September 23, 2026 | Illinois Valley Branch Library
Inaugural Advisory Council
Meeting Brief & Action Items
Our first Advisory Council meeting brought community and regional voices together around one central question: How can we create a stronger, more connected visitor experience throughout the Illinois Valley?
Inaugural Advisory Council meeting • September 23, 2026
At a Glance
🤝 Coordination
Connect before we duplicate.
Explore how existing organizations and resources can work together before creating new infrastructure.
🛣 Highway 199
Our first collaboration test.
Develop coordinated visitor communications ahead of potential 2027 closures.
📸 Photography
Build a shared visual library.
Create better access to current, usable Illinois Valley destination photography.
❄️ Winter Tourism
Start with what already exists.
Connect and promote existing holiday and winter experiences before creating more events.
What We Heard
Coordination Before New Infrastructure
The discussion emphasized connecting existing organizations and resources before creating new programs or structures. Participants identified opportunities for stronger coordination among organizations already contributing to tourism, business, community development and visitor experiences throughout the Illinois Valley.
The goal is not to duplicate work already happening, but to identify where existing efforts can be better connected, supported and made more useful to visitors.
Visitor Information Needs to Be Easier to Find
Visitor information is currently spread across websites, social media, event calendars, individual businesses and regional organizations. The opportunity is not necessarily to create more information, but to better connect what already exists and make it easier for visitors to find and navigate.
Regional Relationships Matter
The Illinois Valley does not exist in isolation as a visitor destination. Stronger connections with regional tourism partners, visitor centers and surrounding communities can help extend the Valley’s reach and connect travelers already moving through Southern Oregon and the North Coast with Illinois Valley experiences.
“How can we work together to create a stronger, more connected visitor experience throughout the Illinois Valley?”
One thing we did not decide:
The Council did not choose a new organizational structure. Coordination with existing organizations remains part of the work.
FIRST COLLABORATIVE PROJECT
Highway 199 Visitor Communication Project
Small-run visitor guide
Easy to distribute
Designed to stay useful
CONNECT
QR code links print to digital
Current resources stay online
EXPLORE
Itineraries
Businesses & attractions
Visitor resources
Current travel links
NEXT WORKING SESSION
Thursday, October 15
1:00 PM
Highway 199 Visitor Communication Project
GUIDE STRUCTURE → CONTENT → PRINT + DIGITAL → DISTRIBUTION → COMMUNICATION → PARTNER ROLES → ASSIGNMENTS
This is a working session, not another general discussion. Participation is open beyond Advisory Council members to people and organizations with relevant knowledge, resources, connections or an interest in helping develop the project. Email us if you’d like to participate: illinoisvalleywinetrail@gmail.com
Other Work Emerging
📸 Photography & Destination Media
Building a shared visual library for the Illinois Valley
The Illinois Valley needs more current, high-quality photography that local organizations and partners have permission to use for tourism and community promotion. The emerging project will begin by identifying existing assets, exploring shared photography resources, and creating ways for photographers, businesses, and residents to contribute images.
NEXT: Begin developing the shared photography library before the end of 2026.
❄️ Winter & Holiday Visitor Opportunities
Connecting what already exists before creating something new
Rather than immediately creating more events, the Council discussed bringing existing holiday and winter experiences together into a stronger visitor-facing story. Ideas include holiday light displays, Christmas tree farm experiences, artisan markets, local events, and business specials, with an emphasis on making these opportunities easier for visitors to discover.
NEXT: Research successful regional models and begin identifying existing Illinois Valley holiday and winter happenings.
Action Items
From Conversation to Action
The inaugural meeting produced several immediate next steps, along with areas that need additional research or partner involvement.
🛣 Highway 199 Working Session
Scheduled • October 15
Convene the project working group to define the visitor guide’s structure, content, print/digital relationship, distribution strategy and communications plan.
🖨 Printing & Distribution
Research & Outreach
Explore a potential community printing partnership with Bigfoot Print & Copy and investigate regional visitor-information rack placement, costs and distribution opportunities.
📸 Photography Library
Target • Before Year-End
Begin developing a shared Illinois Valley photography resource, including existing assets, potential community submissions and available partner resources.
📅 Community Events Coordination
Underway • October 2026
Develop a more coordinated approach to identifying and promoting Illinois Valley community events, making it easier for residents, visitors and regional partners to discover what is happening throughout the Valley.
Progress & Deliverables
Turning Action Items Into Results
Community Events Coordination
Status: In Progress
Following the inaugural Advisory Council meeting, IVWT began testing ways to better identify and share community events throughout the Illinois Valley.
A simple community-sourcing approach proved especially effective: questions posted in local online groups generated responses from residents about October events, activities and recommended trick-or-treating areas. That information was gathered, organized and developed into the first Illinois Valley October Happenings community roundup.
Progress to date (October 1, 2026):
Community-sourced October events from across the Illinois Valley
Created and published the first Illinois Valley October Happenings roundup
Continued updating the roundup as additional events were identified
Community members and organizations began sharing the completed resource
Began exploring opportunities to better connect locally gathered event information with community and regional tourism partners
Ways to Participate
GET INVOLVED
Want to Help Build Something?
You don’t have to hold a seat on the Advisory Council to participate.
Businesses, organizations, residents, volunteers, photographers and regional partners can contribute to projects as opportunities and needs are identified.
HIGHWAY 199 VISITOR COMMUNICATION
Contribute visitor information, distribution connections, business outreach, communications expertise or participate in the October 15 working session.
ILLINOIS VALLEY PHOTOGRAPHY PROJECT
Contribute usable destination photography, existing image resources, equipment, organizational help or photography expertise.
HOLIDAY & WINTER HAPPENINGS
Share an existing event, visitor experience, holiday activity or business offering that could become part of a broader winter visitor story.
Can’t attend a meeting? That’s okay. Meeting briefs and project materials will remain available so organizations and community members can follow the work, provide feedback and participate in relevant projects.
Meeting Resources
Explore the materials from the September 23 inaugural Advisory Council meeting and follow the projects that emerged from the discussion.
Meeting Brief
The complete meeting summary, emerging priorities, action items and next steps.
Meeting Presentation
The presentation covering IVWT’s three-year experiment, research findings, tourism coordination and discussion framework.
Meeting Agenda
The agenda that guided the inaugural September 23 Advisory Council meeting.
Highway 199 Project Materials
Working materials supporting development of the Highway 199 Visitor Communication Project.
Looking Ahead
OCTOBER 15, 2026
Highway 199 Working Session
Move from concept to project framework, assignments and next steps.
↓
BEFORE YEAR-END
Photography Resource Development
Begin organizing existing assets and developing a shared Illinois Valley photography resource.
↓
JANUARY 2027
Next Advisory Council Meeting
The next full Council meeting is anticipated in January, with its format continuing to evolve as coordination conversations develop
Can we take one shared challenge, connect the people and resources already available, and build something useful together?
Wine is the invitation. The Illinois Valley is the experience.