Member Newsletter

December 2022

President's Message
GLCVB Member Blitz
New Staff Title Changes
Congrats to Athena Award Winner Dorothy Maxwell

Congrats to Emerging Hospital Leader of the Year Award, Elayna Creed
Holiday Coupon Reminder
I-496 Has Reopened
Restaurant Survey Winner

New Members
Member Portal Training
Upcoming Conventions & Sports Events
Upcoming CTA Classes
Blogs
Hotel Occupancy

President's Message

The GLCVB Advisory Board and the GLCVB Board of Directors recently approved the 2023 Business Plan that focuses intently on securing future amateur sporting events and meetings/conventions for the region as well as continued strong messaging to promote our destination to visitors to showcase all they can see, do and experience here.

We are optimistic about the strong calendar of bookings for 2023 and have seen a trend of increased attendance at many events in the fourth quarter. We are looking forward to welcoming national-level sporting events and returning to larger conventions including the World Horseshoe Pitching Championships in July and Odyssey of the Mind World Finals in May.

In 2023, we will also focus on some key over-arching strategies for the industry including:

1. Focus on how we operate and represent the destination and our members through Diversity, Equity, Accessibility and Inclusion (DEAI)

2. Continued development and promotion of the future workforce for the industry

3. Launch of an online platform that creates a digital passport to engage with visitors and residents as they “check in” at participating attractions throughout the community creating a year-round Be A Tourist in Your Own Town program

4. Introduction of visitor-centric data of the Greater Lansing region for decision-making and advocacy for the industry

We will be completing the rebranding of the organization in 2023 and look forward to sharing the outcomes with you. Thank you to all those who have participated in the process!

We will also be developing a Tourism Summit in the fall to bring the industry together in an educational format to learn industry best practices and come together as an industry.

We are looking forward to all the opportunities for 2023 and hope you will add your insights and perspectives as to how we can best serve you.

I wish you a wonderful holiday season and look forward to seeing you soon and throughout the new year! As always, please reach out to me at jpingston@lansing.org if I can assist you in any way. Thank you

Julie

Melissa Nay holding goodies for the member blitz

Thank You, Members!

The GLCVB and GLSA, in partnership with our local event planning clients, thank you for continuing to welcome visitors throughout this year. The week of Thanksgiving we showed our appreciation of our member partners by delivering #LoveLansing socks. Our hotel partners also received a box of cookies courtesy of Cakes-A-Bloomin located in Delta Township. We look forward to working with you even more in 2023 as we welcome a full schedule of conventions and sporting events to our region.

Sincerely,

Melissa Nay – Membership & Community Outreach Manager

Greater Lansing CVB Staff Elevated to New Roles

The Greater Lansing Convention and Visitors Bureau (GLCVB) is pleased to announce that five staff members have advanced to new roles in the organization.

Melissa Nay, CTA is now the GLCVB’s Membership and Community Outreach Manager. She is responsible for acquiring and maintaining CVB membership, coordinating Certified Tourism Ambassador (CTA) classes, and planning CTA and Member Mixers.

Lori Lanspeary, CTA has advanced to Marketing and Community Engagement Manager. In addition to facilitating tours of the region, developing and implementing media buying strategies and serving as a liaison to local attractions and organizations, Lori will assist with evolving the annual Be A Tourist event into a digital passport program.

Brandie Putnam, CMP, CTA has been elevated to Senior Convention Services Manager. Her primary responsibilities include connecting meeting planners with resources that the GLCVB offers to support meetings, conventions and events in Greater Lansing.

Other role advancements include Anne Lavender, CTA, who is now an Executive Assistant to the CEO, responsible for Board relations, and Valeri Gill, CTA, who is the Creative Services Manager in charge of helping set the design direction for the new GLCVB/GLSA rebranding efforts.

Pictured left to right: Melissa Nay, Lori Lanspeary, Anne Lavender, Valeri Gill and Brandie Putnam.

Learn More

Congratulations to Dorothy Maxwell, Athena Leadership Award Recipient

GLCVB Board member, Dorothy E. Maxwell has been named the 2022 ATHENA Leadership Award recipient.

The ATHENA Leadership Award is among the most prestigious professional honors. The award recognizes exceptional individuals for professional excellence who provide valuable services to the community.

Congratulations, Dorothy!

Congratulations to Elayna Creed, Emerging Hospitality Leader of the Year Award

Elayna Creed, Operations Manager of the State Room Restaurant, was awarded the Emerging Hospitality Leader of the Year award at the Michigain Restaurant and Lodging Association 2022 Stars of the Industry Awards dinner on November 9, 2022.

Congratulations, Elayna!

Photo Credit - State Room Restaurant