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HomeMy WebLinkAboutSunriver Chamber Funding LetterSunriver. Area Chamber of Commerce January 21, 2009 Deschutes County Board of Commissioners 1300 NW Wall Street, Suite 200 Bend, OR 97701-1960 Dear Board of Commissioners: PO Box 3246 Sunriver, OR 9770: 541-593-8149 • 541-593-3581 fax info@sunriverchamber.com www.sunriverchamber.com Prior to June 2007, the Sunriver Area Chamber was receiving $2,345 per month from the Central Oregon Visitors Association (COVA) to help offset the expenses of operating a visitor center in Sunriver. With the formation of the Sunriver Marketing Alliance, this funding was reallocated to the marketing and promotional activities of the Alliance. Since June 2007 when COVA funding ceased, the Sunriver Area Chamber has tried to operate the visitor center at the same level of activity using funds from its operatingbudget and reserves. Trying to do this for nearly 18 months with no additional financial support has resulted in a complete depletion of the Chamber's cash reserves and a significant strain on its ability to continue to operate. On November 25, 2008, we submitted a formal request to COVA for financial support of our Sunriver visitor center for the period January through June 2009. Our request was for $3,333. per month (current monthly operating expense of the visitor center) plus an additional amount of $1,667. per month to help keep our Chamber's doors open while we build up a positive cash flow from other sources over the next six months. This additional amount would partially reimburse our Chamber for the expenses it incurred in operating the visitor center during 2008. We have been informed that at its Work Session on January 15, 2009, the Board of Directors of COVA voted not to approve our request. Although this vote must be ratified by COVA's Board at its January 27, 2009, meeting, Alana Audette has notified us that she expects this to occur and the denial to stand. For this reason, we respectfully ask that the Board of Commissioners grant the Sunriver Area Chamber of Commerce $5,000. per month for the period January through June 2009 ($30,000 total) for the purpose of supporting the operation of the Sunriver visitor center. Prior to the County's regular budget cycle for the next fiscal year, we will reevaluate the cost of operating the visitor center and submit an appropriate request for continuation of this support. We sincerely appreciate your consideration of this request. spectfrIly, Dennis E. Smeage President & CEO DES/ Attachment -0.)ECE ULEfi JAN 2 1 2009 j BOARD OF COM ISS!ONERS EIMIN.:;1itA-hON SUNRIVER VISITOR CENTER What is the purpose of a Visitor Center? • To provide a full range of services which increase resident and visitor awareness of local, regi3nal and state tourism attractions and amenities. • To enhance the quality of the visitor's experience, leading to longer stays and/or return visits and thus maximizing the economic benefits to the community. Who uses a Visitor Center? • Travel Oregon (Oregon Tourism Commission) reports in a 2008 travel study that 60% of U.S. adults use Welcome/Visitor Centers. 40% said they generally have the information they need prior to their trip but may stop at a welcome/visitor center for specific information. An additional 19% reported regular use of welcome/visitor centers to obtain travel information. • In a 2006 analysis of Central Oregon visitors conducted by Longwoods International research firm, if was found that 2.5 million people spent time in Central Oregon. Of these, 175,000 or 7% used a local welcome/visitor center for information and trip planning. This was the highest percentage of all sources of information reported. Why does Sunriver need a Visitor Center? • To provide visitors with an easy to find and accessible "one stop" center for information and assistance. • To act as the primary source of tourism information in Sunriver, thus reducing the duplication of information sources in Sunriver among tourism related businesses. • To enable Sunriver to offer consistent and high quality visitor information services 7 days a week with fully trained and capable staff and volunteers. • To ensure that prospective visitors get their information about Sunriver from Sunriver sources and not from neighboring communities. • To ensure that a visitor's first impression of Sunriver is a positive one. • To refer visitors to services and attractions that are credible and best meet their needs. • To make lesser known services and attractions visible to visitors, thus enhancing the tourism experience and increasing visitor expenditures. • To collect and act as a repository of visitor data that can be used by all businesses and other entities in Sunriver for purposes of planning, preparation and evaluation. • To survey visitor needs and desires as a way of identifying potential new services and attracti )ns. • To help give Sunriver an identity with which visitors and prospective visitors can associate. What are the objectives of a Sunriver Visitor Center? • Greet and assist visitors to Sunriver. • Provide accurate, useful and high quality information about attractions and visitor services. • Promote local attractions, events and tourism opportunities which motivate visitors to stay longer and spend more money in Sunriver. • Collect visitor data to determine who visitors are, their origin, their specific destination, their activities, their length of stay, and their needs. • Provide visitor data to businesses in Sunriver to help them meet anticipated demand for products and services. • Encourage development of the tourism industry in Sunriver and educate Sunriver residents about the value of tourism and the value of a visitor center. • Answer mail, email, telephone and fax inquiries from prospective visitors to make sure they receive useful and complete information about Sunriver in a timely manner. • Motivate current visitors to make return visits to Sunriver and encourage first time visits by individuals and families. • Promote Sunriver to potential visitors by cooperating with its Regional Destination Marketing Organization (COVA) and by supporting its marketing efforts. What other services might a Sunriver Visitor Center provide? • Maintain an active and up-to-date web site that enables prospective visitors and residents to access comprehensive information about Sunriver, its attractions, events and services, and dire:* book lodging and recreational activities. • Facilitate the development of a Sunriver-wide marketing plan that would incorporate the efforts of all interested entities in promoting Sunriver to the tourism market. Tens of thousands of people visit Sunriver annually and the Chamber would help gather visitor profile information and trip characteristics information to aid in the building of a marketing plan that would influence these visitors to return to Sunriver with their friends and family, as well as refer Sunriver to others. • As a neutral entity that represents the economic interests of Sunriver as a whole rather than the interests of individual parties, the Chamber and its visitor center should serve as the hub of marketing activity for all of Sunriver. • Develop and disseminate a generic Sunriver fulfillment piece that would effectively market Sunriver, its attractions, services and family friendliness to prospective visitors. • Work closely with Sunriver Resort and Sunriver Village owners to complement their advertising and marketing programs with promotions that would strengthen Sunriver's attraction in the tourism market. • Manage and coordinate events in the Village to enhance the positive experience of visitors to Sunriver and to attract new visitors. 2 • Develop and implement promotional activities to support Sunriver businesses, especially during shoulder seasons. • Engage the Sunriver Business Park in marketing activities that promote Sunriver as whole. • Develop a trained cadre of volunteer "Sunriver Ambassadors" who would assist visitors and residents with specific needs. • Conduct periodic "welcome & orientation" sessions for new residents. • Coordinate a "welcome wagon" of volunteers who would visit new residents and businesses with information about Sunriver and offer their assistance. • Develop and provide tailored relocation packets of information that would encourage people to move to Sunriver. How has the Sunriver Area Chamber's Visitor Center operated so far? • The Chamber maintains a 1,700 sq ft Visitor Center in Building #5 in the Village at Sunriver. Located on Beaver Drive just a block inside the entrance to the Village, the Center enjoys good visibility from the street and adequate parking for visitors. • The Visitor Center has a spacious interior that permits the display of numerous brochures, flyers, booklets, maps and other printed materials that provide information about local and regional lodging, recreational activities, personal and home services, retail shopping and resources for beth the visitor and local resident. A foyer outside the Center's entrance is open after hours and offers a selection of printed materials on the most popular attractions and services. • Signage for the Chamber's Visitor Center consists of an "Oregon Visitor Information" sign (turn next right) on South Century Drive, approaching the new traffic circle entrance to Sunriver. The Chamber's name and logo appear on the awning above the Visitor Center entrance and are visible from Beaver Drive. It is our Chamber's intention to secure Visitor Center directional signage at the US Hwy 97/South Century Drive interchange and within Sunriver on Abbot and Beaver Drives. • During the period October 1, 2007, through September 30, 2008, the Sunriver Chamber's Vis tor Center processed the following inquiries and requests from visitors and potential visitors: Visitor packets requested — Oregon (other than Central Oregon) 198 Out of state 648 International 32 Relocation packets 238 TOTAL 1,116 Phone, email & walk-in Inquiries for tourist information (other than visitor packets) — Oregon (other than Central Oregon) 583 Out of state 540 International 3 TOTAL 1,126 • The Sunriver Area Chamber also maintains a newly -designed web site that features extensiv information for visitors and prospective visitors. This information includes a daily events calencar, Sunriver and local area attractions, lodging, dining and other services, resources for current residents and people who may relocate to Sunriver, and a local business directory. During the six 3 month period June 15 through November 15, 2008, there were 9,990 visits to this web site, 8,222 of which were made by people who live outside of Central Oregon. The breakdown of web site visits, by origin, is as follows: Oregon (other than Central Oregon) 3,669 Washington 1,443 California 1,180 Other states 1,790 International 140 TOTAL 8,222 • Prior to June 2007, the Sunriver Area Chamber was receiving $2,345. per month from COVA to help offset the expenses of operating the Visitor Center. With the formation of the Sunriver Marketing Alliance, this funding to the Chamber ceased. Since that time, the Chamber has continued to operate the Visitor Center at the same level of activity using funds from its operating budget and its reserves. • Trying to operate the Visitor Center for nearly 18 months with no additional support has resulted in a complete depletion of the Chamber's cash reserves and a significant strain on the Chamber's ability to continue to operate. Our request. • Currently, $40,000 of the Chamber's $125,000 annual budget is devoted to operating the Sunriver Visitor Center. We feel strongly that this cost should be borne by the entities that benefit from its operation. We think the use of Transient Room Tax monies would be an appropriate source for this funding. • The current cost of operating the Visitor Center is $40,000 per year, or $3,333 per month, and the Sunriver Area Chamber has depleted its reserves and dipped into its operating fund to finance :he Visitor Center over the past 18 months. To enable our Chamber to continue operating the Visitor Center through our current budget year, we require funding of $3,333. per month for the six month period January through June 2009. To partially recoup our Visitor Center expenditures during 2008, we seek an additional $1,667. per month during this same period. This will help us replenish our operating fund and cash reserves. • On November 25, 2008, the Sunriver Area Chamber of Commerce submitted a request to the Central Oregon Visitors Association (COVA) for funding in the amount of $5,000. per month to support the operation of our Sunriver Visitor Center during the period January through June 2009 ($30,000 total). We have been informed that at its Work Session on January 15, 2009, the Board of Directors of COVA voted not to approve our request. Although this vote must be ratified by COVA's Board at its January 27, 2009, meeting, Alana Audette has notified us that she expects this to occur and the denial to stand. For this reason, we respectfully ask that the Board of Commissioners grant the Sunriver Area Chamber of Commerce $5,000. per month for the period January through June 2009 ($30,000 total) for the purpose of supporting the operation of the Sunriver Visitor Center. Prior to the County's regular budget cycle for the next fiscal year, we will reevaluate the cost of operating the Visitor Center and submit an appropriate funding request for the period July 1, 2009 through June 30, 2010. 4 Expense Sunriver Area Chamber of Commerce Annual Visitor Center Expenses - Projected 2009 Annual Visitor Center Expense Percent of Total Chamber Expense Computer Rental & Maintenance General Liability Insurance Staff Salaries & Wages Employee Benefits Payroll Taxes Postage & Shipping Printing & Copying Office Space Rent Web Site Maintenance Web Site Hosting Office Supplies Telephone & Internet 1,116.00 24% 500.00 22% 19,200.00 34% 192.00 10% 1,815.00 34% 2,670.00 69% 750.00 35% 9,209.00 67% 675.00 50% 900.00 50% 1,000.00 67% 2,000.00 67% TOTAL EXPENSES $40,027.00