The Peoria Area Convention and Visitors Bureau is focusing more attention on attracting both tourists and locals to area destinations.
CEO J.D. Dalfonso said it's a shift away from the CVB's traditional focus of filling hotel rooms.
"What we need is more than just heads in beds. What we ultimately need is torsos through turnstiles, cheeks in seats, feet in streets, fans in the stands, more in the stores. It's not just heads in beds anymore. It's actually just heads," he said.
The CVB is rebranding itself along those lines as "Discover Peoria." That includes a new retro-themed logo, website, and printed materials that cater more to the needs of tourists and residents looking for something to do in Greater Peoria, rather than meeting organizers looking for convention space.
Dalfonso said this will retool the CVB's overall trajectory for the next 10 years as part of what's termed Project 350, a way to reframe the area's tourism efforts as it nears the 350th anniversary of the Illinois River Valley's settlement by the French.
"We see a 10 year opportunity here to really change the way we market central Illinois, and really move forward in a strategic way," he said.
The new website launches Sept. 1.
The Peoria Area CVB serves Peoria, Tazewell, Woodford, Marshall, Stark, Fulton, and Mason counties-- with a particular focus on the communities of Peoria, East Peoria, Morton, Pekin, and Washington that provide a large chunk of the CVB's overall funding.
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