Visitation vs. product development

Last year, Mono County Tourism commissioners decided that, when it came to funding requests, their plan was to define a set of criteria and stick to it.
With budgets being tightened due to the state’s financial debacle, this criteria has also been sharpened. At its meeting Tuesday, the Commission made this much clear: If your project puts in a local funding request, the Commission will be looking specifically at how it drives visitation.
Given this new paradigm, the Commission evaluated five funding requests Tuesday.
Bodie, for example, has been struggling financially. Its funding for interpretive staffing has been essentially eliminated and the park itself is again flirting with the possibility of closure this coming year should the state decide to gut its own Parks budget. So Bodie put in a request for funding from the County to help produce a calendar that the Bodie Foundation, which recently took over interpretive services operations from the State Parks Foundation, hopes will help supplement funding for staff and other expenses.
Commission Chair Jimmy Little said that what essentially amounts to a “grant” doesn’t exactly follow the protocol for driving tourism, since the piece isn’t exactly to be used as a marketing tool in the strict sense. Is that a bad thing, though, given Bodie’s precarious financial situation? “Not necessarily,” he added.
Commissioner Danna Stroud agreed … up to a point. “This is the odd, fine line we face now and then,” she opined. “We need to keep Bodie operational, and the funding has to come from somewhere. Nonetheless, we have to evaluate this particular project in terms of driving visitation versus product development.”
A brochure, for instance, would speak to visitation and provide a “cleaner link” to the Commission’s funding pool. So would other opportunities for tapping into that pool, such as the Friends of Bodie Dinner and a custom tour package currently being explored. “Maybe we should coach them a bit,” Little suggested. The Commission voted no on the current proposal, but discussed contacting the Foundation to offer some guidance going forward.
The June Lake Triathlon, in its second round of funding requests, was by comparison a no-brainer. Organizer Alana Levin’s proposal clearly fit the criteria, and was quickly approved for $4,000. The proposal also gave Commisioners a sneak peek at new ideas for this year’s Tri, including a Kids run, and a possible cycle ride to June Lodge.
Put on hold were three other requests that the Commission decided needed some retooling before making a final determination. The Mono Lake Bird Chautauqua’s request for a relatively small amount to subsidize the cost of the event program guide may be approved, but redirected towards another application that speaks more to the funding’s intent.
Friends of the Inyo request for an “on-the-ground” type of outdoor guide was intriguing, but the Commission seemed to indicate a desire for more of a marketing plan to promote it to out-of-area visitors. “It can be a great piece, but once again are we driving visitation or is this more product development?” queried Sarah McCahill with Mono County Tourism. Stroud said the Commission would be more than willing to help out with ideas for marketing the piece. Little asked FOI to come back next month with a revised distribution plan.
And the Commission, while fully supportive of the annual May-staged Mountain Warfare Challenge, wanted to see an advertising plan focused more out-of-county. “It has a huge economic impact on the north part of the county,” Little pointed out, adding it also draws a significant amount of out of town participants. McCahill agreed, but added that many of those register on www.active.com (a sports enthusiast registration site for numerous events). Commissioners suggested ideas such as cross-promoting the event at the Los Angeles Marathon, for example.
The Challenge, held at the Marine Warfare Training Center in north Mono County, features a 10K run that includes an obstacle course and other physical challenges.
And some of those projects that were tabled because they didn’t seem to do enough to drive overnight visitation may find meeting the Commission’s funding request constraints an equally daunting challenge.
Suggestions for advertising and marketing outside the area are all well and good, but even if organizations get the maximum $5,000 amount from the funding requests, rates for ad buys in other markets and publications are very likely to come in far too cost-prohibitive to consider. (One such non-profit said a single ad alone would eat 70% of its total advertising budget.)
Then there’s the question of whether non-profits, which are by definition tight on cash flow, are expected to drive visitation. Looking at it from a non-profit perspective, is that something that should fall more to the County and local government, and full-fledged businesses, all of which are better funded and equipped to handle the higher cost of out-of-area advertising and marketing?
One non-profit, referencing the County’s “book ‘em and cook ‘em” methodolgy, suggested that there should be more of a correlation between driving visitation and sustaining it, saying some requests are for materials or events that may not necessarily “book” visitors, but help “cook” them once they are here.