Discovery Toolbox

Calumet Heritage Area Discovery Toolbox

Communication Committee Identity & Branding Sprint

In May 2018, the Calumet Collaborative brought various communication professionals together as part of the collaborative’s communication committee, and this committee completed and identity and branding sprint. The sprint was completed over 3, 2-hour meetings. The purpose of the sprint was to discover and catalogue the existing identity and branding work that has been done to date for the Calumet region, and then to identify gaps in the current work. The discovery work in this toolkit, plus understanding what work still needs to be done, will serve as a set of resources to jump start the consultant’s identity and branding work for the Calumet region. When submitting the proposal, please keep in mind that a large portion of discovery work has already been completed.

Discovery Toolbox

Calumet Heritage Area and Regional Identity

Calumet Heritage Area Feasibility Study: A feasibility study was created by the Calumet Heritage Partnership that describes in detail how the Calumet region qualifies to be a National Heritage Area according to the 10 criteria outlined by the National Park Service. This feasibility study tells the rich history of the Calumet and provides a detailed catalogue of all the natural, cultural, historical, and industrial resources of the region. It is a key resource in understanding the history and cultural identity of the Calumet.
- History and story of the Calumet are covered in chapters 2 and 3
- Key resources, sites, events, and historical information in the Calumet Region in Appendix C (Page 98)
- Calumet Area cultural events are listed in Appendix C (page 107)

The Calumet Heritage Area Factsheet: describes how organizations are working together to create a Calumet Heritage Area, What the Calumet Heritage Area will look like (including programming themes), and benefits of becoming a National Heritage Area
The Calumet Heritage Area Website & Mission Statement (coming soon!)
Lakota Group Wayfinding report: During the time of the Millennium Reserve, Lakota Group was hired to develop a Wayfinding narrative and concept or plan for the Calumet region. This concept or plan was introduced in 2016, and also included recommendations and next steps for implementation.
- Audience impressions, current and desired, page 6
Tourism blog on the Calumet region
Calumet Films: Episode 1 (pilot) of a series on the Calumet

Audience Research

Potential Key Stakeholders, as identified by the communications committee

Illinois Tourists

Illinois Tourism info (waiting on information from IDNR)

Illinois Residents

Demographic profile of Southeast Chicago and South Cook County. Obtained from Connect to Cook maps - this resource can be used to pull demographic information for a larger region of Cook County.

Indiana Tourists

Porter County Tourism - Economic Impact Report: detailed report about the economic impact of tourism in Porter County, Northwest Indiana. Audience data, such as demographics of tourists visiting Porter County, are included (page 24).
South Shore CVA Social Media Demographics: Detailed reports on South Shore CVA's twitter, facebook, and instagram audiences. Do not share this data. The South Shore Convention and Visitors Authority is a sales and marketing organization that leads the hospitality industry and aids its partners through the development and support of attractions throughout Northwest Indiana.

Indiana Residents

Northwest Indiana Counties (Lake County, Porter County, and LaPorte County) demographics information can be seen on this map, by clicking on each respective county.

National Heritage Area Research (Competitive Scan)

Gaps in Current Work

Resident Testimonials - would be helpful in understanding perceptions of the region, and why residents live where they live, what they enjoy about the Calumet, etc.
Would be beneficial to understand the demographics of visitors to other National Heritage Areas