New downtown Visitors Center opens to capitalize on increased tourism

Oct. 31, 2018 | G. Michael Dobbs
news@thereminder.com

The new Visitor Center offers more than just brochures, but exhibits on attractions such as the Big E (below) and interactive displays.
Reminder Publishing photos by G. Michael Dobbs

SPRINGFIELD – It’s a case of the application of the old real estate adage –  “location, location, location” – coming true.

The location of the new Visitor Center is steps away from the MassMutual Center, a block from MGM Springfield and a 15-minute stroll from the Springfield Museums. The center had its official opening on Oct. 25.

The office is located at the corner of Main Street and Bruce Landon Way.

The new collaboration between the Springfield Business Improvement District (SBID) and the Greater Springfield Convention & Visitors Bureau (GSCVB) is designed to capitalize on the thousands of new visitors in the city down the street at MGM Springfield, according to SBID Executive Director Chris Russell.

Russell said he reached out to Mary Kay Wydra, GSCVB president and the two organizations teamed up.

Anthony Frasco, the board chair of the GSCVB, said, “The time is right … there is tremendous momentum in Springfield, tremendous momentum in Western Massachusetts.”

Frasco said the center would include offices for the GSCVB, but will be a “tourism storefront.”

Around the center are exhibits about the Springfield Museums, MGM Springfield, The Big E and much more. There is also 24/7 ATM services through Westfield Bank, interactive floor displays and exhibits from area attractions, eight digital displays with headphones, a menu wall featuring information from local restaurants, ticket sales to regional venues and events as well as maps and souvenirs for sale.

The idea is to have a center for local residents as well as visitors.

“One of the important roles played by the GSCVB is to connect visitors with all there is to do in Western Mass.  We want to encourage longer stays and move visitors around the valley.  That’s why it makes perfect sense for us to be a collaborator in the Springfield Regional Visitors Center,” Wydra said.

The center will also be used for after-works social events.

The center will be open Tuesday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and will be staffed daily by one person from the SBID and another from the GSCVB.

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