Lake County finds big money in military reunions

Nearly 62 years after fighting in one of World War II's most infamous clashes, Jim Barlow gathered with dozens of other Battle of the Bulge veterans last month to swap stories and remember fallen comrades.

But the meeting was nowhere near Europe's Ardennes Forest, where the vicious battle was fought in December 1944 and January 1945. Rather, it was staged more than 4,000 miles away in Lake County.

The 83-year-old Barlow didn't mind one bit.

"You live each day to gain more knowledge of what's around you, and the only way to do that is by traveling," said Barlow, an artillery man with the Army during the war who now lives in Baltimore. "You're not going to do it sitting at home on your duff."

Military reunions are a financial boon, tourism experts say. Including hotel stays, transportation, restaurant meals and other expenditures, a typical reunion pumps tens of thousands of dollars into a local economy.

That financial reality has made military reunions a top target for the Lake County Convention and Visitors Bureau, which has boosted efforts to bring such gatherings to the area. The tourism group has bought ads in a trade magazine, created a specialized Web page and hosted junkets to raise interest in the region.

The effort, the group said, has been effective.

"The number of military reunions (in) Lake County is increasing each year, mainly because of the concentrated effort we have developed over the past few years," said Kimberly Ghys, senior sales manager for the convention bureau.

Lucrative business

World War II veterans have always made up the bulk of the military reunion business, said Edith Wagner, editor of Reunions magazine, a publication designed to help professional planners and participants organize the titular get-togethers.

Unlike the soldiers who fought in later wars, most World War II combatants trained and fought together for the bulk of the war and developed lasting bonds, Wagner said.

But veterans from other eras hold get-togethers, too.

Military reunions are particularly lucrative clients for hotels, motels or resorts because veterans tend to book on weekends when guest activity otherwise is light, said Paul Spiewak, CEO and founder of the Reunion Network, a Florida company that assists reunion planners.

Additionally, reunions often are held during off-peak travel seasons when prices are lower, Spiewak said.

"When a hotel is empty, they offer the best deals, which is good for the veterans," he said. "The time (hotels) want people there is when no one else is coming."

But hotel managers aren't merely interested in filling rooms. They're also after all the ancillary spending veterans do during reunions.

For example, hotels can expect restaurant business to increase, said Ray Casey, president of a Texas company called Military Reunion Planners.

"A lot of them just hang out (at the hotel) all day," he said. "And they all eat breakfast."

Military veterans also hire local tour buses and guides, eat at local restaurants and visit local tourist attractions during reunions, Casey said.

And it's not just the veterans who spend money. Spouses, children and grandchildren often accompany veterans to the gatherings.

"We've got some (groups) with more second-generation people attending than actual members," Casey said.

By the time a typical reunion breaks up and the tabs are totaled, attendees have spent $600 a piece, Casey said. In Lake County, the average estimated economic impact last year was $49,000 per reunion group, the convention bureau's Ghys said.

Last month's Battle of the Bulge reunion generated more than $50,000 for Marriott's Lincolnshire Resort in room reservations alone, said Brian Burton, the hotel's sales and marketing director.

Add restaurant visits, tourist stops and other expenses, and that figure probably doubled, Burton said.

"These guys bring money," Casey said. "They come with a pocketful of cash."

Lake County is hot

About a dozen military groups -- most from the Navy -- have reunited in Lake County this year, Ghys said. Her organization helps coordinate at least 20 military reunions annually, and many more book events directly with a hotel, she said.

The proximity to Chicago and its many tourist attractions is a top draw for the region, professional reunion planners say. The Battle of the Bulge group took in Soldier Field, Navy Pier and a Chicago River cruise during its visit.

Veterans have several suburban military attractions to explore, too, such as the former Fort Sheridan Army base near Highland Park, the Cantigny estate in Wheaton, which boasts a museum honoring the Army's famed 1st Infantry Division. The Volo Auto Museum features an exhibit of authentic military vehicles, weapons and equipment.

"Any place we go, they roll out the red carpet," said 84-year-old Army veteran Marty Sheeron of Philadelphia, who toured the Volo museum as part of the Bulge reunion. "They take us to all these places; places you've never been before. It's great."

A unique local attraction for reunion groups is the Great Lakes Naval Station near North Chicago, now the Navy's only basic-training center. Groups of veterans, many of whom trained at Great Lakes, tour the base at least once a week during the summer, spokesman Todd Willebrand said.

"We get a lot of ship reunions," Willebrand recently said. "I just got back from one today."

Sailors from the USS Mertz, the USS Higbee, the USS Oakland and the USS Prairie -- all ships that saw action in the Pacific during World War II -- are among the Navy veterans who've regrouped in Lake County this year, Ghys said.

Many groups observe recruit graduation ceremonies during their visits, stopovers Willebrand welcomes.

"They get to relive a little bit of their Navy history," Willebrand said. "It's a lot of fun for them, and it's a lot of fun for us."

A 'FAM' affair

To attract veterans groups, the convention bureau has placed ads in Reunions magazine, worked with the Reunion Network and created a specialized Web page, www.lakecountyreunions.com, that leads cyber visitors to the agency's main Web site and other resources.

The agency organized its first familiarization tour earlier this year, too. Often called FAMs for short, the tours are junkets for reunion planners that showcase local hotels, restaurants, tourist attractions and other potential destinations during a whirlwind visit.

Familiarization trips really help hotels drum up business, Marriott's Burton said. They allow reunion planners to see layouts, rooms and other hotel features in ways a brochure or Web site can't, he said.

"(This) is the best way we can convince people to experience a hotel," Burton said.

Planners say a good FAM tour definitely can give one potential location an edge over another city.

"I'm always looking for new areas," Casey said. "The promotional efforts pay off."

Ghys called the Lake County effort, based at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Mundelein, very successful.

"We had 17 different military reunion planners with their spouses," Ghys said. "Word of mouth is huge in this market, so getting the planners to our area to experience it firsthand is key."