Dougout.tumblr.com

1. The Bigger Brand Picture

   Hats off to Indianapolis, IN for hosting the Super Bowl this month. From all reports, the city did a first-class job and portrayed itself beautifully for all 111.3 million worldwide television viewers who tuned in.

   The fact that Indy had this rare opportunity to host a Super Bowl is a tribute to the vision their city leaders crafted more than 30 years ago.

   Recently, my friend Mike Moran shared a video clip on Indianapolis, “From Nap town to Super City.” It is a case study if how a city changed its image and built a brand around sports.

   Here in the Springs, we are in the final stages of our year-long brand development. Research tells us Colorado Springs is vibrant, rugged and exceptional. The feeling you have whether you live or visit here is ALIVE. We are adopting the tag line “Live it up” because there are countless ways to in fact Live it up. To see some great ways to Live it up, click on http://www.visitcos.com/55in5  and experience 55 Colorado Springs attractions in just 5 days.   

   In summary, branding a destination is a marathon not a sprint. When the new Colorado Springs brand logo is complete, the work will continue on creating a vision of what Colorado Springs will become over the next 30 years and beyond. Think BIG – what will our city look like in 2042? Fun thought isn’t it! Meanwhile, Live it up!

2. The Other Side of D.C.

   

   Just returned from a week in Washington, D.C. on the Chamber’s Southern CO trip to meet with elected officials and key decision makers. After living in the D.C. area for the past 21 years, it was interesting to be on the “other side” in going to visit the Nation’s Capital. In my opinion, this was an essential investment on behalf of our city and region to meet face-to-face with our elected officials. It allowed us to cut through the clutter of emails these people receive and have our issues be heard by people voting on issues effecting our region and nation.

   I had the opportunity to speak to our group and distinguished guests on Wednesday October 12. The key points from my remarks were as follows:

   The current system for securing a visa to get into our country is very difficult. In Brazil you must currently wait 110 days for a three minute face-to-face interview with no assurance of being granted a visa which costs $140 US dollars. In China the wait is 10 days. There are 27 visa waiver countries to date, but more need to be added.

   The US Travel Association urges elected official in Washington, D.C. to join Travel Congressional Caucuses designed to promote common-sense policies to reduce barriers to travel and raise the importance of this job-creating industry. Today, I am asking CO elected officials to support:

   Expanded global entry to the US to include all International Olympic Committee members;Support pilot programs of video-conferencing for visa interviews;Maintain and grow annual appropriations for Paralympics funding with DOD and VA.

   In summary, tourism in Colorado Springs is on a positive projectory. In September 2011, the 12 largest hotels experienced a 21% increase in room revenue over the same month last year. Visitors are again discovering this special place of natural beauty. In the 5 minutes I’ve spoken, more than $10 K has been infused to our local economy. Indeed, Colorado Springs is ALIVE.

3. Can A Brand Unite Our Community?

   

   (Council member Tim Leigh and Chamber President & CEO Dave Csintyan)

   Can a brand unite the City of Colorado Springs and the Pikes Peak region?

   Did you hear the news this week that nearly 100 people spent 1 ½ days working on a new brand for our City and region?

   100 people!

   The group represented a true cross section of demographics and organizations. Much of the time was spent in small groups coming up with descriptive words to help describe the true essence of Colorado Springs and the region. If you would like to learn more about the process, here are links to two articles:

   http://www.gazette.com/articles/participants-122537-participate-region.html

   http://csbj.com/2011/08/01/business-leaders-meet-to-brainstorm-new-brand/

   I am honored to serve as co-chair of the Mayor’s Brand Task Force for this exciting project. The target date to announce the new brand is mid to late September.

   When complete, this new brand will be a step forward in uniting our city and region with an identity and image can all be proud of.

4. WOW - What a Week in the Springs!

   Last week was like Super Bowl week for Colorado Springs. From Western Heritage and arts to sports and military, you had your full range of events to chose from because WE HAD IT ALL HERE!

   Think about it – Pikes Peak Hill Climb with a new record time of 09:51, Fan Fest, Bike Fest, Olympic Day, USA Boxing, Broadmoor Open Skating,  Street breakfast, Pikes Peak Art Fest, new Air Force Academy appointees, Donkey Derby Days in Cripple Creek & Victor and the annual Trek to Pikes Peak  by the Range Riders which got derailed a bit by some greenback cutthroat trout!

   Our new mobile app, Colorado Springs Travel Info, made it convenient for everyone to make it from one event to the next. Download it today for your iPhone, iPad, Blackberry or Android – just go to http://m.visitcos.com for a link to the various app vendors.

   Simply stated, there was enough to keep even the most energetic residents and travelers busy all week long.  I hope everyone was able to take full advantage of the variety of entertainment and gorgeous weather.

   And please invite your friends and family to come and participate in all we still have left to enjoy this summer. There is still time to make your plans for the US Women’s Open (July 4-10),  Pikes Peak or Bust Rodeo (July 13-16), USA Pro Cycling Challenge Prologue (August 22) and the Colorado Springs Balloon Classic and Commonwheel Arts & Crafts Festival (Labor Day weekend). For more information on these and other great events, visit our website at www.VisitCOS.com and click on the Event Calendar banner on the home page.

Archive