Casey Weismantel, executive director of the Aberdeen Convention and Visitors Bureau, told the Aberdeen City Council that the bureau’s January–June marketing push produced high engagement and several 10‑year highs for visitor activity.

Weismantel said the CVB recorded roughly 47,000 website users from January through June, about 46,000 of them new, and roughly 189,000 page views. “Every dollar that comes into the community can multiply anywhere from 3 to 7 times before that dollar is finally used up,” she said, describing the local economic benefit of overnight visits.

The bureau reported Placer AI data showing 138,000 visitors from outside a 100‑mile radius during January–June and said taxable receipts in eating, drinking and lodging categories were up overall: eating was up about 35% year‑to‑date, lodging about 21% and drinking down about 12%, producing a combined year‑to‑date increase the CVB characterized as “about 8%.” Weismantel said Facebook remains the primary social platform, with roughly 18,000 followers and about 814,000 impressions; Instagram reported roughly 2,300 followers and about 39,000 impressions.

The CVB described a 100‑mile radius as its core advertising target for vacation and hunting marketing and said it pushes digital and display marketing as far as possible beyond that radius. Weismantel said the CVB hosts aberdeenareaevents.com, a free community events calendar that feeds local media and regional tourism partners.

Council members asked several operational questions about lodging capacity and data. Weismantel said CVB tracking of the $2 per‑room occupancy fee provides a year‑to‑date snapshot of overnight activity and that the bureau had already captured a significant share of the year’s occupancy fee through May; she gave two related figures at different points in the presentation (she first said the CVB had “captured 49%” year‑to‑date and later described that as roughly $131,000 compared with about $327,000 the prior year). She offered to return with month‑by‑month hotel occupancy by property and historic comparisons.

Council members and staff discussed pressure on hotel inventory from Applied Digital’s workforce and large sporting conventions. Weismantel described collaboration with Northern State University and the Hotel Alliance to place overflow guests during large events; she said the Hotel Alliance paid for room blocks and bedding to support recent state softball and clay target events.

Weismantel recommended continued investment in expanded digital display, search and influencer marketing to increase overnight stays and the promoter (occupancy) fund that supports events. She asked council members and community partners to share CVB social posts to expand reach.

Council members thanked the CVB for the report and asked for follow‑up data; Weismantel said she would provide comparisons to previous years and hotel‑by‑hotel occupancy data for the council’s review.