By HOLLY GASKILL
Local tourism grants will soon be open to the public.
The Wells County Convention and Visitors Commission will award multiple grants to help market Wells County events in November and December. Businesses and organizations could receive up to $2,000 individually toward the cost of print or online advertising, billboards, flyers, and/or other marketing opportunities.
The application itself asks the business or organization to describe the event, how the grant will be used, and who will be targeted by the marketing, among other items. The Google form will soon be available visitwellscounty.com/contact.
Tourism Coordinator Audry Dudley stated she wants to prioritize events that brought in outside tourism, which hopefully increases exposure to other local businesses and events, as well as overnight stays.
During the commission’s meeting Wednesday morning, the board members voted 7-0 to allow the grant committee to review and approve relevant applications in between meetings. This contingency was allowed in case an application for an event would come in before their next meeting, Nov. 8. Board members present for the meeting were Scott Elzey, Steve Higgins, Michelle Blount, Zane Herr, Brandy Fiechter, Jon Winne, and Jeff Reed; Justin Osborne and Jay Esparza were absent.
The innkeepers tax, which adds a 5 percent tax to lodging rentals, has collected $61,988.71 since February. However, Dudley clarified this number does not reflect a true total collection through September — the online rental and Airbnb portion collected by the Indiana auditor tends to be roughly 60 days delayed. Even so, Dudley said the state has had some late adjustments from checks lost in the mail. Hotels and motels submit their portion to Wells County Treasurer Kathy Peeper every month.
As reported Wednesday, $56,620.86 was collected from hotels and motels and $5,367.85 from online bookings.
Additionally, the board continued their discussion regarding their strategic plan, which now included a chart outline. The plan outlines four pillar statements: strengthen asset development, market activities, and attractions, enhance organizational awareness, and track and evaluate data.
The plan outlines several strategies for every pillar, including increasing education about grant opportunities, developing maps of local attractions and wayfinding signs, and increasing commission activities and brand awareness, among other items.
A consensus of the board members was that the outlined plan offered room to grow and further develop ideas, possibly into a more formal document as needed. Chad Kline, executive director of Economic Development, advised the most important thing was that the plan included measurable goals.
Dudley formulated her monthly report with this in mind, categorizing her progress and accomplishments under each of the four pillars. Notably, Dudley took surveys at Ossian Days and Bluffton Street Fair to collect feedback from residents and visitors. She also provided Visitor Guides for the Stauffer Farms Fall Fest.
The visitors commission will meet next at 8 a.m. on Nov. 8 at the Wells County Chamber of Commerce.
holly@news-banner.com
