Elgin council will consider increasing tourism bureau funding

Eighteen months after pleading not to be cut from the city of Elgin's budget, the Elgin Area Convention and Visitors Bureau - now under new leadership - has proved its worth and the city council will consider increasing its funding, officials said.

The council will discuss Wednesday a proposal from City Manager Rick Kozal to fund the bureau at $250,000 per year for the next three years, up from its current $196,700 contract that expires June 30.

Kozal said the proposed $53,300 increase is so that the city's contribution mirrors the money the bureau expects to receive from the state, which requires a local match. The funding increase is due to the effectiveness of the bureau, which would use the additional revenue for more marketing and grant opportunities, Kozal said.

Councilwoman Carol Rauschenberger, who in recent years questioned the effectiveness of the bureau, said she's on board with the increase if it will help capture more state funding. "They have been doing good things," said Rauschenberger, who recently was appointed to the bureau's board.

The plan is to use the money to advertise Elgin to visitors, sporting tournaments and event planners, Bureau Executive Director Krisilee Murphy said. "We will be meeting with area partners to create a plan to strategically use the money to continue promoting the area at a higher level," she said.

The current contract is the first one between the city and the bureau, which used to be funded by a set percentage of revenues from hotel/motel taxes. The contract mandated that the bureau increase its marketing budget and cap salaries for staff members.

"The impact from the additional marketing dollars has plainly demonstrated a positive impact based on the increased funding allocation from the state," Kozal said. "This objective measure of success achieves precisely what the city was seeking in 2017 when demanding change to the EACVB operations as a condition to the continued funding assistance."

Former Executive Director Kim Bless had pleaded with the council in late 2017 not to cut funding for the bureau, as Kozal initially proposed. The council agreed to a one-year contract, and Bless was laid off by the bureau's board in June as a result of the salary cap requirement.

Krisilee Murphy was promoted to lead the agency in July. Since then, the bureau has hosted two new events: a bus tour for event planners to showcase locations in Elgin that offer meeting and event space; and "Ring Around Elgin," during which more than 240 people registered for a tour of wedding venues. Both were very successful, officials said.

The bureau won an Illinois "excellence in tourism" award in February for its "Explore Elgin" branding campaign and also has worked to bring more sports tournaments to the area.

Among the bureau's upcoming plans is a marketing campaign that will focus on enticing people to relocate to Elgin.

"The relocation component of the EACVB marketing plan is only beginning," Kozal said, "and the belief is that by committing sufficient marketing resources for a sustained duration, awareness of Elgin's diverse community and housing stock will increase within the metro area and beyond."

In addition to Murphy, the bureau employs a sales manager and a part-time tourism promotions coordinator Breanne Moreno. The three-member team works as support staff during all major city events, such as last weekend's iFest, Murphy said.