A full house packed the Sampson room at Fuller Hall on Tuesday morning for the presentation by Stepphanie Neppl, of Travel Iowa. Her presentation offered a long list of suggestions for promoting local businesses, organizations and events to benefit the community. The presentation was sponsored by the Webster City Area Chamber of Commerce.

Fly through, not over!

It’s the opening of the Travel Iowa website, targeting the theory that outsiders don’t think anything interesting happens in Iowa.

Ever heard that there is nothing to do in Webster City?

Stephanie Neppl, of Travel Iowa, posed that question at the beginning of her presentation Tuesday, which was sponsored by the Webster City Area Chamber of Commerce.

Every head nodded.

It was an insightful presentation about the many free services provided through the Iowa Department of Tourism which is trying to promote the many different types of businesses, events and attractions that bring tourists to town.

The impact of those tourists in Iowa in 2023 added up to a $11.49-million industry, with nearly 71,000 tourism-related jobs, and $1.1 billion in state and local tax revenue.

The 2023 report from the Iowa Economic Development Authority, of which the Department of Tourism is a part, made another point: Without those tourism dollars, each Iowa household would pay an additional $857 in taxes each year.

Hamilton County has seen a decline in tourism in recent years when the rest of the state has had a 5% increase, according to those statistics.

Neppl was here to change that.

This town has plenty to offer, she said, but it could use some improvement in its marketing. And that doesn’t just mean by the Chamber.

She encouraged participants to assess their city and their organization.

“Focusing on inspiration, not information to make the experience, not just the place,” Anna Woodward, Webster City Area Chamber director, summarized later. “We need to focus on people, the smiles, the atmosphere.”

Neppl’s message Tuesday was to show off a community’s best assets, not only for the eventual visit, but through social media, with photos showing people enjoying themselves, demonstrating there are fun and engaging things here, worthy of a visit. She suggested everyone take a tour of their own hometown, in person and online.

The tools Iowa Tourism offers are powerful, she said, but if businesses and organizations don’t submit their information, it can’t help them.

The importance of inspiration versus information was critical. So what does that mean?

— Show, don’t tell: Use photos with people in them having fun, involved with the activity;

— Make sure your open hours and phone numbers are easy to find;

— Identify your target audience, young families, couples and show them at your site;

— Partner with other businesses and organizations;

— Create itineraries offering things to do, places to eat and a place to stay.

Neppl encouraged those in the room to send their information and photos to Travel Iowa. It will post those photos with no fees. To learn more, explore its website at https://www.traveliowa.com.

Some of the opportunities Travel Iowa provides are:

— Free listing on its site and in its materials;

— Free Iowa Travel Guides;

— Free consumer newsletter;

— Media and influencer hosting and marketing tools. Those marketing tools are provided with free tools like The Basics of Localhood, a Monthly Content Calendar, and instructions on how to build a video.

The Webster City Area Chamber of Commerce will be hosting a live webinar on “Locable” on March 18.