What We Do
Sell Fort Wayne
• Our destination branding positions Fort Wayne as a world-class, family-friendly leisure destination
• Our group sales efforts attract conventions, meetings, and sporting events to Fort Wayne
• Our integrated marketing campaigns drive visitors to Fort Wayne through advertising, PR, and social media
Destination Development
• We use industry expertise and leadership, along with community collaboration, to improve the quality of place for visitors and residents, so that Fort Wayne and Allen County can benefit from a vibrant and growing tourism economy
Welcome and Connect Visitors
• We assist with the execution of more than 70 meetings and events each year
• Our staff runs a friendly, helpful Visitors Center
• We produce maps, guides, and visitor resources to help visitors discover Fort Wayne and Allen County communities
Mission
Visit Fort Wayne promotes the city and county as an exceptional destination, and leads the growth and development of the visitor industry Vision
Fort Wayne is recognized nationally as a welcoming visitor destination, offering unique experiences in an inclusive and hospitable community
Strategic Goals
• Elevate Destination Marketing Sales and Services
• Lead Destination Development
• Advocate Tourism/Visit Fort Wayne Value Contributions
• Gain Destination Resources and Returns
Our Board
Back Row, L to R: Don Wyss, John Perlich, Mark Luttik, Mike Mushett, Melanie Carney, Mike Nutter, Rick Schuiteman
Front Row, L to R: Russ Jehl, Bart Shaw, Danette Fitzgerald, Irene Walters, Melissa Schenkel, Julie Wall, Kelley Hartley Hutton, Kelly Updike, Susan Baier, Paris McFarthing
Not Pictured: Tim Beere, Therese Brown, Tim Hall, Colleen Huddleson, Jason Patel, Johnny Perez, Lisa Starks
Melissa Schenkel, SYM Financial Advisors Board Chair
Susan Baier, Allen County Public Library Vice Chair
Mark Luttik, Hilton Fort Wayne at the Grand Wayne Convention Center Treasurer
Rick Schuiteman, Fort Wayne Zoo Secretary
Our Staff
Back Row, L to R: Emily Hill, Tom Boyer, Nancy Niemann, Lydia Harris, Bethany Sutherland, Beth Monn, Kaitie Jones, Josie O’Donnell, Nicolle Campbell, Kristen Guthrie
Front Row, L to R: Kendall Likes, Jessa Campbell, Alyssa Ault, Jill Boggs, Erin Okeson, Emily Stuck, Jazmin Zavala
Board Members
Tim Beere, DeBrand Fine Chocolates
Therese Brown, Allen County Commissioners
Melanie Carney, Allen County War Memorial Coliseum
Danette Fitzgerald, Parkview Health
Tim Hall, Fort Wayne Outfitters
Kelley Hartley Hutton, Purdue Fort Wayne Athletics
Colleen Huddleson, Fort Wayne Museum of Art
Russ Jehl, Fort Wayne City Council
Paris McFarthing, Hop River Brewing Co.
Mike Mushett, Turnstone
Mike Nutter, Fort Wayne TinCaps
Jason Patel, Blue Flame Hospitality
Johnny Perez, Te Gustó Hospitality
John Perlich, City of Fort Wayne
Bart Shaw, Grand Wayne Convention Center
Lisa Starks, Barnes & Thornburg
Kelly Updike, Embassy Theatre
Julie Wall, the HEDGE
Irene Walters, Civic Leader
Don Wyss, Allen County Council
Management & Finance
Jill Boggs, President and CEO
Beth Monn, Operations Manager
Kendall Likes, Special Projects Assistant
Visitor and Partner Services
Emily Stuck, Director of Visitor and Partner Services
Nancy Niemann, Senior Visitor Services Specialist
Kaitie Jones, Visitor Services Specialist
Marketing & Communications
Kristen Guthrie, Vice President of Marketing and Communications
Jessa Campbell, Director of Destination Development and Communications
Tom Boyer, Digital Marketing Manager
Erin Okeson, Digital Content Manager
Emily Hill, Marketing Manager
Lydia Harris, Marketing and Communications Coordinator
Group Sales & Services
Nicolle Campbell, Director of Sales
Josie O’Donnell, Senior Sales Manager
Jazmin Zavala, Sports Sales Manager
Bethany Sutherland, Group Services Manager
Alyssa Ault, Group Sales Coordinator
9.2 MILLION
Visitors
MORE14 THAN THOUSAND
$1.1 BILLION $119 MILLION
Visitors
By The Numbers
According to VisitFortWayne.com, Visitors Center inquiries, and ad responses, visitors come to Fort Wayne from the following states:
each of
35
Total Conventions and Meetings Booked in 2024
25,644
In 2024, the Sales Team had a record year – helping book 66 future meetings/conventions/sports tournaments/ group tours (25 of these were NEW business into Allen County). These events will bring in an estimated 64,674 visitors, generating 25,664 room nights with an estimated economic impact of $19.7 million.
31
Total Room Nights of these Events
Total Sports Tournaments and Events Booked in 2024
122
Total Number of Leads Sent Out
$19,717,365
Major Events Booked
• International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies –2025 IAJGS Annual Conference
• National Wheelchair Basketball Association –2025 Women’s and Military National Championships
• USA Wrestling – 2025, 2026, and 2027 Kids Folkstyle Wrestling
• Church of the Brethren – 2026 Annual Conference
• Central States Languages for All – 2029 Annual Conference
Total Estimated Economic Impact of these events, booked through Visit Fort Wayne efforts
The Visit Fort Wayne Marketing Department produces marketing and advertising campaigns to invite leisure visitors to enjoy our destination’s hotels, restaurants, attractions, and entertainment venues throughout Fort Wayne/Allen County.
In 2024, we advertised Fort Wayne getaways in 30 cities between 50-200 miles from Fort Wayne, to encourage family travel. We produced more than 30 million exposures using digital, TV, radio, and print advertising.
Marketing Campaigns AWAITS ADVENTURE
SUMMER LEISURE CAMPAIGN
Our Summer Leisure Campaign promotes Fort Wayne getaways to families between 50-200 miles from Fort Wayne. Our affordable, high-quality experiences attract families and bring them back!
DIGITAL PASSES
GENEALOGY CENTER
We promote The Genealogy Center to genealogists around the world who know that Fort Wayne is THE place to research your family history – for free!
Our Marketing Team produces seven different digital passes that help visitors (and residents!) explore our community. At VisitFortWayne.com you can access the Savings Pass, Adventure Pass, Apple Trail, Historic Sites Pass, and more!
VERA BRADLEY OUTLET SALE
Another niche visitor experience in Fort Wayne is the Vera Bradley Outlet Sale, which brings tens of thousands of women to Allen County each spring. Visit Fort Wayne’s Marketing Team promotes all of the great community assets that visitors will enjoy.
1.2 MILLION Total
3.7 MILLION
SOCIAL MEDIA
15,669,419
62 Media Mentions (includes articles and broadcast)
721 MILLION Impressions Journalists Hosted
17
Partners Industry Visitors Center&
Our Visitors Center sold more than 9,000 items in 2024, and we are currently working with 100 different vendors in our store. In addition, we’ve sold more than 800 items in our online store.
MOST POPULAR ITEMS INCLUDE:
2,273 Postcards
1,625 Souvenirs
831 Local Flavors
721 Stickers/Decals Magnets/Pencils/ Ornaments/Keychains BBQ Sauce, DeBrand, Seasonings
70 OVER THOUSAND VISITORS GUIDES & 100 AND MORE THAN THOUSAND MAPS AND PARTNER BROCHURES AND REFERRALS DISTRIBUTED THROUGH OUR VISITORS CENTER
This is a great place for visitors to Fort Wayne and locals to find out what's happening in the area. Lots of information available for free. They also have Fort Wayne swag that's really neat. Some are done by local artists! We purchased some for relatives that no longer live here but will enjoy a blast from the past.”
— Katey, Visitor
Our new Visitors Center Photo Booth welcomes guests each day, and traveled to different events outside the Visitors Center.
In 2024, the Visitors Center welcomed more than 5,100 people in person and assisted over 15,000 more via phone and email requests.
We distributed more than 50,000 total print pieces from the Visitors Center including visitors guides, dining maps, helpful information, and more.
Our 11th annual event included 91 PARTICIPATING RESTAURANTS (21 of which were new) and more than 1.1 MILLION MENU VIEWS on our website!
Be A Tourist in Your Own Hometown celebrated its 25th ANNIVERSARY with 25 participating attractions and record attendance!
Calendar of Events
2,363 COMMUNITY EVENTS submitted, approved, and posted in 2024
We partnered with our hospitality industry and community partners, from businesses including:
Since the launch of the Tourism Master Plan on February 13, 2024:
15 Media Placements
5 Letters of Support For Community Projects
10 Community Presentations
35+ Individual Meetings with Plan Champions
Through Visit Fort Wayne’s efforts in advancing the development of Fort Wayne/Allen County as a growing destination, we raised:
$376,000 in capital and event support funding for Fort Wayne/Allen County through the Indiana Bid Fund, including support to bid and host the USA BMX Hoosier National
$283,000 through local organizations, foundations, and funds to support the Music Economy Assessment and Strategy
Progress of Visit Fort Wayne’s four 3-Year Strategic Priority Initiatives
ACCESSIBILITY
• Hosted the inaugural Power of Tourism and Hospitality Awards Luncheon. Our 2024 theme focused on building an accessible destination
• Established a local taskforce (16 members), and identified a consultant to lead and guide the building of a community action plan
5-10% COMPLETE 5-10% COMPLETE
MUSIC ECONOMY
• Established a local taskforce with more than 30 members, and will engage more community partners as we assess and build a community strategy
• Assessment and strategy work to kick off in 2025
50% COMPLETE
SPORTS ENTITY
• Identified community needs through guidance by Gamechangers Consulting. Engaged more than 20 stakeholders
• Received four future NCAA events through partnership with: Allen County War Memorial Coliseum, Purdue Fort Wayne, Sycamore Hills Golf Club, and Great Midwest Athletic Conference
HOSPITALITY LABOR SHORTAGE
• Finalized survey for hospitality managers and employees to launch in 1Q 2025
Inaugural
Power of Tourism and Hospitality Awards Luncheon
This past May, Visit Fort Wayne took time during National Travel and Tourism Week to present our “State of Tourism in Allen County” address and Hospitality Awards. The event was a wonderful celebration of our industry and our community’s accomplishments.
In support of the growth of accessible and inclusive travel in Fort Wayne, as named in our Tourism Master Plan, Visit Fort Wayne invited John Morris, an accessible travel expert and WheelchairTravel.org founder, to be the keynote speaker at the Power of Tourism event.
John Morris is an accessibility consultant with extensive experience in the travel and tourism industry who spoke on the possibilities that await a community that focuses on building and promoting an accessible community.
2024 Award Recipients
In addition, we awarded the inaugural Hospitality Awards in celebration of Allen County’s robust tourism industry, which generates $119 million in state and local tax revenue annually. This industry wouldn’t exist without the hardworking people who serve our 9.2 million visitors each year.
In celebration of their efforts, we awarded five distinctive awards: Rising Star, Power of Tourism, Service Excellence, Hospitality Leadership, and Diversity Champion. In addition, we awarded the inagural Thomas C. Henry Destination Development Legacy Award.
RISING STAR AWARD
Johnny Perez, Owner, Te Gustó Hospitality
Recognizes individuals who have been in the hospitality and tourism industry for fewer than five years and are consistently achieving excellence in their current role.
HOSPITALITY LEADERSHIP AWARD
Brooke Colvin, Director of Operations, Hilton Fort Wayne
Recognizes a management-level employee for leadership in the local hospitality and tourism industry. Recipient evaluated on management, leadership skills, and their vision for the growth of the hospitality and tourism industry.
POWER OF TOURISM AWARD
Rick Schuiteman, Executive Director, Fort Wayne Zoo
Recognizes individuals who have distinguished themselves in the Fort Wayne/Allen County Tourism industry by exemplifying the highest level of leadership and service, as well as taking steps to improve and invest in the future.
DIVERSITY CHAMPION AWARD
Turnstone Center for Children and Adults with Disabilities
Recognizes an individual or business who, by advocating, educating, developing programs, and raising awareness of DEI and/or accessibility, has strengthened and affected meaningful change to improve diversity, equity, inclusion, and/or accessibility in our hospitality and tourism industry.
SERVICE EXCELLENCE AWARD
Samantha Strickland, Front of House Manager, Embassy Theatre
Recognizes employees who provide exceptional service and are leaders in attitude, workplace knowledge and familiarity with the community, communication skills, and ability to exceed visitor expectations.
THOMAS C. HENRY DESTINATION DEVELOPMENT LEGACY AWARD
Todd Ramsey, Developer, Silverado Properties LLC
Recognizes the efforts of an individual, organization, or company that invests in and/ or advocates for destination development to improve the resident’s quality of place while growing the visitor economy.
