Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Museum Veterans topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Mid America Veterans Museum seeks O'Fallon advertising support for 2026 'Light in the Shadows' commemoration
Summary
The Mid America Veterans Museum asked the O'Fallon CVB to fund a regional advertising campaign for 'Light in the Shadows,' a multi-day August 2026 commemoration honoring 13 service members; museum projects 30–40% visitor growth and about 200,000 digital impressions from the campaign.
The Mid America Veterans Museum asked the O'Fallon Convention & Visitors Bureau on Oct. 22 to support a comprehensive advertising campaign for a multi-day commemorative event, "Light in the Shadows," planned for August 2026 to honor 13 service members killed in the Abbey Gate bombing.
Naina, speaking for the museum, said the request would fund a multi-channel marketing plan including targeted digital ads, local print and radio, outdoor signage, video storytelling and photography, and public-relations outreach. The museum said its 2024 run of the accompanying Veteran and Athletes United Memorial Wall drew significant interest and that the museum hopes the campaign will increase attendance by 30 to 40 percent compared with 2024. "We expect a regional reach of about 200,000 plus digital imprint impressions," Naina said.
The museum also described partnerships with veterans' families — including an O'Fallon resident, Jared Schmidt — and plans to invite families to participate. Staff noted some in-house volunteer video/animation work and asked the board for support to amplify regional awareness and increase overnight stays, restaurant visits and retail spending.
Board members asked questions about scope, creative assets and measurable deliverables. Naina said the proposed budget and media breakdown are draft ideas that could be reallocated across the campaign elements. The museum offered to work with city communications and tourism staff on photography and messaging.
Next steps: museum and city staff will refine campaign details; the museum's request will be considered alongside other budget priorities and reported back to the board in follow-up materials.
