Convention bureau unveils new brand, logo

The Cedar Rapids Area Convention & Visitors Bureau on Thursday adopted a new brand: “Where your experience starts.”

The new brand and logo will be used to market Cedar Rapids as a destination for conventions, leisure, business, athletic and group travel, it was announced at the bureau's annual luncheon at the Cedar Rapids Marriott.

The logo was developed by North Forty, a Cedar Rapids-based marketing firm.

Officials said the events booked by the Convention & Visitors Bureau in fiscal year 2008 brought $7.1 million in spending to Cedar Rapids. Linn County ranked second in the state for domestic travel impact, with more than $590.4 million in travel spending in 2008, representing 9.2 percent of the state total.

The Cedar Rapids Area Convention & Visitors Bureau is the area's destination management organization, now entering its fourth decade of operation. The bureau is launching new promotional tools that make use of social media, Web sites and targeted advertising.

The area, officials said Thursday, consistently rank as one of the top communities in which to live, work, play and raise a family. This year, Cedar Rapids was named one of “American's Best Places to Grow Up” by U.S. News & World Report, and it ranked No. 4 on a list of “Next Cities” by Next Generation Consulting. Mount Vernon, in southeast Linn County, was named among “America's Top 10 Coolest Small Towns.”