CVB adds to its staff, ramps up campaign

| Sunday, January 07, 2007

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RAPID CITY — Armed with a new million-dollar marketing budget, the Rapid City Convention and Visitors Bureau is adding staff and preparing for advertising campaigns which they hope will promote the community to a worldwide audience.

The new budget comes from the proceeds of a new bed tax.

Last year, the Rapid City Council imposed a nightly tax of $2 per room at hotels that have 50 rooms or more. The city has about 30 hotels that are large enough to qualify.

Under the ordinance, the money goes directly to the CVB promotions and marketing fund. It is the first time that the CVB has had a dedicated, self-funding mechanism for visitor marketing.

“The Rapid City CVB is mounting aggressive campaigns that target leisure travelers, group tour operators, meeting and convention planners, sports and event planners and media outlets,” CVB executive director Michelle Lintz said. “To accomplish this ambitious agenda, it was important that we found the right people for these positions, and we’re extremely excited about our prospects for the future.”

Lintz said the organization recently added three new staff members who will assist in sales efforts, direct marketing activities and coordinate digital campaigns.

Susan Giesel was recently named the CVB’s new marketing manager. She will be coordinating marketing, public and media relations and advertising with TDG Communications, the CVB’s advertising agency.

Pennsylvania native Eric Croyle recently joined the CVB staff as its new Web production assistant. Croyle was raised in Johnstown, Penn., and moved to Rapid City from Detroit. Croyle visited Rapid City while on vacation and decided to move here.

Julie Jones will serve as a sales assistant. She is a recent graduate of National American University and joined the CVB staff full-time in November.

She has been with the CVB since 2002 as a part-time office assistant under the College Federal Work Study program.