A pair of Visit Quad Cities leaders are among 21 tourism professionals across Iowa who recently were awarded an Elevate Iowa Tourism: Education Scholarship to assist in their professional development.
Visit QC President and CEO Dave Herrell along with Joan Kranovich, Visit QC’s vice president of Business Growth and director of Sports QC, were selected as recipients in the first round of the new scholarship. The program is offered by Iowa Travel Industry Partners (iTIP). It’s in collaboration with the Iowa Tourism Office, part of the Iowa Economic Development Authority (IDEA).
The 21 scholarship recipients were awarded a combined $27,171 to use to attend conferences that will enhance skills and strengthen the state’s tourism industry.
“The Iowa Tourism Office is thrilled to support the growth and development of industry members through the Elevate Iowa scholarship program,” Amy Zeigler, the state tourism manager, said in a news release. “Tourism is a critical component of economic development and ensuring Iowa’s tourism leaders have the skills and knowledge necessary to enhance Iowa as a destination is a key factor in growing visitation to the state.”
Mr. Herrell was awarded a $1,259 scholarship to attend Board Leadership for Destinations hosted by the Destination Leadership Consortium. Ms. Kranovich was awarded a $1,534 scholarship to attend the Chief Executive Summit by the Sports Events & Tourism Association (ETA).
The Elevate Iowa Tourism scholarship is designed to support Iowa’s tourism and hospitality professionals. They cover up to 60% of eligible expenses, including event registration, travel, and lodging. The maximum award is $2,000 per recipient.
The first-round recipients represent a diverse group of individuals dedicated to advancing tourism in Iowa through professional development. The full list of scholarship recipients is available here.
Conferences include
Conferences that the Elevate Iowa Tourism recipients will attend include:
- American Museum Membership Conference – Enhancing museum membership programs and engagement.
- ASAE CEO Symposium – Supporting executive leadership in associations.
- Chief Executive Summit by Sports ETA – Exploring leadership in sports event tourism.
- Destinations International Advocacy Summit – Strengthening advocacy efforts for destination marketing organizations.
- Destinations International Marketing Summit – Sharing cutting-edge strategies in destination marketing.
- Main Street Now Conference – Driving downtown revitalization and community engagement.
- Tourism Academy by Tempest – Advancing digital marketing and leadership strategies for destinations.
- Upper Midwest CVB Conference – Focusing on collaboration and innovation for regional tourism bureaus.
“We are thrilled to support these exceptional tourism professionals in their efforts to enhance their expertise and bring new insights back to their communities,” Chelsea Lerud, executive director of iTIP, said in the release.
“The impact of these scholarships will ripple across Iowa’s tourism industry, further elevating our state as a premier travel destination.”
The program will open up second round applications at 10 a.m., Monday, Jan. 13. It has a total of $12,829 in funding remaining. The application deadline is 4:30 p.m., Friday, Feb. 14. Recipients will be announced by Monday, March 3.
Tourism professionals across Iowa are encouraged to apply. For more information about the Elevate Iowa Tourism: Education Scholarship and to apply, visit here.
