Power of Tourism
June, 2021
“Family is the life jacket in the stormy sea of life.”
Photos by Full Spectrum Photography
- J.K. Rowling
Britten Langfoss, Manager of The Venue with Joel and London
Randy Hughes, owner/operator, Blue Farm Organic Tortilla Chips
Over the past year, I have come to genuinely appreciate the above quote from J.K. Rowling. This past year would undoubtedly be described as one of the stormy seas of life. Especially for the businesses and organizations that make up our local tourism family. Our mission is this: “The Janesville Area Convention & Visitors Bureau leads, supports, and promotes the area’s tourism industry by marketing the region as a prime visitor destination, creating a positive economic impact for the community, and enhancing the quality of life.” Historically, the promotion part of that mission has been our focus, and encouraging as many people as possible to visit the Janesville community has made up a good portion of what we do. In 2020 we made an immediate and important shift to the role of supporting local hospitality businesses to help safeguard their survival to the other side of the storm created by the COVID-19 pandemic. Unique local businesses, nonprofit attractions and home-grown festivals and events are the lifeblood of the tourism economy and Janesville is no different.
Ronnie and Martha Enis, owners of RonMar Tasty Popcorn
Nathan Burkart, Director of the Janesville Performing Arts Center, with Megan
We created a Support Local campaign featuring our local tourism family, which provided an opportunity to step back from the quantity of visitors and focus on the quality of experiences offered by our uniquely local businesses. We took a deep dive into the people and personalities that create the experiences for visitors to our community. From locally brewed root beer, to corn chips made from locally grown blue corn, to the best tasting popcorn you will find anywhere, local products always taste better. If you are looking for a great selection of high quality goods, Janesville’s locally-owned stores and the gift shops at our local attractions have just what you need, and purchases made there support your friends and neighbors. As the world begins to safely open again, my hope is that our decisions to support local stay with us. Here at the Janesville Area Convention & Visitors Bureau, we will continue to lead, support, and promote our unique and local tourism family to create economic impact and improve the Janesville quality of life.
Owner/operators, Fred Gray and Sarah Gray
Janesville’s Tourism Promise For people seeking year-round outdoor activities and events in Southern Wisconsin, in a small-town atmosphere, Janesville provides the most easily accessible, diverse and rewarding opportunities, where visitors feel a sense of achievement, enrichment and escape. Janesville is all about year-round outdoor fun.
The Economics Despite a devastating pandemic, visitors to Janesville spent $110 million in 2020. The retail sector in Janesville received $34.9 million from visitors. Economic impact for traveler spending in the city supported 1,014 jobs. Janesville tourism generated $17.4 million in taxes and other fees for state and local government and total labor income was over $30 million in wages and salaries to Janesville residents.
JACVB Vision Statement
Christine Rebout, Director, Janesville Area Convention & Visitors Bureau
Janesville will be recognized as a destination in which visitors can easily experience a sense of achievement, enrichment and escape.
Inside... Wisconsin's Great Outside | Tourism by the Numbers | Janesville's Tourism Experts Janesville Area Convention & Visitors Bureau
(800) 487-2757
janesvillecvb.com
Wisconsin’s Great Outside • Janesville is known as “Wisconsin’s Great Outside.” Its 2,590-acre park system includes over 60 improved parks, as well as boat launches, golf courses, and nature trails. This is one of the highest acreages per capita in Wisconsin. • Janesville features 30 miles of paved, off-road trails including the southern-most segment of Wisconsin’s Ice Age Trail. The trails connect many neighborhoods, parks and attractions. In the winter, the trails, parks and greenbelt system are available for cross country skiing and snowshoeing. • Janesville is home to more than 50 pieces of public art including 15 murals, 9 public sculptures, 17 historical monuments and memorials and a time capsule. Plans are underway to add four to six murals during the 2021 Art Infusion event held September 4 – 12, 2021.
• CAMDEN Playground is one of the world’s largest accessible/integrated playgrounds. • Janesville has a nearly 500-acre greenbelt system to provide areas for surface water runoff and habitat for a diversity of plants and animals. • Janesville is home to the Janesville Jets, an expansion team in the North American Hockey League, with games played at the Janesville Ice Arena. The Jets have been recipients of the All Midwest Division Team and Midwest Division Organization of the Year awards.
• The Rock County Historical Society is transforming the Lincoln-Tallman House Campus by augmenting existing historical sites and creating new campus elements. • Redevelopment has been completed for the Town Square along the Rock River, which includes pedestrian bridge, a Riverwalk, a Great Lawn gathering space and festival streets. • 12 miles of river run through Janesville. • The Marvin W. Roth Community Pavilion in 3 acre Courthouse Park provides a covered stage area with amphitheater style seating for 300, plus open park space above for more seating for live music and other activities. • A walking tour of downtown Janesville includes hundreds of buildings of historical interest within 13 historic districts. • The Janesville Performing Arts Center seats 633 patrons and is in the historic Janesville High School.
Photo by Marsha Mood
• Janesville has an internationallythemed, award-winning botanical garden, Rotary Botanical Gardens.
• The Rock Aqua Jays are the most successful water-ski show team in the world with more than 60 tournament victories. The team regularly hosts the National Water Ski Show championships and has hosted two World Water Ski Show tournaments. Rock Aqua Jays perform twice-weekly water-ski shows on Sunday and Wednesday evenings from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend.
Janesville Area Convention & Visitors Bureau
(800) 487-2757
janesvillecvb.com
Photo by Full Spectrum Photography
Tourism by the Numbers Mission
Vision
The Janesville Area Convention & Visitors Bureau (JACVB) leads, supports and promotes the area’s tourism industry by marketing the region as a prime visitor destination, creating a positive economic impact for the community and enhancing the quality of life.
Janesville will be recognized as a destination in which visitors can easily experience a sense of achievement, enrichment and escape.
Rock County Spending 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
2020 in Review •
Visitors to Janesville spent $110 million in 2020 – change -26%
•
Visitor spending impacts in Janesville generated another $34.9 million in business sales
•
Visitor activity sustained a total of 1,014 jobs, with income surpassing $28.6 million
•
Including indirect and induced impacts, tourism in Janesville generated $11.4 million in state and local taxes last year
•
Of Wisconsin’s 72 counties, Rock County’s ranked 12th for Visitor spending in 2020
•
The JACVB website had 267,415 page views, 141,649 sessions and 108,870 users in 2020
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14,000 people currently follow the JACVB Facebook page
$197,000,000 $223,475,000 $230,000,000 $247,000,000 $253,000,000 $259,000,000 $257,000,000 $248,000,000 $233,000,000 $238,000,000 $217,000,000 $217,000,000 $174,900,000 $185,600,000 $192,000,000 $206,000,000 $222,000,000 $235,000,000 $244,800,000 $250,000,000 $263,600,000 $189,700,000
TOTAL $4,786,075,000 *Visitors to Rock County spent $4.8 billion in the last 20 years * Janesville collected $16.3 million in room tax in the last 20 years *The JACVB has given away over $272,000 in grants to local events and attractions since 1998
*Tourism in Rock County accounted for an average of 4,000 jobs each year for the past 10 years *The economic impact of groups JACVB worked with over the past 10 years totaled over $90 million
Visitor Spending in Rock County
Rock County Jobs
$14,000,000 $1,200,000 $1,000,000 $800,000 $600,000 $400,000 $200,000
$12,000,000 $10,000,000 $8,000,000 $6,000,000 $4,000,000 $2,000,000
$0
$0
80% $35,000
70%
$30,,000
60%
$25,000
50%
$20,000
40%
$15,000
30%
$10,,000
20%
$5,000
10%
$0
0%
Janesville Area Convention & Visitors Bureau
(800) 487-2757
janesvillecvb.com
The Janesville Area Convention & Visitors Bureau (JACVB) serves as the area’s destination expert. We are a private, nonprofit Destination Marketing Organization, whose mission is to lead, support and promote tourism in the area by promoting Janesville, Wisconsin’s Great Outside as a prime destination for meetings and conventions, motorcoach and leisure travelers, thereby creating a positive economic impact on the community and enhancing the quality of life. We do this by working in the four basic areas of: meeting/ conference groups, motorcoach groups, sports groups and leisure travelers. The JACVB is funded by local hotel room tax and receives approximately 60% of the room tax collected by the City of Janesville with the remainder going into the city’s general fund. Photo by Full Spectrum Photography
Janesville's Tourism Experts Photo by Full Spectrum Photography
Christine Rebout Executive Director
Lori A. Johnson Meeting & Group Sales Director
Susan Melton Marketing Director
As Executive Director of the Janesville Area Convention & Visitors Bureau. I work to promote Janesville as a tourism destination for leisure, group and business travelers. We have a staff of 6 and a group of 25 volunteers and operate two facilities including a downtown office and Visitor Information Center off of Interstate I-90/39. Working with our Board of Directors and tourism partners, I oversee the JACVB’s main goal of driving travel to the Janesville area. Utilizing our annual budget we market to not only leisure travelers but also motorcoach, meeting and conference, and sports groups. I serve on the Board of Directors of the Upper Midwest CVB Association, working towards educational opportunities for travel and tourism professionals throughout the Midwest, and currently serve as Chair for the Wisconsin Association of Convention & Visitors Bureaus.
As Meeting and Group Sales Director, I’m responsible for marketing the Janesville community as a destination for meetings and conferences as well as sporting events and group tours. I represent the JACVB at a variety of tradeshows and to industry trade organizations. I’m eager to help you whether you’re bringing a meeting to Janesville, booking a group tour, or a Janesville resident looking to “Bring Your Meeting Home.” From planning detailed itineraries to fine tuning the behind the scenes details of your meeting, I’ll be with you every step of the way. I serve as a Forward Janesville ambassador and am a member of the Wisconsin Chapter of Meeting Planners International, Circle Wisconsin and the Religious Conference Management Association.
As Marketing Director, I am responsible for implementing the overall advertising, branding and marketing strategies of the Janesville Area Convention & Visitor Bureau, Visit Milton and Visit Edgerton. In this role I oversee the advertising program, marketing projects, graphic design, communications and public relations across all market segments. I also assist partner organizations with marketing, both individually and through the JACVB Tourism Grant Fund.
Sandi Walton Office Manager
Ashley McCallum Social Media Manager
Lauren Wallace Visitor Services Representative
Come visit us in Janesville, Wisconsin’s Great Outside! Whether you walk into our office, our visitor center, or call 1 (800) 487-2757, as Office Manager and front line staff, I am here to offer you a smile and answer all of your questions. My work day might include greeting visitors and answering phones or managing databases, managing the calendar of events and website listings, and working with finances. The JACVB also operates the Visitor Information Center in Palmer Park - located just off I-90 at Exit 175. There, you will find an expansive brochure selection to assist with all your travel needs.
As the Social Media Manager I strategically plan, create, and distribute content for the JACVB, Visit Milton, Visit Edgerton and other tourism partners via social media channels including Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest. I also assist with other projects and programs undertaken by the JACVB including assisting with website content management and updates and photography management.
As the Visitors Service Representative, I will oversee the Janesville Visitor Information Center (VIC) located at Palmer Park and I am the direct liaison between area visitors and the Janesville community. I also assist with additional JACVB programs and projects.
Looking for something to do? Check out the calendar of events janesvillecvb.com/events
Janesville Area Convention & Visitors Bureau Main Office 20 S. Main Street, Ste. 11, Janesville, WI 53545
JACVB Board of Directors
Open Monday thru Friday, 8 AM - 5 PM (800) 487-2757 or (608) 757-3171 janesvillecvb.com Visitor Information Center I-90 Exit 175, Palmer Park
Nathan Burkart – Janesville Performing Arts Center Britten Langfoss – The Venue Jennifer Seibert - Hampton Inn Rave Patel - Motel 6 Benjamin Brantmeier - TownePlace Suites Maggie Darr - City of Janesville
Janesville Area Convention & Visitors Bureau
(800) 487-2757
Tim Maahs - Rock County Historical Society Becky Kronberg - Rotary Botanical Gardens Joan Neeno - Lark Tim Cullen - Rock Aqua Jays Mason Lyttle - Janesville Jets Julie Cubbage - Janesville Mall
janesvillecvb.com