Wendy Schultz, Mayor Walsh's chief of staff, has worked with the Council Bluffs Convention & Visitors Bureau (CBCVB) since she began at the mayor's office in February 2014. She has helped the CBCVB with everything from getting the organization off the ground in 2014 to moving into a new office in 2019. She has been an indispensable advisor and advocate for the Council Bluffs CVB.
How do you see the relationship between the city and the CBVB?
I feel like the relationship has really grown in the past few years. We work together on many projects and discuss goals to ensure we are working toward the same outcomes.
What has the city and the CBCVB accomplished together in the past few years?
Together we’ve accomplished some great things; from landing some big conferences in town to developing a new City Image Campaign. We’ve put on many events together, promoting the new campaign to get the public involved and excited about it. We coordinated the design of one website, instead of having two conflicting sites, that enhanced the CBCVB’s web presence while also housing the image campaign. This site meets the needs of local residents and visitors to our community.
How long have you been a resident of Council Bluffs (or worked here)?
I have lived in Council Bluffs my whole life. However, up until I started [working for the city>, I had always worked outside of Council Bluffs. I got to a point where I wanted to give back to my city. So I started my search for a position in Council Bluffs where I could give back. It took several months, but I finally found a position that spoke to me, at the Police Department (PD). What better way to give back than to work in a service-oriented place like the PD. From there, I moved over to the mayor’s office when Mayor Walsh was elected. In this role, I truly feel like what we do makes a difference in our community.
What does this town and its tourism industry mean to you?
Being born and raised here, I truly love this place and am very proud of where it’s been and where it’s going. Tourism is very important to our community and can help to grow our economy through large-scale events that draw thousands of visitors to the area who utilize our services such as hotels and restaurants, and, if we’re lucky, we potentially get some of those visitors to relocate here.
What do you hope to see the CBCVB and the city achieve in tourism in the future?
As we continue to add new facilities such as the Iowa West Field House, the new soccer complex, the River’s Edge Development, and more, I hope to see many more events and visitors [at> these attractions. As we work to build out the new entertainment district around the Mid-America Center, I see the city and the CBCVB continuing to promote and land new business to the area as well.
What do you think of the performance of the CBCVB in the past five years?
I think the CBCVB is certainly going in the right direction. Under the guidance of the new director, the CBCVB has become a more professional and prominent entity. It is landing more and larger events and is doing a great job promoting the city. They have worked really hard to build partnerships within the community and to get their name out there.
Is there anything else you’d like us to share with our industry partners about yourself?
I would just like to say what a pleasure it’s been to work with the CBCVB and the community. Not everyone gets the opportunity to serve in [a> role such as mine within the city, and it has truly been an honor, and I hope people see the great things we’ve accomplished over the past few years and know that it’s all been for them and my love of our community.
