What Visit Fort Wayne does

Visit Fort Wayne is the official destination marketing organization (DMO) and Convention and Visitors Bureau for Fort Wayne and Allen County, Indiana, operating as a nonprofit organization founded in 1964. The organization markets the Fort Wayne destination to leisure visitors, meeting and convention planners, sports tournament organizers, and group tour operators, serving approximately 9.2 million annual visitors whose spending generates $1.1 billion in direct economic impact for the local economy. Its core product surface is a comprehensive digital platform built on the Simpleview CRM and marketing technology stack, comprising the visitfortwayne.com website, the Adventure Pass bundle for seven attractions, the Trip Builder itinerary tool, the Adventure Quiz personalization module, the CurrentNEI regional event calendar, the Allen County Historic Sites Pass, and the Savor Fort Wayne annual dining promotion, complemented by a physical visitors center at 927 South Harrison Street.

The organization does not sell directly to consumers; instead it generates economic impact by routing visitor demand through partner hotels, restaurants, attractions, and event venues. Its revenue model is professional-services-style funding typical of U.S. DMOs: hotel/motel tax allocations, membership fees from partner businesses, and state and local tourism grants. Visit Fort Wayne holds DMAP Accreditation with Distinction from Destinations International (awarded July 2023), placing it among only 200 destination organizations worldwide to meet 118 industry standards, and operates under the leadership of President & CEO Jill Boggs and a board chaired by Kelly Updike.

Strategic posture centers on regional ecosystem coordination across 11 Northeast Indiana counties through formal partnerships with county tourism bureaus, Arts United, Downtown Improvement District, the Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership, Young Leaders of NE Indiana, the Community Foundation of Greater Fort Wayne, and the Hotel Planner booking platform. Distribution spans the website, email newsletter, organic social channels, downloadable digital assets (Zoom backgrounds, wallpapers, GIPHY stickers), events and festivals promotion, and co-marketing through the CurrentNEI community calendar.

Name

Visit Fort Wayne

Legal name

Visit Fort Wayne

Website

https://visitfortwayne.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1964

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Visit Fort Wayne is the nonprofit destination marketing organization and Convention and Visitors Bureau for Fort Wayne and Allen County, Indiana, promoting the destination to leisure visitors, meeting planners, sports organizers, and group tours across 11 Northeast Indiana counties.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Fort Wayne

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Tourism Economic Impact: Visit Fort Wayne generates economic impact for the community through visitor spending at hotels, restaurants, attractions, and events across Fort Wayne and Allen County. The organization operates as a non-profit destination marketing organization (DMO) / Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) funded through hotel/motel tax revenues, membership fees from partner businesses, and potentially state/local tourism funding.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Visit Fort Wayne is the official destination marketing organization and Convention & Visitors Bureau for Fort Wayne and Allen County, Indiana. It promotes the destination through a tourism website, an events calendar, trip-planning tools, bundled attraction passes, a physical Visitors Center, and curated regional itineraries across 11 Northeast Indiana counties. The organization does not sell travel directly but markets hotels, restaurants, attractions, and events on behalf of partner businesses to leisure visitors, meeting planners, sports organizers, and group tour operators.

Product overview

Visit Fort Wayne operates a comprehensive destination marketing platform consisting of a main tourism website at visitfortwayne.com, paired with interactive tools including the Adventure Quiz for personalized trip recommendations, Trip Builder for custom itinerary creation, and Adventure Pass for bundled attraction access. The digital portfolio extends to CurrentNEI (regional event calendar), the Savor Fort Wayne dining program, downloadable Digital Experiences (virtual backgrounds and wallpapers), and specialized resources like the Allen County Historic Sites Pass, Group Tour Planner resources, Sports Facility Guide, and Accessibility Playbook. The platform also includes curated Northeast Indiana Road Trips spanning 11 counties with thematic itineraries. Visit Fort Wayne serves as Fort Wayne and Allen County's official Convention and Visitors Bureau, generating approximately 9.2 million annual visitors and $1.1 billion in direct economic impact.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Visit Fort Wayne Website Official tourism destination marketing website providing information about hotels, restaurants, events, attractions, and trip planning resources for visitors to Fort Wayne, Indiana.
• Adventure Pass Mobile-friendly bundled attraction pass offering access to seven Fort Wayne attractions at one combined price for visitors.
• Trip Builder Interactive trip planning tool allowing visitors to design and customize a personal itinerary by adding attractions, restaurants, and events.
• Adventure Quiz Personalized recommendation quiz with categories including Family Fanatic, Hidden Gem Finder, Riverfront Explorer, Creative Soul, Downtown Devotee, Flavor Seeker, Genealogy Junkie, and Style Scout to match visitors with relevant Fort Wayne experiences.
• Allen County Historic Sites Pass Free pass program allowing visitors to explore historical sites across Allen County with audio tours telling stories of Fort Wayne's historic landmarks.
• CurrentNEI Calendar Regional event calendar for Northeast Indiana featuring categorized events including Arts & Culture, Outdoors, Family Fun, Music, Sports, Downtown, and Community events across 11 counties.
• Savor Fort Wayne Annual restaurant dining promotion program running for 12 days in January offering menu deals at participating Fort Wayne restaurants.
• Visitors Guide Comprehensive travel guide available as a digital publication online or as a free mailed physical copy, containing trip ideas, insider tips, and information about attractions, dining, and accommodations.
• Group Tour Planner Resources Resources for group tour planning including a downloadable planner newsletter, group dining maps for Downtown and Coliseum areas, and information about attractions suitable for organized groups.
• Sports Facility Guide Comprehensive guide to sports facilities and venues available for tournaments and athletic events in Allen County.
• Accessibility Playbook Resource providing accessibility information and guidance for visitors with disabilities, including surveys for attractions, festivals, hotels, restaurants, and venues.
• Northeast Indiana Road Trips Curated road trip itineraries covering multiple counties in Northeast Indiana including categories for Outdoors, Noteworthy Nationally, Family, Shopping, History & Culture, Wineries & Breweries, Dining, Events, and the Make It Your Own Mural Trail.

Quantifiable outcome

• 9.2 million annual visitors generating $1.1 billion in direct economic impact
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• SimpleviewcoreTechnology or IntegrationVisit Fort Wayne's website and destination marketing platform is powered by Simpleview, a specialized CRM and marketing technology provider for destination organizations. The platform enables website management, event calendars, listing management, and visitor engagement tools.
• Arts UnitedcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerMajor arts and cultural organization in Fort Wayne partnering on visitor promotion, events, and the Arts Campus district. Listed as a partner organization supporting the Current NEI community calendar.
• Downtown Improvement DistrictcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership supporting downtown Fort Wayne promotional activities, events like Fright Night, and the improvement district's marketing initiatives.
• Northeast Indiana Regional PartnershipcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerRegional economic development organization partnering on Northeast Indiana tourism promotion across 11 counties. Co-branded Current NEI calendar and regional road trip itineraries.
• Young Leaders of Northeast IndianaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerRegional young professional organization partnering on community events and promotions in conjunction with Current NEI calendar.
• Hotel PlannercoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorIntegrated hotel booking functionality on Visit Fort Wayne website enabling visitors to search and book accommodations in Fort Wayne directly through the destination website.
• Northeast Indiana County Tourism PartnerscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership network with 11 county tourism organizations including Adams County EDC, DeKalb County CVB, Kosciusko County CVB, Shipshewana-LaGrange County, Noble County, Steuben County, Wabash County, Wells County, and Whitley County for regional tourism promotion and event calendar sharing.
• Destinations InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal association for destination organizations providing accreditation (DMAP), industry standards, professional development, and networking for Visit Fort Wayne as the official tourism organization for Fort Wayne and Allen County.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Visit Indy: Official DMO for Indianapolis, Indiana. Most directly comparable peer given shared state, similar Midwest drive-market positioning, and overlapping event-driven tourism strategy.
• Experience Columbus: DMO for Columbus, Ohio, a similar mid-size Midwest state capital drive destination. Comparable in scale, audience (leisure, meetings, sports), and event-centric marketing model.
• Visit Detroit: Michigan's largest metro DMO, located within Fort Wayne's 425-mile catchment. Comparable in destination marketing mandate, group sales focus, and emphasis on revitalizing urban destination image.
• Visit Pittsburgh: DMO for Pittsburgh, PA, another mid-size legacy industrial city within the 425-mile reach. Comparable in driving leisure, meetings, and group tour demand with similar urban rebrand narrative.
• Visit Cincinnati: DMO serving the Cincinnati region, comparable in scale, regional partnership model, and Midwest drive-market orientation.
• Visit Grand Rapids: DMO for Grand Rapids, Michigan. Strong peer for a mid-size Midwest city DMO with a comparable drive-market strategy, culinary and event promotion focus, and similar staff scale.
• Visit Omaha: DMO for Omaha, Nebraska. Comparable as a mid-size Midwest DMO serving a similar secondary metro drive-market with a focus on group/meetings and event-based marketing.
• Explore St. Louis: DMO for St. Louis, Missouri, within the 425-mile catchment. Comparable in driving leisure, conventions, and group travel with a similar urban-destination rebrand emphasis.

Broad incumbents

• Choose Chicago: DMO for Chicago, the largest metro within Fort Wayne's drive-market. Functions as a broader incumbent peer with much larger budget and brand recognition, but competes for the same drive-market leisure visitor.

Others

• Destinations International: Global industry association for destination organizations that administers the DMAP accreditation Visit Fort Wayne holds. Not a direct competitor; relevant as the industry body governing DMO standards and accreditation.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/VisitFortWayne
• Xx.com/VisitfortWayne

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Visit Fort Wayne