The Challenge
Encompassing a four-county area of forest and lakes about 60 miles west of Chicago, the Blackhawk Waterways CVB’s primary objective is to draw city-dwellers to their rural region for long weekends and family vacations. However, competition is stiff in the Chicago metro area, especially in the digital world. With high-income vacationers using the web to research travel in record numbers, the Blackhawk Waterways CVB knew they needed help.

The Plan
TDG’s first plan of action was to use cutting edge-technology to turn Blackhawk Waterways’ website into an information powerhouse, quickly organizing 200 calendar events and 800 member listings into tools that visitors could actually use. TDG quickly partnered with several municipalities in the county to form an overall marketing strategy to help penetrate the Chicago market.

The Results
Within a year of the new site’s launch, total month-over-month traffic to the Blackhawk Waterways site was up 89% and search engine traffic was up 92%. But it isn’t simply functional – it’s downright pretty, too. No wonder why the site was nominated for top honors at the 2007 Illiniois Governor’s Conference on Tourism. The design is carried throughout all of the BWCVB’s marketing efforts, including its print ads and its annual visitor guide.