By Madeline Novey
Reporter-Herald
9/28/11

In coming months, a person or group will be asked to implement the city's new tourism and marketing plan.

Whether that person is a full-time municipal employee remains a point of debate, however, the Loveland City Council indicated Tuesday.

"If you have a bus, you need a bus driver," said City Manager Bill Cahill.

But currently, no one person or department is in charge of marketing Loveland's attractions. And Cahill told the councilors that marketing the city would not progress easily without the support of a dedicated, full-time employee.

Councilor Hugh McKean was concerned that paying a dedicated staff member would use up a good portion of revenues -- projected at $550,000 yearly -- generated by the lodging tax.

But Betsey Hale, director of the city's Economic Development Department, said having a central person to manage this task 24/7 is necessary to ensure more people come to town and, in turn, generate more lodging tax revenues.

Linda Hughey, CMC chairwoman, said she is fully aware of the sense of urgency in making this and other decisions in the next couple of weeks so as not to lose the forward momentum Toolbox Creative CFO Tom Campbell said the city has gained since hiring the company.

She also said deciding how to move forward with financial and personnel support of the Visitor Center, now operated by the Loveland Chamber of Commerce, as a key to marketing the city is another priority.

In Tuesday's meeting, councilors, the commission and city staff reviewed more than six months of research by Toolbox Creative and its partners that shows Loveland has a strong identity, or DNA, as Toolbox President and CEO Dawn Putney called it. But it hasn't shared that identity, its story, with the world.

Leading off that research, Toolbox said Loveland needs to offer more to people who do visit.

Ideas included enhancing city sculpture gardens and developing tour potential; offering interactive arts including living sculptures and digital graffiti; a 14-day celebration surrounding Valentine's Day in February and an arts parade.

Also on the table is whether the city will want to hire Toolbox to develop a brand for Loveland. As part of its initial contract, Toolbox set out to research whether Loveland has a brand and what it could do to attract more people. Creating logos, taglines based on Loveland's "story" would cost another $35,000, as part of the company's original bid.

In its meeting Oct. 19, the Community Marketing Commission will discuss whether a tourism-marketing employee is necessary and, if so, how this person's job could be structured. The commission will also take a look at which department this person would work under, whom and with what organizations they would collaborate and what their job responsibilities might be.

But that is just one of many things the Community Marketing Commission must decide in the future.