Dear Volunteers,
Happy Tuesday. I do hope that those who celebrate Easter were able to do so this weekend. The unseasonable warm weather was certainly welcome and made it hard to come into the office today.
Volunteer Month
April is National Volunteer Month. This is a month dedicated to recognizing the importance of volunteering and honoring the significant contributions volunteers make by generously donating their time and talents to worthy causes. Additionally, National Volunteer Appreciation Week (April 18-24), celebrated annually since 1974, has continued to grow each year, with thousands of volunteer projects and special events scheduled throughout the week across the country (pre-COVID). And a fact we should be very proud of, Milwaukee (4th) and Wisconsin (11th) consistently rank the highest among cities and states for volunteerism.
VISIT Milwaukee is extremely grateful for our 300+ volunteers and the countless hours they spend making sure that every visitor to Milwaukee has an excellent, unique visit. We are also very thankful for our volunteer coordinator (and volunteer extraordinaire in his own right), Tony Snell, for all he does to promote Milwaukee. Make sure to check out our social media for shout outs and if you have a volunteer or experience you would like to highlight, please tag #VISITMke and #VolunteerMKE.
Traveler Sentiment and CDC Announcement
I want to share the incredible news we learned over the weekend from the CDC that says Americans can travel the United States safely as long as they're fully vaccinated. This is great news for our industry, and as long as vaccinations continue to increase, we know traveler confidence levels will follow.
Longwoods International's latest round of data also confirms this: 88% of American travelers reported having travel plans in the next six months, and this indicator has hit its highest point yet, surpassing the very first wave of this survey in early March of 2020. It's important to note, though, that only 28% of them are likely to visit a tourism attraction or business which does not have clear COVID safety protocols, such as mask requirements and social distancing. It's for reasons like this that we support the City of Milwaukee's current mask mandate and continued safety protocols.
Mask Mandate
As I mentioned above, please remember that while the Wisconsin Supreme Court essentially struck down Governor Evers' mask mandate, we still have a mask mandate in the City of Milwaukee.
New Tourism Insider Presentation Recording
We've re-recorded our Tourism Insider presentation and it now features the spectacular voice of Keith Stanley, executive director of Near West Side Partners. Remember, this is a presentation that helps prepare your staff to welcome visitors and be the best Milwaukee ambassadors possible. Watch it here.
Carryout Cocktails
Wisconsin restaurants and bars can now generate revenue by selling mixed drinks and glasses of wine to-go! All to-go's must have a tamper-evident seal. This is a huge win for our bars and restaurants, as they were previously only allowed to sell unopened bottles. A huge thank you to Kristine Hillmer, President and CEO of the Wisconsin Restaurant Association, for her work with legislators on getting this passed.
Milwaukee Hotel Month
VISIT Milwaukee's first hotel month campaign wrapped up at the end of March. We want to thank the 43 hotel partners who participated in the promotion. The marketing and communications team is working on the recap campaign now and we will share the report on the promotion's performance in the weeks ahead. To close out the campaign in a fun way, we just concluded the Hotel Month social media contest where people were asked to nominate a friend or family member who deserves a hotel stay. We got an amazing response - over 500 submissions - and the team is reading through them now to select the winners.
Irish Fest is Happening!
Milwaukee Irish Fest is set to make its return to the Henry Maier Festival Park the third weekend in August, following a year hiatus in 2020 due to the pandemic. Organizers announced the 40th Irish Fest will take place Friday, August 20, Saturday, August 21, and Sunday, August 22. This year the festival will run for three days, compared to its normal four-day run.
Organizers are working with and evaluating input from the city of Milwaukee, the Wisconsin Health Department and the State, and are also monitoring CDC guidelines in order to produce a safe outdoor festival.
"We are moving forward with preparations for our 40th festival," said Mike Mitchell, Executive Director of CelticMKE. "We're going to do everything we can to ensure a safe environment. We will make any necessary adjustments to our operations and modify the layout to comply with regulations, restrictions, and recommendations put in place at the time of our festival." A plan is already in place to install sanitizing stations throughout the grounds and to enhance cleaning protocols.
"Our festival preparations center around prioritizing the wellbeing and safety of our patrons, volunteers, vendors, entertainers and staff," said Mitchell. "With the rollout of vaccinations, we feel comfortable taking the steps to create an Irish experience this summer for all to safely enjoy."
Irish Fest may be limiting the number of tickets sold both at the gates and online to accommodate the potential capacity limit. Admission tickets will go on sale on the Irish Fest website, irishfest.com, in the coming weeks. Organizers advise people to get their tickets in advance for a guaranteed entry to the festival.
Get Vaccinated Today
Everyone in Wisconsin ages 16 and older is eligible to get the COVID-19 vaccine at no cost. Once again, I encourage you to get a vaccine if you are able to. The only way to get back to doing what we love with who we love is to get vaccinated so we can reach community immunity.
In addition, our Milwaukee community has set a goal to vaccinate 80% of all adults with the COVID vaccine by this summer. This means that we have to vaccinate 580,000 people in Milwaukee County. I am part of a GMC Business Leader Vaccine Advisory Group, as well as another group lead by the Medical College of Wisconsin's Mara Lord, who is chairing communications efforts, which we will share with you soon.
Please remember: Taking the vaccine is your choice, but it's one that affects our community and will dictate how quickly life can return to anything close to normal.
Partner Updates
- The Harley-Davidson Museum just announced its collection has recently grown with the addition of a 1957 Model FL that was ridden by famed Mexican stunt rider and racer Alfonso Sotomayor Canales. Get a look at the new acquisition starting April 16.
- Betty Brinn Children's Museum's long-awaited reopening is finally here! It opens to members May 6 and to the public May 20. Congratulations to the Betty Brinn team!
- This year is proving to be as productive for Milwaukee murals as 2020. Schlitz Park will soon acquire a new, large-scale mural.
- The Milwaukee Repertory Theater will be reopening its doors to the public for a live, in-person concert of First Lady of Song: Alexis J Roston Sings Ella Fitzgerald on April 27.
- April 12-18 will mark the annual Milwaukee Black Restaurant Week, which is another great opportunity to support Black-owned restaurants. See participating restaurants here.
- Mark your calendars and get out your picnic blankets! The Sprecher Traveling Beer Garden schedule has been announced.
- Grab your gloves and help clean up the Westown neighborhood on April 17.
Friday Webinar
This Friday, April 9, we will continue our Black Excellence series with a panel discussion with incredible Black female business owners to talk about starting or running their organization during the pandemic. Join Tiffany Miller of Bronzeville Collective and FlyBlooms, Adija Greer-Smith of Confectionately Yours, and Shavonda Sisson of Love On Black Women for this conversation by registering here.
I hope you have a great week.
Sincerely,
Peggy
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Peggy Williams-Smith VISIT Milwaukee President & CEO (414) 287-4233 pwilliamssmith@milwaukee.org |
