Two LART contract partners gave midyear reports to council on Aug. 25: the Cultural Office of the Pikes Peak Region (PeakRadar / LART contract) and Visit Colorado Springs.

Angela (last name not provided in public remarks), executive of the Cultural Office, told council PeakRadar served about 92,773 tourist users in the past six months, with roughly 69.8% from outside El Paso and Teller counties. She said PeakRadar and related promotion channels support free marketing for about 400 local events over six months and that a spring survey of users found 86% attended an event they otherwise would not have. The Cultural Office reported $450,000 in annual contract funding and said it has expanded out‑of‑market marketing, PR pitching, press tours and partnerships with VisitCOS and local chambers to boost cultural tourism. Angela highlighted partnerships with downtown and neighborhood organizations and a forthcoming affordable live/work artists housing development by ArtSpace.

Doug (last name not provided in public remarks), representing Visit Colorado Springs, summarized VisitCOS’s 42 KPIs and said year‑to‑date LART collections through June were up 4% month‑over‑month due to the U.S. Senior Open at The Broadmoor, though year‑to‑date collections remained slightly below 2024. He said estimated group room nights were down roughly 13,000 through June due to RFP and planner uncertainty tied to federal funding risks and attrition concerns; meeting planners cited rising costs (inflationary increases in hotel, food/beverage and wages) and uncertainty in federal budgets as drivers of canceled or reduced group travel. Doug noted international arrivals are below 2019 benchmarks and flagged a decline in Canadian car travel.

Both presenters described neighborhood promotion projects, expanded event calendar partnerships, and collaborations with VisitCOS to create out‑of‑market campaigns. Staff asked council to support continuing long‑term investment in cultural tourism capacity and marketing that aims to convert awareness into hotel stays and repeat visits.

Ending: Council asked questions about downtown vitality, the Creative District, and artist housing; staff asked for continued LART investment and for coordination with downtown partners. No action or new funding vote took place at the work session.