Page 6 - April Newsletter for web

30 Days of Fun

begins May 1

It’s that time of year again… time for Visit Mason
City’s 30 Days of Fun! This year’s annual campaign
will challenge contest participants with 30 days of
tourism trivia! Questions about Mason City
history, attractions, annual events, and photo
challenges will be featured. Daily prizes will be
awarded throughout the contest, with three grand
prize winners announced on June 1, 2018.
How to participate: It’s easy, tune into Visit Mason City’s Facebook page (@MasonCityIowa) or
Instagram (@VisitMasonCityIowa) to see and answer the questions. Comment your answer on the
post; if you answer correctly, your name will be entered into the daily drawing. Be sure to enter every
day for your best chance to win one of the grand prizes—an Amazon Echo® For complete contest rules
and details visit http://visitmasoncityiowa.com/blog/30-days-of-fun.

Tourism grants awarded

The Visit Mason City Board of Directors has awarded $6,344 in grant funds to support 10 local
tourism events and projects that attract, retain and expand visitor spending in the community.
Award recipients include the Up in Smoke BBQ Bash, Mason City Hospitality Committee, River City
Society for Historic Preservation, River City Steak Challenge, Mason City Soccer Club, Charles H.
MacNider Art Museum, Wright on the Park, Rockwell Lions Club, Mason City Civil War Council, and
USDF Dressage Horse Shows.
These 10 awards are estimated to attract more than 21,000 visitors to the community. These grants
will leverage nearly $18,000 of private funding for tourism marketing.
Lindsey James, Executive Director of Visit Mason City noted the funded projects are anticipated to
generate more than $1.7 million in direct visitor spending during the 2018 tourism season.
Funded by hotel/motel tax revenues, the Visit Mason City Tourism Marketing Grant Program has
provided nearly $160,000 in support for tourism marketing projects that attract visitors to community,
supporting local businesses and the local economy. The next round of applications for the tourism
marketing grant program are due on October 1, 2018.

83,982 steps

That’s the total number of steps taken by VMC staff during this
year’s ABA Marketplace and Select Traveler Conference! These
two tradeshow events—held in in Charlotte, NC and Louisville,
KY—provided VMC Executive Director, Lindsey James the
opportunity to promote Mason City as a destination for motor
coach groups and network with group tour operators from across
the country. James met with more than 60 tour planners during
pre-scheduled appointments. Visit Mason City staff will continue to
follow-up with these prospects via direct mail, e-mail marketing,
and phone calls throughout the coming months.

641.422-1663 / 800.423.5724 www.VisitMasonCityIowa.com [email protected]