Here are the most important updates this week:
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Save the Date: November Tourism Insider Meeting
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Thank you to those who were able to join us in Webster City for the most recent Tourism Insider Meeting. Be sure to mark your calendars for the next meeting, which will be held on November 20 in Dubuque. Registration and agenda information will be available later in September.
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Host a Tourism Insider Meeting in 2026!
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The Tourism Insider Meeting series offers Iowa destinations a platform to showcase to other industry members how they are attracting travelers, enhancing tourism infrastructure and elevating visitor experiences. We are excited to continue this series into 2026 and feature even more of Iowa’s great communities! Applications to host a Tourism Insider Meeting will be available in November. Tentative dates for meetings in 2026 are May 7, August 27 and November 19.
New this year, communities selected to host will receive a $2,000 stipend from the Iowa Tourism Office to assist with meeting expenses. As such, communities will be solely responsible for meeting logistics, including securing a venue, planning an agenda, catering/meal planning, securing room blocks for potential overnight guests, etc. The Iowa Tourism Office requires 60-90 minutes of the agenda throughout the day for updates and statewide programming. Otherwise, our community hosts will have the opportunity to tell their tourism story. More details will be available with the applications in November.
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Save the Date for 2026 Iowa Tourism Office Webinars
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The Iowa Tourism Office will host quarterly webinars in 2026 to share tourism office updates, discuss marketing campaigns and trends, showcase Iowa tourism data and more. We hope you join us at these events. Webinars are always recorded and shared on the Industry Partners website.
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Thursday, January 15, 2026, at 2 p.m.
- Thursday, April 23, 2026, at 2 p.m.
- Thursday, July 23, 2026, at 2 p.m.
- Thursday, October 22, 2026, at 2 p.m.
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WANTED: New or Milestone Anniversaries in 2026
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If you have a museum exhibit, attraction, event or hotel opening or celebrating a milestone anniversary (ending in 0 or 5) in 2026, please send the information to Jessica O'Riley (jessica.oriley@iowaeda.com) by Friday, September 12. Information may be used in media pitches, the 2026 Iowa Travel Guide (available in January 2026), on traveliowa.com and in social media posts. Even if all you have is basic info now, please send to Jessica for consideration.
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Iowans Create Community Mural Program Now Accepting Applications
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An initiative offered through the Iowa Arts Council, the Iowans Create Community Mural Program matches a selected Iowa artist and community to plan, design and create an original mural that showcases the community's unique creative and cultural identity. The program is now accepting applications for artists through September 26, 2025, and communities through October 15, 2025.
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Save the Date: AirDNA Lunch and Learn Webinar
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Join AirDNA for a "lunch and learn" style webinar to dive into short-term rental data and insights. The webinar will be held at noon on Thursday, September 18. You do not need to pre-register.
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REMINDER: Iowa Tourism Grant Applications Closing Soon
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The FY26 Iowa Tourism Grant application portal will close at midnight on September 30, 2025.
Whether you have applied for the ITO Marketing Grant in the past or are a first-time applicant, read the updated FY26 Guidelines and FY26 Scoring Rubric carefully. The Slideroom application portal is an online application portal that simplifies the grant application and scoring process, and has been updated to align with the guidelines and scoring rubric. If you have any questions, please contact Lora Friest (lora.friest@iowaeda.com).
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Helpful Tools to Organize Grant Opportunities
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Both cash match and in-kind match are valuable. Grantors only give a portion of what is needed to implement your project. They want you to have skin in the game. The percentage of the total project a grantor will pay varies widely, from 10% to 90%. You must provide the rest.
Some grantors, like the Iowa Tourism Office, require you provide cash match and only cash match; others will allow a portion of the match to be “in-kind.” In-kind match may be the time of an employee or volunteer, use of equipment, space or supplies. However, whether a grantor wants to know about your in-kind match or not, pursue it. It has great value. It engages partners, increases local buy-in and opens new opportunities for future collaboration. The shared success it fosters can also build awareness and support for you and your organization.
Featured Grant:
The National Endowment for the Humanities' Media Projects program supports the development, production and distribution of radio programs, podcasts, documentary films and documentary film series that engage general audiences with humanities ideas in creative and appealing ways. Iowa’s brand is shaped in-part by our great stories. If you know one of them, check out this opportunity. The application is expected to open November 15, 2025, and is due by January 15, 2026.
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Visit traveliowa.com/industry-partners for more information
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Iowa Tourism Office
1963 Bell Avenue, Ste 200 | Des Moines, IA 50315 US
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1963 Bell Avenue, Suite 200 | Des Moines, IA 50315 US
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