Tourism Insider Meeting
Join us for our Tourism Insider Meeting, hosted by the Iowa Tourism Office and Clay County Tourism. Register here!
The Tourism Insider Meeting series provides opportunities for industry partners from across the state to gather, collaborate, share ideas and network with colleagues in new locations. We look forward to seeing you in Spencer!
Schedule:
Note: Some details are still being confirmed and are subject to change
Thursday, May 8, 2025 – Clay County Events Center, 800 W 18th Street, Spencer
- 9:30 a.m. – Come in for coffee and networking. Enjoy coffee from Medlar Coffee, a downtown Spencer favorite!
- 10 a.m. – Iowa Tourism Office Update
- 11 a.m. – Disaster recovery: What to do when your community needs you in a different way?
- How do you balance managing devastating disasters while ensuring your businesses and community remain open to (and need) visitors/customers?
- Lessons learned from the 2024 flooding to the Red Power Round Up event and Clay County Fair. How do you prepare for the worst-case scenario?
- 12 p.m. – Lunch (provided)
- 12:45 p.m. – Downtown Spencer tour:
- Vermeer Glass Art is a family-run businesses that creates and sells handmade fused art glass. We will view a demonstration and learn how the magic is made.
- Pressed - hear the story of this popular boutique store and their AirBnB experiences as well as how the owners are helping downtown Spencer's resiliency by giving new life to downtown buildings damaged by a recent fire.
- Enjoy some free time to explore Downtown Spencer before loading the buses to return to the Clay County Events Center
- 2:30 p.m. – Regional partnerships: How can you work with your neighboring communities and leverage nearby attractions and experiences to encourage longer stays in your region?
- 3:30 p.m. – Roundtable/open forum
- 4 p.m. – Wrap-up
Rooms are available for attendees at a reduced rate at the Holiday Inn Express & Suites of $129.99/night + tax. Attendees can book their rooms directly here, or by calling 712-580-2200. If you call, mention you are attending the Tourism Insider Meeting and booking at the Chamber rate.
Ideas for your afternoon/evening (view more here):
- The Iowa Project Brewing Company, 316 Grand Ave – open 4-10 p.m.
- Pressed, 319 Grand Ave – open until 5 p.m.
- Axaholics, 331 11th St SW – open until 11 p.m.
- Prime Rib/Silver Hammer, 1205 S Grand Ave – open 5-10 p.m.
- Gonzalez Tortas, 419 Grand Ave – open until 9 p.m.
- Chen’s Garden, 18 E 4th St – open 4:30-8 p.m.
Stephanie Neppl
Email Stephanie.Neppl@IowaEDA.com