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Visit Springfield readies Route 66 Centennial, sports and World Cup outreach
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Summary
The city's convention and visitors bureau reported rising tourism metrics and previewed Route 66 Centennial events, Shield Sports Park openings and World Cup‑era marketing plans aimed at increasing multi‑day visitation to Springfield.
Springfield’s convention and visitors bureau told the council it expects a strong tourism year as the city prepares Route 66 Centennial programming and the Shield Sports Park opening.
"We're projected to be 13,000 hotel room nights ahead of 2024 and on pace to exceed $601,000,000 in traveler expenditure set in 2023," Visit Springfield Director Scott Dahl said, highlighting a rebound in visitor activity. Dahl said city tourism staff will leverage the Route 66 centennial, America’s 250th celebrations, and sports tourism tied to the new Shield Sports Park and FIFA World Cup routing to increase visitation and visitor spending.
Dahl outlined specific centennial initiatives — a Centennial 5K, expanded Route 66 exhibits and murals, and plans to open Shay’s gas station for visitor access — and said some FY26 preparatory spending reduced the FY27 request. He noted an expected reduction in the FY27 budget variance because many centennial preparations occurred earlier.
Aldermen asked about international outreach linked to the World Cup and coordination of community events such as viewing parties and downtown activations; Dahl said the bureau has done multi‑year planning and runs international sales missions to promote Route 66 as a multi‑day itinerary separate from Lincoln tourism attractions.
Mayor Misty Buscher praised the bureau’s work bringing international tour groups to Springfield in 2025 and highlighted upcoming youth and women’s sports events that could boost visitation; aldermen encouraged further outreach to attract conventions and historically underrepresented conference markets.
