The Abilene Convention and Visitors Bureau (ACVB) is charged
with representing Abilene as a destination and helping the
long-term development of communities through a travel and tourism strategy.
For visitors, the ACVB is like a key to the city. As an unbiased
resource, the ACVB serves as a broker or an official point of contact
for convention and meeting planners, tour operators and visitors. The
ACVB assist planners with meeting preparation and encourage business
travelers and visitors alike to visit local historic, cultural and recreational
sites.
The Abilene Convention and Visitors Bureau (ACVB) is a multi-faceted
department, encompassing five primary program areas: Advertising &
Public Relations, Group Sales, Convention Services, Visitor Services
and Cultural & Heritage Tourism. The ACVB solicits and services
conventions, meetings, group business and provides personalized service
to individual travelers and convention delegates.
2007-2008 Abilene Convention & Visitors Bureau Board of Directors
| Richard Baltes | Tony McMillan |
| Gary Bomar | Robert Morris |
| Abdella Choukri | Audrey Perry |
| Dave Collins | Brandon Polk |
| Russell Dressen | Chris Proctor-Cleveland |
| Carol Dupree | Sharon Riley |
| Andy Esparza | Jeff Salmon |
| Alex Eyssen | Larry Sanders |
| Jeanne Farquharson | Steven Senter |
| David Gist | Cody Stites |
| Traci Graham | Jim Tallant |
| Brian Green | Judy Wilhelm |
| Don Green | Lenka Wright |
| Gary Grubbs | Tim Yandell |
| Nicki Harle | |
| Monte Hist | |
| Margaret Hoogstra | |
| Mary Beth Kilgore | |
| Doug McIntyre | |
| Mike McMahan |
 |
Abilene Convention & Visitors Bureau 2007-2008 Business Plan |
| Larry Sanders Chair |
MISSION
To solicit and service conventions, meetings and other related group businesses; to carry out visitor promotions generating overnight stays in Abilene; thereby contributing to the economic fabric and quality of life in the community. Further, the Bureau assists in creating and promoting enjoyable, quality experiences by providing uncompromising personalized service for visitors and conventions delegates.
OBJECTIVES
Sales
- Stimulate Abilene's economy through bookings of meetings, conventions, tours, and individual travel
- Cooperatively market attractions and events
- Develop an incentive program to encourage decision makers to select Abilene
- Produce and implement the "Stay One More Day" campaign (N)
- Solicit sport groups generating overnight stays
- Work with existing entities to develop downtown activity
- Produce the 2nd travel CD (N)
- Target travel within a three hour drive
Services
- Develop new services to entice more motor coach tours (N)
- Provide uncompromising service to our customers
- Provide convention and tour assistance to groups meeting in Abilene
- Provide a hospitality program to educate the Abilene workforce on the economic benefit of tourism
- Continue the HOT HOST program
- Continue to work with the City on way-finding signs
- Encourage promotion of the Roundup Pass
- Promote Visitor Incentive Program (VIP Discount Program) to groups meeting in Abilene
Advertising and Public Relations
- Expand the efforts by targeting the Canadian media (N)
- Continue the cooperative I-20 billboard campaign
- Solicit speaking engagements to promote the ACVB
- Promote travel packages, with industry partners for special events and weekends
- Generate interest in Abilene through placement of articles to travel writers
- Communicate the importance of tourism
- Target industry publications' calendars and websites to achieve increased publicity on Abilene
- Disseminate interesting stories and itineraries to both the Texas and national media
- To solicit speaking engagements to local civic groups to tell the "tourism story"
- Host travel writer FAM tours
- Work with the City and other organizations for better directional signs for Abilene
- Produce an advertising conversion study
- Continue discussions to eliminate conflicts in scheduling major events and overbooked dates
Benefits of Tourism in Abilene
- Generates $282 million to Abilene's economy
- Creates and supports 3,390 jobs locally
- Brings in new money
- Increases stability by diversifying the economic base
- Generates $4.8 million in tax revenue
- Without the benefit of tourism, household would pay an additional $923 in taxes