The Village of Pleasant Prairie Department of Recreation (Pleasant Prairie RecPlex) and Visit Pleasant Prairie announce a new partnership agreement to promote tourism in the Village by creating a new Village Special Events Coordinator position in addition to conducting a Sports Tourism Strategic Plan. The Pleasant Prairie Village Board approved the partnership with a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) during the Village Board meeting on Monday, January 23, 2023.
"We are excited to enter this MOU with Visit Pleasant Prairie," said Village Athletics & Recreation Director Brett Christopher. "This partnership will allow the Village to expand event offerings and provide more opportunities for residents and visitors to enjoy. The Special Events Coordinator will be vital in bringing new events to the community and ensuring the events achieve the highest standards."
The MOU outlines how the two organizations will cooperate to boost tourism and athletic events more efficiently in the Village. In exchange for Visit Pleasant Prairie budgeting up to $67,000 annually in event coordination support to RecPlex, Visit Pleasant Prairie will receive premier marketing within Prairie Springs Park. The Coordinator will focus on providing quality customer service, growing revenue, and recruiting new rentals to bring visitors to the area and increase hotel occupancy. These efforts will support Visit Pleasant Prairie's tourism efforts, allow the Department of Recreation to expand on quality sports programming, and generate new revenue to assist with the facility costs at RecPlex.
"As our community's official destination development and marketing organization that is solely funded by hotel and short-term lodging tax, Visit Pleasant Prairie recognizes the significant positive impact the Pleasant Prairie RecPlex has on tourism for our community," said Visit Pleasant Prairie Executive Director Sarah Howard. "Tournaments hosted in Pleasant Prairie result in overnight stays, strengthening the economic impact on our local businesses such as restaurants and shopping districts. By entering this MOU, Visit Pleasant Prairie and the Village will collaborate in new ways to achieve destination excellence that residents and visitors will enjoy."
The Village owns and maintains RecPlex in Prairie Springs Park, which attracts over one million visitors annually and has amenities to accommodate large regional athletic rentals. The Village of Pleasant Prairie and Visit Pleasant Prairie have worked together for several years to provide quality events and programming for the community and surrounding areas. This new partnership will allow the two organizations to continue to work together and help find new ways to promote tourism and provide unique experiences for residents and visitors.