Conversation with Joe Koester, President, Herzog Jewelers
NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Betty Burns
(816) 679-4074
Pat Frew, Director of Communications
859-655-4163
E-Mail: Pressroom@nkycvb.com | www.nkycvb.com
The following is a conversation with Joe Koester, President, Herzog Jewelers and board member of Iowa-based Retail Jeweler Organization or RJO. Joe has been named to the Northern Kentucky Convention & Visitors Bureau Champions Program recognizing community leaders who have helped recruit statewide, regional or national conventions to Northern Kentucky.
Q: How did you get introduced to the Bureau?
A: I met Bureau President/CEO Tom Caradonio at a community event. I then realized we have a perfect venue here—a (relatively) new convention center, two first-class hotels and first-class restaurants. It’s a perfect mix for meeting groups, especially when you consider that everyone in our group flies to our conventions, so the airport is ideal.
Q:Tell us about RJO.
A:It’s made up of 800 jewelers throughout all 50 states. It operates as a co-op, in other words, we negotiate the best prices we can through 800 stores versus one. We hold these trade shows in Covington and other US cities twice annually with some 200 vendors taking part. Our most recent show, this summer in Covington was the 40th anniversary and was our biggest to date with more than 700 buyers and vendors. Sales totaled $6 million. More importantly we sold 1,600 hotel room nights worth $537,000 to the local economy. This has been RJOs second visit. They are coming back in 2009.
Q: Why do you keep bringing groups back to NKY?
A: I believe in the community. We have so much to offer. I travel a great deal. No one has the venue we have in Northern Kentucky--the accommodations, ease of transportation, Newport On the Levee, the River, the Reds, river boats and the quality of people.
Q: What do these groups tell you about coming here?
A: They are skeptical at first. They liked it so much that’s why we came back two more times. Everyone just loves it. This is the first time they’ve ever committed to a facility three times. They tell me this is the easiest convention bureau that they’ve ever worked with. The CVB does everything expediently and perfectly. The client tells them once and it’s done. We take away all their problems.
Q: Why should other local leaders support the local CVB like you do?
A: The community has supported them. They need to let people from the outside know what a gem we have. The more dollars they bring from outside the community to Northern Kentucky, the better it is for all of us.
For more information regarding the Champions program, contact the Bureau at 859-261-4677.
The mission of the Northern Kentucky Convention and Visitors Bureau is that of an aggressive sales, marketing, service and informational organization whose primary responsibility is to positively impact the Northern Kentucky economy through conventions, meetings and visitor expenditures. The direct economic impact of visitors’ spending in Campbell, Kenton and Boone Counties in 2005 was $255 million.