Your Volunteer Digest - July 2021

Dear Volunteers,

We are officially in the NBA Finals! Our Milwaukee Bucks took the Eastern Conference title in six games and they are aiding in Milwaukee's economic recovery. With tens of thousands of people in the Deer District for both home and away games, the economic impact being created is much needed and greatly welcomed. Let's hope we clinch our first title since 1971! GO BUCKS!

VISIT Milwaukee's 2021 Official Visitor Guides are here and ready to share. Copies will be available at the Wisconsin Center Visitor Information Desk during the Beyond Van Gogh exhibit hours from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. Pick up a copy (or a few to share) and learn what's new and exciting in the City we love!

Help us recruit volunteers for USA Triathlon by sharing widely this link or flyers - which are available for pick up at the Wisconsin Center Visitor Information Desk.

As tourism and events begin to rebound, we will be hosting volunteer training and refresher sessions for everyone to complete beginning in July and with additional options over the upcoming months. New volunteers will need to complete our training sessions before signing up for shifts. These sessions will include Volunteering 101, Tourism Insider, Convention Center/Airport Orientation, and Personalizing Visitor Services. Stay tuned for dates and time. 

Save on your next visit to downtown restaurants, breweries, museums, theaters, local boutiques, tours, activities, and more with the Milwaukee Deals Pass. Start exploring and saving today! Please share this valuable nugget with visitors and travelers. The link to these offers is also on our website.

This week, the Wisconsin Center will open Beyond Van Gogh. You will be amazed at this one-of-a-kind exhibition created by French-Canadian Creative Director Mathieu St-Arnaud and his team at Montreal's world-renowned Normal Studio. This immersive experience features more than 300 of Vincent Van Gogh's iconic artworks and takes the art lover into a three-dimensional world that exhilarates the senses. All ticketing information can be found at  www.VanGoghMilwaukee.com. We are looking for volunteers to welcome guests and visitors at the Visitor Information Desk during exhibit hours. Please consider volunteering for a shift. Note: these shifts are open to individuals who have previous experience staffing a VISIT Milwaukee welcome table or kiosk.

Incoming Groups
Groups booked by VISIT Milwaukee in town this week. To see all incoming groups for the quarter, click here. 

• Wisconsin Figure Skating Club (July 6-10) estimated attendance: 50 
• Game Day USA (July 7-10) estimated attendance: 1,607
• ROC Ventures Brewtown Showdown (July 15-17) estimated attendance: 500
• Triumph the Church and Kingdom of God in Christ (July 16-26) estimated attendance: 300

Welcome New Partners
Please welcome new or returning partners to the VISIT Milwaukee team!

• Present Music
• Racine Zoo
• Shakers Cigar Bar and Hangman Tours 

Campaigns in the Market 
A spotlight on our efforts to promote Milwaukee as the best place for a meeting or vacation.

"Summer of Fun: Diving into Milwaukee's Culture through Food and Art" is live on Fodors.com! VISIT Milwaukee partnered with select national digital publications to place in-depth content in market as part of our leisure media buy. Fodor's was a natural fit to target the travel intender as leisure travel returns. In addition to the article, the promotion with Fodors.com includes social media posts, cross-promotion on sister sites, a dedicated email and pre-roll video in geo-targeted locations.

Social Post of the Week
As we mentioned last week, we ran our Powered by the People ad in four markets during the Eastern Conference Finals. To continue the momentum, we also posted the video on Instagram, where it created lots of buzz!

Media Highlights 

• Things to do in Milwaukee (besides beating the Bucks), The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 4,436,219 impressions
• Bucks' success benefits Wisconsin Cheese Mart with extra foot traffic, Fox 6 WITI-TV, 983,212, impressions
• The Pabst Mansion opens new beer garden for the summer , CBS 58 WDJT-TV, 783,697, impressions
• Drafting Giannis: 8 years since 'Greek Freak' signed with Milwaukee Bucks, WISN 12 WISN-TV, 713,078, impressions
• 12 News This Morning at 5: Bucks Bring Energy, WISN 12 WISN-TV, 79,455, impressions

Partner Updates
Exciting news from our partner businesses.  

• Gallery 218 is busy getting ready for Summer Gallery Night! This will be the first "normal" gallery night since COVID. They are looking for volunteers on Friday, July 16, (5-10 p.m.) and Saturday, July 17, (12 - 5 p.m.) to meet and greet and direct guests, hand out brochures, and answer visitor questions.
• Culver's received some love in this experiential piece from Buzzfeed. (And now I want custard!)
• Are chive fries and cheese curds a way of life for you? Then today and July 14th you'll want to head to Wisconsin State Fair Park for a job fair hosted by Saz's to staff up their operations during the Wisconsin State Fair. Learn more here.
• Milwaukee Irish Fest will be hosting its 40th-anniversary festival on August 20-22, and its success depends on 4,000 dedicated volunteers. Please consider signing up here.

Thank you!

Tony