Issue link: http://frankenmuthcvb.uberflip.com/i/1216266
Last year was a busy and exciting year for the sales department! In June, we welcomed Lydia Wilder on board in the role of Sales & Community Relations Manager. She jumped right in by attending the MPI Celebration event in Kalamazoo with Jamie on her second day in the offi ce. From there, her travels were just beginning. We were one of only a few Michigan Destinations that were invited to participate in the American Cup Golf Invitational hosted by Pure Michigan in September. The week long golf tournament brought golf tour planners, golf writers, and other industry players to Michigan for a chance to play on 3 famous Michigan golf courses and explore our beautiful state. Each day consisted of 12+ hours of networking, golf, and numerous opportunities to introduce Michigan to a group of people who had never been before. In October, Lydia also attended the Experience Lab in Madison, Wisconsin. This 3-day, interactive and intensive workshop examined 7 different destination experiences that Joe Veneto, Consultant/CEO of Experience Lab, helped create in Madison. The educational classes, hands-on experiences, and business testimonies sparked many new ideas for Frankenmuth. So many ideas, that Joe will be visiting Frankenmuth in 2020 to help guide our local businesses on new experience concepts. Lastly, we attended two large Faith based sales conferences that were hosted in Grand Rapids this past year: Going on Faith, for the group tour market, and Connect Faith, for the meetings market. Both conferences brought planners from all over the country to Michigan, giving us a chance to share Frankenmuth with new planners in two of our largest markets. 2020 is sure to be another exciting year for the Sales department. Many conferences, meetings, and projects are on the agenda for the fi rst year of the new decade! 1,524 group room inquiries sent out in 2018-2019 12,034 welcome packets provided to meeting planners and motor coach operators that visited Frankenmuth Group & Meeting Sales What have we done? Circle Michigan Annual Conference ORGPRO SGMP National Education Conference Michigan Meeting Professionals International Chapter Meetings MI Society of Governmental Meeting Professionals Chapter Meetings Great Lakes Bay Region & Frankenmuth FAM Tour Michigan Association of Senior Centers Exhibition Destination Michigan Lunch & Learns American Bus Association Marketplace POW WOW (IPW) Circle Michigan FAM Tour Connect Faith Going on Faith American Cup Golf Invitational Experience Lab – Madison, WI MPI Great Lakes Education Summit Frankenmuth Social Media Infl uencer FAM Tour 12