Bob Frascht, Iowa Rural Letter Carrier Association Board of Directors
 Jayson Ryner, River City Barbershop Chorus Director
 Michele Olson, Rose Bowl Manager
 Mark Ellis and John Currier, Chairs of the Antique Automobile Club of America National Fall Meet
 Kevin Isaacson, Coordinator for River City Showdown Fast Pitch Softball Tournament
 Elaine Olson, Coordinator of Regional & Sectional Duplicate Bridge Tournaments
 Scott Hagenson, President of the Iowa Firemen's Association
 Carol Schutte, Instructor, Biological Sciences at North Iowa Area Community College
 Jerome Mostek, Owner of Flashing Thunder and member of Pyrotechnics Guild International

Bob Frascht works as a rural letter carrier and also serves on the Board of Directors for the Iowa Rural Letter Carrier Association. When Frascht learned the association was looking for a place to host their annual convention, he was instrumental in encouraging the association to consider Mason City.

Frascht contacted Visit Mason City for assistance and the wheels of progress went into motion. Competing against other communities, Mason City submitted a proposal and was pleased to be selected as the host community for this three-day event. The convention attracted 200 people to the area contributing an estimated $88,000 in visitor spending to the local economy.

"I encourage others to contact Visit Mason City to learn about the services available to assist in securing and executing meetings in the area and then bring it to the area." Frascht proclaimed. Frascht also added, "Attracting this convention to the area was easy since everyone was great to work with and they helped make planning the event simple. In addition to assisting with the bid process, Visit Mason City also provided financial assistance, welcome information and more. Plus, it's nice to save time and money by having the meeting right here at home! You don't have to worry about traveling great distances since the North Iowa area has every thing you need to host a memorable convention including great facilities and lots of unique entertainment options."

For three days, Mason City was overflowing with hundreds of barbershop participants from Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska and South Dakota. What brought all these barbershop participants to town? North Iowa's own River City Barbershop Chorus working closely with Visit Mason City!

The Central States District Fall Barbershop Contest was held in Mason City attracting over 500 barbershop attendees and an additional 500 family members. Jayson Ryner, River City Barbershop Chorus Director and Director of Choral Activities for North Iowa Area Community College (NIACC), was active in luring the event to the area. In addition, an enormous amount of help and leadership from the members of the River City Barbershop Chorus was integral in bringing this unique event to North Iowa. All of this hard work attracted an estimated $200,000 of visitor spending to the community.

Ryner shared, "What better place to host a barbershop event than in the hometown of The Music Man! This event offers visitors the opportunity to experience the wonderful performance venue at NIACC and the many attractions in the area." Ryner also noted, "Many people in the area are leaders in organizations in which they belong. I encourage all to consider taking a leadership role in these organizations and consider hosting conventions and meetings in Mason City and North Iowa. The exposure and economic impact to the area is substantial. There is a tremendous amount of help available to bring conventions and events to town. Anything is possible when people are willing to dream and answer the question "what if".

Along with a supportive planning committee, Ryner stated, "The River City Barbershop Chorus relied on services provided by Visit Mason City. Services included assisting with the coordination of the bid, site visits, lodging information, financial assistance, communication with area partners and more. Visit Mason City was extremely instrumental in selling the city and North Iowa area."

Michele Olson, Manager of the Rose Bowl, wanted to increase her business's bottom line while also helping the area. She accomplished both goals by hosting the Iowa State Senior Men's Bowling Tournaments.

Over 800 bowlers and a similar number of family members enjoyed the North Iowa area while attending these two-day tournaments. The tournaments were held over the course of three weekends, adding nearly $200,000 in visitor spending to the local economy.

When asked why she attracted the events to the area Olson shared, "Mason City and the North Iowa have so much to offer. The area is a prime location to host events due to the community's convenient location and affordable visitor services. We hosted these tournaments to help our business and other businesses grow while also showcasing the community we are proud to call home." Olson also noted, "Area residents should consider bringing an event to the area to stimulate the economy and remind others that North Iowa and Mason City is a great place to visit with hospitality second to none."

"Coordinating these tournaments was made easier because Visit Mason City provided assistance." Olson said. "The Visit Mason City staff guided us through the process of planning and organized financial assistance, lodging information and other visitor related items. They helped us so we didn't feel overwhelmed. Visit Mason City truly exists to help make planning an event simpler."

The Antique Automobile Club of America National Fall Meet selected Mason City as their host community for a three day event. Serving as co-chairs, with immense help and leadership from the members of the North Iowa Vintage Auto Club, Mark and John worked diligently to lay the foundation for a truly memorable event.

With over 200 cars, hundreds of club members and thousands of spectators wanting to view each and every vehicle, planning for the event began three years before the event was held. To help streamline the planning process, the club contacted Visit Mason City for assistance. Visit Mason City was able to eliminate a lot of legwork for the club, allowing them to focus on fine-tuning the convention. Visit Mason City assisted with hotel room bids, lodging blocks, financial support for shuttle service and coordination of community information.

When asked "what are the benefits of attracting and hosting this event", Mark was quick to respond, "it provided us the opportunity to highlight our local club within the national organization, allowed the club to showcase our skills of hosting a first-class event and increase the awareness of the North Iowa Vintage Auto Club in hopes of attracting new members. Plus, it offered our club members the chance to do what they love best – showcase their cars!"

What started out as "just a small fundraiser" for Manly Heat softball program has turned into a fantastic event and revenue generator for the group. This USSSA National Qualifier Event has grown by leaps and bounds, attracting dozens of teams, hundreds of players and spectators from near and far.

Serving as the coordinator since the event's inception, Kevin worked closely with Visit Mason City from the beginning during the initial concept stage and each and every year following. Visit Mason City provided the needed connections for accommodations, media coverage and community information.

Kevin stated, "This tournament provided our players the opportunity to play at home instead of traveling out of town plus it has raised money to help fund our organization." Kevin also noted, "The tournament has created top of mind awareness about Manly Heat Softball and travel softball in general – it really has placed Manly on the map."

More than 1,700 duplicate bridge players attended this regional event in Mason City during four different years due to the tremendous efforts of event coordinator Elaine Olson. Typically the event is held in much larger communities thus, Mason City was the smallest community ever to be selected as the host site. Elaine believes the community was selected due to the convenient location, first-rate facilities and excellent North Iowa hospitality.

"I really appreciated all Visit Mason City did for us in helping make our tournament a reality," Elaine said. "They were very knowledgeable and really knew what they're doing. They were able to provide financial assistance and help with site selection, marketing, media, accommodations and provided an information booth during the event. Working with them made coordinating the event easier."

Elaine noted the reason why she works so hard to host a great tournament is because, "It combines two things that I love, playing duplicate bridge while showcasing the community I proudly call home."

Scott Hagenson served as the President of the Iowa Firemen's Association, a state organization dedicated to the improvement of the Iowa Fire Service and the general public. Scott worked closely with Visit Mason City to bring their annual convention and over 200 attendees to the area, adding $73,500 to the local economy.

"The event had never been held in North Iowa and the excellent facilities and support from Mason City and Clear Lake Fire Departments created a winning combination." Scott said. "Right from the initial inquiry Visit Mason City was ready, willing and able to provide a variety of planning services including site selection assistance, lodging availability, and coordination of community information. Hosting the event in Mason City was truly a great fit!"

When the Iowa Conservation Education Council was looking for a place to host their Midwest Environmental Education Conference, Carol encouraged them to host the event in Mason City at the NIACC campus. This three-day event attracted nearly 200 attendees to the area contributing over $83,000 to the local economy.

According to Carol, "Mason City was the perfect location for visitors from Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, as well as Iowa, offering lodging and conference space that exceeded the expectations of the group. Unique environmental field trip destinations, with easy accessibility, were an additional draw. Plus, the enthusiasm of the local tourism partners was remarkable."

"Visit Mason City was very helpful and eager to serve," noted Carol. "The event was able to obtain financial assistance for marketing from Visit Mason City's tourism marketing grant program. Visit Mason City also obtained lodging information and provided community items to welcome guests to the area. The helpful staff and services available are a great resource for meeting / event planners."

Jerome Mostek is owner and President of Flashing Thunder, a company that sells fireworks and pyrotechnic supplies. In addition, Jerome is an active member of Pyrotechnics Guild International, Inc., which is an independent worldwide nonprofit organization of amateur and professional fireworks enthusiasts.

After attending Pyrotechnics Guild International Convention for numerous years, Jerome suggested that the event be held in Mason City. Jerome, in partnership with the Iowa Pyrotechnic Association and Visit Mason City, persuaded the convention site selection committee to select Mason City as the location of their event . The seven-day event attracted over 18,000 people to the North Iowa area, adding $1.6 million in visitor spending to the local economy.

"Hosting this event in Mason City was a natural fit because North Iowa is a great place to live and work with excellent facilities and services." Jerome said. "My job as event host is ten times easier because Visit Mason City provided instrumental assistance in attracting this event to the area. They coordinated event and lodging facilities and even put together a presentation to use in the pitch to beat out other cities to make Mason City the convention's host city."