Lodging Panel Begins Marketing Changes

The Prowers County Lodging Tax Panel is employing a marketing firm, VistaWorks to help increase overnight visitors to the county by highlighting year-round attractions beyond one-time, annual events.

To help clarity the practice, the Lodging Panel is mailing past and future recipients with a letter that addresses the new policy which states,

“Dear Lodging Tax Board Recipient:

Prowers’s County Lodging Tax Board is in the process of changing the manner in which it functions. In the past, money was allotted for marketing, advertising and contract fees for events that were submitted to this board. The marketing and advertising fees will no longer need to be requested as we have partnered with Vista Works and have received grant money for a website that will be used to advertise and market every event in Prowers County. We are excited to offer this new venue of resources and hope this will saturate all available avenues of advertising and marketing. The outcome of this means there will be less funds available to applicants since the promotion of events will be done by Vista Works.

If you have received funding in the past, please be aware that the future funding of your event may be significantly less as we move forward with this venture. A part of the new process could possibly include quarterly application time periods and as always, we expect a follow-up report of the event.”

The change to new marketing practices has been discussed for the better part of the past year by the Panel which met Tuesday, November 19^th. The meeting included a lengthy video discussion with Vista Works Destination Marketing representative Bryan Jordan. This past summer, Jordan explained his company set up a facebook and Instagram account and was in contact with the Colorado Tourism Organization regarding the Prowers Count venture. Vista Works is being paid $19,000 for its annual services.

A request for funding from the High Plains Snow Goose Festival for their February event was tabled until the next Panel meeting on December 19^th.

By Russ Baldwin