EXPLORING ALL THINGS LAKE GENEVA
The website www.allthingslakegeneve.com features a calendar that lists upcoming events for Lake Geneva attractions including Black Point Estate & Gardens.
The all Things Lake Geneva features information to help visitors plan their stay in Lake Geneva including a list of city hotels and lodging facilities.
All Things Lake Geneva includes information about attractions that people may visit in the Lake Geneva area include the yerkes Observatory.
A former Lake Geneva alderwoman wants to inform residents and tourists about places to visit in the city of Lake Geneva.
Sarah Hill, founder of All Things Lake Geneva, LLC, has launched a website, www.allthingslakegeneva.com, which includes information about local restaurants, bars, tourist attractions, events and historical sites.
Hill highlighted the website during the Dec. 8 Lake Geneva Tourism Commission meeting. She said the focus of the site is to provide visitors with information about things they can do during their time in Lake Geneva.
"I think I'm one of those, hopefully not too rare, residents that understands not only the the importance of our visitor population, namely for our small economy, but also for our national recognition for who we are as a very vibrant community," Hill said. "I'm very well versed on not only just the antidotal notion of our visitor population but also the ins and outs for the tourism industry."
The website includes a "24 Hours in Lake Geneva" section, which lists the hotels and lodging facilities located in the city.
"That's a sly way for them to find all 11 city lodging partners," Hill said. "One of the goals with that section of the site is to have some itineraries. So, I would like to have some notables of what would the mayor do if he had 24 hours in Lake Geneva, then probably turn those into PDF's for sample itineraries."
Allthingslakegeneva.com also lists possible locations and activities for bachelorette/ bachelor parties and outings.
"As we know, we have a ton of them, but there's not a lot of services, necessarily, that our gearing toward bachelorette parties," Hill said. "Something interesting has happened in that people's alcohol consumption has dropped significantly, and they're looking for experiences. So, people aren't necessarily looking to tie one on and call it a day. They want to go axe throwing. They want to take a boat tour."
The website also features a calendar that lists upcoming events.
Grant request
During the Tourism Commission meeting, Hill requested a $2,963 grant to help market and promote the website.
"When I was chatting with some folks here they said, 'Hey, why don't you go to the Tourism Commission and see if you can get reimbursed for the website,'" Hill said. "I thought, 'That's a great idea,' so here I am. I have not made a dime on this website. I also have not paid for any advertising for this website."
Brian Wapsi, chairman for the Tourism Commission, said he is impressed with the website but said it may compete with the Lake Business Improvement District's and VISIT Lake Geneva's websites, which the commission already helps support.
"If we were to sponsor two people who are advertising the same event, we're just advertising against ourselves," Wapsi said. "We have the BID focusing on the downtown. We have VISIT Lake Geneva that focuses on regional stuff. I want to drill in more on how this is different and won't be competing with things the Tourism Commission is already supporting."
Hill said she plans to focus more on events that are occurring at places that are related to local history including Black Point Estate & Gardens, Yerkes Observatory, Geneva Lake Museum, Maxwell Mansion and Lake Geneva Public Library.
"It's really based on that whole tagline of 'turning history into happy hour,' where I really want this to be historical tourism, which is an actual thing," Hill said. "So, whether you're a hipster or a 78-year-old looking for something different to do in Lake Geneva, 'turning history into happy hour,' is just not a tagline, it's a mission."
Alderwoman Mary Jo Fesemaier, who also is a member of the Tourism Commission, questioned if they award the grant, would they receive similar requests for other websites in the future.
"If we approve this one, what's prohibiting two or three more people coming in with the same idea," Fesenmaier asked.
Waspi also said he is not certain if they are able to approve the request, because according to state statute, tourism commissions are able to award grants to help promote events that are going to help attract visitors to a community and for municipal development projects.
"If you're in here saying, 'All Things Lake Geneva, we're having an event. We're putting on something that ties directly to the statute,' that would be a lot easier for me," Waspi said. "I'm trying to flesh out if this is something we can get behind right now."
After some discussion, the Tourism Commission members agreed to not award the grant request without taking a vote.
Hill said she understood the commission's decision and indicated that she plans to work with local hotels to offer a concierge service for visitors in the future. She said she also plans to offer a historic walking tour for hotel guests.
"The goal is a concierge service, whether it's via the hotels or direct consumer," Hill said. "I don't necessarily have a revenue model for how that is going to work. This is more of a passion than a business at this point. But I am open and available for personalization of visits and visitors' experience."
Hill served on the Lake Geneva City Council 2012-2016 and has worked as a concierge for Grand Geneva Resort & Spa and as the executive director for Black Point Estate & Gardens.
