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 and corresponding mission statement (also on home page): The Calumet Heritage Area is a place of nationally significant natural, industrial, labor, and cultural heritage assets, that are preserved and interpreted to enrich the lives of its residents and visitors from across the nation
• 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​
• Millennium Reserve Guidebook: A Natural and Cultural Guide to the Calumet Region from Bronzeville to the Indiana Dunes is full of color photos, maps, stories, and descriptions of the diverse recreation, entertainment, and educational attractions.
• NIRPC Greenways and Blueways map - gives an idea of the current trail route and symbols that exist. 
• Tourism blog on the Calumet region from Enjoy Illinois tourism website 
  • African-American Heritage on the South Side: another blog post from the Enjoy Illinois Tourism website - highlights some African-American heritage sites in the Calumet region, however this blog post does include sites that extend beyond the Calumet Heritage Boundaries, that are part of the Black Metropolis Heritage Area 
• South Shore CVA website - gives background on the region, as well as links to many events on the Indiana side of the Calumet
• Indiana Dunes Tourism Website, regional projects - includes more in depth information on recreational opportunities at and around the dunes in some of the smaller towns like Porter and Burns Harbor
• Northern Indiana Tourism Development Commission (NITDC) has recently launched a new campaign called Indiana's Cool North - which encompasses 2 of the 3 Calumet region counties (Porter & LaPorte County)
• Beaches and Beyond - Outdoor Activities at and around Indiana Dunes
• Calumet Films: Episode 1 (pilot) of a series on the Calumet
• Positioning Pullman: a report that it an output from a three day community design workshop held with AIA CHICAGO and the NATIONAL PARKS CONSERVATION ASSOCIATION (NPCA). The design workshop focused on four main areas: PARK EXPERIENCE, HISTORIC PRESERVATION & ADAPTIVE REUSE, ACCESS & CONNECTIONS, & COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT. 
• Innovative Calumet: A presentation that discusses the challenges of the Calumet region and how to overcome those challenges with innovative growth strategies. 

Audience Research

• Potential Key Stakeholders, as identified by the communications committee
• Coastal County Snapshot: This online tool by NOAA provides charts and graphs that describe complex coastal data for counties in the Calumet region (Cook - IL, Lake - IN, Porter - IN, LaPorte - IN). The most helpful snapshot in terms of Calumet region audience data is probably coastal jobs. 

Illinois Tourists

• Illinois Tourism info - still determining if regional visitors associations are willing to share their data 

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)

• Links and screenshots of National Heritage Area homepages
• Missions and Visions of National Heritage Areas
• National Heritage Area Logos and Taglines
• National Heritage Area Communication Tools
• ​National Heritage Area Economic Impact Study

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Gaps in Current Work

• As we do not have access to consumer survey data (MRI, Simmons, etc), we understand there is a lot about our target audience we may not understand, especially when it comes to behaviors and attitudes
• 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