We are pleased to announce a new "Front Door" to Cincinnati USA, located in the heart of downtown on Fountain Square, beginning this fall.

In partnership with the Cincinnati Police Department, the Cincinnati USA CVB will be opening a new Visitor Center on Fountain Square, with a tentative grand opening date of September 2010. It will serve both local residents and out-of-town business and leisure travelers. Residents can get information about events, attractions and ideas of things to do downtown, while visitors can find information, directions, special event calendars, dining options and more.
 
We are delighted to be opening this new hospitality resource at a time that downtown is alive with new developments, destinations, coming events and conventions. The Visitor Center is a visible reminder that Cincinnati USA welcomes and cares about its visitors, and that we have a volume of foot traffic that necessitates such a facility. Visitors and residents will appreciate the convenient service, while hotels, restaurants, retailers and services firms will benefit from the additional exposure.
 
We are equally pleased at the cost-effectiveness of the new Center. The space is owned by Fifth Third Bank and donated to the Cincinnati Police Department, which is using the back portion of the space as a District 1 Substation. The Visitor Center will be staffed by trained volunteers, coordinated and scheduled by CPD. The Center has been stylishly furnished by our partner IKEA.  Our partners at the Cincinnati USA Regional Tourism Network will work side-by-side with us to keep the Visitor Center stocked with information and useful traveler info.

What does this mean to you?

• The Visitor Center brings new opportunities for exposure of your message to visitors. The walk-in space includes racks of tri-fold brochures, and the CVB is organizing and collecting member brochures now. If you operate a visitor-oriented business, attraction or event, we encourage you to send a starting quantity of 100 brochures to Sarah Gibson at the CVB. The brochure racks fit tri-fold brochures only, not magazine size, and there is one brochure slot per member. Brochures should promote a visitor-oriented message, please.  (525 Vine Street, Suite 1500, Cincinnati, OH 45202)
   
• The Center also offers the opportunity to display posters of member events. In order for your poster to be displayed, it must promote a local EVENT, with a start and end date that takes place in the fall of 2010 or later. We invite you to provide Sarah Gibson at the CVB with a poster of your event.
   
• If you, or someone you know, may be interested in becoming a volunteer at the Visitor Center, please contact Devlin Ruckel at the Cincinnati Police Department, at (513) 352-4569. He will add you to the list and keep you informed as volunteer training sessions are scheduled.

The Cincinnati USA CVB, Cincinnati Police Department and Regional Tourism Network retain the right to limit brochures and posters displayed in the Visitor Center.
 
The grand opening is slated for this fall, once training of volunteers is complete. We plan a "soft opening" on select weekends this summer – beginning with July 29-31, when the Gospel Music Workshop of America and the Macy's Music Festival take place. While we are ready now for you to send us your tri-fold brochures and posters, please don't begin sending visitors to the Center. We will let you know when the new Visitor Center is ready to welcome the public.
 
We hope you are as excited about the new Visitor Center as we are!