Home to South Dakota State University, the Children’s Museum of South Dakota and outstanding destinations, Brookings is a welcoming, dynamic and progressive community where people want to be.
As Destination Experts, we proudly share the Brookings story, strengthen the economy and elevate the community experience for all.
We value partnerships and strive to be a connector of people, resources and ideas.
We act with honesty, fairness and transparency and insist on it with others.
We are a champion for local tourism and collaborate with local organizations to create a friendly, welcoming environment where visitors can enjoy Brookings’s culture, traditions and hidden gems.
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Laci Thompson, Chair, Pasque
Michael Logan, Vice Chair, Dacotah Bank Center
BOARD MEMBERS
Ashley Biggar, Dacotah Bank Center
Jamison Lamp, SDSU
Michael Johnson, Pheasant Restaurant
Becky Kuehl, SDSU
Sarah Pitts, Sanford Foundation
We continuously seek new and creative ways to enhance the travel experience of our visitors and embrace innovative ideas to actively shape our future.
Melisa Yager, Secretary/Treasurer, Hampton/Holiday Inn
Lisa Marotz, Past Chair, McCrory Gardens
Jacob Meshke, City of Brookings
Kerrie Vilhauer, Children’s Museum of SD
Christi Williams, SDSU Athletics
Kristin Zimmerman, City of Brookings
Laura Schoen Carbonneau, Visit Brookings
Laura Schoen Carbonneau, IOM CTA Executive Director
Bridgit Burghardt, CTA Director of Operations & Sales
Kate Solberg, CTA Marketing Director
WThe visitor industry plays a vital role in Brookings' economy The Visit Brookings team is responsible for promoting the community to enhance visitor spending across various sectors, including lodging, food and beverage, recreation, retail,and transportation
While the impact figures for 2024 are currently being calculated by the South Dakota Department of Tourism*, the year 2023 demonstrated impressive outcomes, highlighted by the following:
Visitor spending in Brookings County approached $125 million in 2023, reflecting an increase of nearly $10 million from the previous year.
This growth resulted in the total number of jobs in Brookings County exceeding 2,000 in 2023, with an addition of approximately 125 new positions.
Visitors contributed $9.2 million in state and local sales tax revenue, marking an increase of 8.4% compared to 2022.
To assess progress, the Visit Brookings team monitors several key indicators beyond overall visitor spending These include the BBB (3rd penny sales tax), occupancy rates, and the Occupancy Fee sometimes referred to as the Pillow Tax which is a $2 per room per night fee applied to most hotel accommodations
In 2024, Brookings recorded unprecedented BBB figures, with an overall increase of 12% in hotel, restaurant and bar receipts. However, the Brookings BID experienced only a marginal increase, possibly due to a significant number of long-term contracts associated with various construction projects. Research is underway to gain a better understanding. Additionally, hotel occupancy rates rose by 1% compared to 2023.
*The South Dakota Department of Tourism will release the 2024 county data in early spring.
The Visit Brookings team creates an annual Plan of Work based on the Visit Brookings Strategic Plan and the City of Brookings Economic Development Master Plan.
Each year the Visit Brookings team holds a planning retreat to evaluate progress and identify goals and action items of the coming year. We use the Visit Brookings Strategic Plan and the City of Brookings Economic Development Master Plan as our guide. The information from the planning retreat is used to create an annual Plan of Work which identifies specific tasks to work on throughout the year The entire 2024 Plan of Work included 47 action items The following represents the 7 specific goals identified in our Subsidy Funding Agreement with the City of Brookings
When competing for leisure travelers and especially conferences and sporting events, it is important to understand how our assets compare to other offerings. This information also helps lay the groundwork for future goals within the city’s economic development masterplan as we consider whether to move forward with a Destination Master Plan in year five of the plan
Update the Brookings Meeting Market Report to compare Brookings with South Dakota Communities, adding in additional community assets and expand to include similar-sized communities within our target market outside of South Dakota
Compare 10 in-state communities and 10 outof-state communities.
The first Meeting Market Report was created in 2014 and updated in 2016. The 2024 edition took information gathered in that report and expanded to include restaurant information along with community profiles indicating key tourism assets Visit Brookings chose to expand the research to include 14 South Dakota communities rather than 10. Out-ofstate communities focused on those identified by South Dakota State University as its competitive set. Staff elected to create two separate documents from this data, rather than combining the information into one report
*Indicates the relevant strategy from the City of Brookings Economic Development Master Plan
The work done by the Visit Brookings team in 2024 lays the groundwork for future goals identified in the City of Brookings Economic Development Master Plan. In order to achieve those goals, staff needs a broad understanding of the basics of a gap analysis and an economic development master plan.
Research plans from other communities for inspiration and understanding of the purpose and benefit of conducting a destination master plan in Brookings.
The Visit Brookings team identified 12 communities and obtained destination master plans from each This is the first step in a much larger goal so a deeper dive and evaluation of those plans will be necessary. Additionally, Executive Director Laura Schoen Carbonneau enrolled in a professional development course to earn her CDME (Certified Destination Management Executive). Much of her focus when selecting coursework focus on destination development and planning, giving valuable insight into this process The Visit Brookings team will continue to research additional Destination Master Plans as they come to our attention.
Research a minimum of five communities which either have performed a gap analysis or conducted a full Destination Master Plan
Meeting and event recruitment is the core of our work. In 2023 we launched a multi-year Bring it to Brookings campaign to remind locals of the opportunity to think of Brookings when they travel to industry meetings outside of our community. We continue to promote this message throughout the community with a variety of partners.
Annual meeting held to engage hotels/meeting venues and discuss big events and potential business opportunities.
TARGET:
Inaugural meeting held by July 1, 2024
Continued, consistent collaboration with meeting and hotel partners is critical in our attempts to grow this segment of our visitor industry. We currently visit our hotel partners quarterly and hold monthly meetings with the Dacotah Bank Center team. In 2024 we organized a meeting and invited all meeting venues and hotels to talk through the opportunities and challenges in event recruitment This is not a one-time goal, but the start of an ongoing practice to share more information with our partners and strengthen trust and cooperation
Tourism marketing proves to be successful when it emphasizes the creation of lasting memories through unique experiences.
PERFORMANCE MEASURE:
Number of new itineraries created and shared on Visit Brookings website and social media channels.
RESULTS: GOAL COMPLETE
TARGET:
12 itineraries created
Experience development remains a crucial and ongoing component of Visit Brookings' marketing initiatives. In 2024, our team enhanced our collaboration with SHRPA, inviting three travel bloggers to Brookings with the objective of crafting four itineraries each, resulting in a total of twelve itineraries Visit Brookings provided an outline detailing general topics, locations and activities to guide the bloggers in meeting our expectations for these itineraries. The completed itineraries were subsequently featured on the VisitBrookingsSD.com website and leveraged in our email and social media marketing campaigns. This initiative not only enriched our destination experiences but also expanded our image and video libraries with fresh content Itinerary development will continue to be a focal point in the coming years.
As we continue to focus on our mission of telling the Brookings story, the Visit Brookings team continually looks for innovative and economical marketing opportunities, along with more closely defining our target marketings.
Initiate the third year in the South Dakota Community Co-op marketing program in partnership with the South Dakota Department of Tourism.
Peak season campaign launched
The South Dakota Community Co-op Program is an opportunity to match our local marketing dollars with expertise of the South Dakota Department of Tourism This is a dollar-for-dollar match with a minimum buy-in of $40,000 for each season (peak and shoulder). Brookings participated in the peak season campaign. With the match, this program allowed us to turn our $40,000 into $80,000 worth of marketing, dramatically increasing our reach. This program also allows us to tap into data and research by the South Dakota Department of Tourism to make focused marketing efforts and utilize the creative and media placement expertise of professional tourism marketing firms. Visit Brookings intends to continue this partnership into the future but with a change in overall strategy. For 2025 Visit Brookings will participate in the shoulder season campaign with the intent of increasing overnight stays from October through April.
According to a recent study by the South Dakota Department of Tourism, the majority of residents believe that tourism has a positive impact on the local economy. At Visit Brookings, we recognize the importance of catering to both internal city residents and external visitors when promoting the community. Our approach is to engage both targets through various channels to ensure a wellrounded strategy.
PERFORMANCE MEASURE:
Launch Brookings Tourism Ambassador (CTA) Program
Staff launched the Brookings Tourism Ambassador program in May and scheduled monthly certification opportunities through the balance of the year
To date, 51 Brookings residents have become certified
TARGET:
Schedule six certification opportunities
Word-of-mouth advertising remains a significant influence as visitors seek activities, accommodations and dining options. By encouraging local businesses to actively manage their online reputations, we can enhance our collective efforts in promoting Brookings more effectively.
Number of meetings held with businesses to provide them with information about managing their online reputations
RESULTS: GOAL COMPLETE
20 meetings held
This goal was addressed in a variety of ways with over 50 contacts made with businesses throughout the year Visit Brookings staff scheduled individual meetings with businesses to encourage them to claim their business on Google, Trip Advisor and other platforms and to create a schedule to consistently monitor the sites and respond as appropriate. Additionally, Marketing Director Kate Solberg created a guide which can be downloaded from the VisitBrookingsSD com website This guide walks businesses through a step-by-step process of setting up and managing their online reputations. Participants who go through the Brookings Tourism Ambassador program are also instructed and encouraged to leave reviews about our local restaurants and attractions as part of their ongoing recertification process.
Meeting and event recruitment and retention activities make up 30% of the Visit Brookings Annual Budget.
Brookings is an outstanding venue for meetings, events and small conferences. Each year, roughly 1/3 of our annual city budget is devoted to meeting and event recruitment activities. We know each person who stays in Brookings overnight for a meeting or event will spend an estimated $140 in our community These visitors stay in our hotels, eat in our restaurants, fuel up at our convenience stores, visit an attraction or do a little shopping before returning home. The influx of visitor spending significantly stimulates our local community by introducing new revenue with each visit. Consequently, it is imperative that we continue to invest in these recruitment initiatives.
The Visit Brookings Event Grant program is instrumental in recruiting and sustaining events. This program allows event organizers to apply for funding to offset facility rental, marketing activities, hire transportation or fund other meeting costs. While we always look for new events, we also appreciate and award recurring events to help them grow and attract additional visitors
The economic impact of the grants awarded in 2024 is estimated at a record $11.2 million for Brookings. For every dollar distributed in grant funding by Visit Brookings, the community realized an impressive return on investment of $84.51.
In 2024, Visit Brookings staff processed 37 applications including eight from new events. The estimated economic impact of the awards totaled $11.21 million, attracting 91,272 event attendees who used over 12,700 hotel rooms. For every dollar invested in event recruitment, we saw a return of $84.51 based on economic impact calculations. The Visit Brookings staff also provided groups with visitor guides, nametags, and assisted with room blocks.
Visit Brookings continued to share the Brookings story as a visitor destination in 2024 through a variety of creative channels and marketing tactics.
With a relatively small marketing budget, the Visit Brookings team seeks out partnerships to stretch our buying power. Between the South Dakota Community Co-op program and the Destination Marketing Organization grant provided through the South Dakota Department of Tourism, we are able to capitalize on the city’s investment. We have also created a menu of a la carte buy-in programs to provide our local industry partners an opportunity to participate in joint marketing opportunities they wouldn’t be able to invest in on their own The availability of additional research helps us focus in on our target markets to deploy efficient and effective tactics which have an impact.
Working alongside Travel South Dakota (the South Dakota Department of Tourism), we enrolled in both the A la Carte and Community Co-op Programs, turning $40,000 into $80,000 worth of marketing. The following is a sampling of our efforts:
We worked with three influencers to create 12 itineraries with three different focuses: Agritourism, the Brookings Summer Arts Festival and a Guys Weekend in Brookings. This collaboration resulted in more than 300 views to the VisitBrookingsSD com website since June 2024
Group travel is a growth area for Visit Brookings and will see expanded focus in the future. In 2024 Visit Brookings bought into three magazine ads targeting group tour operators.
Tapping into the Travel SD network, Visit Brookings participated in three email campaigns including a focus on Frost Fest, Garden Glow and an exclusive Brookings dedicated email focusing on ways to enjoy our community in the fall
The partnership with the Community Co-op program resulted in 3.5 million impressions and 1,049 hotel rooms booked in Brookings as a result of seeing our marketing efforts.
Outside of the community co-op, Visit Brookings advertises in a number of targeted buys. the following are examples of our outreach efforts.
Brookings is an active member of both the Glacial Lakes & Prairies and Southeast South Dakota tourism associations. We advertise in both regional publications as well as in the South Dakota Vacation Guide, which is developed in collaboration with the regional offices. In March, we participated in the inaugural GL&P Coffee Bracket Challenge and promoted Kool Beans as our local entrant. Additionally, we sponsor a marketing display with Southeast Tourism at the Westroads Mall in Omaha. These efforts are just a few examples of how we leverage partnerships to promote Brookings effectively.
In an effort to provide local partners with an opportunity to extend their reach, Visit Brookings continued its local co-op program with a total of one full page advertisement in South Dakota Magazine and three two-page advertisements in the 605 Magazine Through this program, we were able to promote 16 partners in the 27 available spots With the success of this program, the Visit Brookings team is looking to expand into six offerings for 2025.
Building tourism in the community is another focus of the Visit Brookings team. We have created a number of partnerships which result in a duel effort of marketing and public relations.
The Visit Brookings team produces the annual Brookings Visitor Guide in partnership with the Brookings Register and the South Dakota State University PR Writing Class. This successful venture is in its 5th year and led by the Visit Brookings team. Students are assigned stories selected by Visit Brookings. Staff works closely with students as they develop content and write the stories. Once complete the articles are repurposed in Visit Brookings email marketing and on the website Visit Brookings also works with the Brookings Register, providing additional content and direction for the layout The Register finalizes the design, sells ads, prints and stores the publication It has been a winwin partnership we plan to continue
Visit Brookings produces the most comprehensive monthly calendar in the community. In addition to incorporating public submissions, the staff actively gathers information from social media and websites regarding upcoming events. This information is compiled into a calendar, which is distributed to individuals requesting printed and digital copies. The calendar is included in a marketing piece sent to approximately 2,000 contacts each month. Additionally, Visit Brookings creates a three-month planning calendar for industry partners, enabling them to prepare for larger crowds and busy weekends.
2024 marked the second year of the DMO Marketing Assistance Grant through the South Dakota Department of Tourism. Visit Brookings was awarded $45,000/year to spend on marketing activities. The grant is available for a total of four years.
Visit Brookings worked with Brookings Radio/Alpha Media on our second year of the Bring it to Brookings campaign. The goal of this promotion is to remind residents who belong to associations, organizations and other groups that Brookings is an excellent host city for annual conferences and regional meetings. This year ’ s campaign expanded the reach to organizational leadership within a two hour drive and consisted of digital display and
retargeted banner ads, paid social media placement, radio ads, print ads in the Brookings Register and billboard promotions
Marketing efforts with the DMO Marketing Assistant Grant included a year-long contract with the billboard outside the Visit Brookings office. Each month Visit Brookings provided up to five different designs welcoming visitors, events and additional relevant information
With a combined total of 41 years experience in tourism promotion, 34 years in budgeting and 31 years or organizational management, the Visit Brookings team is comprised as destination experts. We have the experience and knowledge to continue to grow this important industry in our community.
This report is a snapshot of the progress made by Visit Brookings in the past year and specifically highlights goals outlined in the 2024 Subsidy Agreement. The team welcomes the opportunity to share additional information throughout the year and invites City Council members to contact our office with questions or suggestions.
We look forward to building on success over the past year as we position our organization for growth in the future The Visit Brookings team appreciates the strong relationship we ’ ve developed with the City Council, city administrative staff and our local industry partners. By working together, we can reach our goals.
