By Emily Clott, Class of 2012
Where can you find an explanation of a particular bas-relief or a discussion of whether the Carbide and Carbon Building is meant to resemble a champagne bottle? On Tik-Tok, of course! Have you seen posts about the cool merch for Mother’s Day at the CAC shop on Face Book, Twitter or Instagram?
Jennifer Lucente McElroy is the force behind this burgeoning social media presence. She’s taking CAC to the place where people increasingly plan their travel: social media! It’s the platform that attracts visitors to the Center’s exhibits, tours, shop, and events, both in-person and virtual,
Jennifer’s roots at CAC are deep, although she began her career in marketing working in the financial industry. Bad behavior by executives led to layoffs and brought about the end of her jobs. The world of finance lost all its appeal, so when Jen saw an opening in the CAF marketing department in 2008, she quickly applied and accepted the position, taking a substantial pay cut. Once on staff, Jen copy-edited tour descriptions for the web site, authored annual reports and speeches, and managed social media accounts. Not only did Jen work at CAF from 2008-2013, she also became a docent in 2012.
Like many guests, Jen was familiar with the River Cruise but unaware of the huge array of other tours. To increase awareness, she embarked on a challenge: to take every single tour within one calendar year. She shared this challenge on social media, and when she completed it in 2012, her name was emblazoned on the marquee of the Chicago Theater: “Jennifer Lucente Takes all 85 CAF tours”. For each tour she took, Jen received a free ticket that she offered online to interested takers. A complete stranger, Kevin McElroy, took her up on the offer and attended the FLW walking tour in Oak Park. The rest, as they say, is history.
Jennifer left CAF in 2013 when she and Kevin married and moved to LaGrange with his two sons from a previous marriage. They had a son and a daughter together, and are now engaged in the whirlwind of activities involved in raising three boys and a daughter.
In 2020, when Lynn Osmond contacted Jen to return to a part-time position to grow CAC’s social media presence, she jumped at the chance. This was mid-pandemic, so the offices were closed. But she could work remotely, and she was thrilled to return to the realm of Chicago architecture. Currently Jen works at the office of Tuesdays and from home the rest of the time.
Lynn wanted CAC to gain a presence on TikTok, so Jen learned how to produce short videos of 2-4 minutes in length. Using her phone, Jen can upload an image as a background, as many of us do for Zoom meetings, while filming herself in the foreground. She then explains specific terms, trends, or historical information to increase CAC’s visibility. She produces a couple of segments each week, as well as advertising various happenings at the Center, promoting the shop, and sharing articles of architectural interest with users. She plans to expand CAC’s presence to LinkedIn and Pinterest.
To say that CAF/CAC changed my life is an understatement.” said Jennifer Lucente McElroy. Similarly, Jen’s role at CAC should not be understated. She expands our scope and reach every day through the social media platforms so influential in today’s tourism ecosystem.
If you have ideas you’d like Jennifer to consider for social media posts, email her at je*************@ar**********.org
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