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Visit Madison outlines marketing wins, trolley rollout and comfort-station hiring at March 24 meeting
Summary
Staff described recent earned and paid media placements, a new visitor-profile module showing longer overnight stays, plans for trolley programming and a comfort station, and hiring progress for guest services.
At the Jefferson County Board of Tourism meeting on March 24, marketing staff summarized recent earned-media placements and upcoming paid campaigns, and staff described plans for trolley programming and a new downtown comfort station, including hiring timelines.
Sarah Purcell (BMI/Visit Madison marketing lead) told the board the office secured an evergreen USA Today editorial placement and digital coverage that reached a broad network and that the office will launch a five-month Google display campaign on April 1 targeting overnight markets. "We want everything we can to increase destination visibility for Madison and Jefferson County," Purcell said, adding that a Bridal/Taste and Tour placement will appear in national retail and library outlets.
Purcell said social engagement is growing — Instagram was up 234% over last February and Facebook up 86% — and staff are launching targeted Facebook lead forms to build first-party email data. She said the office will pilot a micro-influencer/creator program and is vetting candidates for paid/local partnerships.
Staff reported a new Placer module that tracks overnight trips and nights stayed, and the board was told early data show not only more overnight trips but longer stays among visitors. The visitor-profile study, run with partner vendors, is expected to produce results in about eight weeks, with preliminary data due in May.
On operations, staff described trolley programming now being planned in four buckets: paid private rentals (weddings, reunions), paid ticketed experiences (themed tours), paid public excursions, and free loop routes on scheduled days. Board members said running an extended Hanover loop may be delayed until a second trolley arrives (staff said the second trolley is expected in July). Staff said private rentals have already been frequent and that some weekend Saturdays are nearly fully booked.
The board also received an update on a downtown comfort station. Staff said they have received roughly 45 applications for comfort-station guest services and a similar number for tour-guide positions; they reported fewer applications for trolley drivers and said recruiting remains underway. Staff said the plan is to operate the comfort station seven days a week and to build a bench of hired staff so single absences will not derail operations.
Meeting housekeeping: members approved minutes from Feb. 17 and Dec. 2024 as presented and accepted the treasurer's report (motions and second recorded; specific roll-call tallies were not provided in the transcript). The meeting adjourned by unanimous voice vote.
What happens next
Staff will continue marketing campaigns in April and expects to present visitor-profile results in May. Trolley service will be phased in as staffing and a second trolley arrive; staff said more detailed route and schedule information will be announced in early May, and the board said some applicants and partners should coordinate programming to align with trolley schedules.
