The Wrangell Convention and Visitor Bureau met last Wednesday afternoon, June 17, to finish up a proposed marketing plan to bring before the borough assembly. In the time of COVID-19, the bureau was hoping to receive funding from the city to address the impacts the pandemic has had on the visitor industry. According to their list of proposals, provided by Economic Development Director Carol Rushmore, the CVB is seeking a total of $146,516 for various projects.
First of all, the CVB would like to fund a new travel planner for Wrangell, at the cost of $18,000. This planner would also come with inserts regarding the latest information on COVID-19, they discussed in the meeting. There was an issue of businesses not being able to afford advertising in the travel planner, as revenues are down for many tourism-related businesses right now. The CVB planned to resolve this by offering a free display ad at 1/4 size. Larger advertisements would be charged for, according to the project document, but at a discount. Design and printing of this new travel planner, and an online version, could potentially be covered by CARES Act funding if ad money does not cover the full cost.
One of the more expensive projects the bureau added to their list was a push to increase online advertising, estimated at a cost of $36,000. This plan would see more advertising for Wrangell's visitor industry through Facebook ad space, banner space online, and the purchase of Google Adwords.
Branding was another, more wide, topic of discussion in the meeting. The CVB decided to seek $25,000 to support a community-wide branding effort for Wrangell. Other projects the bureau wished to pursue include targeting yacht travelers at a cost of $10,000, a "Wrangell Cares" plan with the chamber of commerce for $5,000, and purchasing software for managing social media and graphics at $516.
After their meeting, lasting a little less than an hour, the bureau voted to finalize their plan and present it to the borough assembly at their next meeting.
Reader Comments(0)