BENTONVILLE, Ark., February 12, 2025 — Visit Bentonville announces the advancement of three key team members following a year of significant growth in audience engagement and media coverage. Alison Nation has been promoted to Chief Marketing Officer, while Mer Wilder and Natalie Stika step into expanded roles as Communications Managers.
"These promotions reflect both the outstanding achievements of our communications team and Visit Bentonville's commitment to sharing our city's story with an ever-growing audience," said Kalene Griffith, CEO and President of Visit Bentonville. "Under Alison's leadership, she has focused on streamlining processes, fostering innovation, and enhancing organizational effectiveness to support the continued growth and success."
In her new role as Chief Marketing Officer, Nation will oversee all marketing and communications initiatives and lead the visitor experience department, including onsite and mobile visitor center operations. During 2024, the team's efforts resulted in record-breaking engagement across all platforms, with the Visit Bentonville website attracting 713,000 active users (a 32% increase YOY) and generating 2.1 million pageviews (a 51% increase YOY, with average engagement per user a 3.5% increase).
Mer Wilder, promoted to Communications Manager of Web and E-News, has been instrumental in growing the organization's digital presence, investing countless hours into enhancing the user experience through improved business listings, engaging blog content, and optimized landing pages. Under her leadership, the newsletter subscriber base has grown to 23,700 subscribers. Natalie Stika, as Communications Manager of Social and PR, has successfully expanded Visit Bentonville's combined social media following to 90,000 followers, with an additional 29,000 following the dedicated Bike Bentonville channels.
The team's efforts have garnered a range of coverage for Bentonville, securing features in prestigious travel and lifestyle publications including Wanderlust, The Independent, Southern Living, and The Local Palate, among others.
"I'm incredibly proud of our talented team and grateful for the tremendous support we've received from our community partners, museums, restaurants, shops, and the entire hospitality industry," said Nation. "The genuine collaboration and enthusiasm across Bentonville makes our work both meaningful and exciting as we look toward the future growth of our destination."
For more information about Visit Bentonville, please visit www.visitbentonville.com.
About Visit Bentonville
Visit Bentonville is funded by the Bentonville Advertising and Promotion Commission which was established in 1996. The commission is supported by a 2% tax on lodging and meeting space and a 1% tax on restaurant and dining establishments. The organization's mission is to promote Bentonville as a vibrant experience for all, enhancing the quality of life and stimulating economic development that will strengthen our local economy. Visit Bentonville leads the planning of sports, meetings and group tours while also marketing leisure experiences that include arts, cycling, culinary, film, music and aviation. Visit Bentonville also collaborates with tourism offices throughout the state of Arkansas to create positive economic impact while increasing tourism amenities for both visitors and residents.
