Council Bluffs CVB reports $336 million in visitor spending for county in 2023; launches ‘UnleashedCB’ brand

Mark Ackman, executive director of the Council Bluffs Convention and Visitors Bureau, presented the bureau’s fiscal year 2025 report to the Pottawattamie County Board of Supervisors and outlined marketing work and economic impacts for the county.

Ackman said the CVB is a 501(c)(6) nonprofit that has operated with a county voice on its board since its inception. He told supervisors that, by Turismo Economics’ county-level measure, visitor spending in calendar year 2023 in Pottawattamie County totaled more than $336,000,000. Ackman said hotel-motel tax collections totaled about $3,184,000 in fiscal year 2025, the fourth consecutive fiscal year above $3 million.

Ackman described a shift to year-round, digitally focused campaigns and a winter marketing push tied to Crescent Hill at Hitchcock, a county attraction. He said the CVB saw double-digit increases across four of five website metrics (unique visitors, sessions, page views and events) and a 20% lift in impressions from digital ads tied to live-music promotions. He also reported a successful year for events: the CVB supported 10 tournaments that generated more than 8,400 hotel room nights with an estimated value of $1,000,000, and the 89.7 The River concert at Tom Hannifin Rivers Nature Park drew large crowds.

Ackman announced a branding transition: the bureau will do business as “UnleashedCB” and will roll out the new creative and social handles in the coming weeks. He said the bureau’s team of four and seven-member board represent attractions, restaurants, hotels and sports interests and that the CVB’s newsletter and event calendar remain key tools for promoting county events.

No vote was required; the board received the presentation and thanked the presenters for the annual report and marketing update.