Lincoln Visits with Visit Lincoln

Alex Guthrie, Director of Events with Topnotch Management, joins Jeff Maul, Executive Director and Vice President of Visit Lincoln, in the AOI Podcast Studio on the latest edition of the Lincoln Visits with Visit Lincoln podcast. Alex and Jeff talk about the upcoming Lincoln Challenger ATP tournament set to take place July 12-19 at the Sid and Hazel Dillon Tennis Center on the University of Nebraska-Lincoln campus, why this event continues to build momentum as it readies for its third year of competition and what the future of this event looks like in the years ahead with the continued...

Shelia Jenkinson, Host and Creator of the Growing Small Town Nebraska Podcast, joins Jeff Maul, Executive Director and Vice President of Visit Lincoln, in the AOI Podcast Studio on the latest edition of the Lincoln Visits with Visit Lincoln podcast. Sheila and Jeff talk about how Sheila became interested in exploring all corners of Nebraska after growing up in the northeast part of the state, why it's important to showcase communities from all across Nebraska, what she enjoyed about a recent trip to Lincoln and some of her favorite stops in the Cornhusker State. You can learn more about...

Bob Rook, Managing Artistic Director for TADA Theatre, joins Jeff Maul, Director and Executive Vice President of Visit Lincoln, in the AOI Podcast Studio on the latest edition of the Lincoln Visits with Visit Lincoln podcast. Bob and Jeff talk about how Bob got into the world of theatre, his roots in standup comedy and touring, the role that the TADA Theatre plays in Lincoln's tourism landscape, what challenges the theatre faces in a changing entertainment landscape, and what performances are coming up at TADA Theatre in the coming weeks, months and season ahead.

Bill Stephan, Executive Director & Chief Artistic Officer of the Lied Center for Performing Arts, joins Jeff Maul, Executive Director-Vice President of Visit Lincoln in the AOI Podcast Studio in the latest edition of Lincoln Visits. In this episode, Bill and Jeff talk about how Bill came to Lincoln, the ongoing multi-million dollar renovation the Lied Center is embarking on, some of his favorite Lied Center performances and what's to come to the Lied Center stage in 2026-2027 as the schedule continues to fill up with great events.

Bob Mays and Tommy Denton, Board Members of the Nebraska Auto Racing Hall of Fame, join Jeff Maul, Executive Director-Vice President of Visit Lincoln, in the AOI Podcast Studio in the latest edition of Lincoln Visits. Bob, Tommy and Jeff talk about the rich auto racing history throughout Nebraska and how each of them fell in love with the sport, the reception later this fall for the 2026 Nebraska Auto Racing Hall of Fame class and the work they do to promote auto racing throughout the area and in Nebraska.

For more details on the Nebraska Auto Racing...

Megan Clark, General Manager of the Drury Plaza Hotel Downtown Lincoln, joins Jeff Maul, Executive Director-Vice President of Visit Lincoln in the AOI Podcast Studio on the latest edition of Lincoln Visits. Megan and Jeff talk about why Drury Hotels wanted to expand and put a hotel in downtown Lincoln, what amenities Drury Hotels have to offer and how hotels continue to adapt and have new offerings for travelers, guests, meetings and more. The Drury Plaza Hotel Lincoln Downtown officially opened in December 2025, featuring more than 200 guestrooms, flexible meeting space, on-site dining and various amenities at 920 Q Street.

Estefania Vega Saavedra, Exchange student at Nebraska Wesleyan University from Monterrey, Mexico, joins Derek Bombeck, Director of Sports for Visit Lincoln, in the AOI Podcast Studio. Estefania and Derek talk about Estefania's interest in coming to Nebraska as an exchange student, what her perceptions of Nebraska and the Midwest were before and after coming to Lincoln to study and about some of Estefania's favorite experiences and things to do in Lincoln. As noted in the podcast, this is one of the people who makes the place, a focus of Visit Lincoln's ongoing visitor campaign, highlighting the people and their...

Steve Maly, CEO & Founder of Maly Marketing, stops by the AOI Podcast Studio to talk with Jason Ball, President & CEO of the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce. Steve and Jason talk about the journey Steve has had as a business owner and why he started Maly Marketing, what projects they are working on in the Lincoln area and how they hope to grow in the year ahead. Maly Marketing and the Lincoln Chamber, along with Visit Lincoln, were able to start the Taste 27th project in Fall 2025, highlighting the different restaurants in the North 27th Street corridor of Lincoln, which...

Jeff Maul, Executive Director and Vice President of Visit Lincoln welcomes Tara Knuth, CEO of the Lincoln Children’s Museum and Ellie Charter, Chief Marketing Officer of the Lincoln Children’s Museum into the AOI Podcast Studio. Jeff, Tara and Ellie talk about some of the current exhibits at the Lincoln Children’s Museum, including an event on December 13 to kick off the weekend. They also chat about why families love coming to the museum and how the museum has impacted the Lincoln community over the years.

Sue Ellen Pegg, Recruitment Coordinator for the University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, joins Clay Simpson, Sales Development Manager for Visit Lincoln, in the AOI Podcast Studio, to talk about the planning for university events, prospective students recruitment and how her role has evolved in her nearly 20 years in the position with UNL. Sue Ellen and Clay also talk about her role in bringing one of the largest science competitions in the United States, Science Olympiad, to Lincoln in May 2025.

Keenan Serrano, aka Keenan Eats, joins Jeff Maul, Executive Director of Visit Lincoln, in the AOI Podcast Studio to talk about everything food! Keenan talks about his background growing up in North Platte and Lincoln, how he became so interested in local restaurants both in Nebraska and while in New York City, what some of his favorite restaurants and foods are and about the food festival he's launching this October (2025) in Lincoln. The Here for the Food Fest will be held on Saturday, October 18, 2025 from 5 - 10 p.m. at the Food Truck Zone in Lincoln, located at 699 K Street.<...

Arek Olson, Assistant Athletic Director of Special Events with the University of Nebraska Athletic Department, joins Visit Lincoln Director of Sports Derek Bombeck in the AOI Podcast Studio to talk about his new role with Husker Athletics. Arek comes with experience previously at Lehigh University, Syracuse University and University of Arkansas and is tasked with bringing special events to University of Nebraska facilities. Derek and Arek talk about why events are being sought, the challenges of competing with other similar schools in this space and how they are navigating the changing landscape of college athletics at the University of...

Evan Killeen, CEO of the Lincoln Children's Zoo, joins Visit Lincoln Executive Director-Vice President Jeff Maul in the AOI Podcast Studio to talk about everything going on at the Lincoln Children's Zoo. Evan and Jeff discuss Evan's time with the zoo and how he got his start there, why Lincoln's zoo is one of the very best in the country and the challenge of stepping into the shoes of former Lincoln Children's Zoo CEO John Chapo. Evan and Jeff also chat about popular zoo events such as Boo at the Zoo and Brews at the Zoo, which attract numerous vi...

Ron Bohaty, Managing Director and Gina Nathan, Marketing Manager with Sandhills Global Event Center, joins Visit Lincoln Executive Director-Vice President Jeff Maul in the AOI Podcast Studio to talk about the new and favorite events at the Sandhills Global Event Center. Bohaty and Nathan discuss the Lancaster County Super Fair, the growth of the event center in recent years and upcoming events that will be hosted there including Gravel Worlds (August 20-24, 2025), National High School Finals Rodeo in 2026 and 2027, and more.

For additional details on events at the Sandhills Global Event Center, head to their website https...

Ben Jones, Marketing Content Specialist with Visit Nebraska, joins Visit Lincoln Executive Director-Vice President Jeff Maul in the AOI Podcast Studio to talk about National Travel and Tourism Week, happening May 4-10, 2025. Ben and Jeff discuss their marketing efforts in bringing tourists and visitors to Lincoln and Nebraska, how storytelling has fueled an expansion of Nebraska's overall tourism brand and the importance of tourism in communities across the world.

For more details on National Travel and Tourism Week 2025, visit the U.S. Travel Association's website.

Jeff Maul, Executive Director of Visit Lincoln, is joined in the AOI Podcast Studio by Mike Works, Principal at REV Development. Jeff and Mike talk about what REV Development does and their efforts to develop properties in downtown Lincoln, specifically with the redevelopment of older buildings in downtown. They also talk about their possible plans for the former Gold’s Building site just south of 10th and O streets and hotel developments that REV currently has.

Joe Fagler, Complex Director for the Sandhills Global Youth Complex and Tom Lemke, Director of Operations & HR for the Sandhills Global Youth Complex, join Visit Lincoln's Jeff Maul in the AOI Podcast Studio to discuss and preview the offerings the complex will have just north of downtown Lincoln. The Sandhills Global Youth Complex features eight turfed fields, ready to host local, regional and national tournaments just steps from downtown Lincoln. Joe and Tom talk with Jeff about building the facility, when it will officially open and the response they've received when getting tournaments to commit to playing at the...

Ioan Baciu, General Manager for The Scarlet Hotel and Patrick Murphy, Director of Sales for The Scarlet Hotel, join Visit Lincoln's Jeff Maul in the AOI Podcast Studio to discuss their journeys in the hotel and hospitality industry, what special things make The Scarlet Hotel the unique venue that it is and how the educational aspect of The Scarlet will grow and help University of Nebraska-Lincoln students going forward in their HRTM program.

Derek Bombeck, Director of Sports for Visit Lincoln, joins Jeff Maul in the AOI Podcast studios to talk about recruiting sporting events to Lincoln, what draws teams and athletics to our community and how facilities and amenities makes Lincoln an attractive location on a local, regional, national and international stage.

Visit Lincoln's Communications Coordinator Chris Whitney is joined by Jason Strohbehn, Chief Experience Office/Lead Promoter with Gravel Worlds to talk about Gravel Worlds 2024 coming up this August. The event is in its 15th year, bringing thousands of cyclists to Lincoln as they "sail the gravel seas" and race throughout Lincoln, Lancaster County and the surrounding area. This year's event kicks off on August 21 and continues through August 25.

More details on Gravel Worlds can be found at the Gravel Worlds website.

Visit Lincoln's Director of Sports, Derek Bombeck, is joined by Rick Myers from Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) to talk about their upcoming event in Lincoln during Memorial Day weekend. A part of "America's Premier Autocross Championship Series", the 2024 Tire Rack SCCA Lincoln ProSolo event takes place at Lincoln Airpark May 23, 24 and 25, featuring cars from across the country. The SCCA ProSolo Championship Finale also takes place later this summer in Lincoln from August 30 through September 1, 2024.

More details can be found at the SCCA website.

Jason Ball sits down with Erika Jensen, founder and owner of The Chocolate Season, to talk about Lincoln Coffee Week held February 5-11, 2024. With 19 participating venues, visit lincoln.org/coffee-week for more details.

Chris Whitney and Jeff Maul with Visit Lincoln sit down to talk about Lincoln Craft Beer Week, happening October 2 through October 8 at nine participating venues in Lincoln. For more details, visit lincoln.org/beer-week.

Chris Whitney with Visit Lincoln sits down with Jason Strohbehn, Director of Operations and Marketing of Gravel Worlds, to talk about the upcoming Gravel Worlds events coming up on August 25 and 26. Thousands of competitors from all 50 states, 14 countries and four continents will be in the Lincoln area for great competition.

Jeff Maul and Tracie Simpson with Visit Lincoln welcome a special, four-legged furry guest to the podcast to talk about the best pet-friendly places in Lincoln and why Lincoln is such a great community for pet lovers.

Visit Lincoln Executive Director Jeff Maul talks about National Travel and Tourism Week, which is held May 7-13, 2023, and about bringing tourism to Lincoln.

John Dolliver sits down to talk about the NSAA State Basketball tournaments and his favorite parts about them.

Jeff Maul sits down with Visit Lincoln's Director of Sports, Derek Bombeck to discuss upcoming sporting events in Lincoln as well as the process of getting them here.

Jeff Maul sits down with John Chapo from the Lincoln Children's Zoo to talk about upcoming events at the Zoo, the Lincoln Community, and how even though it's getting cold, the Zoo will be anything but hibernating.

Chris Whitney sits down with Linda Brown from Pink Gorilla Events to discuss the upcoming Market to Market relay and Good Life Halfsy races.

Chris Whitney and Jeff Maul sit down to talk about the upcoming Lincoln Craft Beer Week and why they are excited for this first-time event.

Chris Whitney sits down with Jeff Maul to discuss the economic impact that Husker football games have on Lincoln, and why Lincoln is more than ready to host the 2022 season.

Bill Geist of DMOproz, sits down with Lincoln Convention and Visitors Bureau Executive Director, Jeff Maul, to discuss the strategic planning process and why he thinks Lincoln is on a great track.

This new podcast is Lincoln’s new platform for exploring the people and places that make our city truly unique.