Tourism Development Commission (Meets on the first Tuesday at 1PM)

Tourism Development Commission 3.10.2022 1 AGENDA TOURISM DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION TUESDAY, March 10, 2022, 2:15 P.M. – 3:30 P.M. Government Center 270 Video call link: https://meet.google.com/mrg-qyha-ahw Or dial: (US) +1 617-675-4444 (PIN: 748 150 271 0548#) Mission Statement: “The Superior Tourism Commission will develop, market, and promote Superior as a destination for visitors to stay and enjoy our natural landscape, culture, arts, parks, and businesses.” Commissioners: Lindsey Graskey (Chair), Keith Kern (Council Representative), Bruce Barron, JoAnn Jardine, and Pattie Soliday 1. Roll Call 2. Commissioner discussion on marketing proposals (discussion only) 3. Recommendation on marketing contract 4. Recommendation for Bong Museum/Visitor Center grant proposal 5. Recommendation for Travel Superior request on welcome center 6. Adjournment Notice is hereby given that a majority of the members of the Common Council may be present at the meeting, and although this may constitute a quorum of the Common Council, the Council will not take any action at this meeting. ********************************************************************************************************************* Pursuant to the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, if you are in need of an accommodation to participate in the public meeting process, please call (715) 395-7200 by 4:30 p.m. on the day prior to the scheduled meeting date (OR dial 711 for Telecommunications Relay Service). The City will attempt to accommodate any request depending on the amount of notice received. ********************************************************************************************************************* In compliance with Wisconsin Open Meetings Law, this agenda was posted on 3/09/2022 at the following locations: Superior Government Center, Douglas County Courthouse, and online at https://www.ci.superior.wi.us/agendacenter. It was also emailed to the Superior Public Library and the Superior Telegram, and PACT. 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We have had the honor and privilege of promoting City of Superior tourism since 2015, under the effective Travel Superior brand since 2017. Prior to that, we have operated a welcome center or information center since 1964 within Superior or Douglas County and currently operate the only co-branded Travel Wisconsin Welcome Center north of WI Highway 64. As just mentioned, we have the privilege to be branded a Travel Wisconsin Welcome Center which aids to the visibility of the state as well as our Welcome Center. What this means is that we strongly collaborate with the WI Department of Tourism on programming, best practices, promotional efforts and in recent years public health guidance. Travel Superior and the Welcome Center serve as the primary conduit between our region and Travel Wisconsin. As you’ll see in the pages that follow, we are uniquely qualified to promote and showcase many of our community’s assets. Our Welcome Center serves as a gateway to our community and the State of Wisconsin. On average we assist approximately 20,000 visitors annually and have aided nearly 28,000 visitors at its peak during the last five years. We are hopeful you will continue to see the value our Welcome Center provides to the traveling public visiting our region and have approached this proposal to operate our Welcome Center as an independent entity within our organization. Please reach out if you have any questions and we look forward to discussing how we can best serve the City of Superior and its visitors. Best Regards, Taylor L. Pedersen President & CEO 3|Page Tourism Development Commission 3.10.2022 45 About Travel Superior and our Welcome Center Company Name: Superior-Douglas County Visitor Bureau Inc. dba Travel Superior Company Structure: 501 (c)(6) Non-Profit Primary Contact for This Proposal: Taylor Pedersen taylor.pedersen@superiorchamber.org Telephone: 715-394-7716 Administrative Office Physical Address: 205 Belknap St. Superior, WI 54880 Welcome Center Physical Address: 305 Harborview Parkway Superior, WI 54880 EIN: 82-3816137 Incorporated: 2017, during 2017 and prior, Travel Superior was the tourism arm of The Superior Chamber. Governance: There is no private ownership in the operations of Travel Superior. Management leads the day-to-day operations of the organization as well as Welcome Center and oversight comes from an elected board of directors made up of community leaders and industry professionals, including the City of Superior Mayor. Mission: Our mission is to market Superior-Douglas County as a premier travel destination outside the region through tourism promotion and development. Commitment to DEAI: Our organization is committed to the success of the tourism sector, our staff and the community through engagement on topics of equity, diversity, accessibility and inclusion. We are committed to creating an inclusive business community for all, and promote a welcoming and enjoyable experience for all visitors. # of Total Employees: 5 # of Employees at our Welcome Center: 3 4|Page Tourism Development Commission 3.10.2022 46 What is a “Welcome Center”? Although it may go by many names – Welcome Center, Visitor Center, Information Center, Tourist Information Center we call our “center” the Superior-Douglas County Welcome Center. Often, we will include the words Visitor Information to clarify what key service we provide. The goal of a typical Welcome Center is to provide visitors with a location for transient visitor services and information on the area's attractions, lodging, maps, and other items relevant to tourism. Often, these centers are operated in an airport, attraction, rest stop or other port of entry to a destination. The Superior-Douglas County Welcome Center offers free visitor and travel information for Superior, Douglas County and the State of Wisconsin to both locals and non-local visitors. We are staffed for one-on-one travel advice on lodging, dining, shopping, attractions, recreation, events and more. We also have multiple self-serve display racks stocked with Wisconsin based tourism publications, travel guides, brochures and maps. Our Welcome Center offers a friendly experience to individuals of all abilities, has substantial parking for all types of vehicles, is located near two outdoor parks with play areas, and has paved walking trails that overlook the Superior Bay as well as Barker's Island. 5|Page Tourism Development Commission 3.10.2022 47 What Sets Travel Superior and the Superior-Douglas County Welcome Center Apart Travel Superior is uniquely positioned as the lead organization promoting tourism in the Superior and Douglas County area. We have a phenomenal marketing team that have exceptional experience in their areas of expertise. Our team on the front lines include three staff directly assisting our visitors at our Welcome Center located just inside the lobby area of the Richard I Bong Veterans Historical Center. This space currently has a lease agreement through 2025. Current we operate seven days per week May-October and five days a week (Tuesday-Saturday) the remainder of the year. Our unmatched understanding of Superior, the surrounding area and its assets positions our staff to be experts on local tourism and attractions. We provide hundreds of pieces of literature at no cost to our visitors, many of these include rack cards from regional businesses who pay to have materials placed in our Welcome Center or have advertised in our publications. We also promote all local attractions (museums/parks) as well as all lodging properties free of charge. The Welcome Center extensively carry information from around the state of Wisconsin as well as limited materials from Canada and our neighboring states. Our staff provide a personal touch on all visitors we assist and communicate with our hotel properties on availability, weekly. Giving back to the community is another way we engage with visitors and our community by organizing annual clothing drives that offer community support. Our Welcome Center is more than just a great place to visit and find local tourism information it is an extension of the northern hospitality our region’s visitors appreciate. All are welcome at our Center and those who visit us leave with customized information and recommendations to meet their unique interests and budgets. 6|Page Tourism Development Commission 3.10.2022 48 Financial Request Research shows that visitors experiencing a Welcome Center increase their value and economic impact to the city that they are visiting following that experience. These tourist services are not self-sustaining and typically require subsidized financial support from local government or private entity. The Welcome Center run by Travel Superior, will not fund itself or generate enough revenue to maintain current operations, even with efficient operations and seasonal staffing fluctuations. Travel Superior and the Superior-Douglas County Welcome Center respectfully request a contract from April 2022 through December 2025 in the amount of $84,158 (annual) to operate a Superior based Welcome Center with the following annual budgetary areas: Operational Costs $22,060 Promotions and Branding $10,500 Allocation of Payroll $51,598 $84,158 Reporting Historically Travel Superior has provided the City of Superior with quarterly visitor counts. Moving forward, Travel Superior will provide the Superior Tourism Commission with a monthly visitor count number and an annual report documenting a summary of the operations and activities of the Superior-Douglas County Welcome Center at the end of each contract year. Payment Payment is requested to be made at the beginning of each contract year. The process for payment and timeline will be negotiated with anticipated payment to begin April 2022. Confidentiality This proposal in part or in its entirety is property of the Superior-Douglas County Visitor Bureau, Inc. dba Travel Superior and is not to be shared in any form (digital, written or verbal) with any individual, entity or third party without written permission of Taylor Pedersen, President and CEO. 7|Page Tourism Development Commission 3.10.2022 49 Thank You Thank you again for the opportunity to present this proposal. For the many reasons outlined on the preceding pages, Travel Superior already does and will continue to provide the best value and service for this necessary component of local tourism. And recognize that this is an investment being made by the City of Superior and the Superior Tourism Commission. We look forward to your response, and as always, we thank you for your support shown toward tourism in the City of Superior. Please stay safe and healthy. 8|Page