The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Visitor’s Bureau head discusses first year on job, plans ahead
of Lake County tourism,” Dockus said in January. “So we’re refocusing our emphasis, not putting it on the Lake County Visitors Bureau. We’re putting the focus on Lake County.”
Dockus said in a May 23 interview that the “Remarkable” brand is the overarching theme of everything the bureau will do.
“People hear ‘Pure Michigan’ all the time, it’s not unlike that,” Dockus said. “(If) you drive it home enough, it will start to be recognized and Lake County will begin to be recognized as a tourism destination.”
Water tower/welcome area
The welcome area will be where the water tower sits at the Interstate 90/state Route 528 interchange. It won’t be a big space, Dockus said, but right now it’s just “a rusty tower and weeds.”
The 90-year-old tower will be painted with a graphic welcoming visitors to the area.
“The welcome area itself will have a nice pathway, some benches and picnic tables set up,” he said. “It will have some signs: one for Lake County, one for the Metroparks, one for Grand River Valley region. It won’t be a staffed location, but we will have directional signage and informational signage available.”
Dockus said they’re working with nurseries and others who are donating time, services, plants and trees among other things. Dockus said he has been working with the village as well as Madison Township on the project.
“It’s been fabulous collaborative effort,” he said. “Our hope is to raise awareness to the Grand River Valley region and Lake County’s role with that, but also Madison.”
“A little bit of Hollywood”
The director of the Cleveland Film Commission, Ivan Schwarz, will be the keynote speaker of the Lake County Visitors Bureau’s annual meeting in October.
Last year’s meeting theme was how music impacts tourism. This year’s theme—dubbed “a little bit of Hollywood” will focus on how movies and television impact tourism.
Dockus said they’re working with Schwarz to “package Lake County.” From the suburbs on the west side to the rural communities on the east end as well as the lake and two scenic rivers, Dockus said the county has a diverse array of setting that filmmakers look for.
“We are talking and putting some packages together to present so when directors and producers are looking for locations we have these things to offer,” he said.
In recent years, major films like “The Avengers” and “Fate of the Furious” have filmed scenes in Cleveland. Dockus said that’s a start for the region as a whole. As studious come to Cleveland to film, there’s a chance to introduce them to Lake County.
“We may not be initially their primary attraction, but now because Cleveland has those, we can start to pull from that area and that’s what we want to start doing,” he said. “There will be a tremendous economic impact if we can do that.”
Changes
The structure of the visitors bureau’s board has changed in Dockus’ first year at the helm. There are now seven board members— down from nine—and the Lake County commissioners now appoint three members to the board.
Board President Jim Arbaczewski retired early in the year, and Dockus said he has great appreciation for him.
“I considered (Arbaczewski) the rock of the organization,” Dockus said.
The visitor’s bureau annually gives out Arts and Cultural Grants for events and organizations like the Ohio Celtic Festival and the Rabbit Run Community Arts Association. But Dockus said they’re no longer just cutting checks. The bureau is collaborating more with the organizations and events that receive funding and is working to have them collaborate more with each other.
Dockus said that the entities that receive funding are expected to follow the visitors bureau on social media, share its posts and as well as share the “Remarkable Lake County” brand. They’re also asked to follow each other and share a post or two from each other on a regular basis.
“It’s a chance to reach out to new potential visitors, potential attendees,” he said. “They are promoting what’s happening in Lake County. They’re promoting themselves but we’re also promoting each other and that’s a good thing.”