Two Tickets Leads to Terredise
We all have a moment when a decision can change the trajectory of what comes next. This was one of those moments. It started with a phrase. One that had potential but was not yet living up to its greatness. “Terredise” had been used for years, sometimes in jest, sometimes as a not-so-kind reflection of our Midwestern identity. And we knew that.We also knew what it could be. The question was simple. Should we really do this? When Mayor Brandon Sakbun went on Inside Indiana Business and offered “two tickets to Terredise” to Terre Haute native Gerry Dick, something shifted. Not dramatically. But enough. Enough to see possibility. Enough to consider whether something informal—even imperfect—could become something powerful. Still, we questioned it. Quietly. Thoughtfully. Strategically. Within the THCVB and alongside the Terre Haute Chamber, the conversation was consistent: Was it too risky? Would people embrace it—or reject it? Would it support the See You in Terre Haute brand we had worked so intentionally to build? So, I asked someone I trust. My daughter. She grew up here. She knew the phrase—and not in the way we hoped to redefine it. Like many, she had heard it used negatively. Now she lives in Perth, Australia. Far from Terre Haute but still connected to it. I asked her what she thought. Not as a marketer. Not as a tourism professional. As someone who had lived it. That conversation mattered because it reinforced what we already knew—but had to face directly - if we were going to do this, we had to own it. Completely. Not halfway. Not cautiously. Confidently. So we did. Terredise became more than a phrase. It became a platform. We embedded it across digital channels. We built it into our storytelling. We turned merchandise into everyday advocacy—shirts, hoodies, stickers, even pink flamingos that sparked conversation. At events, it came to life – including through the creation of a huge pink flamingo at the Light Your Way Christmas Parade! And then something important happened. People didn’t just accept it: They used it. They wore it. They shared it. What started as a question became a movement—led by residents. We measure a lot in tourism. Visitation. Spending. Occupancy. But this was different. This was sentiment. And we saw it shift our Net Promoter Score from –48 to –7 (which is great), locals had adopted the hashtag and were using it, and people started asking where they could get that cool “Terredise” t-shirt. This wasn’t just marketing performance. This was alignment. At the 2026 Indiana Tourism Conference, surrounded by peers from across the state, we were recognized by the Indiana Tourism Association with the Best Advocacy Initiative award for the repositioning of “Terredise” as a moniker with a new place in the Hautian vernacular. It was a meaningful moment. But standing there, I didn’t think about the metrics. I thought about the question. Was this the right move? Yes. Because Terredise was never just about attracting visitors. It was about strengthening how residents feel about where they live, turning pride into shared storytelling, and creating a destination identity that is owned—not assigned. Tourism contributes more than $300 million annually to Vigo County. But growth doesn’t come from messaging alone. It comes from belief. That’s what Terredise unlocked. Today, Terredise is part of how we show up. As a destination. And as a community. This is a place people don’t just visit. They connect to it. And we’re not done. In 2026, Terredise evolves into Stars and Stripes in Terredise , aligning with America 250 and expanding how we engage residents and visitors during a historic moment. Because this was never a campaign. It’s a shift. We questioned it. We challenged it. We tested it—even across continents. And then we chose to believe in it. Terredise isn’t just something we created. It’s something the community chose to own…
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