The 100-day marker has come and gone since Lacey Ekberg began employment for the Eureka Springs City Advertising and Promotion Commission as its new Tourism Director. Her predecessor, Mike Maloney, was titled the CAPC Executive Director, but Ekberg immediately questioned that title. She recalled when she was first contacted by Carol Wright who told her she was the Chair of the CAPC – Ekberg said she did not recognize the acronym.
Ekberg said when talking about advertising and promotion for a city, the general terminology would be a Chamber of Commerce or Visitors’ Bureau, but, “Nobody knows what CAPC is.”
Her first order of business was to claim a clear identification for the organization and its staff. Ekberg announced, “We are tourism and we work for the CAPC.” She then aligned her title accordingly as the Tourism Director.
Ekberg has taken the role of not only the tourism director, but also of a team coach, acting to empower the staff to go above and beyond what they have in the past. She said the employees are absolutely amazing people, and many are long-time employees who have endured varying shifts of management over the years.
Recognizing their potential, Ekberg is determined to elevate their spirits and production by embracing the “Yes you can” axiom. For example, Ekberg and staff placed themselves at the Porsche event in town to promote repeat visitors, a first for the tourism agency.
Normally, the staff only visits out-of-town events to promote new Eureka Springs visitors. Ekberg said the Porsche team was surprised to see Eureka Tourism employees supporting their event, and it resulted in a stimulated relationship with the city.
Staff is now contacting other car organizations who travel to Eureka Springs in order to encourage their return to town. Ekberg said feedback from hands-on efforts has been overwhelmingly positive, with some visitors saying that no one from the city has ever before contacted them to encourage their return.
“Tourism is supposed to be fun,” she said, and by empowering staff to celebrate the visitors who are already here, she is bringing the fun back to the employees.
Since Ekberg has implemented the new tourism brand and removed the tacit restrictions from employee responsibilities, the atmosphere in the tourism office has changed considerably. To attest to improved office morale, a visitor will see more smiles, employee interactions, teamwork, creative brainstorming, and follow-through.
Case-in-point, during this interview an employee freely came into the office, on her day off, where she wanted to touch base with Ekberg and wish everyone a happy holiday. She showed genuine appreciation that Ekberg is here and she was embracing her new wide-range of responsibilities which is serving to add value to both her work and to the city.
Finance Director Rick Bright echoed the sentiment and said he’s relieved to retire his interim-Executive Director hat. With a quiet voice and earnest devotion, Ekberg is already reaping the rewards of her few months in office. “We are making great progress,” she said.
To add to affirmative leadership, Ekberg has made another new contribution to tourism by supporting the 10-months a year Eureka Springs Fun Guide, published by the ES Independent. The Fun Guide has been courted by Arkansas Parks and Tourism, and 14 Welcome Centers surrounding Arkansas display it prominently.
“It’s monthly, it’s fresh! People love it!” Ekberg said. This publication is taken to every tourism event staff attends and Ekberg says it’s the first thing visitors pick up off the table. “It’s the perfect marketing tool for us.” Ekberg said come January it will be shared at tourism events in Colorado, Minnesota, and Michigan.
Ekberg is also excited about the newly hired media marketing company, Paradise Marketing, based in St. Pete, Fla. She has previous professional connections with Paradise and persuaded this company to take on Eureka’s small account in comparison to its larger clientele. Little Rock and Savannah, Ga., are enjoying the fruits of Paradise, and beginning Jan. 1, so will Eureka Springs.
“They are aggressive, they are young – they are going to blow our socks off,” Ekberg said in describing expectations she foresees for Paradise in Eureka Springs. Ekberg said the team at Paradise will help them shape new branding with a young and fun media marketing plan. Paradise partners with Trip Advisor, Expedia, and Google to specifically target audiences for Eureka Springs.
In just 100 days, Ekberg has set the tourism office on a clear and exciting course. A new dining booklet has been printed and is ready for distribution, a wedding guide is expected to arrive by January 1, and the newly released Eureka-360 online trail guide is expected to be enhanced even further in 2020.