DELAVAN, WIS.—The EcoVision Sustainable Learning Center has received a $39,549 Joint Effort Marketing (JEM) grant from the Wisconsin Department of Tourism to promote EcoFair360, a three-day exposition for green energy, sustainable building and the green lifestyle which will be presented at the Walworth County Fairgrounds in Elkhorn, Wis., on July 16 to 18.
“This event will have a major economic impact on the Walworth County area,” says event coordinator Catherine McQueen. “We are planning for 15,000 attendees, and anticipate that 24 percent of them, or 3,600 people, will stay overnight. There will be space for 300 exhibitors and vendors, and we anticipate that with two people per table, 30 percent of the 600 people, or 180, will do multiple overnight stays. This will generate over a million dollars in lodging, retail, food and beverage business.”
“The Joint Effort Marketing grants awarded to this deserving tourism promotion demonstrates the power of travel and its ability to generate significant economic benefits,” Tourism Secretary Kelli A. Trumble said. “Every dollar awarded through the Joint Effort Marketing grant program last year produced a 10-fold return-on-investment while allowing individual communities to make an impact on their local economies and remain viable in a very competitive market.”
Myriad Topics Covered
Workshops and seminars at EcoFair360 will cover everything from renewable energy, sustainable living practices, green building and green transportation to gardening and landscaping, health and fitness and food and nutrition. Sponsors, speakers, exhibitors and attendees can learn more at www.ecofair360.org. The JEM funds will be used for print and online marketing campaigns and public relations outreach.
“EcoFair360 welcomes all who have a concern for the planet and a desire to learn more about living a green lifestyle,” said Fritz Kreiss, one of the event creators and managers. “The additional funding from JEM will allow us access into markets such as the Chicagoland area, Northern Indiana, Milwaukee and Madison with a focused marketing plan. We want our county of Walworth to be known as one of the greenest places in Wisconsin.”
JEM grant funds are available to nonprofit organizations for the promotion of Wisconsin tourism events and destinations. The state can fund up to 75 percent of a project’s first-year advertising and marketing costs and provides support for second- and third-year projects, but with decreasing amounts for funding each year until projects become self-sustaining.
