Area's visitor bureau has more funding going into '12

The VCB heads into 2012 with a $312,000 budget, up from $300,000 this year, Executive Director George Sharp said Friday.

Some funding was in doubt after Sharp was hired in November 2010, and some city officials warned that the organization needed to perform well to continue to receive funding, he said. The VCB receives funding from Olympia, Lacey and Tumwater as well as from the Port of Olympia, as well as membership dues, advertising and sponsorships.

Concerns about the VCB likely stem from a period in which the organization was mired in a difficult transition.

In 2010, the previous executive director, Mike Dexter, was fired by the board’s executive committee after he served nearly three years in that role. Board members at the time said the organization needed a new direction, and Dexter was replaced on an interim basis before Sharp was hired in November of that year from the state Department of Commerce. Sharp had worked as a tourism-development manager during his time with the state agency, he said.

Sharp set the VCB on a new course and eventually was rewarded by the county’s three largest cities. Olympia increased its funding to $100,000 from $90,000; Lacey increased its portion to $80,000 from about $64,000; and Tumwater raised its contribution to $22,860 from $19,645, Sharp said.

“Our job is to put heads in beds (hotels and bed and breakfasts), bottoms in seats (restaurants and theaters) and feet on the street (shopping) to make the cash register ring,” he said.

One of Sharp’s ideas was to create a series of “learn and network” meetings for VCB members that focused on public relations, social media and media relations. He also is working with hoteliers here on an idea already in practice in other counties called a tourism promotion area. It would bolster the VCB’s funding and marketing efforts.

Tumwater City Councilwoman Judith Hoefling, an ad hoc member on the VCB board, said Sharp’s enthusiasm and energy have paid off.

“We finally hired a true professional that is trained in tourism,” she said. “The difference is the training, and he’s superb.”

Rolf Boone: 360-754-5403

rboone@theolympian.com

www.theolympian.com/bizblog