Local CVA, CVB travel guides and more set for smooth delivery with help from Flanagin’s

Northern Indiana offers a nonstop lineup of entertainment throughout the year – especially during the peak of summer – with county fairs, Festival of the Lakes, Art Beat, LakeFest, farmers markets, and more. With so much excitement on the radar now and in the months to come, tourism companies are on a mission to get the word out about it all through guides, newsletters, and other media to keep everyone informed about what’s in store for their area. 

Given the need to distribute this information to hundreds of thousands, many of these companies rely on Flanagin’s Bulk Mail Service to efficiently handle the large-scale mailings, ensuring that the community and visitors alike remain well-informed about local attractions and events.

For over two decades, the South Shore Convention and Visitors Authority (SSCVA) has trusted Flanagin’s with mailing visitor and area guides that highlight events in the northwest corner of the state. Flanagin’s has not only streamlined the process of sending multiple guides simultaneously, rather than one at a time as requests come in, but has also significantly reduced costs compared to when the SSCVA handled these mailings in-house. 

“Our travel counselors will prepare our visitor and area guides and stuff them in the envelopes. Then we box them up, I drop them off at Flanagin’s, and she sends them out in bulk mail for us, which saves us quite a bit of cost,” said Heather Becerra, SSCVA chief marketing officer. “We still get quite a few requests for people who actually want the guide mailed to their home, and this is just a more cost-effective way for us to do it than to mail them out individually.”

Made complete with friendly and polished customer service, this trifecta has made the SSCVA proud to work with the mailing house for such a long period of time. Becerra knows first hand that when mail is sent to Flanagin’s, it’s always in good hands. She highly recommends them for businesses who work in a similar fashion to the SSCVA, where mailing many materials is pertinent to business operations. 

“If anyone has a large mailing to get out and wants to do it in a cost-effective manner and make sure that it gets done efficiently, Flanagin’s would definitely be a great resource for them,” Becerra said.

The same impact Becerra and the SSCVA have experienced using Flanagin’s can also be felt counties away by the LaGrange County Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB) in Shipshewana. Executive Director Sonya Nash and team work with Flanagin’s to send out a 73-page travel guide, which is the main communication tool the CVB uses to inform others of what can be found when visiting the area.

The CVB often experiences high demand for its guide, sometimes receiving 500-600 requests at peak times throughout the year. Flanagin’s has significantly streamlined the distribution process for the CVB, allowing for flexible shipment volumes as requests come in. Owner Donna Flanagin and her team are also available to answer questions and provide assistance.

“We have an annual contract with Donna, and our strategy for distributing our travel guide is an annual strategy,” Nash said. “For example, people will call any day of the week during all times of the year to request a guide. We bundle to meet the bulk mail requirements, and Donna helps us meet those requirements. Once we meet that, we process a file of things that we carry, collate, and send over to Donna to manage. We bulk deliver our travel guides to her office in skids when they first get done, and then she takes from that skid to process.”

Nash’s familiarity with Flanagin’s predates her role as executive director at the CVB. Having collaborated with the business in the past, Nash was confident in the mailhouse’s services. When the CVB required bulk mail assistance, she instinctively dialed Flanagin’s.

“I was familiar with her services, her expertise and her efficiency, so when I was facing a challenge here, I knew who I could call,” Nash said. “I find working with Donna very easy; she knows what she’s doing. I don’t know too many firms that can do what she does at the level that she does.”

Whether with a brief brochure, an extensive guide or anything in between, Flanagin’s is available to help showcase all the up-and-coming events the community has to offer. Flanagin’s is dedicated to helping local businesses and organizations effectively communicate their unique stories and contributions, letting people all over the area stay in the know on where they need to go.

“Flanagan’s is such a well-known, reputable company in Northwest Indiana,” Becerra said. “They know that she does a great job, and you know that they’re going to provide a fantastic service.”

For more information on Flanagin’s Bulk Mail Service, visit mybulkmail.com.