Tourism Topics - September 2016

September 2016 • Vol. 12 • Issue 9

New website design for Visit Manhattan

The face of a community is often presented through a well-designed website and strong social media presence. An informative website allows for better communication with customers, and in the case of Visit Manhattan, that means putting a great “public presence” on our community to attract visitors.

Later this month, Visit Manhattan unveils a newlydesigned website that will assist greater efforts to attract visitors to Manhattan. Upgrades will add more mobile-friendly components to the site.

Mobile users are a rapidlyincreasing segment of users-twice that of mobile app traffic, and growing faster -as approximately one-third of Visit Manhattan users arrive from mobile devices.

Worldwide, the web supports 2 trillion mobile users.

Website visits spike to about triple the norm for big events such as the 2A basketball tournament in March and Country Stampede in June. Give us your feedback once we roll out the new website.

TOURISM TOPICS

Magnificent Manhattan

A prominent four-page spread in the Fall 2016 issue of Kansas Magazine touts our wide open spaces here in Manhattan as a popular tourist enticement, and writer Megan Saunders takes readers on a quick-hitting jaunt of can’t-miss locales. Visitors can be certain of an exquisite excursion when they seek out the grandeur of our special spot in the Flint Hills.

The magazine spread is proof that Visit Manhattan’s effort to entice larger audiences has landed sizeable plaudits that resonate with travelers. “A city in the hills” portrays The Little Apple® hot spots and MHK as a thriving, lively, art-friendly place with plentiful attractions to exhaust the weekend traveler after a 36-hour crash course in all things Manhappenin’.

Kansas Magazine has a circulation base approaching 30,000, and similar layouts that feature 14-15 Manhattan go-to sites offer invaluably visual – and free -- advertising for the abundant tourist consumer, and detail attractions Manhattan has to offer. The issue’s overall beverage theme promotes the “sip and savor” flavor of drink stops in Kansas (to include Tallgrass), and iconic Manhattan photo

impressions include a jogger surrounded by City Park fall foliage and Linear Trail walker.

More features of MHK adventures in the magazine point to Flint Hills Discovery Center, Gatherings at 3 Thirteen, Beach Museum of Art, K-State football tailgates/campus tours, Locked Manhattan, Liquid Art Winery and dinner/refreshments at Coco Bolos, the Chef, 4 Olives, Auntie Mae’s and Arrow Coffee Co.

Shopping in Manhattan

With concentrated efforts, we’ve helped establish Visit Manhattan as the top tourist destination of northeast/northcentral Kansas.

Beach Museum of Art. Photo: Kansas State University Communications and Marketing

Flint Hills Discovery Center

Theater amenities big tourist draw downtown

More event and meeting space has drawn an increased demand for conventions to come to Manhattan, specifically in the area of Blue Earth Plaza and four hotels on the perimeter of the park space. People who attend conferences seek nightly entertainment, and Manhattan’s downtown shopping is very good, with growing presence and abundance of unique dining venues.

Evening entertainment is a work-in-progress, and the $20-million, 13screen theater project in Manhattan Town Center is a solid move in the right direction. The new movie theater project is set to open later this fall, and feature a 575-seat IMAX theater and five auditoriums that feature dine-in options. The nearest IMAX screens are located in Kansas City-area AMC Studios (Leawood, Olathe), a third in Wichita and another at the Kansas Cosmosphere in Hutchinson.

Mic’d up in MHK concert

KGA Senior Series hits MCC with 80 to 100 players

That’s why it’s important to stage successful events like the ultra-prosperous Country Stampede with its two decades-long run (attendance beyond 100,000 for three days), and essential for Manhattan to show it can succeed with a complementary event such as Wildcat Kickoff on Sept. 10. Music events have lacked the proper venue outside of Tuttle Creek State Lake’s vast outdoor “amphitheater” setting, and a K-State football off-week is the perfect circumstance for a big-time music act to roll into Manhattan … entertainment beyond the sometimes sweltering summer setting of late June.

Walkable dining and shopping in close proximity to hotels and Manhattan Conference Center … further evidence pointing to the progress of tourism making a sizable impact in The Little Apple®.

Manhattan Country Club will host the Kansas Golf Association Senior Series Championship, Sept. 26-27. A similar-styled Senior Series event in 2015 drew 85 players to Falcon Lakes, Basehor, Kan., in the Kansas City area. Manhattan Country Club also hosted the Kansas Senior Amateur Championship in 2014, an event that attracted 75 golfers and a regional field that included players from Arkansas, Missouri and as far away as Tennessee in addition to Kansas. Look for some golfers in town later this month … the guys in the brightly-colored pants and white belts.

The Kansas Senior men’s open golf championship open to all amateur Kansas male players above the age of 50 is limited to the first 144 entries.

The inaugural tournament will be Sept. 14-15 at Colbert Hills Golf Course ($170 entry).

The Manhattan music scene has never been hotter, and that’s important from a tourist’s perspective to find a vibrant community with a multitude of attractions and entertainment options. Studies have shown Manhattan visitors make numerous ventures to The Little Apple®, and while many of those are K-State alumni and football season-ticket holders, for Manhattan to truly expand as a tourism destination, additional offerings are a necessity.

And not just one big-time act! Zac Brown Band is a world-renowned stage act, and Train has gained a significant following, too. That’s quite a one-two punch. Wildcat Kickoff presents three more acts in a 50,000-seat venue. Phillip Phillips and David Ray are up-and-comers on the Wildcat Kickoff slate, along with Adley Stump, an alumna of the second season of “The Voice” vocal talent competition on NBC. “That girl has some major chops,” Christina Aguilera has said about Stump.

Wildcat Kickoff will help fill hotel rooms during a K-State bye week around six scheduled home dates, and build on The Little Apple® reputation as a great entertainment venue. People come, stay and spend money. And then come back, and repeat the process. That’s how cities grow and prosper, and that’s what we’re trying to achieve with increased tourism at Visit Manhattan. Tickets at WildcatKickoff.com.

Aggieville Mini Maker Faire

With Wildcat Kickoff concert and the last weekend for Amazing Dinosaurs! exhibit at Flint Hills Discovery Center, along with PraiseFest on Sept. 10, Manhattan will be a bustling center of tourism as the third annual Mini Maker Faire dominates Aggieville the same day. The K-State Wildcats have an early bye week, so three dozen vendors flood Moro Street with all sorts of moving parts, machinery and design items on display. Intrigued by how things operate? Handy with machinery? If the world of discovery – making things – fascinates you, the Aggieville Mini Maker Faire is the place to be on Sept. 10. aggievilleminimakerfaire.com

Purple Power Play

A season-opening road football game didn’t delay the excitement for KState football, but it has deferred increased Manhattan weekend traffic well beyond the accustomed Labor Day weekend opener. The home opener is now 12 days away; with it comes Purple Power Play in the Park (Sept. 1516) and Family Reunion, both in conjunction with K-State’s Sept. 17 opener versus Florida Atlantic.

Purple Power Play unites K-State fans at City Park as a fall semester pep rally and student welcome-back-to-campus affair. K-Staters are known for enthusiastic tailgating, and many make a three-day weekend out of virtually every home game. Purple Power Play attracts vendors, residents, visitors and students to converge on City Park and the Larry Norvell Band Stage for the K-State Marching Band, players and coaches from football, volleyball, soccer and men’s and women’s basketball teams.

The 2016 season is Bill Snyder’s 25th year at K-State, and the eighth since his return after a three-year retirement. Snyder will also be chasing the 200th victory of his career this season, which would require seven wins by the Wildcats this season. Get out and cheer on the Cats!

Cultural events Flint Hills Discovery Center • Amazing Dinosaurs, through Sept. 11. Last week of the 120-day exhibit to discover the most wondrous creatures to ever walk the Earth. Open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (8 p.m. Thursdays) • Going Home, Hidden Histories of the Flint Hills, Sept. 24 through Jan. 8, 2017: explore histories of seven Flint Hills towns.

• Go See It! Lecture series, 6:30 p.m. Sept. 15. Flashes of History, the photography of Otto Kratzer (Kratzer Bros. Mercantile was half-century staple in Volland (now the Volland Store), and Otto Kratzer documented life on the prairie through his camera lens).

FlintHillsDiscovery.org

McCain Performance Series • ThePianoGuys, 7:30 p.m. Sept. 20. Original blend of classical music from the five piano guys.

• An Evening with Pat Metheny, 7:30 p.m. Sept. 23. 20-time Grammy winner and guitar impresario.

• The Oak Ridge Boys, 7:30 p.m. Sept. 30. Fifty years of tradition and enthusi astic stage performances.

K-State.edu/mccain

Museums • Civil War Era Drawings from the Becker Collection, Sept. 10 through Dec. 18. Boston-area collection contains previously undocumented drawings

by Joseph Becker and colleagues, Beach Musuem of Art (opening reception, 6 p.m. Sept. 9). Beach.K-State.edu

K-State Collegian

Konquer the Konza

Spots remain for Sept. 18 Konquer the Konza run, so make sure to inform frequent Manhattan visitors there’s a spot for them in this year’s field for the most grueling race this side of the Dirty Kanza on bikes. The race is capped at 150 runners for each race (25-kilometers/10K) at Konza Prairie hiking trails, and nearly 250 spots for the races were filled a month before the race. Proceeds benefit the Konza Prairie biological station.

Registration information: Manhattanrunningco.com/konquer-the-konza-25k-2.

Plan a get away weekend in Manhattan, KS

VisitManhattanKS.org

Music • The Hat: Casey Donahew Band, 8 p.m. Sept. 9. Thehatksu.com • Wildcat Kickoff: Zac Brown Band, Train, Phillip Phillips, David Ray, Adley Stump. 4 p.m. Sept. 10, Bill Snyder Family Stadium.

• 6th annual Flint Hills Praise Fest, Sept 10. All day events in City Park with 5-kilometer run and band lineup to be announced, headline act Big Daddy Weave.

• Landshark Music Series: Pina Brothers, Coco Bolos, 7 p.m. Sept. 15.

Theater • CASA Comedy Club, 7 p.m. to midnight, Sept. 16, Wareham Opera House.

Three big acts for comedic benefit. Tickets at Sunflower CASA or Manhattan Chamber. SunflowerCASA.org • Sweeney Todd, Sept. 30-Oct. 2, Manhattan Arts Center. Musical thriller and unsettling tale of barber who seeks revenge for past wrongs.

Manhattanarts.org • Midnight at the Masquerade, 7 p.m. Oct. 7, Wareham Opera House. Threeact, murder mystery dinner experience where guests are invited to attend in their finest attire and masquerade masks, and potentially be part of the production. Thewareham.com

Sporting events K-State home football • Florida Atlantic, 1:30 p.m. Sept. 17; Missouri State, 6:10 p.m. Sept. 24.

K-State home volleyball • Mississippi State, noon Sept. 9; Miami, 7:30 p.m. Sept. 9; Loyola, 1 p.m.

Sept. 10; Creighton, 6 p.m. Sept. 13; Iowa State, 7 p.m. Sept. 21; Texas, 7 p.m.

Oct. 1.

K-State home soccer • Northern Iowa, 7 p.m. Sept. 16; Oral Roberts, 7 p.m. Sept. 23; South Dakota, 1 p.m. Sept. 25; UMKC, 7 p.m. Sept. 30.

8

September 2016

Movies on the Grass - Electoral Dysfunction Coffman Commons, Hale Library 8PM-10PM

15 Movies on the Grass - Bag It Coffman Commons, Hale Library 8PM-10PM

9

Film: Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising (R) Forum Hall, K-State Student Union 7PM 785-532-6571

15 Landshark Music Series: Pina Brothers CoCo Bolos 7:30PM 785-537-4700

9

Casey Donahew Band in Concert The Hat 8PM 913-269-1404

16 Casa Comedy Club Wareham Opera House 7PM & 10PM 785-776-8829

23 September Stroll in The Gardens K-State Gardens 4:30pm-7pm 785-532-6170

23 An Evening with Pat Metheny McCain Auditorium, K-State 7:30PM 785-532-6428 24-1/8/2017 Going Home: Hidden Histories of the Flint Hills Flint Hills Discovery Center 10AM-5PM 785-587-2726

10 Aggieville Mini Maker Faire Aggieville 10AM-4PM 620-381-3799

16 The Natural World of Winniethe-Pooh Manhattan Country Club 11:30AM-1PM 785-539-6221

10-12/18 Civil War Era Drawings from the Becker Collection Beach Museum of Art, K-State 785-532-7718

16 Full Moon Zip Line Wildwood Adventure Park 8:30PM-11PM 785-477-9543

27 John Robinson, Lute and Archlute with Patricia Thompson, Mezzo Soprano All Faiths Chapel Auditorium, K-State 7:30PM

10 Aggieville Mini Maker Faire Aggieville 10AM-4PM 785-539-2839

16-11/25 Marlin Fitzwater: From Wheat Fields to White House Hale Library, 5th Floor Gallery 8AM-5PM 785-532-7442

29 "Civil War Drawings" exhibition panel Beach Museum of Art, K-State 5:30PM 785-532-7718

17 Kansas State Football plays host to Florida Atlantic Bill Snyder Family Stadium 1:30PM 800-221-2287

30-10/1 43rd Pumpkin Patch Arts and Crafts Fair CiCo Park 9AM-4PM 785-218-1832

20 The Piano Guys McCain Auditorium, K-State 7:30PM 785-532-6428

30- 10/2 Musical: Sweeney Todd Manhattan Arts Center 7:30PM 785-537-4420

21 Homebuyer Readiness Workshop: De-clutter and Organize your Home Manhattan Public Library, Auditorium 7PM 785-477-1693

30 The Oak Ridge Boys McCain Auditorium, K-State 7:30PM 785-532-6428

10 Women on Target 8AM-4PM 785-293-4406 10 Zac Brown Band with Train Live Concert Performance Bill Snyder Family Stadium 4PM-10PM 11 Family Day Flint Hills Discovery Center 12pm-5pm 785-587-2726 11 Family Day Flint Hills Discovery Center 12PM-5PM 785-587-2726 13 K-State Orchestra McCain Auditorium, K-State 7:30PM-9PM

24 K-State football plays host to Missouri State Bill Snyder Family Stadium 6:10PM

22 Movies on the Grass - The Visitor Coffman Commons, Hale Library 8pm-10pm

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

September .................Anticipated Attendance Numbers Conferences/Meetings/Reunions 4 Konza Reptile Breeders Expo.............................................1,200 8 Kansas National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials Fall Conference ...........................150 9 Kansas Association for the Education of the Young Child Annual Conference...................................................................300 13 K-State College of Human Ecology Protection and Preventative Services Convention ........................................150 13 Petfood Forum Workshop & K-State Pet Food Experience ..................................................................................200 14 Association of Community Mental Health Centers of Kansas, Inc. Annual Meeting ....................................................200 19 Sorghum Improvement Conference of North America Annual Meeting..........................................................................150 20 Kansas Motor Carriers Association Annual Convention.150 23 Johnson County Parks and Recreation Group Tour ...........35 28 Kansas Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers Annual Convention ...................................................250 28 Kansas Environmental Health Association Annual Conference ...................................................................................80 28 Kansas Association for Courts Management Fall Conference.................................................................................200 Sporting Events 11 Oz Endurance LLC Tuttle Creek Triathlon .........................100 14 Kansas Senior Invitational Golf Association Senior Men's Open Championship ................................................................150 16 Kansas Livestock Association Fall Seminar/Annual Golf tournament.................................................................................200 18 Manhattan Running Company Konquer the Konza 25K .200 26 Kansas Golf Association Senior Championship .................100 Special Events 10 Flint Hills Praise Fest................................................................500 10 Aggieville Maker's Faire Event................................................100 10 Kansas Flint Hills Quilt Trail tours ........................................150

Manhattan CVB Steering Committee

Evan Grier, Chair, Dining Meridith McKee, Hotel Jeff Wolfe, Meeting Planner/ KSU Jennifer Fritchen, Hotel Ben Sigle, Attraction Penny Senften, Entertainment Neal Farmer, Business Dennis Hulsing, Hotel Andrew Zender, Entertainment

Laird Veatch, Sports Kevin Pierce, Retail

Ex-Officio Members Eddie Eastes, City of Manhattan Lyle Butler, Chamber President Usha Reddi, City Commissioner

Manhattan Convention & Visitors Bureau Staff Karen Hibbard, Director

Visit Manhattan 501 Poyntz Avenue Manhattan, KS 66502 (785) 776-8829 • (785) 776-0679 fax

karen@manhattan.org

Marcia Rozell, Tourism Sales Manager marcia@manhattan.org

Luke Wiggins, Convention Sales Manager luke@manhattan.org

Emma Hubbell, Administrative Assistant/Service Coordinator emma@manhattan.org