Springfield CVB seeks additional public funding

Springfield is the third largest city in Missouri, yet its Convention & Visi-tors Bureau's budget ranks fourth in the state.

Public funding for the Springfield CVB ranks even lower eighth in the state and provides slightly more than half, 51.5 percent, of the bureau's $1.98 million budget.

The remainder is raised by the nonprofit bureau through advertising sales, partnerships, state grants and miscellaneous income.

That's why Executive Director Tracy Kimberlin is working with City Manager Tom Finnie to explore ideas similar to House Bill 188, the funding mechanism for the Missouri Division of Tourism. The state plan was developed by Kimberlin and approved by the General Assembly in 1993.

The plan would increase the bureau's public funding without raising taxes or taking money from existing revenue sources by allocating to the bureau a portion of future growth in sales taxes generated at tourism businesses, Kim-berlin said.

Additional funding is needed so the bureau can enhance its efforts to market Springfield as a destination for tourists, conventions, sports and other events.

"The CVB is the city's primary marketing organization," Kimberlin said. "We are responsible for developing and implementing marketing programs that provide steady growth in the travel industry. National advertising is expensive and difficult to do without adequate funding."

The bureau's marketing efforts are becoming increasingly important with the coming opening of Wonders of Wildlife the American National Fish and Wildlife Museum, and development of Jordan Valley Park.

The projects mean Springfield has more to offer visitors than ever before, and visitors put money in local cash registers and contribute to sales and lodging taxes.

The city's Travel and Tourism Eco-nomic Impact Report conducted in 1996 estimated visitors spent $483 million while in Springfield and contributed $5.8 million in sales and lodging taxes. The report also estimated more than 5,200 people were employed by the travel industry.

"Tourism and travel is big business in Springfield," Kimberlin said.

A Visitor Profile Study conducted in 1999 by D.K. Shifflet and Associates showed 2.2 million overnight visitors spent $526.2 million while visiting Springfield.

More marketing means even more visitors and increased economic impact, but the bureau is already stretching its budget.

The Springfield CVB operates at a lower cost and spends more on marketing the city than the national average. The average CVB spends 42.4 percent of its budget for personnel and 15 percent for other expenses; Springfield spends only 33.1 percent on personnel and 10 percent on other expenses.

The average CVB also spends 42.7 percent of its budget for direct promotion; Springfield spends 56.8 percent.

"We devote as many dollars to marketing as we can," Kimberlin said. "With a limited budget to begin with, there's only so much we can do." For more information about the Springfield CVB, visit the Web site at www.springfieldmo.org.

(Susan Wade is public relations manager for the Springfield Conven-tion & Visitors Bureau.)