Frankenmuth

There were also many unexpected positive strides in terms of helping to make Frankenmuth welcoming to all in 23/24. In collaboration with the Xavier DeGroat Autism Foundation, we added a Communication Board to the Visitor Center to assist those that are non-verbal. We also received a grant from MEDC/Travel Michigan to help assess our community's accessibility and learn how to continue to improve and do a better job of communicating all the great things already occurring within our business community that can make travel more accessible. We received a second grant from the State of Michigan, along with all CVB's in Michigan, which allowed us to help expand the new wayfinding plan the DDA had been working on for a couple of years. The FCVB paid for the pedestrian kiosks and intends to maintain them, as well. While the accessibility study won't be complete until the summer of 2025, they have already done their preliminary work in Frankenmuth. The kiosks are now installed and functioning well along the streets for guests. Undertaking the development of a new destination website is a lot of behind-the-scenes work and, in our case, this overhaul was made a bit more exciting with the upgrade of the CRM system that powers all of the member data, feeding the site. We also changed platforms to gather the user generated content (UGC) which are photos taken by the public that get used on our site and in advertising. The new platform provides some efficiencies in terms of also managing our photo assets and scheduling our social media posts. As part of the new website, we also upgraded our booking portal that allows guests to compare rates at local lodging partners in a convenient manner and they can now book those rooms directly from our site, allowing us the ability to track a portion of our impact on overnight stays. And, as if those weren't enough changes for the year, we also had to ensure that Locable (frankenmuthliving.com) would be streamlined with our new calendar of events on the traditional website to ensure no duplication of effort while giving members options on how to manage their events. All of this means…2025 will bring lots of training! We have also managed to make incredible strides on the development of the Sports Complex and we look forward to being able to share more details and the building plan with our members and community in 2025. Frankenmuth is complex and unique in so many ways. A small city with big dreams and the grit to work together through difficult challenges to achieve the high standards expected by the community, all guided by faith. Together we prosper, 3

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