Wausau panel approves $6,500 tourism grant for Wausau Bridal event

Wausau Room Tax Commission members approved a $6,500 tourism grant for Wausau Bridal, an event set for the weekend of June 7, after a brief discussion and a voice vote at a meeting at City Hall.

The commission moved quickly after staff said the applicant’s submission had been delayed by a file-size problem that has since been fixed. Alder Rasmussen moved to approve the grant; Alder Hickey seconded the motion, and the commission approved it by voice vote.

Commissioners and the applicant discussed the event’s past draw and lodging impacts. Mr. White, a representative of Wausau Bridal, said that last year “at least 1,500 people were downtown, and then, at least a thousand people” attended other portions of the event. Commissioners noted uneven hotel-night generation tied to the event’s two-part format: daytime activities downtown and an evening program at the Expo Center.

One commission member noted there were zero room-night reservations recorded in the system for the downtown portion at the time of the meeting and urged organizers to verify hotel room blocks earlier in future years. Commissioners also said much of the overnight demand appears to be centered in Rothschild, and one member suggested that organizers identify Rothschild properties as primary lodging for future iterations and treat Wausau’s daytime programming as complementary.

Commissioners also said they want clearer historical data as the event grows. Staff and commissioners indicated the commission likes to see multi-year comparative data to evaluate continued funding; this is the event’s second year of grant requests.

With the file-upload problem resolved, the commission considered the application in time for the event. After the vote the commission adjourned.