No longer content to be the Second City, the Chicago Convention and Tourism Bureau announced plans to launch a large-scale branding strategy aimed at putting the country's third largest city on top.
The initiative will emphasize the city's "leadership position" in dining, theater and cultural attractions, and the CCTB has recruited leading Chicago-based firms to help manage the effort, according to a news release.
"Chicago is an international destination for both tourists and businesses, who come to enjoy our state-of-the-art facilities and unmatched assets," Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel said in a statement. "I support all efforts to promote the city as a destination for the world, and look forward to working with the Bureau and other partners so both residents and visitors can enjoy all our city has to offer."
CCTB President and CEO Don Welsh extolled the economic benefits of a healthy tourism industry in their announcement, predicting job creation and increased tax revenue. Presently, 124,000 jobs, $616 million in tax revenues and $11.1 billion in direct spending are a product of the city's tourism industry, according to the CCTB.
The move is well-timed, as the approaching G-8 and NATO Summits to be hosted in Chicago in May will undoubtedly attract thousands of visitors, giving the promotional materials massive exposure.
The State Department and city announced Thursday that the back-to-back summits will be hosted at McCormick Place, the Sun-Times reports.
Promotions will include print ads and brochures distributed nationally, and targeted advertising in trade publications, in an effort to direct more meeting and convention traffic to event spaces like McCormick Place, according to the CCTB. Preexisting advertising will expand in the U.K., Beijing and Shanghai and will extend into Canada and Mexico in 2012.
Distribution of official visitor guides will be amped up locally and regionally, and an "aggressive" television and online campaign has been granted $1.8 million to reach audiences within an hour of Chicago.
Fixtures of Chicago industry and entertainment, including Broadway in Chicago, the Field Museum and Navy Pier are investing in the program, CCTB reports.
"With marquee assets such as America's tallest building, outstanding restaurants, theaters, and museums, Chicago is clearly among the premier visitor destinations in the world," Bruce Rauner, chairman of CCTB's board of directors, said in a statment. "As a result of the branding effort, we are taking an important step towards harnessing the city's many accolades and attractions into impactful tourism spending in Chicago."