The Cook County Convention and Visitors Bureau (CCEVB) is entering its third year of operation and events director Maggie Barnard says the organization has a busy year planned for 2010.

The CCVEB is presently comprised of all of the county’s tourist promotion groups, as well as the Grand Portage Lodge and Casino and Lutsen Mountains Ski Area. The organization takes the lead in promoting some events and provides support to tourist organizations for others.

Barnard says the CCVEB will directly promote the Volks Ski Fest Jan. 23-31, a family oriented cross-country skiing festival that encourages skiers to explore the county’s extensive trail system. She is directing promotion of the Grand Marais Jazz Fest on Memorial Day weekend, May 28-30. For these events, the CCEVB creates websites and buys advertising in appropriate markets.

In the first half of 2010, Barnard will provide assistance to local events coordinators for the Gunflint Winter Tracks (Feb.25-28), Grand Portage Sno Rama (Feb. ), Gunflint Green Up (May7-9), the grand opening of the Chikwauk Museum (July 4). For these events, she follows the direction of event organizers.

“The CCEVB will also provide customer service training for local businesses in the spring. We recently finished a fall training session,” she said.

An ongoing CCEVB project is the monthly events magazine listing all events in the county and distributed by dozens of lodging establishments, restaurants and other businesses in the county. The magazine will be available year-round.

The organization is working with a Twin Cities PR firm, Schaefer Communications, to assist with press releases and contact. The firm was able to get coverage of the recent North Shore Holiday promotion on a Saturday newscast of KBJR television in Duluth. The video was also picked up by MSNBC.com and shown on their website.

While the CCEVB was originally formed to promote tourism during the slower times in fall, winter and spring, it now promotes events throughout the year. In 2010, County tourism organizations are considering a merger that will put their staff in the same office as the CCEVB. Details of the merger are still being worked out.

“The consolidated staffs can assist one another and share manpower,” Barnard says. “Everyone is working toward the same goal—keep the economy thriving and tourism healthy.”