City Advertising and Promotion Commissioners passed ideas back and forth on possible expos that could be held in the auditorium basement, which is being renovated.
While she didn’t know the exact amount, Tourism Director Madison Dawson estimated that 20 – 25 10×10 ft. booths could be set up in the Aud basement. A wedding expo was the first thing on her list, to be held at some point in January or February, and possibly a second in August, with the idea being area photographers, wedding planners, caterers, and other wedding related businesses could show their work. The idea of an event in August was appealing to commissioners with Autumn Slane mentioning that the month needed more events
A culinary expo around Valentine’s Day was the second suggestion with Dawson admitting she knew less on the subject than weddings. Commissioners pointed her to James DeVito to discuss that idea further. Slane mentioned that the event should be before Valentine’s Day as that weekend is already so packed for restaurateurs that it may be difficult for them to pull off both having a booth and handling that season rush.
Commissioner Carol Wright, more referring to expos in general but using Flint St. Food Bank as the example for the culinary expo, said that the expos could be a way to raise money for charity. She said it would be an extra draw for people to attend if they know their money is going to assist a local non-profit.
In talking a mix of a mountain biking or outdoor adventure event, commissioners passed the idea around between holding it in spring or in the summer. Dawson described the event would be closer to a festival and while it may be difficult to facilitate a race it would be a time to highlight area trails and outdoor activities in the area.
She also said that branding would be geared towards promoting returning visitation in fall. She explained that hardcore enthusiasts of mountain biking and other outdoor adventure sports use summer to visit areas like Colorado, but that when weather turns in fall that Eureka Springs is in good position to grab their business.
Chair Jeff Carter pointed out that a June-July festival would fit where Fat Tire Festival used to sit, saying that Parks has no interest in continuing the festival. As a quick clarification, Parks commissioners decided some time ago that using public funds to host festivals was not a correct use of such money. Carter said that until the CAPC found a race promoter, an outdoor adventure festival would be the best option.
A mention of holiday shopping brought on the topic of Christmas lights as a major talking point. Slane lamented a lack of Christmas lights downtown, saying that the city could do better. She mentioned wanting to have the entirety of downtown decorated. She mentioned her experience working with Heart of Eureka to hire a company to go to businesses to install lights and said she would be interested in seeing how the CAPC could accomplish a stronger light presence during that season.
While there is the problem of most of downtown being private property, Carter said that if she could put together a proposal that the commission would be happy to consider it. Commissioner Patrick Burnett suggested reaching out to Fayetteville to see how their light show is organized. There was also mention of the need for businesses to stay open longer for the draw of those lights to be effective in garnering tourism dollars and whether CAPC funds could even be used to decorate private businesses. It was generally agreed that more research would be done on the subject.
Carter made another suggestion that the CAPC dedicate funds next year to market Christmas lights and trying to incentivize business owners to decorate their storefronts. When he said that they should workshop the idea with local business owners, Slane said she thought it would be “an amazing first step.” Burnett also mentioned that if his business knew about traffic for lights that he would decorate further.
Other items
- Dawson said that Paradise Marketing would be extending marketing to weekday travelers, specifically older retirees, as well as remote work packages.
- In talking about social media marketing, Dawson clarified that photographs linked on CAPC social media sites are “organic content” meaning it is crowd sourced from visitors who post pictures on social media hash tagging Eureka Springs. That content is not paid for but the original photographers, often not professional, are given credit with permission. She said that when the CAPC has paid for a photoshoot they have used local photographers in the past and that there could be more opportunities in the future.
- The Aud elevator is inspected and ready for use.