e-Traveler - See the 2025 Tourism Insider Meetings Schedule + More
March 19, 2025
Helpful Tools to Organize Grant Opportunities
Keep your email, eyes and ears open. In addition to internet searches, there are many ways to find grants. Here are some that yield results. Sign up to receive grant e-notifications and regularly watch grant websites and newsletters. Attend workshops and conference presentations from people who are implementing projects and listen for information about how they secured funding. If they don’t provide specifics, ask. While traveling, watch for donor recognition displays and take a photo of the donor list to research later. Look for and listen for the donor recognition after radio, podcast and other programming and ads. Ask project planners and contractors how and where previous clients secured project funding.
Featured Grant:
The Iowa Historical Resource Development Program's annual grant is due May 1, 2025, for the funding period July 1, 2025 – November 30, 2027.
Here are the most important updates this week:
- Learn about Travel Iowa's new campaign, Give It Time, and other initiatives.
- Apply to host the Outdoor Writers Association of America's annual conference.
- Register for the next Iowa Tourism Office Update webinar.
- See the 2025 Tourism Insider Meetings schedule.
ICYMI: Iowa Tourism Office Updates
At the 2025 Iowa Tourism Conference last week, State Tourism Manager Amy Zeigler announced Travel Iowa's new campaign, Give It Time. The campaign's messaging encourages travelers to consider Iowa and that our flyover state midwestern charm is just what they have been looking for (even if they didn't know it).
Amy also highlighted ongoing initiatives and new partnerships that are enhancing Iowa's tourism industry:
At the 2025 Iowa Tourism Conference last week, State Tourism Manager Amy Zeigler announced Travel Iowa's new campaign, Give It Time. The campaign's messaging encourages travelers to consider Iowa and that our flyover state midwestern charm is just what they have been looking for (even if they didn't know it).
Amy also highlighted ongoing initiatives and new partnerships that are enhancing Iowa's tourism industry:
- First Impressions Tourism & Community Assessment
- Iowa Farm to Table Dinner Series
- International Marketing partnerships with Brand USA
- Elevate Iowa Scholarships
- Iowa Bicycling Economic and Health Impact Study
- Iowa Museum Association's Visitor Readiness Assessment
- The Travel Iowa - Iowa State Fair Booth
- Choose Iowa Digital Passport
- The future release of a GuideGeek AI Travel Genius on traveliowa.com
Contact Tourism Liaisons Lora Friest (lora.friest@iowaeda.com) or Stephanie Neppl (stephanie.neppl@iowaeda.com) to find out how you can leverage the Give It Time campaign or learn more about any of the aforementioned initiatives.
Apply to Host the Outdoor Writers Association of America
The Outdoor Writers Association of America (OWAA) is currently seeking bids from parties interested in hosting their 2027 annual conference, which will be their 100th anniversary. The event draws over 300 attendees, 72% of whom are vetted media and professional story tellers who infuse an estimated $240,000 into the local economy. Many of the attendees also share information about the conference venue with their followers. The deadline for bids is April 1, 2025, so it’s a short turn around that could have substantial benefits for your community and the state.
Register Now: Iowa Tourism Office Update Webinar
Registration is open for the next Iowa Tourism Office Update webinar on Thursday, April 17. Topics will include the 2026 Co-op Marketing Program, plans for National Travel and Tourism Week and the Tourism Insider Meeting schedule for 2025. Pre-registration is required.
2025 Tourism Insider Meetings Schedule Announced
Last week at the Iowa Tourism Conference, we announced the host communities for the remaining 2025 Tourism Insider Meetings. Thank you to all the partners who applied to host – it was a challenging decision! We look forward to seeing you at the following meetings:
Apply to Host the Outdoor Writers Association of America
The Outdoor Writers Association of America (OWAA) is currently seeking bids from parties interested in hosting their 2027 annual conference, which will be their 100th anniversary. The event draws over 300 attendees, 72% of whom are vetted media and professional story tellers who infuse an estimated $240,000 into the local economy. Many of the attendees also share information about the conference venue with their followers. The deadline for bids is April 1, 2025, so it’s a short turn around that could have substantial benefits for your community and the state.
Register Now: Iowa Tourism Office Update Webinar
Registration is open for the next Iowa Tourism Office Update webinar on Thursday, April 17. Topics will include the 2026 Co-op Marketing Program, plans for National Travel and Tourism Week and the Tourism Insider Meeting schedule for 2025. Pre-registration is required.
2025 Tourism Insider Meetings Schedule Announced
Last week at the Iowa Tourism Conference, we announced the host communities for the remaining 2025 Tourism Insider Meetings. Thank you to all the partners who applied to host – it was a challenging decision! We look forward to seeing you at the following meetings:
- May 8, 2025 – Clay County Regional Events Center, Spencer
- August 28, 2025 – Webster Theatre, Webster City
- November 20, 2025 – Grand River Center, Dubuque
Helpful Tools to Organize Grant Opportunities
Keep your email, eyes and ears open. In addition to internet searches, there are many ways to find grants. Here are some that yield results. Sign up to receive grant e-notifications and regularly watch grant websites and newsletters. Attend workshops and conference presentations from people who are implementing projects and listen for information about how they secured funding. If they don’t provide specifics, ask. While traveling, watch for donor recognition displays and take a photo of the donor list to research later. Look for and listen for the donor recognition after radio, podcast and other programming and ads. Ask project planners and contractors how and where previous clients secured project funding.
Featured Grant:
The Iowa Historical Resource Development Program's annual grant is due May 1, 2025, for the funding period July 1, 2025 – November 30, 2027.
- April 17, 2025 – Iowa Tourism Office Update Webinar, virtual
- May 8, 2025 – Tourism Insider Meeting, Spencer