Carmel based tourism group gets a new image
CARMEL: A corporate name change effective March 3 from "Hamilton County Convention and Visitors Bureau" to "Hamilton County Tourism, Inc." is a way to more accurately reflect the organization’s core lines of business, its leaders said.
Hamilton County Tourism, Inc. serves as the organization’s corporate name, which includes both Visit Hamilton County and the Hamilton County Sports Authority as lines of business. The recently adopted Visit Hamilton County mark remains the same. The new name and logo coincides with a new marketing partnership with the Hamilton County Alliance, the county’s economic development arm. The two organizations entered into a two-year marketing collaboration in which HCTI will provide marketing services to the HCA.
Both the Alliance and the Tourism group are located on Main Street in downtown Carmel.
"In looking at the growth data, and that we're now the third largest tourism market in the state as measured by economic activity (behind Indy and Lake County), and tourism is now the third largest industry in the county by employment … we felt we needed to make a move to more accurately describe what we are," said Brenda Myers, executive director. "As we are not a large convention destination, it made sense to eliminate that word — our visitors are coming here for sports (that's our convention business), leisure, business, social events and small groups."
The bottom line message: The name change reflects a stronger focus on supporting the assets of the county, extending beyond tourism to the idea of creating great communities. A great place to visit is also a great place to work, a great place to live and a great place to invest.
"Hamilton County Tourism, Inc. does a lot of destination development, working alongside non-profits, cities and towns, sports organizations, parks, and our business partners to help create a sense of place that is good for both residents and visitors," said Myers. "We are a destination marketing organization, but more to the point we are a destination management organization. With that in mind, our Board of Directors agreed it was time to change to a name that more encompasses who we are — the county's destination developer.
"This is such a marvelous place to work in tourism. We have communities and citizens who care passionately about their place, and everyone we work with dreams big and is willing to work hard to make it happen. We are very fortunate."
You can read more about Hamilton County Tourism, Inc. by visiting its website: http://www.visithamiltoncounty.com/
