Travel and Tourism Board talk advertising options

Advertisement was the theme of Tuesday’s Travel and Tourism Board meeting. Discussion started with the possibility of acquiring a Pandora Radio advertisement spot with Internet tiles and banners as well as audio spots that would target larger Wyoming communities. The ads would run for three to four months and cost approximately $6,000. The board had concerns as to whether this was the right type of advertisement at this point in time.

Board member, Angie Guyon stated, “My personal opinion, I don’t think it’s worth $6,000.” After discussion about cost and locations to advertise, the board decided to table the idea until April when the budget could be reassessed.

Director of Tourism, Amanda Moeller received an inaccurate quote from Madden Media regarding the walking tours app and, since notifying the company of the mistake, has not received an updated quote. Moeller identified another individual out of Jackson Hole who may be available to build a similar walking tour app for less expense. She is in the process of contacting this individual for comparison.

The Waltman, Wyo. store where a Thermopolis billboard is located has been sold. Because the previous lease will soon expire, Moeller reviewed the previous lease with the new owners who are considering their options. The billboard at this location is in need of repair – all of the vinyl has ripped off due to weather conditions – but Moeller recommended not recovering the billboard until a lease agreement could be made.

The expense of recovering the Waltman billboard along with all other planned billboards is accounted for in the budget. The board decided to move forward with updating all planned billboards except the Waltman billboard until a lease agreement could be made.

Lastly, Moeller reminded everyone that the final Hot Springs Master Plan Community Meeting will be held September 14 at 6:00 p.m. at the Fire Hall. She stressed the importance of community input, especially from the Travel and Tourism board, since the state park is a large part of community tourism.