Bloomington native Melissa Chrisman says there are tons of things to do in the Twin Cities. Now, getting people to find the fun in Bloomington-Normal is her job.
Chrisman is settling into her new role as the CEO of the Bloomington-Normal Area Convention and Visitors Bureau [CVB], also known at Visit BN. She's been on the job for about two months, choosing to move back home and leave a job in communications in Fort Worth, Texas.
“Since I’ve moved back, a lot of my friends and family have asked the same question: ‘Why did you want to take this position?’ And their comment after that is, ‘There’s nothing going on here.’"
Chrisman said there is "tons going on" in Bloomington-Normal.
"Being a part of telling that story — especially even just my friends and family — is something that we need to do as a whole at Visit BN,” Chrisman said.
“Being a part of an organization that has such an impact on the vibrancy and the resiliency of the community I grew up in had an incredible appeal to me,” Chrisman said. “It’s incredibly exciting to be back in my hometown and to do work that’s meaningful.”
One of the CVB’s biggest projects right now is ramping up for the celebration of the Route 66 centennial in 2026. The Mother Road turns 100 years old in November of next year, and Chrisman has spent a lot of time figuring out how McLean County will celebrate.
“There are a lot of ideas out there, so my goal moving forward [is to] gather up all those ideas and the great input that I’ve heard from people and really figure out what our plan is,” Chrisman said.
Chrisman said she is working with partners and stakeholders across Illinois to exchange ideas for the centennial celebration. The statewide Red Carpet Corridor Festival, held each May, is one example of cross-community collaboration around Route 66.
“We’re looking at the Red Carpet Corridor event as our kickoff—not only to the busy summer travel season—but also to the centennial next year,” Chrisman said.
The Red Carpet Corridor Festival will take place on May 3 and 4, extending from Joliet to Bloomington down Interstate 55, with each community hosting events like live music, motorcycle shows and yard sales.
“We’ve got some really great stuff happening. It’s the opening of the farmer’s market in Bloomington, we have some car shows lined up and then May Fest is also happening as part of the celebration this year,” Chrisman said.
No Bloomington Gold
One event Visit BN doesn't have to plan for is Bloomington Gold, which has left the Twin Cities after three years back in its hometown.
Chrisman previously said the Visit BN team "worked incredibly hard to try to keep them here."
"At the end of the day, we don't have a racetrack in Bloomington-Normal," she said. "They had that availability that we just didn't have."
It's a loss of up to $1 million in economic impact, which Chrisman said they hope to make up by recruiting new events to the area.
"We have several new events and conventions in negotiations for this summer that will result in an initial estimate of 6,600 visitors and just over 2,500 overnight hotel stays," she said.
The CVB's revenue primarily comes from a hotel tax on stays in Bloomington-Normal.
Chrisman said she wants to make sure the CVB is a part of conversations about how to improve the community.
“We will also focus our efforts in boosting our partnership for our tenured events such as the Special Olympics and Tailgates and Tallboys, to name a few,” she said.
Chrisman's larger goal is to increase community engagement, focusing more on residents of Bloomington-Normal in addition to visitors.
“There are some really good opportunities for us to be a bigger part of the community,” Chrisman continued. "I think this is a great time for Visit BN to be a part of everything that we have going on.”
