PR or no PR, Vote Now For Gloucester Tourism
Gloucester Tourism Commission needs your help!!!
A Public Relations Campaign for the city of Gloucester for one year would cost about $25,000. If the city contributes $10,000 to that campaign, Bass Rocks Ocean Inn will match that with an additional $10,000. That would leave an additional $5,000 to be raised from businesses like yours.
If the city chooses not to contribute, how much would you be willing to add?
Please register your input here under comments or e-mail the commission members directly with your opinions.
Laura Dow info@vistamotel.com
Deb Ryan dryan7@verizon.net
Bill Samenfink bsamenfi@endicott.edu
Peter Jenner pjenner@endicott.edu
Ronn Garry ronngarry@comcast.net
- Would you support hiring a public relations firm to promote Gloucester?
- Would you support the city contributing $10,000 from the Tourism Budget?
- If not, how much do you think the city should contribute and how could the Tourism Budget be better utilized?
- Would YOU contribute to funding the Public Relations Campaign and how much?
- If private donations were not enough to fund the campaign, would you feel differently about the city contributing?
The Gloucester Tourism Commission met this morning regarding their budget for this year. See the previous post for a breakdown of last years' expenditures and items up for this year. The vote was postponed for two weeks waiting for more input from you.
Proposed Budget
| Visitor's Welcoming Center training and coordinator for 2010 season | $7,000 |
| Holdback for budget cuts | $4,300 |
| Public Relations Campaign | $10,000 |
A Public Relations Campaign for the city of Gloucester for one year would cost about $25,000. If the city contributes $10,000 to that campaign, Bass Rocks Ocean Inn will match that with an additional $10,000. That would leave an additional $5,000 to be raised from businesses like yours.
If the city chooses not to contribute, how much would you be willing to add?
The question of how the PR firm would be chosen and who would be in charge has been raised. These questions have not been answered because at this point, the only offer of money has come from Bass Rocks Ocean Inn. So in my opinion, what I would like to see is a committee to interview and hire the firm, review work and reaffirm the contract or replace the firm. The contract will have benchmarks for mutual agreement so we don't find ourselves tied into a firm we don't like. The committee will have representatives from donors, the tourism commission, someone familiar with how PR should work, and members of the community that are a wealth of knowledge about Gloucester and its history. My vision is someone to watch the money, someone to keep us on our stated track, someone to feed us a never-ending supply of stories and someone to tell us if the firm is doing what they are supposed to.
Please register your input here under comments or e-mail the commission members directly with your opinions.
Laura Dow info@vistamotel.com
Deb Ryan dryan7@verizon.net
Bill Samenfink bsamenfi@endicott.edu
Peter Jenner pjenner@endicott.edu
Ronn Garry ronngarry@comcast.net
Posted by Innkeepers of Cape Ann at 9/24/2009 1:17 PM 
Categories: Public Relations, Gloucester Tourism Commission, How We Can Help Each Other
Categories: Public Relations, Gloucester Tourism Commission, How We Can Help Each Other
I would totally support the city funding of a PR firm to promote Gloucester. I would support much more than $10K going to it. Ever since I started working in the tourist industry in this town about five or six years ago, it has been my DREAM to see a Gloucester commercial on mainstream TV. I think the City will get back in spades whatever it spends on funding to promote Gloucester (that is, if they ever figure out how tourist dollars should REALLY be counted).
I cannot afford to put money toward this. I would like to but I'm a new business owner this year and still operating solidly in the red. I would put money toward it if I were making money, and I will. I don't think private donations should let the City out of the responsibility for promoting its tourist-oriented businesses. Tourism could fund a lot more of the City's infrastructure, if only it had a push from more than just the individual business-owners.
Thanks, Tracey, I appreciate your work. Hope to be more instrumental when I get up to speed.
-Amanda
Inn Magnolia
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Its always been my belief that the city should be providing PR AND Cooperative Ad Coordination. I have very specific ideas on how this can work for the highest number of advertisers for the lowest cost at no cost to the city. Is the group interested in hearing about it? Perhaps an invitation to the next meeting?
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While I completely agree that promoting Gloucester with a PR agent is in the best interest of us all, I won't give money if the tourism office is in charge. Can there be a committee that includes the businesses?
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Did you want to speak to the Tourism Commission about it? All of their meetings are public and the next one will be October 8 at 7:30 am at the 3rd floor conference room in City Hall. You can always e-mail them in advance and ask to be put on the agenda.
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What a wonderful thing for Bass Rocks to match the city! thank you Bass Rocks!
My business and I cannot afford to contribute to the money needed unless it is a relatively low amount. We are going into our real slow season of winter and are hoping to survive the cost of fuel. The Gloucester Merchants group with Lorre from the Black Swan knows how many merchants that might be able to pitch in and pay for a small amount. She does that for the advertising. I'm sure you know that already.
Another thought is to ask Sam Parks ( as he said he would make sure Downtown is not affected by his development) and ask the banks of downtown Gloucester to donate to the cause as they own quite a bit of frontage on our Main Street and Rogers Street.....that would help let the small shops to survive!
Anything that is done on Main st should be coordinated through all of the merchants. If the Downtown development commission or the other group that is comprised of the same people, makes all of the decisions , then I am not in favor of continuing to support any endevor. I have found that things are done and money from the city is spent without talking.....e-mailing....or a visit to the shop owner ( the same way the Chamber does not visit us or talks to shop owners that are not members).
Don't get me wrong, I love our Main Street and I want the best for our "Quaint" Main Street!
I am always willing to help, but it would be nice to have your voice be heard.
Lighting on Main Street still needs to be addressed and the lights need to be in the trees or in the ground shining up on the bark of the trees !!
Flower arrangements need to be spread throughout Main Street, not just in some sections.
We need more Block parties!
It would be nice to have a trial of the Farmers market be brought to Main Street......just try it !
Anyway, those are some of my ramblings and these are not the issues of the Innkeepers group, I am sure.
Hope fully you will have someone great to promote Gloucester in the future.
One last thing....when they do promote Gloucester, include the movie filming that has taken place in Gloucester. I just had a young couple in from Minnisota and they told me they came to Gloucester because of the Sandra Bulluck movie that is now playing ..... even though the movie portrays Gloucester and Rockport as being in Alaska!!! They must have looked at the credits!
If anyone wants to contact me, please feel free to do so at 978-281-1048 or e-mail me. I would be glad to give some help.
Louise Palazzola
STUFF
161 Main Street
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As Tracey has mentioned, Tourism Commission meetings are open to the public. The Tourism Commission would very much like to hear about how you would like to see the city support tourism in Gloucester. We meet the second Thursday of each month at 7:30 a.m., usually in the third-floor conference room at City Hall. I look forward to seeing you there.
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I am a member of the Gloucester Tourism Commission, and would like to know why you would not give money if the commission is in charge. I am very much in favor of hiring a PR person to promote Gloucester. We are hoping that people will come forward and give us their opinions and recommendations to help us with promoting our beautiful city. Also, in answering your question of a committee that includes businesses, we have been discussing our options and would appreciate any suggestions you may have. You may attend our meetings, email any of the members, or put the suggestions on Innkeepers of Cape Ann. We are trying to bring the many tourism related organizations together so that we may all reach our goal of making "Gloucester" one of the most recognized cities, and have all of our businesses flourish.
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