So… what is the Jacksonville Area Convention & Visitors Bureau? In short, we are a marketing organization. We promote tourism, conventions, and other special events to create a positive experience for visitors and strengthen economic impact. We promote the beauty and rich history of Morgan County and its unique leisure and affordable experiences as a top, year-round destination among comparable sized communities for group travelers and fun-seeking individuals. We love our community, and believe in it very much!
The CVB is considered a DMO – a destination marketing organization. As such, we market Jacksonville and the surrounding area, targeting directly a market that is outside a 50 mile radius of the county. Here is a sample of one of our ads, designed by Steven Varble.
We promote Meetings, Group Tours, Sports, Leisure, and Festivals and Events. We fund this process with grants from the State of Illinois and the hotel/motel tax collected by the City of Jacksonville. The lodging facilities paying hotel tax toward this work include Blackhawk Village Inn, Blessings on State Bed & Breakfast, Buena Vista Resort, Country Hearth Inn & Suites, Hampton Inn, Super 8 Motel, and Star Lite Motel. Overall, Illinois Tourism generates a return on investment of $6 to $1, in other words for every dollar we spend on marketing we earn six dollars in state and local tax revenue.
Once we have the “heads in beds” or “feet in the street,” we want visitors to experience all that Jacksonville has to offer! This includes our shopping and dining experiences, visiting historical sites, recreation, arts & theatre, education, and even buying gas for their travels. We have information for all of Jacksonville and Morgan County’s sites and business that provide these services in brochures distributed to visitors in high traffic areas all around town. This information is also available by request on our website listed at the end of this article!
We offer our assistance to local groups and events that help bring visitors to our area. We often help them with bulk mailing, printing needs, making information bags for groups, and distributing promotional items. We also offer a free meeting facility and equipment for use by our member hotels for up to 100 people!
Our services help create an economic impact for the Jacksonville Area. In 2012 spending by visitors topped 44.42 million dollars in Morgan County and the tax revenue generated at a local level was $870,000. This positive result shows you how important our marketing efforts are for the Jacksonville Community.
The Jacksonville Area Convention & Visitors Bureau is excited to celebrate National Travel & Tourism week within our area. We have a fun game planned for everyone! You will find window decals that say “Visitors Means Jobs” displayed throughout the Jacksonville area. Take a photo of the sticker location or, better yet, take a photo of yourself, friends or family at the location and post it to the Jacksonville Area Convention & Visitors Bureau Facebook page or tweet the photo @jaxilcvb for a chance to win a prize basket loaded with Jacksonville goodies!
You can also join us at our downtown location, 310 East State Street, on May 5th at 10 a.m. for an event including a Mayoral Proclamation declaring National Travel & Tourism Week. We invite you to join us as we end our week gathering with friends at our 2nd Annual Trivia Night fundraiser to help raise money for local events! The fundraiser will be May 10th at the KC Hall. Call us for more information or to reserve a table! This gathering will include a silent auction and food for purchase with all proceeds going to our local events.
Looking for another way to support our local events? Several will fall within our National Travel & Tourism week. On Saturday May 3rd, you can make a day of all things Jacksonville. Begin your morning with a 5K run/walk hosted by the DAR beginning and ending at the Governor Duncan Mansion. Do you enjoy dressing up and drinking mint juleps? You can join friends of the Governor Duncan Mansion on their stunning lawn for a traditional Kentucky Derby party. Watch the Derby and enjoy great food and company from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Tickets are $40.00 per person. Once the party is over, head on over to Strawn Art Gallery for their last opening of the season from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Please contact our office for more information on these fun events!
Our contact information is listed below. Please feel free to visit any time and call us if you have any questions are comments,
Jacksonville Area Convention & Visitors Bureau
310 East State Street, located under Hamilton’s
Find us on Facebook!
Twitter: @jaxilcvb
Email: visitors@jacksonvilleil.org
Website: jacksonvilleil.org
