Local marketing district money being allocated to local chambers

Funds requested to improve visitor experiences in the valley

The Board of County Commissioners, acting as the county’s Local Marketing District (LMD), unanimously decided to allocate up to $50,000 of its 2015 budget so the Crested Butte/Mt. Crested Butte Chamber of Commerce and the Gunnison Chamber of Commerce can improve visitors’ experiences in Gunnison County.

Representatives from each chamber summarized their plans for the funds: improve chamber websites and data management systems; enhance social media efforts and decrease the time it takes guests to acquire information regarding lodging, events and local amenities; improve the physical infrastructure of chamber facilities to improve the guest experience.
Executive director of the Crested Butte/Mt. Crested Butte Chamber of Commerce Dave Ochs explained his reasoning for additional funds. He began by saying that many website visitors are leaving the page before interacting with it, indicated by high bounce rates. “Things like seeing a 92 percent bounce rate on our page are just bad to see,” he said. “We’d like to create a new, custom design and make information completely accessible to all visitors. If we can’t get them on the phone they have, we lose them. In June, July and August it’s difficult to run the visitor center with the amount of people coming in.”
The Gunnison chamber’s executive director, Tammy Scott, told commissioners on Tuesday, February 3, “We have a high level of people who pass through [the chamber office visitor center] and what I’d really like to show is the people we can convert. If they say, ‘We’re headed to Durango,’ but we can get them to stay one night in Crested Butte or Gunnison, then we’ve succeeded.”
Gunnison chamber member Bill Nesbitt added, “If there’s three minutes per person who comes in, add it up. We’re trying to get all these issues resolved. I think we’ll see some changes that will be positive. We’re all gearing for that.”
Ochs offered several more examples of improvements the Crested Butte chamber would like to see, like having the technology to do things in-house instead of outsourcing; being able to run credit cards more quickly; being able to set up satellite information areas (with Wi-Fi) to help gather more information about visitors; purchasing durable, professional easy-up displays to enhance visibility during events; better maintenance of the public restroom; and improving the condition of the parking lot at the Crested Butte Chamber of Commerce/Four-way Stop.
The motion to approve the proposals carried unanimously. Commissioner Paula Swenson told the chambers, “We look forward to seeing you guys working toward more seamless access into the
valley.”