Goal of new CVB leader: Reignite passion, culture of Corn Palace

When Hannah Walters first considered moving to Mitchell, she didn’t know much about the town or its famous tourist attraction.

Her husband’s grandmother certainly did.

“She knew exactly where we were going,” Walters told The Daily Republic this week. “She had five or six postcards (of the Corn Palace) … and pulled them right out. She said we have to go see it.”

That was eight years ago.

Now, on the eve of the 2009 tourist season, Walters is the director of the Mitchell Convention and Visitors Bureau, hired to the position in January. In the past few months, she has been involved in a renaissance of sorts at the Corn Palace, overseeing several new marketing plans that she hopes will help not only boost attendance at Mitchell’s top tourist attraction, but also raise awareness about the landmark among the city’s residents.

A new promotional video is now playing at the Corn Palace, providing visitors with a detailed and professional look at the Palace’s long history. The video will be played throughout the summer months in a makeshift theater in the City Council chambers at City Hall, which many city officials say is a vast improvement over the previous viewing site inside the Palace.

New, comprehensive Web sites for both the Corn Palace and the Convention and Visitors Bureau went online this month. The Palace also suddenly has an Internet presence on social networking sites such as MySpace and Twitter.

A new statue of Cornelius — the grinning, ear-of-corn mascot of Mitchell High — was recently unveiled in the plaza across the Corn Palace, instantly giving tourists a new photo site.

And a new visitor center is being built in the front entrance of the Corn Palace, beckoning to tourists and convincing them to come inside. Mostly, it reminds guests that, as always, the Corn Palace is a free attraction.

It’s all part of the master plan, says Walters, who said that until taking over the CVB post this year, she hadn’t really stopped to think about the Palace’s true history and significance to Mitchell and its residents.

“I didn’t know the history of it until I got into this position. I was never a tourist in my own town. I went to games there for Dakota Wesleyan, but didn’t fully understand what it meant to the community, the history and the culture,” she said. “I really have an old view of not understanding what it was, and a new view of understanding what it provides to the community.”

Her goal now, she told The Daily Republic this week, is to “reignite the passion and the culture we have in that building that maybe has been lost over the last few years.”

Following are Walters’ answers to various questions posed during a meeting at the newspaper Thursday.

Q. Corn Palace numbers have declined in recent years. What is the key to getting visitation to climb?

“There are a number of strategies we could use. We have launched all of our advertising that is going to make a big impact already. The summer season is already here. I think for upcoming years, it will be a form of communicating what we have to offer. I think it’s going to be utilizing the new video. …

“I know there are a number of people who get to the Corn Palace and drive by it, but don’t actually get out of the car and go into the building. ... A lot of people do get into the lobby area, the box office area, and they think they will be charged. So having that visitor center built there will hopefully bring people in and not turn people away. ... There is a stigma of ‘I saw it last year; we don’t need to stop again.’ We need to overcome that by showing them there are new things to do. In addition to the new things at the Corn Palace, what else is there to do in Mitchell? We have a lot. It’s really marketing Mitchell as a whole and letting them know there are more things to do.”

Q. There have been numerous marketing initiatives unveiled in the past few weeks in Mitchell, including the new Palace and CVB Web sites, the new Palace visitor center, etc. Are there other, quieter, things in the works?

“There are a lot of things in the works. One thing that I am really trying to do is, I have a marketing background, but I am new to the travel tourism industry. I’m trying this summer to get my arms around all the different target markets and really understand them before I can make any changes. I am not going to go in and make drastic changes without really understanding what the problem is. …

“But when it comes down to some of the other initiatives, it’s building new materials and collateral that target each of those audiences (such as athletic events, bus tours, meetings, conventions, pheasant hunting, general visitors and the community). We have some packet materials and I would really like to step that up so that when we can provide information to meeting planners, it’s specific to meeting planners, and really encompasses everything we have to offer in Mitchell to those meeting planners rather than just facilities.”

Q. Where is the best place for the CVB to spend promotional funds?

“We are working to figure that out. We have a list of all of the things we spend money on in a year. I have re-categorized them a bit, to group all bus tour spending together and athletic event spending together and all of the different audiences so as the months go on, I have a better understanding of how much we are spending in each of these markets and what we are getting in return.

The thing to take into consideration is the value and the long-term investment it provides in our community. We have to keep in mind what is the best value for our community and community members. It’s not just about numbers. It’s still something we’re trying to figure out.”

Q. What is your job? Some people may view it as promoting the Corn Palace, while some may see it as marketing for conventions, etc.

“I view my job as the marketing organization for Mitchell — marketing all that we have to offer and marketing our attractions, our hotels, restaurants and all hospitality businesses and facilities and athletic facilities. I think we’re stronger as a whole. I think having individual efforts is positive, but I think we’re much stronger when we do this all together and offer a package.”

Q. Is there a regional component to what you do, or is it strictly a focus on Mitchell?

“I truly believe in a regional approach for marketing. Again, we’re more powerful as a whole. We are a region, and particularly for pheasant hunting. I really do believe in a regional brand, or marketing plan or approach. We all will benefit, and when our surrounding communities do better, we do better. When Parkston does something great, it flows over. It is one region.”

Q. You’ve been on the job since January. As Memorial Day and the start of tourism season approaches, is there a personal significance for you?

“Personally, I’m really excited to have it finally here. After four months of planning and getting ready for this season, I’m really excited to see it here and see the fruition of our efforts and really get a chance to put some of my assumptions, or things I have learned over the last four months, to the test and get out and actually visit with tourists.

“This summer, I’m looking for more ways for us to be hands-on. Maybe it’s hanging out in the courtyard area (at the Corn Palace) every week for a few hours, visiting with tourists and finding out what they are doing and what they think about the Corn Palace. For the last four months, I have been relying on people in our industry, hospitality businesses, and asking ‘What are the things that you are experiencing and what is going well?’ ... Now we’re starting to see visitors coming in and now I can actually get out there and be on the front line.

“I’m looking forward to that — taking their picture in front of the Corn Palace. Doing those kinds of fun things.”

Tags: corn palace, hannah walters, news, cvb