Irving, Texas has many of the key elements that a meeting planner needs to be successful - a central location to the Dallas-Fort Worth Airport, more than 75 hotels and 11,000 rooms for visitors to enjoy, as well as a gorgeous convention center that has welcomed hundreds of groups. 

Our team worked closely with Irving's Convention and Visitors Bureau on developing a new customer relationship management system (CRM), content management system (CMS) and a fresh look for the CVB and Convention Center sites.

     The Irving Convention and Visitors Bureau's Website - Before and After Screenshots

     The Irving Convention Center's Website - Before and After Screenshots  

As the city does focus on attracting meeting and event professionals, the two sites were developed to accentuate their business focus with a clean, high-end look. Our creative team also developed the design to reflect the CVB's traditional collateral layouts to build a cohesive brand. This is particularly shown through a site-wide header, which provides a tile-based view of the city's attractions and was used in all print materials before the site was developed.

Specifically with the convention center's site, our team built it to reflect the physical characteristics of the unique features of the meeting site. This included backgrounds that put emphasis on the site's wall and floor textures, slanted lines to match the center's distinctive roofline and other distinguishing aspects. 

Our development team also created a mega-widget to help the destination attract visitors and meeting planners alike, which contained multiple widgets inside a larger package. From this portal, one can submit an RFP, directly contact an event coordinator at the CVB, sign up for newsletter mailings and more. This widget also is image-rich, allowing for staff members to highlight partner events and activities with pictures at ease. 

As we've learned throughout this process, Irving is truly a great location with access to world-class amenities. We're excited to have collaborated with the CVB and Convention Center staff on this marketing effort and we hope you enjoy the work we've done together.

Utah is truly a four-season, world-class travel destination. From the world-famous, dry powder snow in northern Utah to the sunny biking trails in the southern portion of the state, there is always a chance to take in the breathtaking scenery.

The simpleview team and the state agency decided to showcase the 365 days of activities that Utah provides in their latest website version, which was launched this month with a fresh customer relationship management (CRM) system, content management system (CMS) and web design to show off Utah's natural beauty.

Utah Office of Tourism - Before and After Homepage Builds

This emphasis on yearlong fun was placed into several new features, which include:

Seasonal Themes - In the CMS, there is an easy-to-use switch to convert all imagery on the site to a particular season. Rather than overhauling the site to focus on summer or winter for a few months, the Office of Tourism's staff can go from snow to sun in seconds.

Thumbnail Mapping - Rather than developing a slideshow of pictures of the state's events and attractions, our development team created a way for the agency's staff to point out where in Utah the particular picture was taken. This was to help visitors easily plan their trips and build their schedules. This feature was in addition to developing region-focused tabs to organize the Utah Office of Tourism's extensive library of images. 

Statewide Weather Widget - As the weather in Salt Lake City can be vastly different to what St. George is experiencing, a weather widget that pulls data from multiple locations was developed. Visitors can easily find out if it's raining or shining in Provo, Ogden or Moab through an easy-to-use drop down menu.

Outside of the project's seasonal focus, our search engine marketing (SEM) team was able to develop a new sitemap and ensure their SEO efforts were maximized to attract visitors. To top it off, our CRM team worked closely with the state agency to convert all their listings and other internal data in an efficient manner.

To quote Geoffrey Schultz, our CMS project manager who was extensively involved with the website launch, "I encourage everyone to check out the new site at www.visitutah.com and consider taking a vacation there soon. I was fortunate to drive up to Salt Lake City, through all three regions, during our holiday break for some skiing and I can testify that it is a very beautiful state. Now it has a website to match."

According to the Butler County Visitors Bureau, Butler County, Ohio is "a place where families grow, history is preserved and new friends are made." So, the simpleview team worked closely with the Visitor Bureau's staff on incorporating these key values and traits into their new site, which was launched this month.

Butler County's Old Website	The New Butler County

With a new creative direction, bright colors and large photos were incorporated into the site's overall look. This helped showcase the county's lush scenery and fun attractions, including football games at Miami University and monster-themed mini-golf courses in West Chester. 

The simpleview team also added some interactive elements to the site to add some excitement around these events, such as a home page collage that provides "thought bubbles" that visitors can click on to learn more about the region's local shopping, festivals and heritage.

The visitor's bureau is very active in providing deals and contests for participating businesses in the county, so an "Alert Bar" was created to emphasize these incentives right at the top of each page. Staff members can use this tool to drive traffic to specific partner sites or social media platforms.

And to top it all off, the Visitors Bureau also received an updated customer relationship management (CRM) system, allowing them to have a central place to manage their marketing and customer support initiatives.

These are just a few of the fun features that were added into the Butler County Visitors Bureau's new site, so please check out the redesigned website (http://www.gettothebc.com/)  and consider visiting this beautiful part of Ohio!

We are proud to announce another successful project from the simpleview team!

Working jointly with the Greater Houston Convention & Visitors Bureau on a new customer relationship management (CRM) system, we also launched several new websites to enhance the CVB's overall marketing and outreach efforts.

Some of the features on the Greater Houston CVB's sites include:

• Expandable Image Boxes - Our website team created a widget that can showcase text, links and an image in a tidy package. If visitors want to see a larger version of the image, the widget can easily expand the picture to fill more of the screen and show off the region's amazing scenery.
  
• Top Stories Module - As the Greater Houston CVB is constantly writing new articles and posts about the happenings around the city, this is a way to call attention to the articles throughout the site. We created windows into other areas of the site using this widget that pulls in menu titles, images and descriptions. Overall, it allows for new content to be populated on many site pages with minimal effort for the CVB staff.
 

In addition to the new CRM system and the development of the bureau's main site, we also developed associated sites on the simpleview content management system (CMS):

• Houston Film Commission
• Houston Culinary Tours
• Houston Reunions
• My Gay Houston
• Visita Houston Texas


If you're planning on visiting the greater Houston area (and you should!), be sure to use the Greater Houston Convention & Visitors Bureau's site (www.visithoustontexas.com) for guidance and check out some of the city's amazing restaurants and attractions.

From experiencing breathtaking Missouri River views on the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge to exploring historic train cars at the Durham Museum, there is always something to do in vibrant Omaha, Nebraska.

So, the Omaha Convention & Visitors Bureau decided to emphasize the area's more playful aspects in their site's recent redesign with simpleview, which was recently released. This includes an oversized, rotating background image to show the exciting nature of the region.

Some of the fun features that were implemented into the Omaha CVB's site include:

Customizable Paint Palette

At the top of every page on the site is a customizable paint palette, allowing visitors to "let their inner artist out" and change the site's color scheme as they want. Our creative and development teams created this with the CVB to invite interaction and increase site "stickiness".

Featured Events Widget

This widget has similar characteristics to other event widgets built for simpleview client sites, but has a flair to it that reflects the playful theme of Omaha's overall site. This allows for an object to be placed at the top of the widget to accentuate a specific event, such as the upcoming NCAA College World Series they are highlighting now.

Feature Footer

The Featured Event's concept was also applied to the site's footer, which allows visitors to sign up for the CVB's e-newsletter. Images of their featured events can be placed there, such as the friendly gorilla that resides there now to represent Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo - home of the famous Hubbard Orangutan Forest and Gorilla Valley.

We encourage you to check out Omaha's new site (www.visitomaha.com) and consider visiting the city for some exciting and fun experiences with a dose of Midwestern hospitality!

Tucson, February 20, 2012 - The Oklahoma City Convention and Visitors Bureau migrated to both simpleview CMS and CRM platforms in tandem with a new website design from simpleview.

VisitOKC.com's old site	The new site from simpleview

The site has a modern feel to it while still highlighting some of Oklahoma City's oldest charms. Five bold colors dominate the site's new look, adding a rich texture throughout the background.

The standout feature on this site is the homepage slideshow spanning across the top of the page. In order to convey Oklahoma's City's mix of historical and modern offerings, the site was built with a slideshow that transitions images from black and white to color. The slideshow is a great attention-grabber with captivating images, a feature that the CVB can change out throughout the year.

Anyone who has visited Oklahoma City knows there are numerous districts within city limits. In order to promote each unique district, a widget was created in the footer of the site, "Explore our Districts". From within CMS, the CVB can control district information and photos within the widget, providing visitors an at-a-glance feel for each district with the option to view more.

The new site also features an image gallery, an RFP module for meeting planners, suggested itineraries and business listings integrated with Google Maps, helping visitors and locals find a new favorite restaurant.  

If you ever find yourself in OKC, be sure to dine out as often as possible - the metro offers everything from gourmet Big Truck Tacos and Mutt's Amazing Hot Dogs to exquisite steaks from Cattlemen's and finger-lickin' barbeque from Earl's Rib Palace. Before you leave take a drive up to Route 66 to enjoy any one (or more!) of the 600+ sodas available at Pops!

Tucson, February 17, 2012 - The Mammoth Lakes Visitors Bureau & simpleview partnered to redesign VisitMammoth.com.

VisitMammoth.com features integrations with some of the industry's finest, including Google Maps, Travelocity, partner marketing through Destination Travel Network and integration from OnTheSnow.com, the number one visited snow sports website, which provides ski and snow reports to over 2,000 ski resorts around the globe. 

Mammoth Lakes is a small town in Mono County, California well-known for its busy ski seasons on Mammoth Mountain - an 11,000 foot peak that was once the site of volcanic activity. The mountain boasts 3500 acres of skiable (or board-able, depending on your preference) terrain, calling visitors from all over the country to experience its heights.

During the summer season, Mammoth Lakes is especially popular for camping and fishing trips. In coordination with its outdoorsy appeal to nature lovers, Mammoth Mountain again draws visitors from all over for its spectacular hiking.

Before	After

The new VisitMammoth.com is an accurate representation of the appeal of Mammoth Lakes, with the site featuring backdrops from Mammoth Mountain, while action shots of winter sport enthusiasts grace the tops of the pages. The new site spans across the entire width of the page, with exciting photography, scenic backdrops, seasonal toggles to see both winter and summer seasons of the area and bold color choices in blues and greens.

Experience another side of California - with pristine secluded peaks, climate perfect for winter sports and cabins warm enough to keep you cozy at www.VisitMammoth.com.

Tucson, February 3, 2012 - The Greater St. Charles Convention and Visitors Bureau launched the new historicstcharles.com last week after receiving a website makeover from simpleview.

Immersed in the Deep South, St. Charles is nestled next to the mighty Missouri River and is chock-full of history and culture. St. Charles was first established in 1769 by a fur trader and later served as the departing point for Lewis and Clark on their adventure west. Today, St. Charles's is a friendly community dedicated to preserving its historical past. 
 
The new site highlights St. Charles's historical beginnings and quaint elegance with images from the area seen at the top of nearly every page. The new design features an aged background with a brick border towards the top. Their new media gallery is already full of images from around the area, sure to entice visitors to experience St. Charles's culture and way of life. 

Let St. Charles's take you back to the beginning of United States history at www.historicstcharles.com

Before	After

Tucson, February 3, 2012 - Lake Chelan Chamber of Commerce launched their new website earlier this week with a redesign and CMS platform from simpleview.

Before	After

Lake Chelan is a 50.5 mile glacier-fed lake located in northern Washington State. The lake is 1.5 miles at its widest and 1486 ft at its deepest point.

The finished website is the combination of two sites, molded with spectacular photography from the area that spans across the entire page of the site. The Lake Chelan Chamber of Commerce wanted to give their site the wow factor of incredible imagery that changes with the season. Their site features both summer and winter seasons that the visitor can change at any time.

Enjoy the pristine beauty of Mother Nature in Lake Chelan or visit one of the many local wineries in the area at www.lakechelan.com.

Tucson, January 19, 2012 - The Greater Lansing Convention and Visitors Bureau launches two new sites with website redesigns from simpleview.

The Greater Lansing Convention and Visitors Bureau launched their main website, Lansing.org and the Greater Lansing Sports Authority website, LansingSports.org last week with a website redesign from simpleview. Both sites are utilizing simpleview CMS and integrated with simpleview CRM.

The new sites feature integrations with some of simpleview's most robust partners, including Google Maps, traveler reviews from TripAdvisor and blog integration with Wordpress. Both sites also feature a member extranet, trip builder and video and photo gallery.

On the Lansing.org site, a visitor might wonder, why so many pictures of people pointing to their hand? This is a custom familiar to most living in Michigan. Michigan is shaped like a mitten and is considered a "handy" map commonly used by Michiganders when trying to show someone where you are from.

Both sites are currently sporting some of our latest social media integrations with Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Flickr and their respective blogs. The sites showcase these integrations in the sidebar columns of their pages, the Lansing.org site calls their integration center the "Lansing Social Club" while their sports-oriented sister site nicknamed theirs "The Social Dugout".

Take a Closer Look at Lansing with their newly renovated site, Lansing.org or see for yourself the Spartan pride on the Greater Lansing Sports Authority website, LansingSports.org.

Lansing.org - Before	Lansing.org - After
LansingSports.org - Before	LansingSports.org - After