Franklin tourism commission reviews survey results, plans joint strategic session with Engage Franklin

The Franklin Tourism Commission on a monthly meeting reviewed results of a recently completed tourism-priorities survey and agreed to prepare for a joint strategic-planning session with Engage Franklin to clarify how retained room-tax funds should be spent.

Commissioners focused on the survey's top priorities — annual signature events, new tourism attractions and support services — and spent the bulk of discussion assessing whether the commission's one-time retained funds should pay for marketing and capacity-building or be reserved for larger capital projects. Commission members repeatedly raised marketing, digital tools and targeted event support as near-term priorities.

"I hope to unearth that original strategic plan," Laura (president, Engage Franklin) said when describing the objectives she expects the joint session to address. The commission's discussion emphasized that the meeting should identify concrete needs from Engage Franklin — staff, digital marketing support or one-time technology investments — and set clear expectations for reporting and outcomes.

Commissioners reviewed the survey mechanics and results during the meeting. John (staff member) explained the counts and rankings and confirmed the tally sheet showed that attendees prioritized signature annual events and new tourism attractions; marketing and website improvements also rated highly. Commissioners noted the sample size was small: John reported the surveys received were 25 responses as expected with one additional submission that made 26 received in total; commissioners characterized the response rate as limited context for big capital decisions.

Several commissioners and presenters argued for a stepwise approach: fund marketing and capacity-building now to grow demand and hotel room nights, and revisit larger capital investments if demand materializes. Commissioners discussed exploring a mobile-friendly website or event app that could serve as a sales tool for event organizers; others cautioned that such investments should be evaluated for return on investment before committing recurring funds.

The commission agreed it would prepare a unified list of expectations and questions before meeting with Engage Franklin so the commission and the DMO can use the joint session to negotiate work scope and, if needed, contract terms. Commissioners discussed adding a new-business agenda item that would permit a closed session if contract negotiation or Engage Franklin proprietary business information made confidentiality appropriate, but no closed session was held at the meeting.

Votes and formal actions taken during the meeting were procedural: commission members approved the March 19 meeting minutes unanimously and later approved adjournment; no formal vote was taken to spend retained funds during this meeting. Commissioners scheduled follow-up: they will convene with Engage Franklin within approximately 30–60 days to review the strategic plan and the DMO's financial and performance details.

The commission said it expects Engage Franklin to present a written summary of its recent activities, revenue streams and what one-time resources would most increase the DMO's capacity to drive overnight stays. That documentation — asked for during the meeting — was described by commissioners as a contractual deliverable that Engage Franklin had not yet submitted in writing.