CVB talks accomplishments
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Local business owners and elected officials gathered Tuesday night to discuss 2023 highlights and celebrate a local tourism organization.
The Marietta-Washington County Convention & Visitors Bureau held its annual meeting Tuesday night at the Lafayette Hotel in Marietta, where the CVB showcased highlights from 2023 and projects it is working on for 2024. CVB Executive Director Deana Clark said that the annual meeting is a "night we get to fellowship with our partners."
During the annual meeting they look back on what has been accomplished in the previous year and what to look forward to in the current year.
During the meeting, CVB Board of Directors Treasurer Mike Iaderosa shared a financial report. According to Iaderosa, in 2023 tourism generated $398,662 in city and county lodging taxes. Private partnerships generated another $39,730. The total expenses for the CVB for 2023 were $502,780 and the net income was $-9,953. He said the negative number was due to outgoing invoices. Iaderosa ended his report by saying "It's been a good year, (we've) done a lot of good things." Clark talked about the highlights of 2023.
"We have a new website," she said.
Clark said the CVB used American Rescue Plan Act funds from the city of Marietta and the Washington County Commission to redo the website. Clark also shared with those in attendance that the CVB won the Ohio Travel Association's 2023 Ruby Award for the redesigned website.
"They are marks of excellence," Clark said about the Ruby Award. She said the CVB has increased its number of social media followers by 7% to approximately 49,000 and it also increased the number of people on its email list. According to Clark there was also an increase in the number of visitors guides the CVB distributed.
"By the end of June we had distributed all of our visitors guides for the year," Clark said, adding this was roughly double the amount of guides they had distributed the previous year. According to Clark the CVB also used ARPA funds to place ads in niche magazines and to create new marketing materials for trade shows. The CVB also created new group tour and conference profile sheets, a Beverly visitors guide and other materials. They also got new sign boards on PIke Street and State Route 7.
The CVB created in 2023 a commercial called "By Land and By Seeing." The commercial was shown at the meeting. In it many Washington County sites were highlighted including The Cook's Shop, a cooking store in Marietta; the Marietta Levee; the Lafayette Hotel; and more. The commercial ended, saying, "Eat, drink, and be Marietta."
To learn more about all the things the CVB did in 2023 and more, visit https://mariettaohio.org/. Clark talked about plans for 2024 as well during the meeting. She said the CVB is working on doing an evaluation of the area compared to others on trail management, trail quality, trail variety and available amenities to prepare for a possible assessment by the International Mountain BIking Association (IMBA). Being assessed by the IMBA would "put (Washington County's) outdoor recreation assets on a national platform," Clark said.
According to Clark, work and planning sessions have begun for America 250, an initiative by the government to work on celebrating the 250th birthday of the United States. Clark said she is on a state level tourism committee for America 250 and she will share information about events as she receives it. Marietta is going to be a stop on the Great Race, Clark said. The 2024 Hemmings Motor News Great Race is a nine-day 250-mile classic car rally with antique automobiles competing for $150,000 in prizes.
It will come to Marietta on June 23.
"Marietta will be the only overnight stop in Ohio," Clark said, adding they expect possibly 10,000 people in Marietta the day of the race.
Clark told attendees that the CVB needs them to be tourism ambassadors so that people will come to Marietta.
"Our little corner of Ohio is worth the visit," Clark said.