LoveSpringfield is a little experiment we’ve been conducting at the Springfield, Missouri, Convention & Visitors Bureau for a little over two years now. Over that time, it's evolved into one of Springfield’s most recognized brands on social media. On this Valentine’s Day, I thought it would be fun to talk about some of the things we’re doing with LoveSpringfield.
Monthly Meetups
An image from a LoveSpringfield Meetup at the Dickerson Park Zoo.
Last September we began organizing monthly “meetups” at local attractions. These meetups are designed to familiarize local people with local attractions and encourage them to share their experiences online. So far, the Gillioz Theater, Dickerson Park Zoo, Mother’s Brewing Company and the Discovery Center of Springfield have each hosted the group. Our next meetup will be at the wonderful Pythian Castle on Feb. 29th. The events last just over an hour and encourage people to share LOTS of photos. The benefit to our hosts is the buzz generated online.
RSVP for future meetups on meetup.com/lovespringfield.
Weekend Takeovers
@hillenblog is a recent #weekendtakeover host on Instagram.
This weekend marked our twenty first #weekendtakeover. Each weekend, we offer the chance to “takeover” our Instagram account to a single local “instagrammer.” For three days, we get the chance to see Springfield through the eyes of a single person. It's been an incredible, eye-opening journey so far. We’ve got many more scheduled for the future so be sure to follow along on Instagram.
If you’d like to be considered for a weekend takeover, email Sean at sdixon@springfieldmo.org.
The Road Ahead
As the LoveSpringfield experiment continues, we’ll be looking for more and more ways to expand the opportunities for Springfield to help tell its story. Emerging technologies like Snapchat and Periscope are just a few of the ideas we’ve been kicking around. If you have any suggestions, please let us know.
Finally, be sure to follow along using the #lovespringfield hashtag and by following the project on social media.
More Resources
