Manitowish Waters Visitors Bureau

What Manitowish Waters Visitors Bureau does

The Manitowish Waters Visitors Bureau is the official destination marketing organization for Manitowish Waters, Wisconsin, a small community in Vilas County known for the Legendary 10 Lake Chain. The Bureau coordinates tourism development, sales, marketing, and management for the area, operating a destination website built on the SimpleView CMS/CRM platform, a 24-hour Visitor Center at 5733 Airport Road, and an annual event calendar spanning seasonal festivals (Wheels Wings Watercraft Show, Night Markets, 4th of July, Harvest Festival, Small Town Christmas, Scarecrow Contest) and recurring programming (Skiing Skeeters water ski shows, Music in the Park). Its core products include the annual Travel Magazine (print and Issuu digital edition), the Manitowish Gazette e-newsletter, area webcams, cranberry marsh tours, a fall color report service, and curated directories for dining, lodging, and shopping.

The organization operates on a non-profit partnership-based revenue model, deriving income from annual business partnership fees with tiered advertising packages, individual community partnerships, a free business listing option for basic directory inclusion, and merchandise sales through a Shopify storefront. It serves three primary customer segments: out-of-town tourists seeking recreation and lodging information, local SMB businesses seeking visitor referrals and marketing exposure, and prospective residents evaluating the community. The Bureau is governed by a volunteer board (President, VP, Secretary, Treasurer, one Director) representing local institutions including EAU Holdings, Bear Country Builders, Frank B. Koller Memorial Library, Smokey's Restaurant, and Camp Jorn YMCA, with a single paid Executive Director (Lynsey Burzinski) managing day-to-day operations. Technology integrations are limited to off-the-shelf SaaS tools: SimpleView for CMS/CRM, Constant Contact for email/event registration, Shopify for merchandise, and Issuu for digital publishing, with no proprietary technology development or AI/ML capabilities identified.

Name

Manitowish Waters Visitors Bureau

Legal name

Manitowish Waters Visitors Bureau

Website

https://www.manitowishwaters.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Manitowish Waters Visitors Bureau is the official destination marketing organization for Manitowish Waters, Wisconsin, promoting tourism through a SimpleView-powered website, 24-hour Visitor Center, seasonal events, and business partnerships serving tourists, local businesses, and prospective residents.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Manitowish Waters

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Business Partnerships: Annual partnership fees from local businesses, firms, and organizations in support of the Bureau's mission. Includes tiered advertising packages for enhanced promotion.
2. Community Partnerships: Individual community partnerships for those interested in staying connected to and supporting the Bureau's mission.
3. Free Business Listing Option: Free option for businesses in Manitowish Waters or Winchester Township to ensure correct contact information for serving visitors.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Manitowish Waters Visitors Bureau is the official non-profit destination marketing organization for Manitowish Waters, Wisconsin. It promotes the area through an annual travel magazine, an e-newsletter, a 24-hour Visitor Center, area webcams, business partnership listings, and event programming (Skiing Skeeters Water Ski Shows, Music in the Park, Night Markets, Wheels Wings & Watercraft Show, Harvest Festival, Small Town Christmas, and cranberry marsh tours). Core visitor information services — maps, brochures, and area guides — are provided free to tourists.

Product overview

The Manitowish Waters Visitors Bureau operates a comprehensive tourism marketing platform built on Simpleview technology. The core offering consists of a destination marketing website with event management, visitor information services, and a business partnership program. Key products include the annual Travel Magazine (available in print and via ISSUU digital publishing), the Manitowish Gazette e-newsletter, and the 24-hour Visitors Center at 5733 Airport Road. The bureau organizes and promotes seasonal events including the Skiing Skeeters Water Ski Show (running since 1954), Music in the Park concert series, Night Markets, and annual festivals like Wheels Wings Watercraft Show, Harvest Festival, and Small Town Christmas. Additional offerings include Cranberry Tours of local marshes, an Area Webcams service, Fall Color Reports, and a Business Partnership Program with advertising packages. The platform integrates with Shopify for merchandise sales, Constant Contact for event registration and email marketing, Google Analytics for visitor tracking, and ISSUU for digital magazine publishing.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Travel Magazine (Visitor Guide) Annual travel magazine featuring local attractions, dining, lodging, events, and area information for Manitowish Waters visitors; available as a printed publication and an online digital edition.
• E-Newsletter (Manitowish Gazette)

Named customers14 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Local Businesses (Partnership Members)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerThe Bureau offers partnership programs to local businesses, firms, and organizations. Partners receive promotional benefits and visibility through the Bureau's marketing channels including the website, visitor center, and events. The Bureau crafted advertising packages to deliver more value to business owners and promote organizations to tourists and residents.
• Kelli Straubel / EAU HoldingscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBoard President representing EAU Holdings, providing leadership and strategic direction for the Bureau's tourism promotion activities.
• Camp Jorn YMCAminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerArea partner hosting events like Cupid at Camp - Parents Night Out, contributing to family-friendly programming.
• Frank B. Koller Memorial LibraryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner hosting events including Book Club meetings and serving as venue for Children's Movie Matinees.
• MW Sno-Skeeters Snowmobile ClubcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMaintains and grooms over 25 miles of snowmobile trails. Promoted as key winter recreation partner accessible from Manitowish Waters hub.
• WinMan TrailscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerYear-round silent sports destination with over 1,300 acres featuring biking, hiking, snowshoeing, and cross-country skiing. Featured as major outdoor recreation partner.
• Manitowish Waters Skiing SkeeterscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWater ski club established 1954 - one of oldest amateur water ski clubs in U.S. Home of 'Barefoot Capitol of the Midwest' designation. Provides family entertainment shows mid-June through mid-August.
• Frank B. Koller Memorial LibraryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner hosting events and listed as a venue on the Bureau's event calendar.
• North Lakeland Discovery CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides 12 miles of trails for hiking, snowshoeing, and cross-country skiing. Located 1.2 miles east of Hwy 51 on County Hwy W. Major partner for outdoor recreation promotion.
• AWSC (Association of Wisconsin Snowmobile Clubs)minorOthersTrail pass registration partner referenced for snowmobile trail access in the Manitowish Waters area.
• Winchester Lions ClubminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSponsor of July 3rd America's 250th Kick-Off Party at Winchester Town Park, contributing to 4th of July celebration programming.
• WoodTrust BankminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPresenting sponsor of the 2026 4th of July Celebration, supporting community event programming.
• Howling Dog StudiosminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPresenting sponsor of the Wheels, Wings & Watercraft Show, supporting this annual family-friendly event featuring airplanes, classic cars, vintage boats, and motorcycles.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Eagle River Area Chamber of Commerce: Adjacent Vilas County DMO with an overlapping lake, snowmobile, and event-driven tourism model. Directly comparable in scale, funding model, and target visitor segment.
• Boulder Junction Chamber of Commerce: Nearby Northwoods DMO also built around lake-chain recreation, fall color tourism, and four-season marketing. Operates a similar visitor-center-plus-event-program structure.
• Minocqua Area Chamber of Commerce: Neighboring Northwoods Wisconsin DMO promoting a similar lake-chain, four-season tourism offering. Directly competes for the same visitor and partner dollars within Vilas/Oneida counties.
• Mercer Area Chamber of Commerce: Small Iron County DMO connected to the same Vilas County bike-trail system referenced by the Manitowish Waters Bureau. Comparable in scale and four-season visitor model.
• Phelps Chamber of Commerce: Neighboring Vilas County DMO with a similar lake-and-forest tourism proposition and small-team operating structure. Competes for overlapping visitor traffic and partner relationships.
• St. Germain Area Chamber of Commerce: Vilas County DMO with comparable small-town, lake-and-trail tourism focus and a similar partner-program business model serving seasonal visitors.

Regional players

• Hayward Area Chamber of Commerce: Wisconsin Northwoods DMO with a similar lake-and-trail tourism positioning, located in a different but comparable geography. Comparable in scale and four-season visitor focus.

Broad incumbents

• Wisconsin Department of Tourism: State-level DMO that aggregates and amplifies regional tourism bureaus including the Manitowish Waters Visitors Bureau. Sets broader marketing context the Bureau operates within.
• Door County Visitor Bureau: Larger Wisconsin destination marketing organization running a similar visitor-center, travel-guide, and partnership model, but at significantly greater scale and budget.
• Vilas County Tourism & Marketing: County-level umbrella DMO that coordinates marketing across Manitowish Waters and other Vilas County communities. Operates one tier above the Bureau and overlaps in destination promotion.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/ManitowishWatersVisitorsBureau
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/manitowish-waters-chamber-of-commerce

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Manitowish Waters Visitors Bureau