Next time your business brings visitors to Madison, consider booking a food tour. For that matter, take one yourself.
If you really want to go wild, instead of walking, take that group tour on B-cycles, riding from venue to venue as you sample local fare from some of the area’s notable eateries.
“Travel like a local, live like a tourist” was the theme of a March 31 seminar at Monona Terrace, hosted by the Greater Madison Convention and Visitors Bureau (GMCVB). About 75 attendees came to hear how several local businesses have created unique niches in the capital city business scene.
| “We have an incredible food movement here. I’m trying to connect people, facilitate the feeling of partnership in the community, explore flavors, and have fun doing it.” — Otehlia Cassidy, Madison Eats |
A four-person panel included representatives from Madison Eats, Ian’s Pizza, B-cycle Madison, and the American Family DreamBank, and they shared the creative efforts their organizations employ to attract and impress customers, in hopes they’ll return.
Clearly, the word of the day was experiential.
Otehlia Cassidy of Madison Eats plans three-hour walking or biking tours, usually in the Willy Street or Atwood areas, designed to connect foodies with local restaurants and often the chefs themselves. The company’s events include B-cycle tours, artisan tours, brewery tours, neighborhood tours, farm dinners, and even Match.com tours for singles.
Brunch tours are also available, in partnership with B-cycle. Participants ride to four local restaurants on their red rental bikes, familiarizing visitors and locals alike with the bike-sharing program while burning the extra calories consumed.
“We have an incredible food movement here,” Cassidy said of Madison. “I’m trying to connect people, facilitate the feeling of partnership in the community, explore flavors, and have fun doing it.”
Ian’s Pizza is known for its fun atmosphere and an equally entertaining menu, and for catering to both its customers and employees. Ian’s, which gained worldwide notoriety during the Act 10 protests in 2010, tries to stay true to its core values: people, planet, profit.
For example, the restaurant will soon launch a breakfast menu at its State Street location, and during the process of setting the menu, it rejected some of the drink options because they came in plastic bottles. “Ian’s tries to eliminate plastic as much as possible,” noted Zachary Chapman, who handles marketing for the company.
At Ian’s, both customers and employees can suggest pizza ideas, and employees can wear what they want (within reason) and decide on the music that’s played in the restaurant.
Full-time employees get free food, a 401(k) plan with a match, paid vacation, and fully paid health insurance. “It’s awesome having insurance and not having anything taken out of my paycheck,” Chapman said.
The company also sponsors events around the community, collects “dough-nations” for local nonprofits, and has a strong social media presence. Its #freepizzafriday hashtag is particularly popular. “It’s the least we can do,” he acknowledged. “We’ll get 200 to 400 retweets for simply giving away four slices of pizza.”
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Martha Laugen would like to see more people biking to destinations like Ian’s. Laugen, of B-cycle Madison, describes the Trek-owned bike-sharing program as “happy people on bicycles.”
With 39 docking locations throughout the area, B-cycle encourages anyone over the age of 18 to explore Madison for as little as $3 for 30 minutes.
B-cycle riders could also pedal on over to American Family’s DreamBank on the Capitol Square, which is a business designed exclusively for dreamers. “The most valuable thing you’ll ever own is your dream,” said Amanda Tillman, manager. The tie-in, she explained, is that “[American Family Insurance] protects what you hold dear, so you can dream more.”
DreamBank is a free community space that encourages people to pursue dreams and overcome obstacles to their dreams through positive psychology and life-coaching practices. “We want you to grow from what you do in this space,” Tillman said.
All of these unique businesses have one enormous factor working in their favor: Madison and the surrounding area. It is a growing tourist destination, and no slouch when it comes to tourism dollars. In 2013, visitors to Dane County funneled $1.8 billion into Dane County, supporting 20,000 full-time-equivalent jobs. “That’s $1.8 billion,” emphasized GMCVB President and CEO Deb Archer, “with a b.”
Almost 50% of tourists are looking for food and restaurants, and 25% are looking for transportation, she added.
“We hope you will leave here understanding how you can create memorable experiences with the unique assets that you have in your businesses,” Archer told the morning’s attendees.
The message was clear. Everyone in Madison has skin in the game.
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