By Chris Murphy
Want the definition of free money? It’s people visiting Modesto and spending their money here. Yes friends, this is the alchemy of the 21st century Modesto. We have the businesses, the downtown, the performing arts, the history spots and an amazing location. What does that get us? Access to people that are visiting, either to a local business where they fill our hotels and restaurants, visiting friends, also hotels along with theatres, restaurants and museums. There are also tourists on the way to somewhere else and find Modesto to be a valuable way point, but instead of just waiting for people to drop by, we have a local organization that is aggressively marketing to people and organizations to visit. With a strategic and measurable ad campaign, in print, social and digital, Visit Modesto has changed the game and is delivering solid results. This is an example of money well spent with programs like MoCheer for the holidays, Almond Blossom tours and Graffiti Summers that attract people from around the world, good things are happening. I serve as the Chair of the Visit Modesto Board of Directors and we asked our CEO Todd Aaronson about his optimism for 2022
Todd Aaronson: As we prepare to step into 2022 there are choices; we can look back, we can look just in front of us step-by-step or we can look far forward and seek opportunities on the horizon. At Visit Modesto we are looking towards the horizon and the endless possibilities that can benefit the Hospitality Industry in our region while sharing the many reasons to “Visit Modesto”! There’s the Almond Blossom Cruise coming up from mid-February through mid-March where we’ll release an audio guided tour with interviews, fun history, contests and much more to welcome visitors coming from near and far.
There’s the return of the Modesto Marathon in April where we’ll be celebrating all things outdoors in the region from running to cycling, from fishing to kayaking and from hiking to long walks in Modesto’s great parks. After that we’ll be launching a celebration of stone fruit and the bounty of the agricultural heart here in California and how that translates to an incredible food culture. Then there will be a revitalized and modernized Graffiti Week followed by the Furiously Fast Weekend. Not to mention our goal of launching in the spring a bi-weekly celebration of local music that will rotate around Modesto on Wednesday nights (more on that later).
And that just gets us halfway through the year! So, even though the past two years have worn many out emotionally, we recognize that nothing will ever be the same as it was. That’s why at Visit Modesto we are looking forward with fresh ideas and a fresh attitude to tell the world about Modesto and the incredible region we call home.
