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Member Newsletter

May 2023

President's Message

Julie Pingston, President

I invite everyone to celebrate National Travel & Tourism Week May 7-13!  NTTW was created by Congress in 1983 to elevate the economic power of travel in the United States. The U.S. travel industry generated a $2.6 trillion economic output in 2022 and supported 15 million jobs, fueling communities, small businesses and working families across the country. 

The 40th annual NTTW arrives as our region kicks off the summer season with MSU’s Commencement weekend upon us followed by festivals, outdoor recreation, dining on patios and putting the winter coats away! 

Our Love Lansing Like a Local campaign will also be kicking off in conjunction with the launch of a new digital Lansing Experience Pass on May 17th better known as 517 Day! With this pass, users are able to get discounts and check in to various Greater Lansing attractions, museums, recreational places and leisure activity spaces. Users check in on their phones, gather points and redeem those points for fun items like decals, socks, playing cards, t-shirts and more. The pass is free and you can check into locations all year long! Learn more here.

We look forward to seeing you at our networking event at Jackson Field on May 9th!!  Please reach out to me at jpingston@lansing.org if I can assist you in any way.  Thank you!

Julie

Join us for the Greater Lansing CVB & Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce Joint Mixer on May 9, 2023 from 4:30-6:30 p.m. at Jackson Field, home of the Lansing Lugnuts, at 501 E. Michigan Ave., Lansing.

This event is sponsored by Tri-Star Trust Bank.

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Please watch for an email with your invoice and link to pay your 2023-2024 dues in the member portal. Membership dues is due on July 1, 2023. If you have any questions, please contact Melissa Nay at mnay@lansing.org.

The Mason Area Historical Society celebrated the 25th Anniversary of the Mason Area Historical Museum on Monday, April 17, 2023. MAHS President, Charlie Herrick, Vice President Scott Preadmore, Secretary Doug Klein, and Treasurer Susan Hubbard performed a ribbon cutting.

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The GLSA is proud to be recognized along with our partners at West Michigan Sports Commission & Visit Muskegon for the partnership created in hosting the Junior Gold Bowling Youth Championships in 2022! Thank you to TICOM for the Governor’s Award for Innovative Tourism Collaboration.

May 24-27, 2023



Odyssey of the Mind World Finals, one of the biggest events ever held in Greater Lansing, is coming back in just a few short weeks! The campus of Michigan State University will once again play host to over 16,000 visitors from all over the world.  The event begins on May 24 with opening ceremonies and continues through the awards celebration on May 27, 2023. Teams will stay on campus in dorms and in local hotels. Judges and officials will be staying at the East Lansing Marriott and the Kellogg Hotel & Conference Center. 



Get involved by welcoming them! Put their event name on your marquee or pickup a welcome poster (from the GLCVB) to hang in your entrance.



You can also share an offer. Do you have a special event or want to create a special offer for the Odyssey of the Mind visitors? Please share that with Brandie Putnam – bputnam@lansing.org – by Monday, May 15th and we will share with Odyssey.  They will add to their communications and website - https://omworldfinals.com/ - to attendees about the community and what to see and do in the area. 



Odyssey of the Mind has been a leader in education for 40 years, beginning first in the 1970s. It emphasizes creativity, science, technology, engineering, the arts, and math. It started in Founder Dr. Sam's innovative industrial design classes at Rowan University. Dr. Sam believed that learning should be fun, include students' own interests, finding new uses for old items, and that the way you ask a question is everything. Visit Odyssey of The Mind for more information on the history of the event.

Saddleback Barbecue won the Certificate of Pure Achievement Award from the Governor's Conference On Tourism. They were recognized for their community involvement, including helping the Gaylord tornado victims, Capital City BBQ, and other fellow local restaurants. 



Congratulations, Saddleback Barbecue! Thank you for all that you do. 



Pictured: Matt Gillett.& Travis Stoliker 

The Greater Lansing Convention & Visitors Bureau and the Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce were able to deliver bags to all 148 state legislative offices in mid-April. Bags included visitor information as well as, treats from local favorites such as American Fifth, Cravings Gourmet Popcorn, Fabiano’s Candies and The Peanut Shop!



We hope Capitol Caucus members from around the state will #LoveLansing like a local!

Did you know that hotels, restaurants, attractions, event venues, and more can post their open job positions on the GLCVB Workforce Development website? The GLCVB will be promoting careers in the Hospitality & Tourism industry at the MiCareerQuest event on Friday, May 19th. We will have the chance to encourage nearly 3,000 local teens to consider careers in the field as well as share resources about local jobs. Please be sure to submit any job openings you have to be listed on our workforce development website before May 12th for your chance to connect with potential new employees.

New Photo Criteria for Michigan.org Listings



From Mchigan Economics Development Corporation | Pure Michigan



"As part of a system update to ensure proper photo licensing on michigan.org, images have been temporarily unpublished from properties, events and deals/packages listings on the website. Please note that existing images in your account are still in the extranet and do not need to be reuploaded. To republish your images on your listing(s), please login to your account and complete the following:



Please read the updated [legal disclaimer] in the Images section of your account. If your image(s) meet the requirements of this disclaimer, check the box in agreement to begin the process of republishing your image(s).



Whether you purchased or subscribed to your image(s) or you/your staff took and own the image(s) on your account, please complete this form and upload it to the Documents section of your account. This is required for your image(s) to be approved.



If you have additional documentation for any image(s) purchased from an outside source, please upload the licensing/proof of ownership to the Documents section of your account to show that you have the right to sublicense the image(s).



 If documentation cannot be provided, the image(s) will not be republished on michigan.org.



Seasonal Content Updates



To ensure visitors have all the information they need, we recommend reviewing and updating the following:




  • Submit your events, deals and packages.

  • Update your amenities, including accessible features and EV charging stations.

  • Link your property’s TripAdvisor account to your listing, if applicable.

  • if you’re closing for the spring/summer season, update your content with your seasonal hours and accurate contact information.



To make necessary updates before spring arrives, login to your Pure Michigan extranet account at extranet.michigan.org/login. If you need assistance or have any questions, please reach out to the Travel Michigan team below:



Questions regarding property listings:



Bonnie Fink - finkb2@michigan.org



Questions regarding events and deals/packages:



Amanda Munson - munsona@michigan.org"

The MSU Academic Calendar Task Force is implementing permanent calendar changes that will affect the start and end dates of the semester and spring break. 



The fall 2023 semester classes will begin on Monday, August 28, 2023 rather than the previous Wednesday starting date. 



In addition, the spring 2024 semester will contain one less instruction week. Because of this, spring break, the end of classes, final exams, and commencements will occur one week earlier. 



For 2024, spring break will be from February 26 to March 1, 2024. Classes will end on April 19, 2024 with final exams taking place from April 22 to April 26, 2024. Spring commencement will take place between April 22 and April 28, 2024. 

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Sign up for free member portal training! In-person and zoom options are available.



Stay In the Know with the Member Portal:




  • Access the convention calendar – see who’s in town. Great for outbound marketing

  • Update your business website listing for both lansing.org and lansingsports.org

  • Update your contact information

  • Update your photos within your website listing

  • Offer a discount or special offer coupon

  • Connect with industry peers

  • Respond to Hotel, Meeting Facility, or Sports Venue leads

  • Pay Membership Dues Invoice

  • Post a hospitality job opening on the website

  • Post a public event to the website

  • Order Visitor Guides

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