MadHub thanks group for $15,000 grant; tourism staff reports visitor gains and marketing push
June 16, 2026 | Jefferson County, Indiana
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Tony Nollo, speaking on behalf of MadHub Music Festival, thanked the attendees for a $15,000 grant awarded last March and said the festival saw record attendance after expanding Friday-night programming.
"We were able to expand our Friday night, which was a great success," Nollo said, adding the grant supported sound, staging, a videographer and photographer and helped expand marketing and branding for the downtown multi-venue event. He also said the festival intentionally skipped the spring 2026 grant cycle to allow other groups a chance to apply and is preparing for a Nov. 6–7 festival with plans to collaborate with other area festivals.
A tourism staff member reviewed recent metrics and outreach projects. The staff member said a Placer analysis shows roughly 7,000 annual visitors to Big Oaks and that about 20% of those visitors stayed overnight before or after visiting the site. The same staff member reported the staffed comfort station recorded more than 12,000 visitor contacts since January and that Saturdays remain the busiest days. The staff attributed a roughly 15% drop in Memorial Day weekend visitation on the Placer dashboard to weather and said March–May reported stronger numbers.
On marketing, staff described a refreshed visitmadison.org listing layout, partner communication work, a Shamrock Tour promotion, new merchandise and a photo contest, and national earned-media placements including a mention in a National Geographic small towns compilation. Staff previewed a fan/media tour at the end of July involving multiple national outlets and said organizers plan outreach to partners to coordinate comps and content.
The staff also announced a completed Georgetown walking tour available in print and online (including a GPS app) developed with the Jefferson County Historical Society.
Next steps: festival organizers will continue planning for November and staff will circulate more detailed visitation dashboards and partner-communication materials for the fan/media tour.
"We were able to expand our Friday night, which was a great success," Nollo said, adding the grant supported sound, staging, a videographer and photographer and helped expand marketing and branding for the downtown multi-venue event. He also said the festival intentionally skipped the spring 2026 grant cycle to allow other groups a chance to apply and is preparing for a Nov. 6–7 festival with plans to collaborate with other area festivals.
A tourism staff member reviewed recent metrics and outreach projects. The staff member said a Placer analysis shows roughly 7,000 annual visitors to Big Oaks and that about 20% of those visitors stayed overnight before or after visiting the site. The same staff member reported the staffed comfort station recorded more than 12,000 visitor contacts since January and that Saturdays remain the busiest days. The staff attributed a roughly 15% drop in Memorial Day weekend visitation on the Placer dashboard to weather and said March–May reported stronger numbers.
On marketing, staff described a refreshed visitmadison.org listing layout, partner communication work, a Shamrock Tour promotion, new merchandise and a photo contest, and national earned-media placements including a mention in a National Geographic small towns compilation. Staff previewed a fan/media tour at the end of July involving multiple national outlets and said organizers plan outreach to partners to coordinate comps and content.
The staff also announced a completed Georgetown walking tour available in print and online (including a GPS app) developed with the Jefferson County Historical Society.
Next steps: festival organizers will continue planning for November and staff will circulate more detailed visitation dashboards and partner-communication materials for the fan/media tour.
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