Juan Vasquez, assistant director of the Laredo Convention and Visitors Bureau, presented a practicum that surveyed local hotel general managers and sales directors about visitors' informational needs and recommended stepped marketing investments to increase visitor engagement and spending.

Vasquez said the bureau's survey was limited in size but targeted hotel staff with direct contact with visitors. "Our participants were the general managers, director sales, and we have the results, and our findings of our data insights," he said. Respondents reported that guests frequently ask front-desk staff for recommendations on restaurants, tours, concerts, shopping and family activities.

Based on those responses and the bureau's internal data, Vasquez recommended a two-phase approach. Phase I (near term) would purchase pull-up displays with QR codes for hotel lobbies, window decals, and digital collateral linking to a downloadable visitor guide and the Visit Laredo app; staff estimated the first phase at roughly $4,000. Phase II would expand on-site marketing with table tents, key-card inserts and check-in cards. Total estimated cost across phases proposed to the department for the next fiscal year was about $9,000, pending management and council budget approvals.

Vasquez said current bureau priorities include a website redesign, targeted Facebook and Instagram messaging focusing on recreational and dining options, and partnerships with the airport and hotels to make information available where visitors arrive. He described existing programs such as a local coffee shop tour map and an upcoming taco trail as examples of event-based engagement the bureau uses to encourage multi-day stays.

Panelists praised the presentation and recommended expanding sample size and adding broader visitor segments (Airbnb guests, out-of-town families, event organizers) to strengthen future research. Vasquez said the bureau already collects transactional visitor data through an analytics platform for U.S. credit-card transactions but noted cross-border visitor tracking is limited by Mexico's card data restrictions.

No formal vote or ordinance was taken; Vasquez said the funding request will be submitted through the department budget process for council consideration.