NOONTIME/Brown Bag Series on Friday, January 18, 12noon-1pm ~ HASP Classroom
(This is a 1x month, free HASP event – no registration required)
Our speaker for the January Noontime Series is Sally Laukitis, the executive director of the Holland Convention and Visitors Bureau. When she started as Director at the CVB in 1994, it was a one person office with a limited budget, and now has grown in 24 years to ten employees. The CVB has been hugely successful in attracting visitors and events to Holland, and in 2018 has registered visitors from all 50 states, 8 Canadian Provinces, and 48 different countries. How do all these people find their way to Holland? Advertising Holland to visitors in both the USA and internationally is a yearlong business utilizing billboards, print (especially magazines and the Visitor Guide), radio, social media, foreign language videos, and Travel Michigan resources. Sally has been appointed by the governor to the Michigan Travel Commission which oversees the “Pure Michigan” strategic plan, and has been an officer in a number of tourist organizations in the state. Holland’s rise to a popular tourist destination is a fascinating story. Join us Friday noon, January 18 to see how this has happened.