Casa Grande Chamber outlines tourism work, grants and events including Southwest Taco Fest

The Casa Grande Chamber of Commerce and the Chamber-led tourism office briefed the city council study session on their expanded tourism role, grant-funded advertising and community sponsorships.

Renee Luzann Ben, executive director of the Casa Grande Chamber of Commerce, described the Chamber as a 501(c)(6) membership organization founded in 1920 and said it currently serves 484 members. “Our mission statement is building a greater Casa Grande,” she told the council while summarizing member services, networking programs and annual events.

Eric Snyder, the city-contracted tourism and marketing manager, summarized recent and planned tourism activities after the Chamber assumed destination marketing organization duties under an agreement with the city. Snyder said the tourism office obtained Arizona Office of Tourism cooperative grants and used co-op funds for advertising, billboards and a passport program called the Casa Grande Southwest Taco Trail. He said the first passport had “over 200 different sign‑ons” (users who visited the passport page and participated) and that the inaugural Southwest Taco Fest attracted almost 2,600 attendees despite wind.

Snyder listed several grant and coop outcomes the office reported to the council: an August 2022 grant application tied to a consulting and planning session (described in the presentation as $66,000); a later coop award of $28,000 used to purchase $56,000 in marketing; and a July 2024 market-match award of $47,590 that supported $95,000 in advertising and promotion, according to the presentation slides and Snyder’s remarks. He said tourism sponsorship funds have been distributed to local nonprofit events and that, to date in the current tracking period, $11,750 in sponsorships had been awarded to community events.

Snyder described current sponsorship and event support totals for the second annual Southwest Taco Fest: 26 sponsors contributing $64,000 in cash and $6,500 in in-kind donations so far. The Chamber also reported visitor‑guide and rack‑card distribution to airports and visitor centers beyond Casa Grande.

City staff member Larry provided financial context for the council, explaining the relationship between city funding and the Chamber/DMO work. He said the bed tax revenue stream is “governed by state statutes” and is “specifically utilized for marketing and tourism purposes to bring individuals into the community.” He added that the council’s agreement with the Chamber separates general‑fund activities from bed‑tax‑funded tourism promotion and that the city routes eligible promotional activities through the tourism agreement and the Chamber’s government affairs process for letters of support and program vetting.

Councilmember Matt Herman, who appears on the tourism advisory group roster in the presentation, praised the Taco Fest and encouraged local event organizers to add events to the Chamber’s community calendar and apply for tourism sponsorships so the tourism office can support promotion and visitor recruitment.

The Chamber and tourism office said planned next steps include an updated billboard campaign, an expanded passport program and development of a Certified Tourism Ambassador (CTA) training to equip front‑line employees and volunteers to promote local attractions. Snyder also noted outreach to regional partners and use of digital platforms for mobile passport and event promotion.

No formal motions or votes occurred during the presentations; city staff and council members used the time for updates and questions.