Waukon Chamber of Commerce wraps up tourism project that establishes digital media library for future community promotion
Attractive examples ... Pictured at right and below are examples of photos in the new digital media library the Waukon Chamber of Commerce now has at its disposal to help with promoting the Waukon community and events taking place. These photos, taken during the Allamakee County Fair (above) and Waukon Corn Days (below), are just some of the photos and videos available in the media library made possible through an Iowa Tourism Grant received by the Chamber this past year in an effort to attract visitors and area residents to the Waukon community and all it has to offer. Submitted photos.
submitted by the Waukon Chamber of Commerce
As the year comes to an end, so does a tourism project for the Waukon Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber was awarded an Iowa Tourism Grant to help promote a series of events and simultaneously build a digital media library. Chamber staff worked with non-profit Northeast Iowa RC&D and local business partners to accomplish the project, which helped promote the town to a broader audience and created a digital content legacy that will continue to benefit the community for years.
The project featured five Waukon events throughout 2024 including the Cupid Shuffle, Spring Fling, Corn Days, Wine with the Witches, and the Holiday Hop. The project brought together multiple organizations that coordinated events over five weekends throughout the year to demonstrate to tourists that they could fill their weekends with activities in the community.
Thanks to this project, the Chamber was able to promote downtown retail events alongside activities at Robey Memorial Library, Driftless Area Education & Visitor Center, the Waukon Wellness Center, local restaurants, the Allamakee County Fair, WW Homestead Dairy, Waukon High School Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) Chapter, local churches, and more.
“There is always a lot going on in Waukon and the surrounding area,” shared Mandy Halverson, Executive Director of the Waukon Chamber of Commerce. “For the first time, this project allowed us to promote our events collectively to a broader audience to highlight that Waukon is a great place to spend the weekend. Individually our businesses hold their own, but as our project brand notes, ‘Together Waukon Works!’. We are proud of the inclusive and collaborative nature of this project.”
One of the biggest benefits of the project was the creation of a digital library of photos and videos that highlight some of the businesses, partners, and events featured in the project. Halverson said, “We really didn’t have any quality photos at our disposal for marketing events or the community. The digital content we have now is a powerful and useful marketing tool for both us and the State Tourism Office.”
As the Waukon Chamber looks to 2025 and begins to set its annual event calendar, the project positions the group well in regard to marketing the community and Waukon’s unique businesses. The photos and videos will continue to be used in social media, print marketing, and websites that feature Waukon’s events and businesses.
Halverson noted, “We’re always looking for ways to keep Waukon top-of-mind, and we’re grateful this project gave us the tools to keep doing that.”
