Committee approves $50,000 for DuPage Convention & Visitors Bureau; backs $50,000 shuttle program proposal to be reviewed by finance

The DuPage County Economic Development Committee on Feb. 18 approved the DuPage Convention & Visitors Bureau’s (DCVB) annual $50,000 county allocation and gave consensus to move forward with a proposal for a separate $50,000 ground transportation grant program that would reimburse shuttle costs for group business, the committee chair said.

The funding vote approved the bureau’s annual financial commitment of $50,000; committee members then discussed a ground transportation proposal DCVB presented as a way to keep group business in DuPage by subsidizing shuttle service when that is a deciding factor for meeting planners and attendees.

The DuPage Convention & Visitors Bureau representative, Beth Barchetti, told the committee DCVB stepped in last year to keep a major esports event — Frosty Faustings — in DuPage and that the event generated more than 4,000 registered participants, about 3,400 occupied hotel rooms and roughly $2,200,000 in economic impact to the county. “We are your, certified convention and visitors bureau that represents all of DuPage County,” Barchetti said during her presentation.

Barchetti said DCVB operates a grant program that has supported bookings the bureau otherwise could not secure: since 2016 the program has processed about 298 grants and DCVB reported actual expenditures of roughly $732,000 and an additional roughly 146,000 room nights attributed to those grants. She said the bureau has budgeted funds through 2028 but has exhausted the line item for its incentive/grant program for current cycles and is asking the county for an additional $50,000 to support shuttle and ground-transportation needs.

Barchetti described the proposed ground-transportation program as reimbursement-based: “This program is reimbursed if a group is needing the help. We do not pay out until they have come and the hotel gives me a rooming list. So it's a risk free program,” she said.

Committee members pressed for context on the need. Barchetti and DCVB staff pointed to lost business to airport-area properties and neighboring jurisdictions that offer incentives or shuttle service. DCVB reported a recent lost-business figure of about $781,000 to Rosemont in the first two weeks of January, which the bureau linked to competitors’ shuttle offerings and incentive programs. Committee members also discussed coordination with village managers and municipal partners to pool matching dollars for incentives.

Committee discussion also covered potential county funding sources for the $50,000 request; county staff named three options: ARPA interest funds, 2025 contingency funds, and member initiatives, and recommended ARPA interest as the preferred source because it would give more flexibility and a longer runway for the program.

Members agreed there was sufficient interest to move the ground-transportation proposal forward for additional review; the chair said the item will appear before the county finance committee next week for further consideration. The committee’s consensus was nonbinding; the additional $50,000 for ground transportation was not formally adopted at the Feb. 18 meeting.

Votes at a glance

- Approval of minutes from the Jan. 15 meeting: motion by Member Childress, second by Member Bartlett; outcome: approved (aye). - Incumbent worker training items (250439 — Jessica Electric Motors Inc.; 250518 — Cambridge Park): motion to approve and place on file; outcome: approved (aye). - EDR 1-25, DuPage Convention & Visitors Bureau designation of representation for grant purposes: motion and second received; outcome: approved (aye). - FIR 40-205, annual financial commitment to DuPage Convention & Visitors Bureau (annual allocation of $50,000): motion and second received; outcome: approved (aye).

Next steps

The chair confirmed DCVB’s ground-transportation proposal will go to the finance committee for consideration of funding source and final approval. DCVB staff will return with additional details if finance and the board authorize funding.