Kosciusko County Convention, Recreation and Visitor Commission heard an update about the Visitors Bureau’s new artificial intelligence software at a meeting Wednesday.
Kosciusko County Convention and Visitors Bureau Executive Director Cori Humes provided updates about Placer.ai, an economic impact software that CVB received a grant for in November. This artificial intelligence uses location data on cellular apps to identify the visitors coming to Kosciusko County. This information can be narrowed to various event locations. Placer.ai can identify what city the visitors came from and where they go before and after the event, such as restaurants and hotels.
Humes said there were 1.2 million visitors to Kosciusko County in 2024, each with an average of 10 visits per year. This count was excluding residents, only counting a person a single time if they made multiple visits and not tracking children. Humes says CVB continues to set up “points of interest” so organizations can see information about the impact of their events. KCCRVC requested that Humes provide an executive summary of the data each meeting.
KCCRVC also heard an update on the City-County Athletic Complex. CCAC Executive Director Mike Hagy said the CCAC has seen a 20-25% increase in indoor soccer participants. It has also had an increase in indoor pickleball during the winter and indoor space rentals for events. Hagy said the grants approved for roofing and dugout replacements were 60-70% completed and expected to be done in six to eight weeks. He also stated CCAC is taking care of flooring from a previously approved grant by doing a deep clean with a floor scrubber machine and then sealing the flooring. KCCRVC requested Hagy collaborate with Humes about providing profit and loss reports.
Kosciusko Community Coordinator Amy Roe spoke to the commission to learn more about grant opportunities for small communities in the county. KCCRVC told Roe that grants can be applied for by an application on its website and requires reimbursement after 18 months. Grants must be requested by nonprofits. The request does not have to be directly for tourism, but it must be for something that would benefit the community.
“The more detail the better,” said KCCRVC President Mark Skibowski. “And the sooner the better.”
Skibowski said it’s valuable to include how the grant will impact the community and how many people it is expected to impact. He added that it’s helpful to submit the grant request a few weeks before meetings so the county auditor can adequately prepare. KCCRVC meets every other month. He also requested grant recipients attend a meeting to report how the grant was used and its success.
In other business, the commission:
• Elected officers as follows: President Mark Skibowski; Vice President Lyle Schrock; Secretary Kathy Ray; and Treasurer John Hall.
• Heard from Managing Director for the Village at Winona Nick Hauck that he aims to print promotional material during the second week of April for the Fat and Skinny Tire Fest, which will take place May 16-18.
• Heard from Mike Loher that “A Country Christmas” event was successful, with standing room only, 23 boxes of toys donated for Toys for Tots, and boxes donated for World Compassion Network’s North Carolina aid.
• Skibowski asked what measure KCCRVC can take to enforce conditions of the grants. County Auditor Alyssa Schmucker said the auditor’s office can evaluate the compliance of nonprofits’ advertisements at the time of reimbursement.
KCCRVC members Matt Metzger and Mike Loher agreed to collaborate on a logo design for KCCRVC.
The next KCCRVC meeting is 9 a.m. March 12 in the Old Courtroom.