Chamber Champion

Businesses, individuals, and all those who love Madison County:

Please help us to help our community by becoming a Chamber Champion!

(Scroll down to join!)

Now, more than ever, the community needs the Chamber – and the Chamber needs the community’s support.

Our community usually thrives during tourism season, when lots of travelers come to see the bridges, as well as our unique museums, shops, wineries, parks, and more. The income from this influx of visitors benefits everyone in the community, and we love to serve as your ambassadors for the community when they arrive! Scroll down for more details about what the Chamber does and what it brings to the county.

This year, however, we’ve had to close our doors for a period of time, like many others, and some of our annual events have had to be canceled or postponed. In addition to losing fundraising income and sales on merchandise in our welcome center, we’re finding that we have far fewer bus tours scheduled for the summer of 2020, and hotel/motel tax is down, which also helps support the Chamber.

By becoming a Chamber Champion as an individual citizen, family or business, you can help ensure our business community continues to have access to the resources and benefits of the Chamber with uninterrupted membership. In turn, this helps ensure that our community will remain strong and vibrant now and into the future.

To become a Chamber Champion:

If you prefer to pay by check, please print out this form and mail it with your check. To pay online by credit card, complete the form below and click “submit.”

The Chamber wears dual hats in that in addition to supporting local member businesses, we are the only Madison County organization solely dedicated to promoting tourism. 

• We keep the Welcome Center staffed and open year-round, providing friendly tourism hub and wages for tourism and Welcome-Center staff.
• We chase designations and funding opportunities such as Iowa Great Places (over $722,000 since 2014). The Chamber itself keeps $0 from this activity.
• We handle marketing and advertising materials and opportunities for the county.
  • Iowa State Fair: Promoting Madison County to 1,000,000 potential visitors over 11 days, managing 88 volunteers
  • Printing in publications such as The Iowan magazine, fall and spring Iowa Travel guides, Central Iowa Travel guide, etc.
  • Coordination of group tours and motor coaches (46 of them in 2019, generating $57,282 in admission and tour fees, food and beverage purchase, and lodging — as well as gas, shopping, and other income enjoyed by local businesses.)
  • We participate in conferences and associations such as the Iowa Tourism Conference, Iowa Legislative Showcase, American Bus Association, Central Iowa Tourism Region Conference, etc.
• We operate and promote events that draw people from miles around: The Covered Bridge Festival, the Winterset Wine Walk, Women’s Weekend in Winterset, Small Business Saturday and the Festival of Lights, the Chocolate Walk, and more.
• We manage the Covered Bridges Scenic Byway. This includes marketing the entire byway corridor, reporting to the DOT, coordinating efforts among multi-entities with the state, county and towns along the byway, and conducting sign inventory along the route.

How does Madison County benefit from tourism?

• Tourism helps support regional parks, economic development, arts and culture, education, roads, public safety, affordable housing, workforce development, and community programs.
• It helps preserve and improve our community’s assets and resources.
• Investments in tourism pay back many times over by providing access to funding sources (i.e. Iowa Great Places grants).
• Travel-related expenditures for Madison County:
  • Totaled $15.23 million in 2018 (increase of $1.36 from 2017 and $1.56 million from 2016).*
  • Supported 70 jobs in Madison County*
  • Brought in $380,000 in local tax receipts in 2018*
  • Brought a steady increase in local hotel/motel sales tax each year since 2013 ($18,135 in 2013 to $40,821 in 2019).

Please consider becoming a Chamber Champion to ensure that tourism in Madison County continues to thrive.