Through the Years

Ronnie White - Acting Board Chairman

Talk about one or two of your favorite moments while serving the bureau.

“Well, the one that really sticks out to me right now is I had never been to a NASCAR race. So, being able to go and help represent the bureau at the NASCAR race and just get to experience that. I’m a car guy, so the other thing that stands out is when the bureau did the event at the racetrack and we got to go on the fresh asphalt with the professional drivers, that really was a highlight for me.”

It's the 20th edition of the Visitors Guide, what stands out to you the most about how it has evolved?

“I like the fact that it seems to be getting more user friendly. The way it’s developed, people look at things, they want to look through things quickly and find something that catches their attention, and I think we’ve gotten a lot better at picking and choosing those single events for tourism locations for them to really catch onto.”

What is the one aspect of being affiliated with the bureau that you’ve really come to appreciate?

“You spend more time with people from all over southern Illinois, and you get to know them a little and develop those relationships and it is key to networking – you can bounce ideas off of other people. It doesn’t even have to be tourism, you can get into other topics, little rabbit holes here and there that you’re able to help out with, and it makes a difference. I also like how we have some big players with the bureau, but we also have a lot of little players. And how we try to include everybody, and that is very important to me, and I really appreciate the way we’ve been able to do that. So, I think it’s been great.”

What do you think makes the bureau so valuable to the region?

“I feel like we’ve gotten to where we’re on the cutting edge of what’s going on, and I really appreciate the way we’ve stayed up front with videos and other things that are really effective. Not just coming in, putting in the hours and going home at the end of the day, but really thinking about what’s best for the members of the bureau, and how we can most effectively promote tourism in our area. There are other governmental agencies that I don’t get that feel from, so I’m super excited about where the bureau is going from here.”