FY20 Annual Report - 2

vision & value
FOR THE COMMUNITY
FROM THE CHAIR | LAURA BLEILL
University of Illinois Research Park
Chair, Board of Directors, 2019-2020
What a rollercoaster this year has been.
Heading in to fiscal year 2020, Visit Champaign
County and the Board of Directors began an
extensive process of developing Destination 2023, a
new strategic plan that would chart the course of the
organization for the next three years.
Through conversations with stakeholders, the
community, and in-person focus groups, three goals
were established to move the destination forward
into 2023:
*	 Enhance the community as a destination.
*	 Strengthen visitor and resident experiences.
*	 Elevate Visit Champaign County to be embraced
as a community-shared value.
We presented this plan to community stakeholders
in February of 2020, not realizing what was about to
happen-that COVID-19 would soon irrevocably alter
our nation-and of course our community.
Despite the struggles that Visit Champaign County
would face in the last quarter of the fiscal year, the
goals outlined in Destination 2023 would serve their
purpose immediately. They have been pillars that
have guided the organization's staff and leadership
as we navigate moving forward amidst a pandemic.
Together our board watched as the organization proactively addressed these challenges.
From highlighting opportunities to engage and
support local business, to collaborating on safety
2 | visitchampaigncounty.org

efforts, and raising up the many local hospitality
workers who saw their jobs disappear, Visit
Champaign County made it known that indeed: we
are a community-shared value.
This is a testament to the unflappable VCC team-
whose spirit and dedication never waivered. We are
incredibly thankful to these professionals. It's also
a testament to the spirit of collaboration with our
colleagues across the community, which certainly
existed pre-pandemic-but went into overdrive this
spring and summer.
Successes were also celebrated-the IHSA Boys
Basketball State Tournament returning to the
State Farm Center, the expansion of the I Hotel &
Conference Center, the new Rantoul Sports Complex,
and the largest percentage growth in tourism
revenue in the state of Illinois. These milestones will
be critically important as we look ahead.
Together, all of these factors have laid a foundation
to aid in the recovery for the greater Champaign
County area post-pandemic.
Our timelines may be altered, but we remain
steadfastly committed that our destination vision
of providing energetic and innovative experiences,
attracting visitors and potential residents from
around the world will come to fruition.
Thank you.



http://www.visitchampaigncounty.org

FY20 Annual Report

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of FY20 Annual Report

FY20 Annual Report - 1
FY20 Annual Report - 2
FY20 Annual Report - 3
FY20 Annual Report - 4
FY20 Annual Report - 5
FY20 Annual Report - 6
FY20 Annual Report - 7
FY20 Annual Report - 8
https://www.nxtbook.com/champaigncounty/annualreport/fy22-annual-report
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