Joint tourism board meets in Marbleton

by Rhonda Swain

Last week, Marbleton hosted the Sublette County Joint Tourism Promotion Board (JTPB) meeting.

The number of applications for the branded logo and signature statement for the Sublette County Visitors Center went from "only two or three up until May 8," according to board chairman John Godfrey in an interview Tuesday afternoon, " to over 100 by the May 15th deadline."

In early June, prior to the monthly meeting, a selection committee will meet to go through the entries to reduce them"to a few" and resubmit those few to the board for selection.

Dawn Svalberg and Clint Gilchrist of Pinedale Online presented a proposal for a Sublette County website in which the board was "provided with a matrix of items to be included, at an estimated proposed initial cost of $26,000 ... with annual maintenance fees after that," Godfrey said.

JTPB can cut costs by removing some of the detailed item; the site is set up to feature everything from LaBarge and Fonentelle to the northern end of the county. The board can pare down some of the features to bring costs down, as Godfrey said the site is "very detailed in regard to everything in the county."

At its April meeting, the board approved spending $5,000 from May 13 to Oct. 18 for advertising 30-second ad spots on WyoRadio. According to WyoRadio general sales manager Tom Ellis, WyoRadio reaches an area encompassing a 90-mile radius of Rock Springs, including from Evanston to Rawlins. Those radio ads are now on WyoRadio.

Godfrey said Sublette County Visitors Center Director Tracy Walker will be contacting communities that hold events to see if those communities would like to "write their own script" about their event. Godfrey was referring to, among others, Chuckwagon Days, the Bondurant Barbecue, Green River Rendezvous and the Michael Terry presentations

Godfrey said the board would like to "Give them the opportunity to interactively participate and advertise their events."

Briefs

JTBP rescinded the Martin McIntyre grant for advertising funds for the Blues Festival to be held in June. At its April meeting, the board voted to approve McIntyre's Moose Production's $2,500 grant with stipulations, including that all money will be paid after the event, a complete advertising budget must be presented, the event must be held, the board will be provided with proof of advertising.

The board tabled until the June meeting discussions with Rock Rabbit Production in regard to JTPB paying at least part of the printing costs for next year's Sublette county Summer Visitors Guide.

"We have a budget meeting coming up," Godfrey said, and a tentative budget will presented at the June 20 meeting in Pinedale.