Power of Tourism
May, 2018
Year-round Outdoor Fun & Activities At the heart of Janesville is our acclaimed parks and trails systems, and the vast range of accessible outdoor activities that can be pursued year-round. These naturebased recreational attributes have a strong influence on Janesville as a compelling place for attracting new residents and visitors. “Wisconsin’s Great Outside” encompasses the fun, excitement, enrichment, relaxation and success visitors can find in Janesville.
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.
Signature Janesville Experiences Activity & Fitness: No matter where you are in Janesville you are never more than minutes from outstanding hiking, biking, rollerblading, cross-country skiing, water-skiing, Disc golf, softball, soccer, sledding, tennis, boating, fishing, and running opportunities. Discovery: Explore the Rotary Botanical Gardens with its special events, tours and classes or join an historical walking tour to reveal Janesville’s fascinating past.
Janesville’s Community Promise For people wanting to live, work, study or invest in a small city atmosphere, Janesville provides the community with affordable living, excellent schools, low crime, quality community services, and abundant year-round recreation, where they can feel a sense of connection, well-being and success.
Janesville’s Business Promise
Events & Festivals: We have a packed calendar of events where you can cheer at an open-air concert, celebrate at a festival under the stars, browse a local market, marvel at a special showing at a local gallery, or applaud an outdoor theater performance.
For people wanting to invest and succeed in a small Wisconsin city, Janesville provides the resilient, hardworking community, market access, networks, affordable living and business friendly approach , where they can feel a sense of confidence, success and achievement.
Family Fun: Spend time together at the splash pad, learn new activities in the parks and along the trails, plan a family reunion or be part of a spectacular Rock Aqua Jays performance.
Janesville’s Downtown Promise
Fun with Friends: Round up friends for fun riverfront dining, cycling or jogging the trails, kayaking, disc golf or antiquing.
For people living in, or visiting Janesville, only Downtown Janesville provides the vibrant neighborhood where commerce, culture, entertainment, history and recreation intersect, where they can feel a sense of connection, well-being and success.
Tournaments & Sports Events: Janesville presents outstanding indoor and outdoor venues where sporting events and tournaments can be watched or hosted.
Janesville Area Convention & Visitors Bureau
(800) 487-2757
Inside... Wisconsin's Great Outside Tourism by the Numbers Janesville's Tourism Experts
janesvillecvb.com
Wisconsin’s Great Outside! •
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CAMDEN Playground is considered one of the world’s largest accessible/integrated playgrounds.
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Janesville also 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 known as “Wisconsin’s Park Place”. Its 2,590-acre park system includes 64 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.
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Janesville has an internationally themed, awardwinning botanical garden, Rotary Botanical Gardens.
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The Rock Aqua Jays are the most successful water-ski show team in the world with 62 tournament victories. The team regularly hosts the National Ski championships and World Water Ski Show tournament. Rock Aqua Jays perform twice-weekly water-ski shows on Sunday and Wednesday evenings from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend.
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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.
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The Rock County Historical Society plans to transform the Lincoln-Tallman House Campus by augmenting existing historical sites and creating new campus elements.
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Redevelopment is underway for the Town Square along the Rock River which will provide a pedestrian bridge, a Riverwalk, a Great Lawn gathering space, a festival street and the integration of local restaurants and bars.
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Janesville has 36 miles of scenic river that runs through the community.
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Janesville’s 30 miles of paved trails, including Janesville’s segment of the statewide Ice Age Trail, connect many neighborhoods, parks and attractions. In the winter, the trails, parks and greenbelt system are available to cross country skiers and snowshoeing.
Janesville Area Convention & Visitors Bureau
(800) 487-2757
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The Marvin W. Roth Community Pavilion 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 in 3 acre Courthouse Park.
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Janesville’s outdoor art includes 8 murals, 8 public sculptures, 10 historical monuments and memorials and a time capsule.
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A walking tour of downtown Janesville will include 30 buildings of historical interest within 13 historic districts.
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The Janesville Performing Arts Center seats 635 patrons and is in the original historic Janesville High School.
janesvillecvb.com
Tourism by the Numbers Thank You
Mission
Vision
It’s been our pleasure to market the Janesville Community for the past 20 years as a destination for work, play and business. Supporting Janesville’s tourism businesses including our attractions, hotels, restaurants, events and retailers is an honor. Thank you for all you do make Janesville the amazing destination it is today.
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.
2017 A Year in Review •
Visitors to Rock County spent $244.8 million in 2017– up 4% over 2016
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Total business sales linked to tourism spending in Rock county was $398.6 million, up 3.7% over 2016
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Economic impact in Rock County for traveler spending in the county supported 4,147 jobs - up 2% over 2017
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Rock County tourism generated $29 million in taxes and other fees for state & local government
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Total labor income in Rock County was over $96.5 million in wages and salaries to residents
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Of Wisconsin’s 72 counties, Rock County’s ranked 12th in visitor spending
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The JACVB provided direct services to 78 meetings/conferences, totaling 194,500 attendees and 13,055 room nights
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The JACVB Visitor Information Center saw 1, 370 total inquiries from 38 states and 5 counties
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The JACVB website had 252,000 pages views, 104,000 sessions and 75,000 users in 2017
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10,000 people currently follow the JACVB Facebook page
20 Year Snapshot *Visitors to Rock County spent $4.5 billion over the past 20 years *Janesville collected $15.5 million in room tax in the last 20 years *The JACVB has given away over $216,000 in grants to local events and attractions since 2007
10 Year Snapshot *Tourism in Rock County accounted for an average of 4,000 jobs each year for the past 10 years *The economic impact of the groups JACVB has worked with over the past 10 years totaled nearly $76 million *Annual occupancy has risen to over 64% since 2007
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/ conferences 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.
We’re Here to Help You
Our expert staff is here to help you plan your next visit, group tour, meeting or conference event held in Janesville. We are happy to assist both visitors and residents alike. From planning a fun-filled itinerary that includes visiting area attractions and events to planning a reunion, wedding, club meeting, retreat or conference, we're here to help and our assistance is completely complementary! Our goals are simple, to provide you with the best experience possible. The JACVB is also a great resource for area event information and finding new ways to experience all our community has to offer.
Janesville's Tourism Experts
JACVB Board of Directors
Christine Rebout Executive 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 a 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 of $600,000, we market to not only leisure travelers but also motorcoach, sports and meeting and conference groups. I serve on the board of Directors of the Upper Midwest CVB Assocation, working towards educational opportunities for travel and tourism professionals throughout the Midwest and currently serve as Vice Chair for the Wisconsin Association of Convention & Visitors Bureaus.
As Marketing Director I am responsible for implementing the overall advertising, branding and marketing strategies of the Janesville Area Convention & Visitor Bureau in the promotion of Janesville, Wisconsin’s Great Outside as a destination. In this role I oversee the advertising program, marketing projects, graphic design, and communications, including social media and public relations across all market segments. I also assist partner organizations with marketing, both individually and through the JACVB Tourism Grant Fund. Visit our website janesvillecvb. com often and follow us on social media for the most current and up to date information regarding fun and activities in the Janesville area.
Lori A. Johnson Director of Meeting & Group Sales
Sandi Walton Office Manager
As Director of Sales I’m responsible for marketing the Janesville community as a destination for meetings and conferences as well as meetings and conferences, sporting events and motorcoach 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 fi ne 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, Heritage Peer, Circle Wisconsin Motorocoach Group.
Come visit us in Janesville, Wisconsin’s Great Outside! Whether you walk into our o ce our visitor center, or call (800) 487-2757, as O ce Manager and front line sta , I am here to o er you a smile and answer all of your questions. My work day might include greeting visitors and answering phones or managing databases , the website content and working with fi nances. JACVB also operates the Visitor Information Center in Palmer Park - located just o I-90 at Exit 175. There, you will fi nd an expansive brochure selection to assist with all your travel needs. Our volunteer sta is available to assist you seven days a week from 9 AM to 5 PM (Mid-May through September).
Janesville Area Convention & Visitors Bureau
Tim Cullen – Rock Aqua Jays Nathan Burkart – Janesville Performing Arts Center Maggie Darr – City of Janesville Jennifer Seibert – Hampton Inn Karl Anderson – AmericInn Teresa Nyguen - Rock County Historical Society Becky Kronberg - Rotary Botanical Gardens Joan Neeno – Lark Scott Skelly – Skelly’s Farm Market Mason Lyttle – Janesville Jets Julie Cubbage – Janesville Mall Britten Langfoss – Downtown Janesville Inc. Carla Olson – Forward Janesville
Janesville Area Convention & Visitors Bureau Main Office 20 S. Main Street, Ste. 17, Janesville, WI 53545
(800) 487-2757
Open Monday - Friday, 8 AM - 5 PM (800) 487-2757 or (608) 757-3171 janesvillecvb.com Visitor Information Center I-90 Exit 175, Palmer Park Open mid May - mid September 7 Days a week, 9 AM - 5PM
janesvillecvb.com