Explore Evansville

What Explore Evansville does

Explore Evansville is the Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) and primary Destination Marketing Organization (DMO) for Evansville, Indiana, serving the Tri-State region spanning Indiana, Kentucky, and Illinois. The organization markets and books three core segments — meetings and conventions, sports tourism, and leisure travel — and operates as a unified manager for three anchor venues: the Ford Center, the Victory Theatre, and the Old National Events Plaza. Its commercial surface includes the Evansville Attraction Pass, a bundled ticket product that aggregates multiple local attractions into a single purchase, plus event sales, bid support, and visitor information services delivered through its website and on-site presence.

Funding flows primarily from local tourism and lodging taxes rather than equity investment, placing the organization in a quasi-public, non-profit category structurally distinct from venture-backed companies. Recent strategic emphasis has been on sports tourism, with 80+ events programmed in 2025 generating $23 million in direct visitor spending, alongside heritage tourism anchored by a federal WWII Heritage City designation (one of 38 nationwide). Visitor experience has been augmented through a GoodMaps partnership that deploys AI-enabled indoor navigation at Evansville Regional Airport, and the organization holds earned-media positioning as the USA Today #1 Fall Festival for three consecutive years.

Leadership transitioned to Tom White as President and CEO in February 2025, signaling a refreshed strategic posture heading into the 2026 America 250 commemorative period. Headcount sits in the 11-50 range, consistent with a mid-sized Midwest CVB. No disclosed financial statements, audited budget figures, or quantified marketing-spend data were available in the source set, so operating scale is estimated rather than confirmed.

Name

Explore Evansville

Legal name

Evansville – Vanderburgh County Convention and Visitors Bureau

Website

https://exploreevansville.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Explore Evansville is the Convention and Visitors Bureau for Evansville, Indiana, marketing meetings, sports tourism, and leisure travel across the Tri-State region and managing three anchor venues.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Destination Marketing and Convention Services

NAICS

Convention and Visitors Bureaus (561591)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

MICE Travel Technology & Program Management (Apps, Communications, Tracking) (THAHADAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

Permitting, Reservations & Visitor Information Services (Passes, Booking, Visitor Centers) (THAAAGAD), Accessibility & Inclusion Services (ADA Access, Adaptive Programs, Multilingual Support) (THAAAGAJ)

Keywords

• Destination marketing
• Convention visitors bureau
• Meeting planning services
• Sports tourism development
• Attraction pass discounts

Headquarters

HQ city

Evansville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Tourism Promotion Services: As a Convention and Visitors Bureau, Explore Evansville generates revenue through tourism promotion services including meeting/convention planning assistance, RFP processing, site visits, and customized proposals for event planners. Services include venue coordination, accommodation booking assistance, and destination marketing.
2. Attraction Pass Commissions: Revenue generated through the Evansville Attraction Pass program which bundles admission to multiple attractions at discounted rates, providing value for both attractions and the CVB

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Explore Evansville is the official destination marketing organization for Evansville, Indiana, promoting the city to leisure travelers and group/event planners through marketing, visitor information, and convention sales services. It sells an Attraction Pass bundling discounts at local attractions and provides customized planning services, site visits, RFP handling, and proposal coordination for meeting and sports event organizers.

Product overview

Explore Evansville operates the official tourism website for Evansville, Indiana as the Evansville Convention and Visitors Bureau. The platform serves as a comprehensive destination marketing and visitor information portal featuring the core Explore Evansville website with event calendars, attraction listings, and trip planning resources. The offering portfolio includes the Evansville Attraction Pass (a bundled multi-attraction ticket product), Meetings & Groups services (venue coordination and RFP support for conventions and events), Sports Planners services (sports tourism coordination), a Visitor Guide resource, and an E-Newsletter subscription. Recently, unified venue management was established combining Ford Center, Victory Theatre, and Old National Events Plaza under one management team for simplified event planning.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• SimpleViewcoreTechnology or IntegrationSimpleView provides the website platform (SimpleView CMS) powering exploreevansville.com, including the events calendar, attraction listings, blog, and meeting planner resources. The platform enables the CVB's digital marketing and visitor services.
• Ford CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPremier arena venue for concerts, shows, and sporting events. Old National Events Plaza and Victory Theatre joined under same management team as Ford Center, enabling consistent policies and simplified ticketing across venues.
• Old National Events Plaza / Victory TheatrecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDowntown Evansville venues now unified with Ford Center under one management team, creating consolidated venue experience for concerts, shows, and conventions.
• Bally's Evansville Casino & HotelcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBally's Evansville is a key partner for the Fireworks on the Ohio event and hosts conferences and events. The casino & hotel recently completed restoration of its Executive Conference Center.
• GoodMapscoreTechnology or IntegrationAdvanced indoor navigation platform providing free, turn-by-turn wayfinding throughout Evansville Regional Airport terminal using LiDAR mapping and AI-powered camera positioning with sub-one-foot precision, supporting accessibility initiatives.
• Evansville Association for the BlindcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered in development of GoodMaps indoor navigation system, specifically designed to support blind and low-vision travelers with detailed audio guidance and verbal turn-by-turn directions.
• Hidden Disabilities Sunflower ProgramminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational initiative supporting travelers with non-visible disabilities such as autism, PTSD, hearing loss, and anxiety. Complimentary Sunflower items available at airport.
• Tianyu Arts & CultureminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for Wild Summer Lights event at Mesker Park Zoo, providing handcrafted Chinese lantern displays that transform the zoo into an after-hours attraction.
• Downtown EvansvillecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for downtown events including Fireworks on the Ohio, holiday decorations, and the Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area (DORA) initiative.
• National WWII Museum / National Park ServicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAdministered the $10,000 American WWII Heritage Cities Grant awarded to the Evansville IN WWII Heritage City Group (LST-325, Evansville Museum, Evansville Wartime Museum) for documenting WWII home front locations and stories.
• Evansville Regional Sports CommissioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on sports events including MVC Women's Basketball Tournament and other major sporting events generating significant visitor spending.
• Local Nonprofit Organizations (CAMSE)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to provide CAMSE (Cam's Sensory Equipment) Kits at airport locations containing sensory tools for overwhelmed travelers, supporting accessibility initiatives.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves2 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Visit Indy (Visit Indianapolis): Indiana's largest destination marketing organization, operating as a CVB for Indianapolis. Direct peer to Explore Evansville along function (municipal DMO/CVB), funding model (hospitality tax-funded), and customer base (meeting planners, sports organizers, leisure visitors) within the same state.
• Visit Tampa Bay: Florida's regional DMO operating a comparable destination marketing model — convention sales, sports tourism, leisure travel marketing — at a different geographic scale but using the same CVB playbook.
• Visit Louisville: Louisville's official DMO. Regional competitor for sports events and convention business across Kentucky/Indiana, with overlapping Tri-State catchment and similar conference/attraction marketing portfolio.
• Experience Columbus: The DMO for Columbus, Ohio. Comparable Midwestern CVB with similar meetings, sports, and leisure segmentation; useful benchmark for mid-market CVB operating models in the Midwest.
• Explore St. Louis: The CVB for St. Louis, Missouri. Closely comparable Midwestern DMO serving a similar mid-major metro market with active sports-tourism, meetings, and attraction-marketing functions.
• Visit KC (Visit Kansas City): The CVB for Kansas City. Comparable Midwestern destination marketing organization with overlapping scope on meetings/conventions, sports tourism (including amateur/youth events), and branded attraction-pass products.
• Visit Omaha: The DMO for Omaha, Nebraska. Comparable mid-sized Midwestern city destination marketing organization with similar scale, mix of meetings/sports/leisure focus, and federally funded heritage assets.
• Cincinnati USA Convention and Visitors Bureau: The CVB for Cincinnati, Ohio — Evansville's closest geographic and demographic peer. Operates the same CVB model across the Ohio River region, competing for Tri-State sports tournaments, conventions, and leisure visitors with overlapping catchment.

Broad incumbents

• Brand USA: The United States' national destination marketing organization. Operates at national scale alongside state/regional DMOs like Explore Evansville, co-marketing international and domestic demand that filters down to regional CVBs.
• Choose Chicago: The official DMO for Chicago, Illinois. Broader incumbent in the same Midwest region with significantly larger budget and meeting/sports portfolio; competes for regional events and convention business that could otherwise land in Evansville.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ExploreEVV
• Facebookfacebook.com/ExploreEvansville
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/explore-evansville

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Explore Evansville