The Janesville Area Convention & Visitors Bureau, Inc. is currently accepting applications for its Tourism Marketing Grant Program. The JACVB will give away up to $30,000 in marketing grants to local organizations for marketing and promotion efforts outside of Rock County.
The purpose of the JACVB Marketing Grant Program is to assist local businesses and events in marketing to potential visitors from outside of Rock County. “Our goal at the Janesville Area Convention & Visitors Bureau is to increase the visibility of Janesville as a destination for leisure and business travel,” explains Christine Rebout, Executive Director of the Janesville Area Convention & Visitors Bureau.
The grant program was created to encourage and support development of new festivals, events, and marketing programs or the expansion of existing events in Janesville, thus creating a positive economic impact to the area. The fund was originally launched in 1999, with previous recipients including Rotary Pie Ride, Rock County 4-H Fair, Rock County Historical Society-Spirits in the Night, Heavy Bombers and Janesville’s Jolly Jingle weekend. Since the development of the fund, the JACVB has given away over $185,000 to local groups and organizations.
Examples of qualifying projects include developing a marketing plan, creating marketing materials (brochures, posters), website development (design, creation, upgrades or maintenance), creation and marketing of tourism packages, direct mail campaigns, e-newsletters, media kit creation and dissemination, professional photography and conference/event bidding fees. Groups and organizations may apply for up to $5,000 per project.
Applications for this first round of grants will be accepted through March 1, 2017. If grant funds remain after the first applications are reviewed in March, there will be another fall date set for application submission. For those that are interested in applying for the grant, visit www.janesvillecvb.com/about/resources and click on the Tourism Partner Resources link. For questions, call Christine Rebout at 608-757-3171.
The Janesville Area Convention & Visitors Bureau is a private non-profit Destination Marketing Organization, whose mission is “to lead, support and promote tourism in the area by promoting Janesville as a prime destination for meetings and conventions, motorcoach and leisure travelers, thereby creating a positive economic impact on the community and enhancing the quality of life.” The JACVB is funded by local hotel room tax and receives 52.5% of the room tax collected by the City of Janesville with the remainder going into the city’s general fund.
