VISIT CHAMPAIGN COUNTY Marketing Opportunities OFFICIAL CHAMPAIGN COUNTY VISITOR S GUIDE VISITCHAMPAIGNCOUNTY.ORG WHAT S HAPPENING ENEWSLETTER 2015 2016
WHO WE ARE Visit Champaign County is a private, non-profit organization established in 1982 to market Champaign County and its diverse set of events to attract and serve visitors, and to positively impact the local economy and quality of life. Visit Champaign County s vision is to establish and promote Champaign County as a premiere destination in Central Illinois. As the certified destination marketing organization for Champaign County, we strive to promote our community to meeting and event planners, group travel organizers, agricultural researchers, sports planners and leisure travelers. Through vigorous promotion through industry events, advertising, social media and our website VisitChampaignCounty.org Champaign County has established itself as a unique destination for visitors. 47 34 123 MEETINGS & SPORTS EVENTS BOOKED LEISURE TRAVEL GROUPS BOOKED EVENTS SERVICED in fiscal year14 EVENTS IN CHAMPAIGN COUNTY All events that occur in our community have Visitor s Guides available. Below are just some of the events that are regularly hosted in Champaign County: SPORTS Chiefs Classic Hockey Tournament Girls Fast Pitch Tournament GameDay USA Baseball ASA Girl s Softball State Tournament IPRA Central Region Rodeo Finals IHSA State Football & Wrestling Championships Illinois National Softball Assoc. Tournament Illinois Futbol Club Fall and Spring Tournaments PGA Jr. Series Steve Stricker Illini Golf Classic USJN Mid America Challenge MEETINGS Illinois Association of Vocational Agriculture Teachers American Milking Shorthorn Society Illinois State Dental Society Illinois Department of Transportation Great Lakes Planetarium Association Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival Illinois High School Theatre Festival US Army Corp of Engineers International Starch Technology Conference International Congress of Qualitative Inquiry Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police ISMIE Mutual Insurance Company EVENTS & FESTIVALS Boneyard Arts Festival Roger Ebert s Film Festival Christie Clinic Illinois Marathon CU Pride Festival CU Oktoberfest Blues, Brews & BBQ Festival Taste of Champaign-Urbana Pygmalion Music Festival I & I Historic Farm Show Half Century of Farm Progress ELLNORA Guitar Festival Homer Soda Festival
WHY MARKET YOUR BUSINESS WITH US With so many advertising opportunities available to you, what makes marketing with Visit Champaign County the right avenue for you? We ll give you 70,000 good reasons. In addition to driving traffic into Champaign County, our goal is to educate visitors on the many unique options they have while in our community. In the past year, over 70,000 Visitors Guides were distributed to those stopping here to do just that. Through our Visitors Guide and our website, visitors discover where to stay, what to eat, where to shop and what to do while in town. While tourism-related businesses receive a complimentary listing in our guide and on our website, you now have the opportunity to make your business stand out from the crowd. With over 70,000 guides distributed and over 596,000 web impressions in the past 12 months, using your marketing budget with us is sure to provide you with a return on investment. AUDIENCE & DISTRIBUTION Visit Champaign County targets individuals located outside a 50-mile radius of the county. While the guide is available for free to anyone, including residents, over 90% are distributed to business, sports and leisure travelers outside the immediate area. The Champaign County Visitos Guide can regularly be picked up in the following locations: 13 Travel Information Centers (TICs) along major interstates in Illinois Champaign County Welcome Center Willard Airport Illinois Terminal Market Place Shopping Center Champaign County Hotels and Motels Champaign County Restaurants Champaign County Chamber of Commerce University of Illinois In addition to having guides available at these high traffic areas, Visitors Guides are distributed at all tradeshows attended by Visit Champaign County including: IPW International Tradeshow American Bus Association Travel Media Showcase Illinois Society of Association Executives Connect Market Place 70,000 travelers read the Visitors Guide to decide where to stay, what to do, where to eat and where to shop. Throughout the year, Visitors Guides are also provided with maps to meeting attendees, sports groups, and leisure coaches who travel to the area.
VISITCHAMPAIGNCOUNTY.ORG The Visit Champaign County website is THE resource for individuals and groups traveling to the area. With comprehensive listings of restaurants, hotels, attractions, events and more, visitors can access the information they want to help them in the travels. In the past 12 months, the website received over 596,000 impressions. The website is undergoing a redesign that will be in place by July 2015 that will feature a highly-graphic interface and responsive design, so it is easily accessed from any device. Top pages viewed on the site include: Accommodations Attractions Dining Event Calendar Things to Do Arts & Entertainment Shopping BASIC & ENHANCED LISTINGS Tourism related businesses in Champaign County such as hotels, restaurants, shops and attractions receive complimentary listings on our website that include the business name, address, phone number, 25 word description and 1-2 photos. NEW ENHANCED LISTINGS With the website redesign, you ll have a greater opportunity to stand out from the crowd. Add up to 15 photos and 2 videos to your listing, as well as a 100 word description that showcase your business. You ll also be promoted to appear at or near the top of your category in alphabetical order with all paid enhanced listings. With an enhanced listing, you re guaranteed to get your business in front of the thousands browsing our site. Basic Listing Enhanced Listing Note that the samples above are from a sample website that will be similar to Visit Champaign County s redesign. Complete details of enhanced listings are subject to change based on scope of work for the project.
WHAT S HAPPENING One of the biggest reasons to visit Champaign County is the vast number of events hosted in the area. Based on events submitted to our community event calendar, we produce a biweekly e-newsletter, What s Happening, that is distributed to over 2,500 subscribers. Subscribers range from residents of Champaign County to participants in previous events to meeting and event planners. Get your business in front of over 2,500 engaged readers by advertising in our e-newsletter. ADVERTISING RATES Reach thousands of visitors craving information about our area through our numbers mediums. Market your business in our Visitor s Guide, through our website or our e-newsletter! VISITOR S GUIDE Distribution: 70,000 + online page-flipper Inside Back Cover... $1,400 Full Page... $1,200 Half Page... $750 Third Page... $500 Sixth Page... $325 VISITCHAMPAIGNCOUNTY.ORG Unique Impressions: 190,000 Enhanced Listing... $300 100-word description, up to 15 photos and 2 videos, promoted to top of page, valid for 12 months E-NEWSLETTER Subscribers: 2,500 Frequency 6X 3X 1X Newsletter Ad $50 $75 $100 VALUE-ADDED PACKAGES Our affordable packages help you create an integrated campaign across all our mediums. Find one that fits your budget or contact us for a custom package. SEASONED TRAVELLER... $2,000 Get the most bang for your buck with a full page ad in our Visitors Guide (inside pages only), an enhanced listing on our website and 15 e-newsletter ads. EXPLORER... $1,150 You ll find value in our Explorer package with a half page ad in our Visitors Guide, an enhanced listing on our website and 6 e-newsletter ads. WANDERER... $500 Stick to an online presence and gain exposure with an enhanced listing on our website and 6 e-newsletter ads.
SPECIFICATIONS VISITOR S GUIDE RESERVATION & MATERIALS DEADLINE: May 30, 2015 File Format: Resolution: Color: Bleeds: Press-ready PDF or EPS 300 dpi All ads are 4-color process (CMYK) All full page or half page ads must have bleeds. See below for dimensions. Do NOT include crop marks on file. Ad Size Trim Size Bleed Size Inside Back Cover: 8.5 x 11 8.75 x 11.25 Full Page: 8.5 x 11 8.75 11.25 Half Page: 8.5 x 4.875 8.75 x 5.125 Third Page: 4.75 x 4.75 n/a Sixth Page: 2.333 x 4.75 n/a Full page 8.5 x 11 Full page w/ bleed 8.75 x 11.25 Live Area 1/3 page 4.75 x 4.75 1/6 page 2.33 x 4.75 Half page 8.5 x 4.875 Half page w/ bleed 8.75 x 5 Trim Area Visit Champaign County can design your ad for an additional $100 fee. WEBSITE ENHANCED LISTING EXPIRES AFTER 12 MONTHS Photos: Minimum width of 500 pixels File Format: JPG Resolution: 72 dpi Color: RGB Videos: Provided with YouTube or Vimeo link E-NEWSLETTER ADS Size: 200 x 200 pixels File Format: JPG, GIF or PNG Resolution: 72 dpi Color: RGB Ads can be rotated as long as they are received within 48 hours before scheduled newsletter LET S GET STARTED! Ready to get your name out to the thousands of visitors coming to Champaign County? Contact Terri Reifsteck, Marketing & Business Development Director, to increase your exposure today! Whether it s through one of our value added packages or through enhanced listings on our website, your business will gain increased foot traffic by advertising with Visit Champaign County. Terri Reifsteck 217.351.4133 terrir@visitchampaigncounty.org