Business Casual regular Jerry posted a comment on Carrie’s recent entry about her experience at the Coliseum. Here’s what he said:
Since some of us have a propensity to complain (and I am pointing the finger at myself on this one) I would like to see a blog topic on what individuals think Wichita needs to attract more visitors, and discuss them. This is a great forum, and I have a couple things I would like to throw out there.
So here you go, Jerry. And everyone else for that matter. What does Wichita need? The floor is yours.
18 Comments
How about a few less preachers and bigots?
Seriously. You need to lose the wingnut image so graciously bestowed on you by the terry foxes and joe wrights and the tiller haters, etc. The list could go on.
Either lose it, or…go with it. Turn Joyland into Bible land. Tout yourself as the church skyscraper capital of the country.
Or, did etheridge kinda kill that line of thought as well?
If you think I’m joking, think again. I mean it. As long as you continue to be the land of wingnuttia, it’s not going to make anyone think of “fun” when they think of Wichita.
Marketing. We have so many interesting activities and things to see and do that most of us don’t know about them unless we tend to try new things or hear of them from friends.
Good observation, Lonny. It’s funny how Wichita seems to put forth a “come if you want to” attitude, ranging from minor league baseball until the Wingnuts to Wild West World. It continues to amaze me that there’s no pro-Wichita tourism commercial among the Oklahoma, Missouri, et al that are all over television.
There can be zero question that a desperately flawed and thoroughly inept marketing plan was one of the key factors that combined with weather and no business plan to kill the theme park.
Thanks Dan!
Now that I’ve donned my bullet-proof vest and kevlar undies, here it goes. And criticize the daylights out of it!
I think we focus a bit too much on “brick and mortar” museums and not on the true museum which is Wichita itself. That being said;
1) There MUST be some type of reference to the Chisholm Trail here in Wichita. Something around Century II with bronze cattle, horses and maybe a stage coach entering and exiting the Arkansas River. I consider this a fairly low ticket item. A great steakhouse in this vicinity with a Western gimmick (occasional gunfight, cut-off neck ties on entry, etc) would be awesome!
2) There MUST be some type of statue/monument erected at the site of the 1958 Dockum Pharmacy sit-in. Don’t hide this in a museum!
3)
3) I am a 4th generation aviation worker. There MUST be some type of homage to our ancestors, because aviation has touched the lives of every Wichitan. Therefore I propose a series of markers with brass plaques placed at the top 10-15 historical aircraft locations through-out the city. Where was the original Laird Company formed by Cessna, Beech and Stearman? Where was Travelair? (you might be shocked!) Where was the original Cessna? Where did my great-grandparents work?
When the many aviation people come to town, it would be fascinating to re-trace the roots and expansion of our community.
3)
Outside of WSU Basketball & Baseball, it appears to
me that sporting events draw tops up to 3,500 fans.
Will this hold true at the new arena? My numbers
are from history of outdoor events mainly. Now to
tourist attractions. Old Cowtown Museum. The name
says it all. Boring. The name does not position it
anywhere. How about “Wichita Old Cowtown USA”.
Get the Wichita name in there so people connect with
the west. Drop the word museum. Thoughts anyone?
Sorry, I had a premature extrapolation there.
4) There MUST be some type of “Rosie the Riveter” monument over by Boeing. We continually undervalue the role of women in WWII.
And finally, my big ticket item, but still much less than an aviation center!
5) One of my fondest memories growing up here was watching Dan Carney and Dick Davenport race at Lake Afton. I would like to see a joint venture between County, City and local investors to develope a world class road racing facility. SCCA, ALMS and ARCA/Nationwide attract tens of thousands of people who are here usually over a 3 day weekend. There is not a top notch facility within 200 miles. When there are not major events happening it would be used by various car clubs like import, Porsche, BMW, Corvette etc. which would still attract people. Use the parking lot for automobile swap meets and car shows.
The Brooks Landfill would make an ideal location for this!
I can’t thank you enough for the opportunity to voice my opinion, and please fire away!
I posted this over there yeaterday …
bth
Posted October 14, 2008 at 6:21 pm | Permalink
Visitors – I think one big push is to get those of us who live here to bring family. Instead of me going to CA to visit the in-laws for holidays bring them here. Highlight things like the Zoo that is WORLD-CLASS. My mother, who had worked with ZooAtlanta, was jealous.
Another approach – work with other communities in south-central Kansas to develop packages. Perhaps a quiet B&B in Pratt to go along with a noisy night in Old Town. Keep in mind that in many ways we are NOT going to compete head-to-head with Atlanta etc in their areas of strength, we have to have something different.
Business meetings – we should be able to attract more of those with mid-sized conventions. One of my frustrations with the Arena is that it has not been configured to be a convention center. And, at least in my view, we are more likely to get profitable use from a convention center than from an Arena.
Century II. We have wonderful events there – Music Theater, Symphony, Grand Opera, etc etc etc. Expand on that – they already attract visitors from the region. Perhaps some clever hotel owner might sell packages – theater tickets, lodging, dinner.
Improve outdoor access. Our river front is an asset that we don’t use enough. Tie that in with outlying areas.
Going a bit further out – hunting packages that can include lodging here in Wichita as well as in out-lying communities. For example – deer hunting in Kansas is just about the best in the country.
Just a few ideas – from a transplant.
I do agree with bobwalter1 about the name change to “Wichita Old Cowtown USA” but don’t you guys think that Cowtown is wasted space? Last time i went to Cowtown i was 8 yrs old and i have no intention of going back; there is nothing there for me or my kids. Cowtown is incredibly boring and a complete waste of money. How many people do they employ there? I think the space could be used for much bigger and better things. Thoughts?
Jerry – careful with Brooks. With the contamination there I would be nervous. Chapin has probably stablized more and might be appropriate.
bobwalter1 – I agree on sports. For the same reason that sports bars do so well a ‘real’ sports venue will do poorly. Wichita has a fairly large population of people who are college educated. We tend to follow our teams – thus the rowdy crowds at sports bars. However, we tend to NOT latch on to local semi-pro teams/
bth,
I agree with your ideas (ok, maybe I’m not sold on the B&B in Pratt
)
I really like your idea in the specific targeting of small/mid-size conventions. Wichita needs to quit trying to compete against Dallas, KC and OKC. Focus on what we are good at! And when the conventions are here pull out every stop and provide the absolute best service imaginable.
Regarding the Brooks landfill I would not propose any permanent occupied facility on site. Is there that much toxicity that health damage can be caused by visiting? In Arizona the old landfills become golf courses. Maybe we do something different with our landfills.
When I lived in Springfield, Mo., one of the city softball complexes where I played is at a former landfill site.
jerry – my concern with Brooks comes from my experience with one in Illinois. It had received all sorts of engineering awards etc and was turned into a park/tobogganing hill. Then it got its last “reward” – Superfund listing.
One particular problem with dirt sports is that it increases erosion and can break the cap on the dump. Love Canal became a problem after its cap was breached.
I’m sorry bth, I should have been more specific. The road racing I am talking about is on an asphalt course.
All the best!
And Covergrrl is right on the money on Cowtown!
I had the unique opportunity to be the first contact representative for visitors in our area when I was employed by the City of Wichita, and in conjunction with the GWCVB, stationed at the Wichita Boathouse for two years.
In that time period I have met many hundreds of people coming into Wichita. Business, visiting family, relocating or passing through was primarily the reason for visitors to come to the Visitors Information Center at the Wichita Boathouse.
The majority of the inquires about Wichita, which is expected with any visitors, is something to do for the day or to burn the afternoon. Maps and directions, brochures and visitor guides are all very popular. But most of the visitors didn’t come to Wichita to see or experience anything specific or renowned. There were a few visitors that did come to Wichita as part of a country tour of Botanical Gardens across America. That seemed to be the most popular. That I think can be a great marketing direction for visitors.
Especially with the RV community and the touring retirees, a marketing campaign of Zoos across America, Botanical Gardens across America, Art and Aviation Museums across America are examples. Wichita might not be the place for a once-a-year family vacation area as we don’t have the Theme Parks or NYC sight seeing type of amenities, but we can be a destination stop for those who love traveling across America. We don’t have to have landmarks or historical points-of-interest, but for many of the long-term travelers, checking out all the Botanical Gardens in America is a trilling and enjoyable experience.
Convention business is great for our economy, but I’m not for sure the average convention goer is interested in Cowtown or Exploration Place. The majority of them just wanted to have a good time with the night life. The majority of the convention goers came into the Boathouse asking for the club district, for which Old Town is a great asset. These individuals are usually by themselves, with spouses or friends or with co-workers, so they are not typically in tow with their families. A business or other types of conventions usually brings out the party animal in them, such as the Women Bowlers. They asked for Casinos and Bars. They didn’t care about Museums or shopping. They are generally in town for just a few days and having a good time with memories and stories to tell is their mission.
The visitors that asked about shopping in Wichita, are generally those that live close to our area. Dodge City, Salina, Ponca City and every town inbetween a general 100 mile radius are the ones that asked about shopping at the malls or looking for a good furniture or mattress store. Or they ask about how to get to Rusty Eck or Mel Hambelton, (yes, those annoying tv and radio car dealership commercials do really work to attract people to come buy cars in Wichita.)
Places like Cowtown, Exploration Place, Ice Center and maybe even the Zoo for the most part are generally at the mercy of the locals in our area. Visitors tend to only respond mildly to those venues. The Art Museum, Museum of World Treasures and Botanical Gardens are the venues that received the greatest interest to visitors.
Now, I will say that there is one thing we have going for us, and I believe that we need to greatly focus and extend on this, because this can become a huge advantage when it comes to attracting these travel across America visitors and convention goers. And that is, Wichita is a name/city that is generally known by the vast public in America. I found this fascinating when conversing with visitors. Wichita, has built with its history, a carved niche of being an identifiable city in America’s lore. The visitors might not know what Wichita looks like or what it has to offer, but it is at least is recognized or identified as a name and place of a city as any other large city in America. This maybe have to do with the perception of the history of the Wild West, but being a mid-size city, it has much more name recognition and familiarity response than cities, such as Tulsa, Little Rock and even Omaha.
I believe we need to capitalize on this. I’m not saying to attract us as a Wild West type of destination, like Dodge City, but to build on the identity of Wichita. We need to project our identity, with the past, present and future, combined. A city image of its character and the people that make it. Something that combines us together that makes us uniquely proud. An identity that is distinctively Wichita. A place and a people that is more positively projected and revealed. This will help us build on the already general familiarity that people have and make it much more of an attractive place to visit or to hold conventions. Be much more than an average mid-western city that would project it as bland, but an identity.
We probably cannot match the identity of Las Vegas, New Orleans, Austin, Seattle or Atlanta, just to name a few, but we can have greater strength in city name recognition. We need to be better known, and we cannot do that with attractions alone. We have to have a consensus mindset and attitude that makes us distinct.
That is why my proposal to build the Peerless Tower is a great place to shape our identity. The Big Easy, Sin City, Emerald City and others are nicknames given to cities with identities. Wichita can be known as the Peerless City. To me and visitors, Air Capital doesn’t really do much. But the Peerless City can be a great identity. It’s much better than the derogatory, “doo-dah” that cynics tend to label Wichita.
The Peerless City needs to be something that our community will have to get together and build on, agree to, and promote for it to be a recognizable nickname for the City of Wichita.
With that, I will make one last point that I think that Wichita needs. And that is an attractive and easily visible with directional signage and facility, a great Visitors Information Center. The Wichita Boathouse was a success in that it help attracted the Visitors to seek the information, guides and maps to plan the day in Wichita. With the closure of the Wichita Boathouse and the Visitors Center relocating back to the GWCVB office at Douglass and Main, is a huge disservice to visitors. For one, finding the GWCVB office is difficult for those who are not familiar to our area. Parking is very poor and signage is lacking. I understand that the GWCVB is relocating to the WaterWalk, but we need to either re-open the Boathouse or build an attractive, easily accessible and recognizable building for visitors. And the Cowtown one isn’t going to cut it.
Good day fair citizens of Gotham.
I propose a tower as well. It shall be called “Wayne Enterprises”. It will stand for truth, justice and the American way.
I would recommend a large spotlight on top of City Hall as well.
I’ll add a national issue that could have a positive impact on Wichita: RAIL SERVICE. Currently the heartland is ‘fly-over’ territory between the coasts. If rail were revived then we could become stopping points along the way.
When I toured Europe I used a Eurail pass and stopped in numerous small cities. They gave me a REAL picture of France, Germany, Italy, etc etc much more than only visiting the tourist cities would have. (Gave me a real good opportunity to use my language phrase books too). Similarly a traveller across the USA might stop at places on the way that look ‘different’