Tourism Insider Meeting - October
Join us for our Tourism Insider Meeting, hosted by the Iowa Tourism Office, in Mason City and Clear Lake on October 24-25. Registration has now closed - reach out to Stephanie Neppl if you still wish to attend.
The Tourism Insider Meeting series provides opportunities for industry partners from across the state to gather, collaborate, share ideas and network. Pack your bags and take an educational trip to meet, learn from and engage with industry partners in new locations.
Schedule:
Tuesday, October 24 - Historic Park Inn
- 10:00 a.m. – Host community welcome, followed by introductions
- 10:15 a.m. – Iowa Tourism Office (ITO) update
- 11:00 a.m. – Offseason Tourism: Learn how Clear Lake and Mason City both address offseason visitation through events such as Clear Lake's Winter Dance Party and Color the Wind Kite Festival.
- 12:00 p.m. - Lunch (provided) by the Historic Park Inn.
- 12:30 p.m. - Tours of the Historic Park Inn and free time to explore downtown Mason City.
- 1:30 p.m. – How tourism marketers and airports can partner more closely: Hear from representatives from the Eastern Iowa Airport and Mason City Regional Airport to discuss how the industry can work to encourage more air travel into Iowa.
- 2:00 p.m. – Open Forum and Discussion.
- 2:30 p.m. – Localhood workshop - come prepared with videos/photos to create vertical stories to help promote your community and businesses.
- 3:30 p.m. – Group photos and meeting wrap-up.
- 4 p.m. – Meeting ends.
Optional evening activity/dinner:
Transportation is available to and from the Holiday Inn and Best Western hotels
- 6:00 p.m.: Tour the Mason City Municipal Airport's new terminal project with manager David Sims and learn how funding partnerships were critical to the expansion project.
- 6:30 p.m.: Dinner at Avion Azul. Owner Catarino Martinez will share his journey to create a unique dining experience in North Iowa. (dinner at your expense)
Wednesday, October 25 - Mason City Arena
- 8 a.m. – Learn how the Mason City Arena project repurposed a former retail store and nurtured the growth of ice sports in North Iowa. Coffee and a continental breakfast will be provided.
- 9 a.m. - Volunteer Opportunity in downtown Mason City. We will help set up Christmas trees in Music Man Square in preparation for holiday events. Bring an ornament representing your business/community to help decorate the Iowa Tourism tree! Pottery on the Plaza will also be onsite for us to create an ornament to represent your community/part of the state!
- 10 a.m. - Meeting ends.
Any questions please contact Stephanie Neppl at (515) 348-6257 | stephanie.neppl@iowaeda.com
What your peers are saying:
"I thought the entire event was useful, informative, and relevant to what I do to market our destination. I felt it was just the right length too."
"I enjoyed getting to connect with some other professionals and learn about Iowa through many lenses...plus the location was awesome!"
"I loved the opportunity to connect with others from across the state".