Visitor Guide postage remains point of contention

Finance Director Rick Bright alerted City Advertising and Promotion commissioners on Feb. 8 that the Chamber of Commerce has already mailed enough Visitor Guides that he is concerned the CAPC’s contractual postage obligation, budgeted at $40,000, might not be enough. He said the budget also has $9000 for Wedding Guides and Group Travel Guides.

Commissioner David Mitchell said he thought it was highly questionable that the CAPC had no recourse except to pay for postage when the bill came. Bright explained that the CAPC and the Chamber of Commerce are laboring under an old contract that will expire at the end of 2018. In the meantime, the CAPC is bound to pay for postage of Visitor Guides requested by potential tourists.

Commissioner Susan Harman pointed out the publications are printed toward the end of a year and mailed away throughout the next year. It is dated after a point, she claimed, and stated, “The CAPC should not pay for things with old information.”

Damon Henke, former Interim Director of the Chamber, stated the contract says what the CAPC pays for is postage for Guides directly requested. He claimed there were thousands extra printed that were recycled.

Bottom line for all commissioners was to set up a meeting with the Chamber to begin discussion about the contract, and CAPC Executive Director Mike Maloney suggested the March 22 workshop.

In a phone interview, Chamber President Tammy Thurow provided these figures regarding the Visitor Guide.

• Under different leadership, 150,000 Visitor Guides were printed in 2015; unknown how many were left over.
• Chamber printed 75,000 Visitor Guides in 2016; sent out 26,000 within a week of getting them from the printer to those who had requested them or had requested them in the past.
• During the year, the Chamber mailed and shipped 72,900 Visitor Guides. Twelve boxes of 75 Guides each were left over, and they were recycled. The guides were sent to the Arkansas Department of Tourism, welcome centers and Visitor Bureaus throughout the state and to neighboring states, and they are available at the Visitor Center and trolley station.
• The Chamber printed 82,500 copies of the 2017 Visitor Guide. Chamber staff sent out 30,000 during the first week.
• During the most recent week, the Chamber received 402 requests for Visitor Guides.
• There is no cost to the CAPC until the Guides are actually mailed.

Thurow also agreed a conversation about the mailing agreement is in order.