The Crookston Visitors Bureau (CVB) met Thursday morning inside the Crookston Inn. The meeting began with the approval of the October 14 meeting minutes and all bills payable, which the board approved unanimously.
The board then reviewed the one-year anniversary accomplishments for the CVB. “I think the biggest accomplishment we had was the printing and distribution of 10,000 visitor guides,” said CVB Chair Nell DeBoer. “We’ve sent them all over the place. We also had our website designed, which was very positive, and we have just recently produced our second commercial, which is going all over the place, so that is exciting.”
The next item on the agenda was reviewing city and trail maps. There have been a lot of people coming to Crookston and asking for maps during their stay. The CVB is close to being completed with maps that will include points of interest, lodging, dining, and gas stations/convenience stores. Once completed, they will be available at hotels, the Crookston Area Chamber, on the CVB website, and in the next Visitor Guides that are distributed. The board approved the printing and distribution of the maps once they’re completed.
The board then heard an update regarding a potential construction project coming to Grand Forks that could bring in overnight stays. The project will build a plant that will process corn, and construction could start as soon as this month. There is not enough room in Grand Forks to house all the incoming construction workers for the job, and rooms may be needed in Crookston; however, it is uncertain how many rooms or what period of time they would be needed. More information will be available in the coming weeks, but the project could bring in business to Crookston that was not anticipated.
The board then reviewed and approved finalizing the estimated CVB budget for 2022. The estimated lodging tax for the budget is $45,500, with General and Administrative costs coming out to $16,640. Marketing and promotion costs are estimated at $28,700, leaving $160 left over for additional costs. DeBoer shared all amounts in the budget are estimates and could change as the year goes along. “A lot of things start with a budget, and we had to get through our first year,” said DeBoer. “We’re pretty confident with the numbers; we got it pretty tight, but we do have some extra cash if needed, so it can be altered. With the corn processing plant project coming to Grand Forks, we may also bring in extra money, which would be great. So, the budget can change, and we just needed a starting point.”
The board approved and finalized the budget after some discussion.
The board then got a chance to look at a job description for hiring a Tourism Coordinator. DeBoer said the goal for starting the hiring process is December 1, and she explained what the CVB is looking for. “We’re looking for someone who wants to put in about 15 hours a week,” said DeBoer. “Most of it is online, and I’ve been doing that as well as being the chair for the board, so I’m excited to let someone else maybe take that for now.”
The next item on the agenda was to approve Macey Buker as the new UMC representative for the CVB board. Buker will be replacing DeBoer as the UMC representative, and DeBoer shared who will be taking over as chair of the CVB. “Going into January, Cory Dallager will become the chair,” said DeBoer. “We are a little nervous about having a tourism coordinator in place by January, so if we don’t, I will stay on as interim until we can fill that position.”
The board approved Buker to replace DeBoer, and it will be effective at the beginning of 2022. Terms on the CVB board are typically three years, but DeBoer only signed on for one allowing for a new representative from UMC.
The board then reviewed the “What Brings You to Crookston” campaign, and the two biggest reasons for overnight stays in Crookston for October were Harvest Workers and Construction. There were 15 different reasons that people stayed in Crookston, and 687 people were surveyed.
The meeting ended with board member reports, and the next meeting will take place in December, and it will be the last scheduled meeting for 2021.
