Explore Two Rivers’ board voted to produce its own 2027 visitor guide and set aside $10,000 in room-tax money to get it started, after learning Visit Manitowoc plans to publish a separate guide. The meeting also focused on tourism marketing tactics and the next steps for the “I Love Two Rivers” ambassador effort.
No public comments or communications recorded for this meeting.
The board reviewed its National Travel and Tourism Week event and said the community-focused approach worked well. They talked about practical tweaks for next time—more time for vendors and possibly rotating venues—suggesting they’re trying to make the event more useful, not just ceremonial.
The board confronted a branding and budget reality: Visit Manitowoc plans to publish its own 2027 guide, so Explore Two Rivers chose to keep control of its own printed guide rather than fold into someone else’s product. They approved proceeding with an independent 2027 guide and earmarked $10,000 in room-tax funds to start, while acknowledging total costs could reach about $20,000 depending on print quantity and ad sales. They also agreed the guide should still sell the region (Manitowoc, Kewaunee, Mishicot) alongside Two Rivers to stay attractive to visitors.
The board debriefed workshops led by guest speaker Ryan Short and focused on how to talk about the effort without triggering eye-rolls—specifically, avoiding the word “brand” and leaning into “community ambassadors.” They discussed building onboarding materials so new employees understand local history and the economic role of tourism, and they planned another ambassador meeting for late June with visibility at summer events (concerts, farmers market, parade).
The director and treasurer walked through room-tax revenue trends (slow early months, better March, expecting seasonal growth) and made a notable budget adjustment: they removed a $25,000 concession-stand commitment after a grant didn’t come through, leaving it as a “maybe later” if matching funds appear. Updates also included outreach to tour operators, a hotel-room QR-code partnership to push visitors to local info, and upcoming marketing content (including Discover Wisconsin). The board also discussed practical maintenance items like reprinting outdated community maps and noted a resignation letter from board member Todd Nilson, with a draft description for filling the secretary role.