GO LOCAL • Provide products that are locally-made or grown, unique or reflective of area. Explore what’s available in your locale and how you can offer it from your place of business.


“Our shop has locally made bakery items, ice cream and an entire section that is full of products made by Illinois food producers. Every month we highlight a local artist on our gallery wall and a local musician plays every Friday night. Serving and providing local products just gives us more to talk about with our customers.”


- Mike Hubbard, The Coffee Hub, Lacon, IL


DEVELOP PARTNERSHIPS •


Build a thematic itinerary or “package” that includes other businesses or attractions in your community or in other Byway communities, offering visitor coupons and distributing each other’s brochures. These offerings can be posted on your website, on IllinoisRiverRoad.org, and Chamber of Commerce and tourism websites.


• Partner with other businesses and attractions to promote one another.


OTHER TIPS: • Keep your business OPEN evenings and weekends, when visitors are out and about. And STAY OPEN when your posted hours state you will be open.


• Offer clean restrooms to visitors. It gets visitors IN YOUR DOOR! •


Set quality service standards and communicate those to your entire staff.


• Put yourself in your guests’ shoes. Think back to your own travels and your impressions of a community and the businesses in it. Now try to look at your own business as a visitor – what’s missing, what could be improved?


• Become active in your community by getting involved in the local chamber of commerce, business association or tourism group.


70% of retail spending occurs after 6 pm.


- National Retail Federation


IRR visitor handbook.indd 9


1/8/2015 12:43:05 PM


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12