Tourism staff reports strong social reach but hotel pass signups lag

At its Aug. 13 meeting the New Berlin Tourism Commission heard a marketing update from staff member Kelly, who said the commission's social-media outreach is growing and that one recent post reached nearly 14,000 people and garnered about 184 likes.

Kelly described continued work on the events calendar and noted the 'business of the month' features, including Brunchberry and the Miss Wisconsin Scholarship Foundation — the latter held a competition in New Berlin in July and Kelly named 'Willow' and 'Natalie' as the new Miss Wisconsin and team members.

Staff also reviewed the Bandwango hotel pass rollout. Kelly said QR-code cards were delivered to hotels on June 26 to promote a multi-business pass; between June 26 and the Aug. 13 meeting she reported only one person had signed up (a June 29 signup). Kelly said Bandwango reached out to offer additional support and that a small number of businesses declined participation, citing they already had sufficient customers.

Commission members proposed several promotional ideas intended to boost signups: simplifying or reformatting the printed card to promote Discover New Berlin rather than individual restaurant discounts; placing a QR-code barricade at high-traffic events such as the Fourth of July parade, farmers market and winter fest; and including QR codes on booths and library displays. Kelly said she already includes QR codes on handouts and on advertising and offered to adjust materials as commissioners suggest.

Kelly noted one local activity center (reopened trampoline park) declined to participate when asked. The transcript records these operational and outreach details but does not include follow-up performance metrics beyond the single-signup figure.

Commissioners did not take formal action on the marketing items during the meeting; staff were asked to continue outreach and report back as appropriate.