Sauk County Place Branding And Marketing Campaign And Amending The 2021 Budget To Transfer $120,000 From The Contingency Fund To The Administrator Budget.

Background: Sauk County has proven to be one of the State’s leaders in revenue generated from tourism, generating over $1.1 billion in direct visitor spending in 2019, only Dane and Milwaukee County exceed that level. Tourism also directly supports over 11,000 jobs in the County. Unfortunately, the County lags when looking at year-over-year increases in direct visitor spending, ranking 49th, and increase in employment, 23rd. COVID-19 has brought many challenges to our daily lives, but has also presented opportunities.

With the benefits of technology, work from home and even learning from home has become mainstream, providing people the opportunity to have a greater choice in deciding where they want to live and recreate. Our mix of natural resources and recreational opportunities provides Sauk County the resources necessary to be one of the premier tourism destinations in the State. These same assets are major attractors for new business and residents.

The branding and marketing initiative is the first step in a larger vision that will see the integration and reorganization of community resources and agencies into a regional approach, positioning Sauk County to take advantage of opportunities of future growth. The program will support not only recruitment of economic development targets but also be used as a tool to strengthen collaboration between the County and other local agencies with related visions and goals.