They came from throughout the country and overseas, some 30 of them - representatives of museums, arts centers, theaters, convention and visitors bureaus, government agencies, and other arts and travel organizations. Their mission? To learn about the best practices in cultural tourism from top professionals in the field.

   For three jam-packed days, from June 23-25, 2006, they met at the University Center in Chicago and heard 17 of the top experts in their respective fields discussing practical ways to cope with and resolve a myriad of concerns from: developing a cultural tourism plan; to working with city and state agencies; to marketing their specific project; to developing meaningful partnerships; to using local hotels as key resources. The sessions were informal, inviting questions from participants and promoting discussions of key issues. They heard the director of Chicago's Office of Tourism suggesting approaches to new programs, Missouri's Division of Tourism director telling about ways to work with state agencies, and the National Trust for Historic Preservation's Midwest director discuss meaningful collaborative programs.

   In between sessions, at luncheons, breaks, and at a cocktail reception, participants met with each other and with speakers to informally discuss their own problems and prospects. They bonded. Participants meeting for the first time ate dinner together and shared evening experiences at the Art Institute of Chicago, Millennium Park concerts and at other Chicago cultural attractions. Their program ended with a group problem solving exercise, where participants assumed roles different from their own,  to cope with a cultural tourism situation that they might encounter  in their own backyard.

   All in all, participants told me that it was a real experience - and it was fun. Several even said that they learned more in one day than they did in three days at other national seminars. I know that as program director and speaker I also learned a great deal. So did the program sponsor, the Arts, Entertainment & Media Management Department at Columbia College Chicago which, as a result of this program, has committed to courses in cultural tourism, including another three day national seminar next June.

   Cultural tourism is alive and well and all of us, participants and speakers alike, look ahead to an area of activity that will grow and engage even more of the population than it now does. I'm pleased to have been involved in such a meaningful experience and to have such a good time directing it.

   Alvin H. Reiss, Director, Professional Arts Management Institute's Focus on Cultural Tourism.

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