BENTONVILLE — The Bentonville Convention and Visitors Bureau looks to rebrand itself to a new audience member — the leisure traveler.
The opening of Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in 2011 has been a catalyst to bring a different group of people to the city, bureau President Kalene Griffith said. Bentonville has hosted the business traveler for many years because of Walmart.
“We’re trying to rebrand ourselves to find out who we are, who we want to be and how do people think of us,” she said.
At A Glance
Proposal Time
The deadline to submit proposals is 3 p.m. Jan. 31. The Bentonville Convention and Visitors Bureau is scheduled to select a firm or firms by Feb. 27.
The request for proposal can be found at www.bit.ly/LpMkf3.
Source: Staff Report
Rebranding would evaluate what amenities the city has to offer and how the bureau can enhance the city’s image as a leisure destination, Griffith said.
Griffith listed the Museum of Native American History, the Walmart Visitor Center, 21c Museum Hotel and the city’s trail system as other attractions.
“We want to create a full experience for them,” Griffith said.
The bureau will seek bids from branding, graphic marketing and advertising design firms interested in guiding “the organization’s visual representation of its brand identity and advertising campaign,” according to the request for proposal posted on the bureau’s website.
“The visitor to Crystal Bridges is not only the business traveler viewing the Museum during an afternoon break, but he/she is also the arts and heritage traveler, the student, the bank travel club, the alumni group, the convention-goers, the wedding party and the sports enthusiast,” the request for proposal stated.
The bureau’s mission is to promote the city as a “world-class tourism destination” through partnerships with attractions, hotels, restaurants and businesses, the request for proposal explains.
City A&P Commissioner Chris Sooter agreed that Bentonville has become a leisure destination as well as a business one over the last few years. He said that the rebranding will have to be able to speak to both audiences.
Having an effective brand could be the most important aspect of the organization because it exists to market and advertise to travelers, Sooter said.
“Without that, we’re not effectively doing our job,” he said.
The company hired to guide the rebrand will orchestrate focus groups to obtain community feedback as a neutral party, Griffith said. The focus groups will provide what the perception of Bentonville is from residents, visitors and regional organizations, she said.
Griffith hopes to receive a variety of companies respond to the proposal and that there’s already a handful that have expressed interest. The proposal requests companies submit cost estimates and samples of work.
“We want good, quality, new, innovative ideas,” Griffith said.