On Thursday, March 14, Indiana Dunes Tourism and fellow partners had a fun-filled evening that not only allowed everyone in attendance to network but learn in the process.
“This is our annual tourism event and it allows us the opportunity to meet with our partners, our governing bodies, and board. It is a celebration. Along with that, it is a way for us to share our story in a meaningful way so that people understand what we are up to, what our mission is, what our vision is, and what we were all about,” said Christine Livingston, President/Chief Executive Officer of Indiana Dunes Tourism.
Partnerships are essential when establishing a foundation and going forward with goals in your community. Today involved quite a bit of gratitude for the partners in Chesterton who work alongside Indiana Dunes Tourism.
“I think the message of this particular event, with the theme being partnerships, is that we can not do what we do without the partnership throughout our community. Our goal is to improve quality of life for locals and provide quality experiences for visitors which is made possible through all these partnerships throughout our community,” said Livingston.
Looking towards the future, Indiana Dunes Tourism has put on their website, 'Indiana Dunes: Beaches & Beyond' showing that there is much more than the natural attraction of the Dunes.
The main goal is to have tourists stay in the area longer than usual after they visit the Dunes, maybe visit a local restaurant or stay overnight in a hotel in the area. With that being said, there is quite a bit that has been done to accommodate the partners and allow this to be a much easier and enjoyable process.
“Additional activities for our partners are through advertising. Something that they can do is have a Dunes coupon through Indiana Dunes deals, they can display their products at the Visitor Center by renting one of our display cabinets. They can purchase ads on our website, either through a feature listing a mobile footer, or a running stream ad and there is lots of warmth they can do on our website. Lastly, they will be able to purchase an ad on our Activity Guide,” said Julie Brown, Partnership Coordinator for Indiana Dunes.
The team has made all information much more accessible and more entertaining to interact with for those already in the community and those who visit. Elected officials and town managers have worked with them to identify over 120 local businesses, and plan to use these videos they collaborated on to showcase everything there is to do along with visiting the Dunes.
All of their efforts are for the end and continuous goal of having tourists take in more of the area when they come to visit the Indiana Dunes.
“In 2024, we are going to do even more visits to our partners so we can get out there and really get to know them. One of the things that we found out the most is they don't really understand what the Indiana Dunes tourism can do and is doing for them,” said Brown.
For more information visit : www.indianadunes.com