a hometown effort.
Q. What is a hot industry trend in your area?
A. Healthy travel getaway, just getting away from the hectic situations of every day. Rejuvenating yourself through great cuisine, meditations, spas and active experiences like yoga or cycling. Exciting trends that the greater St. Charles area offers include bicycling paths by the Fox River, our farm to fork restaurants, new spas that have recently opened and our area resorts that offer yoga and other wellness experiences.
Q. Tell us a few area highlights.
A. A river runs through it. Our delightful downtown, brimming with gourmet dining, eclectic shops, music and theater is crowned by the majestic beauty of the Fox River. But the riches of our service area extend to the areas of Campton Hills and Elburn where history, agriculture and environmental beauty meet.
• Cycling here is great. We are the gateway and anchor to 65+ miles of breathtaking trails for cyclists and runners.
• Our urban pulse is strong, yet our agricultural roots are rich. We have a farming culture in the Greater St. Charles area that provides for and undergirds our dynamic urban presence through the farm-to-table movement, rich family experiences and celebratory events like farm tours, during the 32nd annual St. Charles Scarecrow Fest.
Q. What else do visitors want to visit?
A. Arcada Theatre - and its new entertainment experience Club Arcada Speakeasy Lounge - a delight trip back to the roaring 20s
• Hotel Baker, a historic luxury grand hotel, on the natural registry of historic places
• Scarecrow Fest - cited as one of 13 Best Fests in the country by Country Living Magazine
• Baltria Vintage Auto Gallery - a century and more of gorgeous vehicles
• We are an antiques haven with locations downtown St. Charles and in the greater St. Charles area. We are also home of the Kane County Fair - cited as one of 10 Best Flea Markets in the World by Jet Setter Magazine, ranked with markets in Oslo, Paris and London and celebrating its 50 year anniversary this year.
Q. Are there new initiatives coming up?
A. The Greater St. Charles CVB is launching a new marketing campaign. It is all based around experiential travel. I would not want to unveil our big marketing mystery just yet. Check back with us soon, for we are hopeful and confident it will be what is trending in the Midwest this time next year.
Q. What is a challenge facing the St. Charles area?
A. The Greater St. Charles CVB is funded by the Illinois Office of Tourism and a portion of the hotel/motel tax collected by St. Charles hotels in order to promote the area as a destination. The Greater St. Charles CVB does not charge a membership fee as we promote and support tourism related businesses on the funds we gratefully receive from our city and state. Exploring & seeking additional grants and funding resources in order to compete against the many destinations travelers have to choose from is always challenging. However, every challenge must be approached as an opportunity in the tourism industry. As an industry, being resourceful and creative in order to explore ways to advertise and market a destination while being financially smart is something we must face.
Q. What was your first job?
A. At 16, I had my first summer job at a hotel as a housekeeper. Two weeks into training, the general manager expressed to me that my personality and skills were probably better suited to work at the front desk in guest services. I smile now, knowing that was a great way to say I made a lousy hotel housekeeper, however guest services was a great place to start. So from that summer on a travel and tourism person was born.
Q. Two people we should follow on Twitter?
A. Want to give a shout out to Cory Jobe (@CoryMJobe), director of The Illinois Office of Tourism. His leadership and vision continues to place Illinois on the prominent national map as great place to stay, play and dine.
Lula S. Cassidy
Title: Executive director
Organization: Greater St. Charles Convention and Visitors Bureau
Address: 2 E. Main St., St. Charles, IL 60174
Web: visitstcharles.com
Twitter: @StCharlesIL