March 2013

Volume 13, Issue 3

A publication of the

Manhattan

Convention &

Visitors Bureau

Tourism professionals from acrossthe state of Kansas descended uponour State Capital on Wednesday,February 13, 2013 to receiveupdates from our partners andstakeholders in tourism as well as tointerface with elected officials onthe importance Tourism in Kansas.

The Travel Industry of Kansas (TIAK)hosted the Day on the Hill beginningwith a welcome from Secretary ofWildlife, Parks and Tourism, RobinJennison, setting the tone for the day.Presentations were also given by KSDepartment of Revenue, KS Dept. ofCommerce, KS Creative ArtsIndustries Commission, KS HistoricalSociety, KDOT and Agri-Tourism andKS By-ways. Kansas Wildlife, Parks

and Tourism unveiled the findings ofIHS Global Insights with the EconomicImpact of Kansas Tourism for 2010 &2011.

• Kansas hosted 32.1 million domesticvisitors in 2011….6.3% more than in2009

• Kansas visitors spent $7.6 billion in the state in 2011

Continued on page 2

PromotingTourism...

March Madness - 2A StyleThe annual 2A high school state basketball tournament falls March 6-9 thisyear. Our goal is to bring visitors to Manhattan, and 2A in particular doesjust that. Hundreds of family members and friends travel from all over thestate to cheer on their team in the state tournament.

As a state tournament site, we are fortunate to partner with K-State andManhattan Parks & Rec as we host this event, as well as a slew of arearestaurants who generously donate food supplies for the hundreds volun-teers, school administrators and officials working the event.

A lot of manpower go into making this event a success each year. Interestedin volunteering, and seeing what it’s all about? Email Kendra@manhattan.orgor call 785-776-8829. Also, check out our Facebook page for photo galleries

from each day of last year’stournament! Facebook.com/vis-itmanhattankansas.

March Madness begins with 2AState High School Tournamentin Manhattan March 6-9 fol-lowed by Big XII Tournament inKansas City at the SprintCenter March 13-16.

Hotel Openingsand Updates

Page 3

Enjoy KansasOutdoors

Page 3

Konza KeepsVisitors Amazed

Page 4

Friendly Invasion of Square DancersIt’s a special occasion for hundreds of square dancers fromaround the country! March 21, dancers from more than 25states will invade Manhattan for their annual festival. The festival is sponsored by the Heart of America Single SquareDancers Association (HASSDA) and Manhattan’s LoneWrangler Square Dance Club.

The Manhattan Convention and Visitors Bureau has workedwith both groups to help facilitate this annual event, whichwill take place at the K-State Student Union Ballroom. Threenationally and internationally-known callers and a celebratedround dance cuer will be at the festival.

Local restaurants and hotels will alsobe doing business with the dancers,who are looking forward to dancing inManhattan. Questions should bedirected to Maye Wegner, HASS-DA President. Call 785-806-8314 oremail mayewegener@yahoo.com.

...Day on the Hill Continued from page 1

• Tourism’s economic contributions supported 148,000 jobs in Kansas in 2011….7.8% more than 2009 Source: IHS Global, 2011 Kansas Tourism Satellite Account

• During 2012 KS Dept. of Wildlife, Parks & Tourism marketing campaign “There’s No Place Like Kansas” reached over 1.84M people.

• The campaign generated 133.4K incremental trips to Kansas resulting in over $73.5M in incremental spending. The investment return on the campaign was 80:1 The Manhattan Convention & Visitors Bureau was one of the communities that partnered with the KS Dept. of Wildlife, Parks, & Tourism on this campaign. Source: H2R Market Research 2012

The Day on the Hill concluded with a legislative reception showcasing Kansas Tourism.Manhattan participated in the Flint Hills Region booth, providing information on the FlintHills Discovery Center and vacation options throughout the Flint Hills. Other booths highlighted other Kansas tourism finding, with the flipping of pancakes, cowboy hats, racecars, jet skis and an abundance of tourism professionals telling the story of tourism to ourelected officials. We appreciate the leadership provided by our elected officials:Representatives Phillips, Swanson, and Carlin and Senator Hawk. The ManhattanCVB was represented by Karen Hibbard, CVB Director, Christy Chase, ConventionSales and Marcia Rozell, Tourism Sales.

Blog with meOne of the exciting new features on the CVB website is the ability to blog. This feature allows us to present current events,updates from the road, pictures, videos, testimonials and more.We are busy people in a busy town, and we want to share asmuch of it as possible. Subscribe to our blog to hear about whatis happening in The Little Apple®.

Be sure to leave us some love as well. There is a comment feature to the blog. Share your thoughts, comments, photos,videos and activities in Manhattan with us.

Though we plan to discuss upcoming events IN the blog, this isnot designed to be a comprehensive overview. Please use theevents calendar feature to access all the upcoming events inManhattan.

Moving forward, we strive to serve the community and beyondin more interactive and more helpful ways. Checking in post-trip?Let us know how your visit was, if you utilized the CVB services,and your favorite reasons for utilizing the Manhattan Conventionand Visitors Bureau!

***Non-constructive comments will not be posted.

Paws on Poyntz - June 1Follow them on Facebook under ‘DowntownManhattan Weenie Dog Races & Paws onPoyntz’ for to-the-minute details!

Sunset Zoo eventsCommunity Appreciation Day; March 23 from noon-5

Earth Day; April 21 from noon- 4:30 pmMercy Health Center’s Wild Run; May 4, 8:00 am

Wine in the Wild; June 1, 6:00 pmCall 785-587-2737 with questions.

McCain Auditorium ShowsFigaro, Figaro Figaro! Practice that opera inthe shower, and get in the spirit for “TheMarriage of Figaro” at McCain Auditorium.The show runs March 7-9 at 7:30 pm eachevening. Call 785-532-5740 for ticket informa-tion.

Mummenschanz; this whacky and whimsicalworld will entertain the whole family. Getready to giggle- it’s Tuesday the 12th at 7:30 pm.

The Celtic Tenors bring folk, Irish and popharmonies just in time for our St. Patrick’scelebrations. 7:30 pm on March 15.

Call 785-532-6428 or email mcain@ksu.edufor ticket information. Their website is k-state.edu/mccain.

SportsBaseball has begun! There are a wholeBUNCH of games at Tointon Family Stadiumin March. Visit kstatesports.com to viewthe baseball schedule- there’s a game nearlyevery single day and they range in time from11:00 am to 6:30 pm. Support your Wildcats!K-State works closely with Manhattan tobring hundreds of thousands of visitors toManhattan each year.

Rowing, men’s and women’s golf, and equestri-an are all getting started as well. So manygames, so little time…

K-State spring game is set for April 27th!Kick-off is 1:10 pm, and then head to nearbyTointon Family Stadium for the 4:00 baseballgame against TCU!

Wildcats on Parade!Stop by our office at 501 Poyntz Ave to seethe “Tradition” Wildcat on display! There are150 of these cats all over town, and we canprovide a map to all the others out there.Can’t come during office hours? We’ll leavethe shades up so you can see it through thewindow!

Upcoming events to get on your calendar

March brings some excitingnew hotel openings toManhattan! You’ve likelynoticed the new hotel property going in on ThirdSt. and Ft. Riley Boulevard.

The new Candlewood Suitesproperty is an extended-stayfacility. Guests have fully-equipped kitchens, access toa free movie library, an exec-utive desk with speakerphone and free high speedinternet in each room.

“Much larger than the averagehotel room and more afford-able than a corporate apart-ment, the Candlewood Suites isthe perfect ‘home away fromhome’ for relocation, project,temporary assignment or train-ing needs. The CandlewoodSuites does not require a leaseor minimum length of stay.Whether traveling for businessor leisure, for one night or sev-eral months, CandlewoodSuites Manhattan is the solu-tion to your temporary housingneeds.” Beth Lohman,General Manager.

"I am absolutely delighted

that we are nearingthe date whenManhattan's FirstExtended StayHotel will open.The CandlewoodSuites has a fabu-lous location over-looking the BlueEarth Plaza, thefountains, and theFlint Hills Discovery Center. Itis just a short walk from greatlocal restaurants, shops, andHistorical DowntownManhattan.” Colin Noble,Owner of CandlewoodSuites.

But that’s not the only property with news!

The Clarion Hotel is gettingready to reopen as the first-ever Four Points bySheraton in the state ofKansas. The hotel has spentmore than $5 million in ren-ovations since May 2012.

The atrium (formerly the"holidome") received thebiggest cosmetic upgrade,with the removal of theputt-putt golf course, foun-

tains, and bridge. This areaadded close to 10,000 sqfeet of additional space forgroups and conventions forvendor expos, hospitalityareas, etc.

“As the Manhattan communitycontinues to grow, the hotel iscommitted to their mission ofproviding first-class services tothe thousands of guests thatcome through the doors, annu-ally. As they go through thisvast and exciting transforma-tion to a more upscale facility,the hotel will significantlyenhance the experience fortheir valued guests while main-taining the same outstandingcustomer service and individualattention that visitors havecome to expect.” Jenn Alley,Director of Sales &Catering.

Congratulations to the Mills family, recent winners ofMcCain Performance Series tickets to Shrek! Follow us onFacebook, Pinterest, and our blog for YOUR chance to winMcCain tickets, Country Stampede tickets and more greatofferings in Manhattan!

Enjoy Kansas OutdoorsCalling all Outdoor enthusi-asts. We have a publicationfor you! The ManhattanConvention and VisitorsBureau is an advertisingpartner with Kansas Traveland Tourism and ispleased to announce thefirst annual issue ofKansas Outdoors isready for you toenjoy!

Kansas Outdoors is the perfect pieceto attract outdoor enthusiasts to our great stateof Kansas by highlighting Kansas’ diverse outdoor recreation-al opportunities. A great day in the Flint Hills begins righthere in Manhattan at the Flint Hills Discovery Center!

100,000 copies of Kansas Outdoors will be distributedthroughout 2013 at outdoor sports shows, the ManhattanConvention and Visitors Bureau office or if you are aKANSAS! magazine subscriber, you may have alreadyreceived your copy.

Festival of WinesThe 14th annual Flint Hills Festival of Wines will take place March 8 and 9 for a weekend ofwine tasting events. Friday kicks off events with a wine dinner and live auction at theManhattan Country Club at 6:30.

Saturday festivities include the Private Tasting Room and the Grand Tasting & Silent Auctionheld at the Four Points by Sheraton (formerly Clarion Hotel). You won’t want to miss thisevent so grab tickets now. Coming from out of town? Check out our Book Direct system onthe new website. Find a room from the convenience of your desk or couch.Visitmanhattanks.org.

The Flint Hills Festival of Wines benefits the Homecare and Hospice Foundation, ensuring theprovision of in-home health and support services to families in north central Kansas. Festival ofWines is their largest fundraiser of the year. Contact Christina Nolte for tickets, 785-537-0688, or cnolte@hcandh.org.

Hotel Openings and Updates

Are you ready to Retire?Manhattan is perfectly poised to wel-come you as you retire. Manhattan wasfeatured in “Where to Retire” maga-zine! The March/April issue contains aprofile of Manhattan as one of eightcities in “Farmers Markets—A Fun Link to the Social Scene.”

700,000 Americans relocate tonew towns to retire each year.Congratulations to Manhattan!

Karen Hibbard, Directorkaren@manhattan.org

Christy Chase, ConventionSales Manager

christy@manhattan.org

Marcia Rozell, Tourism SalesManager

marcia@manhattan.org

Autumn Shoemaker,Marketing Coordinatorautumn@manhattan.org

Kendra Dekat, AdministrativeAssistant/ Service Coordinator

kendra@manhattan.org

Manhattan Convention & Visitors Bureau Staff

March 2013

Vision Statement:Destination Manhattan!

Mission Statement:To expand the local area economy by

attracting visitors.

Chuck Scott, ChairmanBrad Everett, HotelJennifer Fritchen, HotelDave Lewis, Ex-OfficioCurt Loupe, Ex-OfficioJackie Murrell, HotelMiranda Lies, Hotel

Julie Powell, HotelWayne Rouse, EntertainmentEvan Tuttle, AttractionTodd Holmberg, K-StateBernie Haney, Ex-OfficioLynda Spire, Ex-Officio

Manhattan CVB Steering Committee

5 Flint Hills Christian School Visitors' Day, K-4 & KindergartenRound-UpFlint Hills Christian School9:00 AM and 6:30 PM785-776-2223

5 K-State Mens Basketball vs. TCUBramlage Coliseum7:00PM800-221-2287

5-6 K-State Baseball v. NiagaraTointon Stadium3pm800-221-2287

6-9 2-A State Basketball TournamentBramlage Coliseum785-776-8829

7-9 Mozart’s The Marriage of FigaroMcCain Auditorium, K-State7:30PM785-532-6878

8 Hale Library Concert SeriesHemisphere Room, KSU Hale Library7:30pm785-532-7442

8 13th Annual Flint Hills Festival of Wines - Wine Dinner & Live AuctionManhattan Country Club785-537-0688

8-9 14th Annual Flint Hills Festival of WinesHilton Garden Inn785-537-0688

8-10 K-State Baseball v. Cal PolyTointon StadiumFri. 3pm Sat. 2pm Sun. 12pm800-221-2287

9 13th Annual Flint Hills Festival of Wines - Grand Tasting & Silent AuctionFour Points by Sheraton (Formerly Clarion)785-537-0688

10 Kansas State University Wind Ensemble ConcertMcCain Auditorium, K-State3:00pm785-532-3816

11 Kansas State University Concert Band and University Band ConcertMcCain Auditorium, K-State7:30pm785-532-3816

12 McCain Performance Series: MummenschanzMcCain Auditorium, K-State7:30 pm785-532-6428

12-13 K-State Baseball v. Northern ColoradoTointon StadiumTues. 6:30pm Wed. 3pm800-221-2287

13 Sunset Zoo Presents: Zoobiquity Connecting Health in Animals & HumansSunset Zoo Nature Exploration Center7:00pm785-587-2737

14 Our People, our Land, Our Images Short Film SeriesFlint Hills Discovery Center6:00-8:00pm785-587-2726

15-17 K-State Baseball v. West VirginiaTointon StadiumFri. 6:30pm Sat. 2pm Sun. 1pm800-221-2287

16 35th Annual Aggieville St. Patrick's Day CelebrationAggievilleAll Day785-776-8050

16 McCain Performance Series: Celtic TenorsMcCain Auditorium, K-State7:30 pm785-532-6428

18-22 KSU Spring Break Week

19-20 K-State Baseball v. MinnesotaTointon StadiumTues. 6:30pm Wed. 3pm800-221-2287

21 Go See It! Lecture SeriesFlint Hills Discovery Center7:00-8:00pm785-587-2726

22-24 K-State Baseball v. Bethune-CookmanTointon StadiumFri. 6:30pm Sat. 2pm Sun. 1pm800-221-2287

22-30 Easter Bunny Arrival and PhotosManhattan Town Center785-539-3500

22-4/21 Greater Prairie Chicken ViewingKonza PrairieReservations Required785-587-0381

23 Community Appreciation DaySunset Zoo Nature Exploration CenterNoon-9pm785-587-2737

26 Spring Music FestivalManhattan Town Center6:00-7:00 PM785-539-3500

26 K-State Baseball v. NebraskaTointon Stadium6:30pm800-221-2287

27 How to Search for and Apply forCollege ScholarshipsJunction City Library7:00 PM913-608-1406

28 Talk About Literature in Kansas 3Manhattan Public Library7:00pm785-776-4741

30 Unstock the Bar! (Reservations Required)Harry's Restaurant8:30-11:30pm785-537-1300

Through March 11Butterflies ExhibitManhattan Town CenterMall Hours785-539-3500

Through March 162011 K-State Department of Art Faculty BiennialBeach Museum of Art, K-StateRegular museum hours785-532-7718

Manhattan Convention & Visitors Bureau501 Poyntz Avenue Manhattan, KS 66502(785) 776-8829 • (785) 776-0679 fax

Konza Keeps VisitorsAmazedWhen was the lasttime you paid a visitto the Konza Prairie?Did you know lessthan 4% of tallgrassprairie remainsunplowed or unde-veloped? The Konza Prairie is a huge tourist draw forManhattan- it draws visitors and researchers from all overthe country, and the world.

Thursday through Sunday, March 21-April 21 visitors areinvited to a season of Greater Prairie Chicken Viewing.Guided tours from an observation blind can be set up by call-ing 785-587-0381. Reservations are required.

Upcoming Conferences, Sports and Special Events in The Little Apple®

February....................................................Anticipated Attendance NumbersConferences4 EPA Region 7 Radon Stakeholders ..............................................1007-8 Mid-America Association for Computers .................................550

& Education (MACE) Annual Convention13 Kansas Bankers Association...........................................................15015-16 Master Farmer/Master Homemaker Annual Meeting..............20021-24 Heart of America - Single Square Dance Association .............500

Annual Meeting24 Kansas Department of Health and Environment .....................300

Annual WORKS! Conference30 Kansas Beef Expo Spring Expo .....................................................200Sporting Events6-9 Kansas State High School Activities Association.................10,000

2A State High School Basketball Tournament16 Manhattan Optimist Kids Wrestling Club ..................................400

Sub District Tournament