Grand Opening of the Visitor’s Bureau Represents a Growing Community
For the City Times
The Wisconsin Rapids Area Convention & Visitors Bureau is hosting a Grand Opening to celebrate its new downtown location adjacent to Karen’s Wines & Steins.
The board of directors and staff invite you to join them for hosted beverages and hors d’ oeuvres from 5:00 – 7:00 pm on Jun. 16.
“The Thursday kicking off Cranberry Blossom Festival is the perfect time to celebrate our organization, its mission and our established location in the historic Hamm Building,” said Morgan Vanderhei, Marketing Associate.
The location and layout of the new space is a reflection of the goals and mission of the organization.
The Wisconsin Rapids Area Convention & Visitor’s Bureau before remodeling. (Photo: Laura Nelson)
“It is our purpose to drive economic value through tourism, and part of that is providing community information to enhance the visitor experience,” stated Laura Nelson, Executive Director.
Through a partnership with Karen’s Wines and Steins, located at the 1st Street entrance of the Hamm Building, community information is accessible on evenings and weekends, in addition to the traditional business hours held by the Convention & Visitors Bureau, located at the 2nd Street entrance of the same building.
With the summer of 2016 on track to be Wisconsin Rapids’ busiest tourism season on record, the staff anticipate that their new location will see a lot of foot traffic.
“With State and World Water Ski Show Tournaments, the State Trap Shoot, the Wisconsin Junior Curling Camp, State BMX Racing, and the opening of Sand Valley Golf Resort, we plan to be extremely busy this summer, and we could not be more excited,” added Vanderhei. “Our collateral material, e-newsletter requests and web traffic are all seeing significant boosts, and we anticipate that will translate to more visitor traffic to our physical location.”
The Wisconsin Rapids Area Convention & Visitor’s Bureau after remodeling. (Photo: Laura Nelson)
The space created by Wisconsin Rapids Area Convention & Visitors Bureau is not just for tourists. The community information displays in Karen’s Wines & Steins are intended to spark conversations and encourage locals to be tourists in their own town.
“The more engaged you are within your own community, the more likely you will be to share that positive information with others,” Nelson said. “We want to give our residents tools to be ambassadors of our area, and offer first hand advice to visitors with enthusiasm.”
Both entrances to the Hamm Building will be open and the general public is encouraged to attend the Grand Opening celebration on Thursday, Jun. 16 from 5:00 – 7:00 pm. Kick off Cranberry Blossom Festival weekend by learning more about the Wisconsin Rapids area, while mingling and enjoying complimentary local foods and beverages.
Wisconsin Rapids Area Convention & Visitors Bureau is located at 131 2nd Street North in Wisconsin Rapids. Karen’s Wines & Steins is located at 160 1st Street North.
For more information, please call 715-422-4651.
