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Chamber outlines experiential events, metrics to grow East Troy tourism

Village of East Troy Board of Trustees ยท April 21, 2026

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Summary

The East Troy Area Chamber's tourism lead presented a marketing plan focused on experiential events (First Fridays, East Trail Lights, scavenger hunts) and new measurement approaches; trustees asked for supporting data and the chamber offered reports and business survey results.

Vanessa, the village's tourism/chamber representative, told the board the chamber is shifting to an "attention economy" strategy that emphasizes repeatable, shareable events to drive visitation and downtown spending. "You can't purchase attention. You have to earn it," she told the trustees, and described plans for a downtown block party July 4, expanded First Fridays, East Trail Lights, and a series of seasonal scavenger hunts.

Vanessa said the chamber pairs modest marketing dollars with immersive experiences and partnerships (including neighboring communities) to amplify impact. She cited grants that provided event-specific metrics and said the group relies on Bridal Wisconsin figures, clicker counts and business surveys to estimate returns. "For every dollar spent on tourism ad campaigns, $8 returned to state and local governments," she said, citing the industry benchmark used by Bridal Wisconsin, and noted a local restaurant reported a 60% sales increase on scavenger-game days.

Trustees asked for details on data collection and ROI. Vanessa said some measures are grant-supported and that the chamber can provide reports and business-survey results used for prior events; she described using impressions from billboard buys, registration lists from scavenger activities, and manual counts for free events. The chamber pledged to supply follow-up reports to the board.

The presentation framed tourism as a downtown economic development tool: chamber leaders said the square investment and event programming have increased regional visibility and helped draw day and overnight visitors who support local shops, restaurants and attractions.

Next step: trustees received the report and requested the chamber provide the cited studies and event-specific metrics to the board ahead of the next quarterly review.