The Crookston Visitor’s Bureau held its monthly meeting on Thursday, November 17. The regular agenda items included approving the minutes from the previous month’s meeting, the treasurers’ report/bills payable, lodging tax comparison per month and activities report from the interim tourism coordinator, Nell DeBoer were discussed and approved.
There were several new marketing activities that the group is working on;
The University of Minnesota Crookston’s marketing class has been working with the Bureau to present a comprehensive marketing campaign designed specifically for the Crookston Visitors Bureau. This marketing class, led by Courtney Bergman, will be presented to the CVB marketing subcommittee in early December. The marketing subcommittee will meet with media outlets to submit a yearly campaign strategy for the upcoming year.
The Bureau then heard a report about the Crookston Visitor’s Guide, saying Visitors’ guides continue to be dispersed throughout the community, the University of Minnesota Campus, and upon requests from individuals and the restocking of visitor centers in Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota. They learned that Travis Oliver and the CHS Community Projects class are working on two CVB logo signs, and new brochure holders will be placed on the top floor of the Crookston Sports Center and at Valley Technology Park.
The Bureau also discussed the entrance signs around the city, and the group thanks the City of Crookston for the repairs and improvements to the lighting on both signs. The Bureau discussed adding two more signs and will make a request to the city for the 2024 budget.
Interim Tourism Coordinator Nell DeBoer, Jess Bengtson, and Bob Magsam reported that they had made a presentation to the Crookston Rotary Club about what exactly the Bureau does, how to apply for a marketing grant, and the vision for the group in the upcoming year. The meeting was well received by the Rotary, and the CVB plans to attend the meetings of several other clubs and organizations.
The Bureau then reported that the events subcommittee met with Jake Solberg from the city to discuss two large hockey tournaments to take place from March 3-5 at the Crookston Sports Center. The Crookston Visitors Bureau has agreed to be the hospitality group for the event and will be working to provide bags, coupons, and activities for the teams to do between games that will keep them in town. The activities suggested were free movies, an open swim at the community pool, and special sales throughout the retail community. The events committee will reach out to the DCDP and the Chamber to assist with coordinating these activities and sales.
The events subcommittee also met to discuss the main focus items for the upcoming year. The group wants to focus on some smaller, one-day events and combine them with other events in the same time frame to create overnight stays. These events included Oktoberfest in September, Hunter’s Weekend in October, Fight the Frost in January, and a spring concert/dance in April at the Crookston Sports Center. The group feels that there are many great one-day events in Crookston to include, such as Chalk it Up, King of Trails Marketplace, Cornstalk Jamboree, Harvest Festival, Pioneer Day, and the most recent event, What the Buck, Save Some Doe. Because the CVB is funded with a lodging tax, all grants given must be targeted to those events that create overnight stays. By combining these events, adding bands, and other evening entertainment, the group feels that a strong weekend-long event can take place, which could result in up to $3000 in marketing grant dollars to be spent on attracting people to Crookston to attend these events.
The Crookston Visitors Bureau will next meet on Thursday, December 15, in the Crookston Inn. Community members are encouraged to reach out to the CVB with any suggestions, ideas, or events they would like to market at crookstoncvb@gmail.com.
