MONROE - People attending a meeting Monday at Lazy Mutt Lounge at Minhas Craft Brewery were focused on how to attract more people to Green County and ways to make their trip more memorable.
"We want to keep people here a little longer," David Riese, Monroe Main Street chairman, said.
There are ways to bring more tourists to Green County, but it will take some organization and well-laid plans, Barry Levenson told a group of about 40 people who came to offer some ideas to corral the county's tourism potential into a museum or cultural center.
Levenson started the Mustard Museum in Mount Horeb 17 years ago with a few jars of mustard and an interest in telling stories.
It's not enough to just offer people a product to sample or a museum to visit, he said.
"Telling a story is essential to developing a destination," Levenson said. "It could be a story about cheese or it could be a story about beer, but it has to be a good story."
A good story doesn't necessarily have to be completely truthful. It also can be entertaining, he said.
But the products displayed have to help tell the story and give people something physical to touch or see or taste.
"A room full of cheese doesn't tell a story, unless the story is about mold," he joked.
Before he started the Mustard Museum, Levenson visited historical and museums that featured other products. It was important to find out what brought people to those museums in order to make his successful.
Monday's meeting was the first in what could be a series of meetings, said Sharon Riese, a member of an ad hoc committee promoting tourism in Green County.
Sharon Riese and Donna Bahler were two key figures who organized Monday's meeting.
"We wanted to see what kind of support we had," she said. "We want to work with (Green County) Tourism, Green County Development Corporation, Main Street and UW-Extension to develop ideas."
No formal plans about the type of museum or what will be featured for tourists was decided upon at Monday's meeting. The group split into smaller groups to discuss ideas about what would attract people to Green County. The ideas were presented to the group as a whole and will be looked at more closely in the future.
The goal of the meeting was to get things started, according to those in attendance.
If people in Green County want to begin a museum, whether it be dedicated to foods or cheese or beer or anything else, they must first have a plan and be prepared to face what Levenson called the "nitty gritty of how to start a museum."
Levenson said organizers need a clear identity for their museum.
"If you don't know what your mission is, your visitors won't know either," he said.
There also should be enough money for the first four months the museum is open to cover costs until people begin to find out about the museum and begin to visit. The funds also must be sustained.
Funding is an ongoing problem. Most museums have gift shops and Web sites to sell things.
"People will want to buy your products after they've heard your stories," Levenson said.
One aspect of funding involves advertising and public relations, he explained.
"Always make yourself available for interviews," he said. "Always make yourself available for free interviews. Drop everything when the media calls."
The community also should be involved with the museum, Levenson said, but something else is needed to make a project like this work.
"Above all, have fun," Levenson said.
"We want to keep people here a little longer," David Riese, Monroe Main Street chairman, said.
There are ways to bring more tourists to Green County, but it will take some organization and well-laid plans, Barry Levenson told a group of about 40 people who came to offer some ideas to corral the county's tourism potential into a museum or cultural center.
Levenson started the Mustard Museum in Mount Horeb 17 years ago with a few jars of mustard and an interest in telling stories.
It's not enough to just offer people a product to sample or a museum to visit, he said.
"Telling a story is essential to developing a destination," Levenson said. "It could be a story about cheese or it could be a story about beer, but it has to be a good story."
A good story doesn't necessarily have to be completely truthful. It also can be entertaining, he said.
But the products displayed have to help tell the story and give people something physical to touch or see or taste.
"A room full of cheese doesn't tell a story, unless the story is about mold," he joked.
Before he started the Mustard Museum, Levenson visited historical and museums that featured other products. It was important to find out what brought people to those museums in order to make his successful.
Monday's meeting was the first in what could be a series of meetings, said Sharon Riese, a member of an ad hoc committee promoting tourism in Green County.
Sharon Riese and Donna Bahler were two key figures who organized Monday's meeting.
"We wanted to see what kind of support we had," she said. "We want to work with (Green County) Tourism, Green County Development Corporation, Main Street and UW-Extension to develop ideas."
No formal plans about the type of museum or what will be featured for tourists was decided upon at Monday's meeting. The group split into smaller groups to discuss ideas about what would attract people to Green County. The ideas were presented to the group as a whole and will be looked at more closely in the future.
The goal of the meeting was to get things started, according to those in attendance.
If people in Green County want to begin a museum, whether it be dedicated to foods or cheese or beer or anything else, they must first have a plan and be prepared to face what Levenson called the "nitty gritty of how to start a museum."
Levenson said organizers need a clear identity for their museum.
"If you don't know what your mission is, your visitors won't know either," he said.
There also should be enough money for the first four months the museum is open to cover costs until people begin to find out about the museum and begin to visit. The funds also must be sustained.
Funding is an ongoing problem. Most museums have gift shops and Web sites to sell things.
"People will want to buy your products after they've heard your stories," Levenson said.
One aspect of funding involves advertising and public relations, he explained.
"Always make yourself available for interviews," he said. "Always make yourself available for free interviews. Drop everything when the media calls."
The community also should be involved with the museum, Levenson said, but something else is needed to make a project like this work.
"Above all, have fun," Levenson said.