Thursday, October 2, 2008

Duncanville Chamber of Commerce to become city’s official visitor information center

By Danielle Parker of Duncanville TODAY

DUNCANVILLE — For many years, the Duncanville Chamber of Commerce has been committed to creating networking opportunities and enhancing businesses through its city- and area-wide programs, but the target audience has mainly been its members.

However, a recent council decision will allow the chamber to cater to the community in a new capacity.

“Our front door signage indicates that we are a “Visitor Information Center” for Duncanville,” Chamber President Sara Dedeluk said. “Each day we receive tourism calls or visitors looking to relocate to our area. Not having an official visitor center has put us at a disadvantage to be able to fully inform the visitor of events and activities going on in Duncanville. To our knowledge there is no place for visitors looking at this area to be hosted ... until now.”

With the city council's approval of the 2008-09 budget Sept. 16, the chamber was granted funding to become the new Official Visitor Center.

“We plan to create space in our office to welcome guests and direct them to our hotels, motels, and various restaurants and attractions while they are here,” Dedeluk said. “As Duncanville continues to reinvent itself, creating a destination city, we are in a natural position to attract visitors to stay in our hotels, eat in our restaurants and take advantage of area attractions.”

The visiting center will feature a display area with brochures and maps and an internet work station to equip visitors with quick informational tools about not only Duncanville, but the Best southwest area, according to Dedeluk.

“Our mission this year has been to continually become a resource for not only our members but visitors too,” she said. “Now we will be able to create an area in our office to centrally locate information on events in our area. With the recent designation of Duncanville becoming a Certified Retirement Community, we will allow space in the Visitor Center to house the specific needs of the seniors.”

In cooperation with the city and Special Events Coordinator Angie Henley, the chamber staff anticipates launching the center in the coming months.

“This is going to be a work in progress,” Dedeluk said. “We are hoping to have items in place by the end of the year. We are going to use the space that is already available and stock literature and brochures in here for our visitors. Paint, new carpet, etc. will come in the future.”

With these future additions, the chamber expects the visitor center to be a valuable and beneficial resource to the city and the community.

“The chamber is already the place people come when they want to know about what is happening in and around our city,” Dedeluk said. “The impression we make as they walk in our doors as the “Official Visitor's Center” is a lasting one. We feel that this will be a great resource for our visitors, seniors and those looking to relocate to the city of Champions.”

The chamber is located at 300 E. Wheatland Road and can be reached at 972-780-4990 or visit duncanvillechamber.org.

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