The Crookston Visitors Bureau (CVB) met inside the Cobblestone Inn this past Thursday for their October meeting. The meeting began with reviewing and approving the September 9 meeting minutes, which the board approved unanimously.
The board then heard a treasurer’s report and approved all bills payable for September for $9,565. The next item on the agenda was reviewing a grant request from Forks Karting Association. Bobby Baird gave the board a brief presentation of the organization and was seeking $1,000 to help promote an upcoming event. The organization specializes in racing and will host a two-day Indoor Go Kart Racing event on December 4-5 at the Red River Valley Winter Shows Building.
The board approved the grant request unanimously, and CVB Chair Nell DeBoer spoke more about why they approved it. “This is something that has been going on for several years and has been starting to gain some steam,” said DeBoer. “They had a recent stretch where there were some issues that came up with the Red River Valley Group at the building, so the event went away, but those have been resolved, and we’re hoping we can generate some support for this event and create some more overnight stays in Crookston from it.”
The board then reviewed the preliminary 2022 budget. The board approved the preliminary budget unanimously after reviewing and discussing the numbers.
DeBoer talked about how the CVB estimated the 2022 budget. “We went month by month, and with our yearly set fees that we have, we were able to get a rough idea of what we’re going to be paying,” said DeBoer. “We’ve had a year to figure these details out, and we will continue to analyze them to get this as accurate as we can before 2022.”
The estimated total income for the upcoming year is $45,500, with total general and administrative costs estimated at $12,540. The other estimated expense for the CVB is marketing and promotional costs which is currently set at $30,200 for the upcoming year, for a net amount of $1,260 for the 2022 budget. The final budget will be up for approval in December, and the numbers could still change a little after more analysis in the coming weeks. The extra amount from the net total will be used for any additional needs the CVB may need or be carried over into the next budget year.
The board then heard an events subcommittee update from Laurie Stahlecker. DeBoer talked about the purpose a subcommittee would serve. “The regular meetings are jammed-packed, and it’s challenging to fit everything in within just one hour,” said DeBoer. “So, we want a group that can have separate meetings and meets with organizations to talk about putting on events in Crookston.”
Stahlecker will be leading the subcommittee, and the hope is to start having regular meetings by the beginning of 2022 to create more events in Crookston.
Mark Landa of the Crookston Area Chamber then gave an update on the newly formed Crookston Beautification Collaboration. The Collaborations goals are to encourage adoption and maintenance of area planters, hanging baskets, spaces that could use some TLC to create a more welcoming environment for residents and visitors, walkability, preservation, and other collaborative ideas. The presentation from Landa was informational, and no action was needed from the board.
Next on the agenda was a timeline for the advertisement of a Marketing Coordinator and when the CVB would like to see one hired. “I would say advertisement will start right after the next meeting in November once we finalize the ad,” said DeBoer. “We’re going to add a few things into the budget for this role, such as a phone, office equipment, stuff so that whoever takes this job can do it correctly with the proper equipment.”
The board then heard a review of the “What Brings you to Crookston” campaign for September. Once again, the biggest reason for people staying overnight in Crookston was for Construction work, with 181 total registered visitors in that category. The next highest was for Business/Work with 70, and there was a total of 14 different reasons for people staying in Crookston in the month.
The board will not meet again until November.
