Oswego doesn’t appear keen on paying the tab to join the Aurora Area Convention and Visitors Bureau.
The Aurora Area Convention and Visitors Bureau is a nonprofit organization that represents Aurora, Montgomery, Yorkville, North Aurora, Batavia, Sugar Grove, Sandwich, Plano, Big Rock and Hinckley to promote tourism and hotel stays in the region.
Oswego trustees as a Committee of the Whole Tuesday night heard a representative from the group discuss the benefits of being part of the consortium.
Trustees weren’t convinced the investment of using a “significant” portion of the village’s hotel/motel sales tax revenues would be of value, especially since Oswego is not identified as part of the Aurora area.
“I can’t see the benefit to us,” Trustee Pam Parr said. “We give up funding and advertising for some of our own events and then you throw in the fact that we are a guppy swimming around with a whale.”
Oswego currently does its own marketing and advertising to attract visitors and promote special events. The village was part of the Aurora Area Convention and Visitors Bureau from the mid-1990s to 2002, village officials said.
Oswego then assumed the functions of promoting tourism through a public-private corporation co-funded by the village and local businesses. The Village Board in 2011 decided to move the tourism functions in-house and hire part-time staff to manage the duties. It was subsequently renamed the Oswego Tourism Bureau.
Michele Brown, Oswego community relations manager, said the village budgets approximately $100,000 annually for tourism-related campaigns, which includes advertising and the salaries and benefits for staff.
Brown said the Aurora Area Convention and Visitors Bureau requires that member communities contribute 90 percent of their hotel/motel sales tax revenues, which would translate to approximately $63,000 a year for the village of Oswego.
Visitors Bureau Executive Director Cort Carlson said Oswego would be part of a “partnership” that would be able to compound its hotel/motel sales tax revenues into an estimated $500,000 in marketing promotions to attract conventions, tours, sports events and recreational tourism to the region.
“Our initiatives are having a positive impact on hotel performance in the Aurora area. Our hotels are selling more and demanding a higher price,” he said.
Oswego trustees wanted more specific information concerning the village.
“I would like to know if there is a benefit and a way to measure success for each community,” Parr said.
Carlson said the Visitors Bureau can measure success by the leads it generates and the value of visitors it brings to local hotels.
Trustees also had an issue with the “Aurora area” portion of the group’s name.
“When you say Aurora area what you really mean is Aurora. The other communities benefit because of their location. I don’t see what we get out of it. The emphasis is on Aurora,” Parr said.
Parr said she served as a member of the board of the Aurora Area Convention and Visitors Bureau from 2008 to 2010.
“I am familiar with how they worked then,” she said. “I know they have had problems since then and they were not that good then. I am (reluctant) and skeptical and understand why you want to play with us guppies but I want to make sure our town, our hotels and community have a benefit.”
Village President Gail Johnson said she had an issue with the Visitor Bureau website.
“One of the concerns when we pulled back was that we didn’t get coverage for our events, even in the local guide,” Johnson said.
Johnson said she also had concerns with a brand she said places heavy emphasis on Aurora.
“The question is not only financial, but how is Oswego served by an Enjoy Aurora tag. Our amenities are very different. Both (Oswego and Aurora) are beautiful towns as are the other communities (but) we all have different amenities to offer. We are trying to find out what makes the most sense for us knowing that part of our obligation is making our hoteliers happy. It is their money we are talking about,” Johnson said.
Linda Girardi is a freelance writer for The Beacon-News
