June 26--Choose Chicago pulled the plug Friday on the last two months of its "Chicago Epic" tourism campaign amid a state budget stalemate that threatens the nonprofit agency's funding.
The agency, which serves as the city's convention and tourism bureau, sent out an "action alert" email Friday explaining the need to curtail the campaign and asking supporters to sign a petition to give Choose Chicago its "statutorily mandated funding."
"This is our largest single source of revenue representing 40 percent of our annual operating budget," Don Welsh, Choose Chicago's president, wrote in the letter. "It devastates Choose Chicago for no immediate or long-term positive result on the state budget."
Welsh said Choose Chicago will lose more than $7.2 million in budgeted revenue through December if the state withholds funding.
Gov. Bruce Rauner vetoed the bulk of a state budget Thursday that he said was nearly $4 billion out of balance and in need of reform.
Earlier this month, the Rauner administration identified Choose Chicago as an area where funding would be suspended if no budget resolution is reached by July 1. Rauner resigned as chairman of the board of Choose Chicago two years ago, in advance of his run for governor.
The Chicago Epic campaign, launched in April, included a 30-second commercial on DirecTV promoting Chicago as a tourism destination to distant markets such as San Francisco and Denver, the city's first foray beyond regional advertising.
Choose Chicago had budgeted $2.2 million toward the summer campaign. While the national TV schedule was set to end on June 30, the agency has curtailed a planned digital campaign through August, saving $260,000, according to Choose Chicago spokeswoman Meghan Risch.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel has set a goal of 55 million visitors a year by 2020, touting tourism as an economic boon and job creator for the city. Choose Chicago was launched under Emanuel in 2012 by combining two bureaus into the city's official tourism organization.
rchannick@tribpub.com
