By BECKY KISER
Hays Post
They weren’t quite ready in time for the Christmas rush, but Melissa Dixon isn’t worried. The executive director of the Hays Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) says the demand is year round.
The Hays Welcome Center, 2700 Vine, is now selling post cards depicting iconic views of people and places in and near Hays.
“The idea came from some of the visitors to the Welcome Center that have been asking for Hays postcards, and we didn’t have any,” said Dixon. “And I thought that was crazy. How can the Welcome Center not have postcards for our guests?
“We have a good collection of photography and found a few new pieces that we wanted to showcase.”
A golden-ripe wheat field with an approaching summer thunderstorm. A dilapidated barn with wind turbines visible in the distance. Rodeo action. Colorful aerial fireworks at the Wild West Fest. The Hays bison herd.
Some of the photos were taken by Jessi Jacobs, the city’s website designer in the IT Department.
“On the side, she does work for the state tourism department and Jessi graciously allowed us to use some of her beautiful imagery for some of these postcards.”
The postcards will be placed in welcome bags distributed to groups that come to Hays. The tote bag includes a visitor’s guide, a city map, a logoed pen, and now, one of the new Hays postcards will also be tucked in.
The cards are 50 cents each and sold via a new Square® point-of-sale system.
“We will not have cash in the building, so it will be credit or debit card only to make everything easy.”
The CVB is also selling Hays t-shirts, sizes small through 3XL, featuring the new Hays logo.
“We had some made for giveaways and the response was so positive that we have ordered at least two more batches since.”
The t-shirts will be included in gift bags given to VIPs who are in Hays and are now also available for purchase.
The postcards and t-shirts come from local vendors.
“We try to use local as much as we can,” Dixon said. “Northwestern Printers was able to take care of all the postcards for us. They just turned out beautifully.”
It was very difficult to pick just 9 images to feature on the postcards, according to Dixon. “And then, the Ellis County Historical Society came back with some beautiful historic images so I know we’re going to have to do a second printing. We may have to buy a second rack to display historical postcards,” she added with a smile.
Some of the historic images were shared on the CVB Facebook page and they got a great response, she said.
Most of the people the CVB interacts with are guests to the city.
“They’re coming in off the interstate. They’re asking for road conditions, weather conditions, what the attractions are and what they can do while in town.”
Local residents also seek out the CVB.
“Maybe they’re putting on a 5K or maybe they’ve got a group coming in to Fort Hays State University and they need help with their registration tables or name tags or their welcome bags. We also take care of things like that.”
A boxed set of Hays-themed note cards may also be purchased for $5. Previously, they had been utilized only for internal use and by Hays city commissioners.
Dixon hopes to expand the variety of Hays-themed items for sale in the Welcome Center to include magnets and small souvenirs.
“We absolutely want people who have a great experience here to be able to take that home with them and share that with others.”
