CVB Repeats Request For Funds
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
With tourist association membership dates past due, imminent or expected in the next couple of months, Mike Stetzel, Convention and Visitors Bureau Inc. chairman, repeated a funding request before the Convention, Recreation and Visitors Commission Tuesday.
Total expenses add up to $51,575, which the commission is recommending the county council pay, because, as commissioner John Elliot said, "this is the guts of what we need to do, and we don't have time to tweak it."
Stetzel originally requested these funds as part of the Bureau's $140,853 budget request in September.
Included in the request is $37,500 for the Northern Indiana Tourism Development Commission advertising program; $4,550 for inclusion in the Indiana Travel Guide; $1,100 for the International Association and Convention and Visitors Bureau; $700 for membership in the association of Indiana Convention and Visitors Bureaus; $1,425 for membership and registration with the American Bus Association; $500 for the National Tour Association; $1,000 for Heartland marketplace registration; $450 for Bank Travel membership; $350 for Meeting Planners International membership; $2,000 for Religious Conference Management Association membership and registration; and $2,000 for Tour Indiana participation.
No funds have been approved for the bureau's 2005 operations (travel, utilities, equipment leases, etc.) or administration (salaries, payroll taxes or insurance benefits).
The Visitor's Center costs $600 a day to operate. The commission considers its current contract with the bureau negated as of Dec. 31. No 2005 agreement has been presented. The bureau will receive $10,000 from the county council to continue operations/administration for the rest of the year.
Stetzel, CVB director Linda Arnold and CVB sales manager Mary Kittrell talked about how memberships in each association benefit the county.
Kittrell said she attends the bus association conferences and gets seven minutes with as many as 50 bus operators/tour planners during the conference.
However, Stetzel said, often the tour operators make their own contacts here. Kittrell said she has no way of tracking the actual number of bus tours coming through the county. Larry McDermitt of White Hill Manor said he is contacted directly by bus tour operators too.
Stetzel said the Ramada Inn and Ramada Wagon Wheel Theatre received about 50 bus tours last year. He had no idea if the tour operators began with a CVB contact and then simply contacted the Ramada.
"If you can figure out a tracking system, please let me and all other tourist bureaus know," Kittrell said, laughing.
Stetzel also requested that the bureau spearhead the long-range tourism development plan. Currently the Warsaw/Kosciusko County Chamber of Commerce has been designated by the commission to be administrator of the task force.
He also suggested members of the commission, bureau, county council and commissioners get together and discuss ownership of the Center at 111 Capitol Drive in Warsaw. It was suggested at the September meeting that, as a nonprofit entity, CVB Inc. should not have such an asset paid for by the Innkeepers' Tax dollars. More than $102,000 is still owed on the facility.
The commissioners also heard the Lake City Ski Club received the bid to host a regional water skiing contest at Hidden Lake next summer and the organization would be applying for grant money. Commission president Deb Wiggins said she advised them to work with the CVB and coordinate the event with other things happening that weekend in June.
She said the Oakwood Inn also would apply for funding for an upcoming festival.
The board also:
• Heard from Joy McCarthy-Sessing that long-range planning committee invitation letters were sent. The group should be named in December with the first meeting planned in January.
• Reviewed City-County Athletic Complex demographics as prepared by CCAC board member Paul Shorter. According to the statistics, 575 tournament teams played last summer, with 7,907 players and 20,1812 spectators. There are nine leagues with 1,114 participants and about 3,986 spectators.
Wiggins said a new CCAC director has been hired.
• Heard Faye Medlock has not been approached about serving another year on the commission.
KCCRV commissioners are Deb Wiggins, Jan Carter, Joy McCarthy-Sessing, Jon Sroufe, Faye Medlock and John Elliott. [[In-content Ad]]
With tourist association membership dates past due, imminent or expected in the next couple of months, Mike Stetzel, Convention and Visitors Bureau Inc. chairman, repeated a funding request before the Convention, Recreation and Visitors Commission Tuesday.
Total expenses add up to $51,575, which the commission is recommending the county council pay, because, as commissioner John Elliot said, "this is the guts of what we need to do, and we don't have time to tweak it."
Stetzel originally requested these funds as part of the Bureau's $140,853 budget request in September.
Included in the request is $37,500 for the Northern Indiana Tourism Development Commission advertising program; $4,550 for inclusion in the Indiana Travel Guide; $1,100 for the International Association and Convention and Visitors Bureau; $700 for membership in the association of Indiana Convention and Visitors Bureaus; $1,425 for membership and registration with the American Bus Association; $500 for the National Tour Association; $1,000 for Heartland marketplace registration; $450 for Bank Travel membership; $350 for Meeting Planners International membership; $2,000 for Religious Conference Management Association membership and registration; and $2,000 for Tour Indiana participation.
No funds have been approved for the bureau's 2005 operations (travel, utilities, equipment leases, etc.) or administration (salaries, payroll taxes or insurance benefits).
The Visitor's Center costs $600 a day to operate. The commission considers its current contract with the bureau negated as of Dec. 31. No 2005 agreement has been presented. The bureau will receive $10,000 from the county council to continue operations/administration for the rest of the year.
Stetzel, CVB director Linda Arnold and CVB sales manager Mary Kittrell talked about how memberships in each association benefit the county.
Kittrell said she attends the bus association conferences and gets seven minutes with as many as 50 bus operators/tour planners during the conference.
However, Stetzel said, often the tour operators make their own contacts here. Kittrell said she has no way of tracking the actual number of bus tours coming through the county. Larry McDermitt of White Hill Manor said he is contacted directly by bus tour operators too.
Stetzel said the Ramada Inn and Ramada Wagon Wheel Theatre received about 50 bus tours last year. He had no idea if the tour operators began with a CVB contact and then simply contacted the Ramada.
"If you can figure out a tracking system, please let me and all other tourist bureaus know," Kittrell said, laughing.
Stetzel also requested that the bureau spearhead the long-range tourism development plan. Currently the Warsaw/Kosciusko County Chamber of Commerce has been designated by the commission to be administrator of the task force.
He also suggested members of the commission, bureau, county council and commissioners get together and discuss ownership of the Center at 111 Capitol Drive in Warsaw. It was suggested at the September meeting that, as a nonprofit entity, CVB Inc. should not have such an asset paid for by the Innkeepers' Tax dollars. More than $102,000 is still owed on the facility.
The commissioners also heard the Lake City Ski Club received the bid to host a regional water skiing contest at Hidden Lake next summer and the organization would be applying for grant money. Commission president Deb Wiggins said she advised them to work with the CVB and coordinate the event with other things happening that weekend in June.
She said the Oakwood Inn also would apply for funding for an upcoming festival.
The board also:
• Heard from Joy McCarthy-Sessing that long-range planning committee invitation letters were sent. The group should be named in December with the first meeting planned in January.
• Reviewed City-County Athletic Complex demographics as prepared by CCAC board member Paul Shorter. According to the statistics, 575 tournament teams played last summer, with 7,907 players and 20,1812 spectators. There are nine leagues with 1,114 participants and about 3,986 spectators.
Wiggins said a new CCAC director has been hired.
• Heard Faye Medlock has not been approached about serving another year on the commission.
KCCRV commissioners are Deb Wiggins, Jan Carter, Joy McCarthy-Sessing, Jon Sroufe, Faye Medlock and John Elliott. [[In-content Ad]]