Conrad, a Fort Dodge Senior High School graduate, was recently introduced as the newest member of the team for the Fort Dodge Convention and Visitors Bureau. She will serve in the role of community sales.

Prior to coming back to Fort Dodge, Conrad was a sales manager for Catch Des Moines, the Des Moines Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Since graduating from FDSH and the University of Iowa, Conrad’s career has taken her to Chicago, California and back to Iowa. And while she has been close to home for the past five-plus years working in Des Moines, there was still something missing.

“Family was my biggest pull for bringing me back,” Conrad said. “I think after COVID, I realized how many trips I made back here to be with my parents and it made me realize — all cheesiness aside – that life is short.

“Even though I have been away for so long, I had pride and a desire to be part of the community I love. I have lived in Chicago, Santa Monica (California) and Des Moines, and it’s just not the same. You just don’t get that same community feel and togetherness that you get when you are here in Fort Dodge.

“These past years of being in Iowa and visiting, I have seen that Fort Dodge is trying to better itself in so many ways. I was so excited when this opportunity arose and I realized I could have the best of both worlds finally. I could be close to my parents, cousins, aunts, uncles and friends, and still do what I love. It was such a relief to have the puzzle pieces finally fit together to start this new journey.”

In her role with the Fort Dodge CVB, Conrad will be actively recruiting groups to come to town with the main goal being of getting visitors to stay overnight in Fort Dodge as part of their conventions, meetings and sporting events.

With nearly 20 years of sales experience under her belt, Conrad feels up for the challenge of helping Fort Dodge grow. She has a strong vision of what is to come — both in the immediate future and long-term.

“Initially, for short-term personal goals, I want to get a few groups here in the next year,” Conrad said. “It not only fills our hotels, but it creates an energy in the city because there are new people in town going to our restaurants, shopping, or checking out our entertainment venues.

“My first week here at the Fort Dodge CVB, we booked a regional dance competition that took place recently. There were 500 dancers and 600-plus attendees that came to town for the entire weekend to be a part of this event. It was exciting to hear the hotels and restaurants comment about the uptick in business during that weekend. This is just the beginning of showing that when we partner together to bring visitors to town, everyone wins.

“My most important long-term goal is helping the people of Fort Dodge see the value of partnering with the Convention and Visitors Bureau and what economic value and growth can come out of that partnership. The easiest way we can achieve this goal starts with a community member becoming a local tourism ambassador for the CVB. All that requires is letting us know what you are involved in – you may have a church group that meets in a different community for a meeting every year.

“As a tourism ambassador, you would let us know about this event. I will reach and see what it will take and how we can potentially host this same meeting here in Fort Dodge. Everything starts with the visitor experience. Our team at the CVB is in place to grow this visitor experience and with the help of our local community, we have the pieces to make Fort Dodge a destination people are excited to visit and come back to. Get involved and help us show people they can ‘DODGE THE ORDINARY’ by choosing Fort Dodge as their destination.”