Illinois Partners with Big Ten Conference

Chicago – Illinois Office of Tourism will partner with Big Ten Conference for a third year as the official travel and tourism sponsor of the Conference, building on a successful partnership that began in 2014. The Big Ten Conference includes men’s and women’s sports at 14 universities across the country. Illinois Office of Tourism is the first state destination marketing organization to serve as the official travel and tourism sponsor of the Conference.

The ongoing partnership offers a variety of assets to connect with Midwest sports fans to inspire them to travel to Illinois, including consumer promotion, digital branding on BigTen.org, television spots and branded content, branded in-game signage, visibility on Big Ten Network shows, and more.

“There are many college sports fans in the Midwest, and these drive-in markets are key audiences for Illinois Tourism,” said state travel director, Cory Jobe. “We want to connect with those passionate fans and inspire them to travel to Illinois, not far from where they live or go to school.”

As part of the larger integrated marketing campaign that features paid, earned and social media, Illinois Office of Tourism will have an on-site presence at three major tournaments: the Football Championships in Indianapolis, Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships in Washington D.C., and Hockey Championships in Detroit during the 2016/2017 season.

Big Ten Conference is headquartered in Rosemont, Ill., about 30 minutes northwest of downtown Chicago.