On the Road with TCA: Corpus Christi
By Gaye Greever McElwain, Director of Marketing & Communications
After making it safely to Corpus Christi, I was ready for the TTIA Cultural & Heritage Tourism Seminar.
The day began bright and early as we set up at the Corpus Christi Museum of Science and History. Director Rick Stryker saw to it that we had comfortable accommodations complete with wireless internet access for our session on social media. Many thanks to Rick and his staff for the hospitality!
Inside the Corpus Christi Museum of Science and History
We kicked things off with a series of round table discussions. I provided information on TCA’s Cultural District Designation process, and attendees seemed eager to get involved with the program.
The keynote speaker that morning was Sheila Armstrong, executive director of the U.S. Cultural & Heritage Tourism Marketing Council. Sheila lives in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina where she serves on the Board of Directors of Women in Philanthropy and the Culture & Heritage Committee of the Hilton Head Convention & Visitors Bureau. She is also an emeritus member of the Boards of Directors of the Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra and the Hilton Head International Piano Competition.
The Cultural Traveler from USCHT
Sheila provided us with great information to help us do a better job of attracting cultural tourists to our arts venues, museums and cultural events. She pointed out that the traditional demographic for cultural tourists is beginning to change, and we are seeing an up and coming market among younger travelers. These folks are curious and use technology to communicate, meaning arts organizations need to explore new communication strategies. Connecting with this younger demographic could result in larger audiences at arts events and venues.
Lubbock Arts Alliance Logo
Another highlight of the Seminar was a panel discussion on building partnerships. Elizabeth Regner, executive director of the Lubbock Arts Alliance, traveled all the way from Lubbock to share her insights on how Chambers of Commerce and CVBs can work with their local arts organizations to attract visitors to their communities. The Chamber and CVB folks in the room were blown away by her presentation! Elizabeth provided great information based on her own personal experience in making the Lubbock arts scene an integral part of the city’s marketing plan. The Lubbock Cultural District is evidence of the hard work that has taken place in that town, and Elizabeth has been the leader from the beginning. She also shared some really simple and easy strategies to connect arts groups with their local government officials in a positive, win-win relationship.
Abilene Convention and Visitors Bureau Logo
Nanci Liles from the Abilene Convention and Visitors Bureau was also on hand to speak and share her extensive experience. She has been part of the team that worked to revitalize Abilene’s downtown and increase area tourism by developing the city’s arts and culture. Also a TCA designated Cultural District, Abilene led the way with their Cultural Heritage Initiative back in 2001. Today, the downtown area bustles with art exhibitions, performances, a monthly art walk and more. The arts community in Abilene plays an integral role in the city’s economy and makes it an ideal tourism destination.
Session moderator Stephanie O’Banion from the Belton Area Chamber of Commerce talked about her experience from her days with the Grace Museum in Abilene. Like Elizabeth and Nanci, she stressed the importance of developing partnerships that benefit the arts organizations, community residents, business partners and local government officials. Working together creates a winning situation for all partners.
During the afternoon we participated in an interactive social media session led by Chay Rees Runnels from Stephen F. Austin State University. We had a lot of fun Tweeting, but we only scratched the surface of this important topic. It was obvious that cultural and heritage tourism destinations need to learn more about how to use social media platforms to their best advantage.
We ended the day with a presentation by Doug Harmon (former City Manager, Fort Worth). If you’ve ever met Doug you know he is full of ideas and always looking for ways to advance the culture and heritage of our state. He is a passionate historian and a creative thinker who left us all with much food for thought. It was great way to wrap up the day since Doug really got us thinking about the endless possibilities that lie ahead.
Art Museum of South Texas
At the end of the Seminar, Sheila and I took off for the Art Museum of South Texas. I was so pleased to see the very large TCA logo stenciled on the doors of the museum! We were welcomed by Sheri Emerick who took us on a tour.
The permanent collection of the Art Museum of South Texas contains more than 1,300 works of art. We enjoyed seeing what they had on view along with the current exhibitions. I especially enjoyed the Judy Chicago in Glass and Earthbound: The State of Sculpture exhibitions.
At dinner that evening, Sheila and I talked about the Texas Original program, Cultural Districts, and other initiatives happening in Texas to promote cultural tourism. I really enjoyed hearing what she had to say from a national and international perspective. She shared a white paper titled The Cultural & Heritage Traveler Study that served as the basis for her presentation, so I’ve got some homework to do!
Perhaps the best part of attending the Cultural & Heritage Tourism Seminar was building my network of colleagues. Many of the attendees are folks I’ve known for years and consider to be good friends. Others were folks I was meeting for the first time but who I know I can call on in the future with questions, ideas, etc. Sheila is one of those connections, but there were many others. The value of building your network cannot be overstated. I feel fortunate to have had this opportunity to connect with so many potential partners.
