Pure Michigan Conference 2012 at the Amway Grand in Grand Rapids was the best conference ever. Over 900 participants this year and the mood was very positive. Michigan is ranked No. 7 nationally in both total and leisure travel by the U.S. Travel Association. From our Governor Rick Snyder and many of our State representatives and “Miss Michigan” Elizabeth Wertenberger. Also in attendance was Dan Musser from the Grand Hotel and Mary McGuire from the Travel and Tourism Bureau on Mackinac Island. Michigan was well represented at this conference. George Zimmermann the director of “Pure Michigan” and Steve Yencich director of the Michigan Lodging & Tourism Association along with the mayor of Grand Rapids George Heartwell presented us with a very bright outlook for the future of tourism in Michigan. It was again an honor to photograph this event.
Below are some highlights and additional information, links for your pleasure.
According to at least one study, Pure Michigan returns more than $2 in tax revenue for every $1 invested, making this a very successful program that takes pressure off future budgets. … Our first priority in Michigan is revitalizing our economy and creating jobs. The Pure Michigan campaign attracts thousands of new tourists to Michigan, creating opportunities for local business owners such as restaurants, gas stations, hotels, bait shops, boat rental companies, and everything in between.
We had a very early spring in March this year.
One of our “Pure Michigan” ads links:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EW8X1bw7LxU&feature=bf_prev&list=ULB2o7PSwuWYw
Elizabeth Wertenberger “Miss Michigan” 2011
The morning dancers to wake us up, get us and motivated for the day ahead. What an amazing performance. Hat’s off to them.
There also were many awards presented for excellent achievements in the tourism industry which are all well deserved when you here and understand there story. Quite amazing.
Over all, I was motivated to see Michigan move forward in a positive energy for the future of our state.
Additional pictures can be viewed at :
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150799605869200.415773.260949219199&type=3
Tourism officials and industry analysts say the campaign is paying big dividends for Michigan: 2 million visitors who wouldn’t otherwise have visited, spending $605 million. And between 2009 and 2010, the tourism industry grew by $2 billion, enough to generate an additional 10,000 jobs for Michigan, they say.
“I think the Pure Michigan campaign has to rank among the most well-crafted and appropriate destination campaigns in the United States, Yesawich said. We focus on destination marketing. George Zimmermann is doing a terrific job, in a challenging economic environment, to make Michigan a summer seasonal destination.”“According to at least one study, Pure Michigan returns more than $2 in tax revenue for every $1 invested, making this a very successful program that takes pressure off future budgets. … Our first priority in Michigan is revitalizing our economy and creating jobs. The Pure Michigan campaign attracts thousands of new tourists to Michigan, creating opportunities for local business owners such as restaurants, gas stations, hotels, bait shops, boat rental companies, and everything in between. According to the 2010 study, the latest available, more than 2 million visitors who would not have traveled to Michigan otherwise spent $605 million statewide as a direct result of the $9.8 million Pure Michigan program. This research revealed that this new visitor spending generated $43 million in incremental state tax collections, creating a return on investment of $4.32 for each state dollar spent on tourism advertising”.
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