Tourism Secretary Stephanie Klett (PHOTO: AIDS Walk Wisconsin)
It’s the Superbowl of the industry, so says Tourism Secretary Stephanie Klett. She and Governor Scott Walker talk about the state of tourism. The event provides great networking opportunities. “You know if you’re maybe a smaller county with lesser travel expenditures, you’re going to learn about what the bigger counties are doing that you can bring home.”
The three-day event will attract local tourism officials, innkeepers, restaurateurs, and other representatives of the hospitality industry in hopes of making it even better. “Approximately 1,000 people attend from all 72 counties to learn the latest and greatest in what’s happening in tourism, where we’re headed, and how we need to go back to our organizations geared up with new information.” Klett says it unites them as a tourism industry and to help grow tourism.
Summer is by far the biggest season for Wisconsin’s $17.5 billion tourism industry, Klett says, followed by fall, spring, and then winter.
The multicultural market has room for growth in the area of tourism. Participants at the event will learn more about how to bring together Native American, Hmong, German, and Latino communities. The Art of Social Media Marketing is also a key issue being discussed at the event, as well as data privacy and security.
The event is March 15-17.