There’s a force to be reckoned with in Valpo. At the heart of the downtown events is Valparaiso Community Festival and Events (VCFE), a not-for-profit group that seeks to enhance the city’s quality of life by putting together great events, such as the Summer Rhapsody Music Festival, Valpo Brewfest, and the ever-famous Valparaiso Popcorn Festival.
“Our job is to boost the vitality of downtown through events,” stated Jennifer Peek, Marketing Director at the VCFE. Working with only a staff of three, governed by a board of directors, the organization puts on over 80 days of events every year.
“The majority of what we do is free,” shared Peek. “We only have three events that require a ticket.” The VCFE is able to provide these events with partial funding from the city and with the generous support of business partners and members. .
“Our office is also responsible for many of the items that beautify the downtown. We take care of the downtown banners, the flower pots and the piped in music on the streets. Things like the up lights in the trees, downtown holiday decorations and various maintenance issues that arise,” said Tina St. Aubin, Executive Director for the VCFE.
“Our goal is to roll out one new event every year,” St. Aubin went on to say. “This year we’ve tackled adding two new events. We’re already cooking up ideas on what we are going to do in 2014. We also constantly change our ongoing events a bit to keep people engaged so they continue to return. We are always evolving and growing. That’s what makes it fun!”
“We do a lot to market downtown Valparaiso,” Peek stated. “It’s not just events, it’s about the restaurants, the retailers and about coming down to enjoy Valparaiso as a whole. There is so much to experience during a single visit. One of our newest campaigns focuses on Valparaiso being ‘Unexpectedly Unique.’ We focus on generating interest and getting people to come back and check it out again and again.”
“Our intentions are to have events that spur business,” St. Aubin continued.
As a result of their efforts, the VCFE is helping to create Valparaiso as a destination for people traveling from out of town.
Kristin Morrisson, Operations Specialist for the VCFE, shared a story about a woman that came to her at one of the Summer Rhapsody concerts. “She said to me that they had come to Valpo from Naperville, IL, and had heard that we had great restaurants, were impressed by the concert. She said ‘We are coming back’ and that is fantastic.”
The “Unexpectedly Unique” campaign is focusing on a farther reach than ever this year through marketing to Chicago, Southwest Michigan and South Bend areas. “The support from our community has been great and we are looking to increase the visitors that are just discovering what Valparaiso has to offer. That will increase the success for all of us,” stated St. Aubin.
The cost of putting on these events is offset by business partners so the VCFE can add new events, enhance current events and bring big names, such as Blue Oyster Cult and Gin Blossoms to the community. For those interested in supporting VCFE there are business partnerships and individual memberships available. “There are a variety of ways to support what we do and the fact that the majority of our partners and members return year after year is a huge compliment. People are proud of what is happening in our community and want to be part of it,” shared Peek.