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Explore Utah Valley asks Utah County for $1.1 million to support tourism marketing and operations
Summary
Explore Utah Valley requested $1,100,000 from Utah County, outlining a conservative budget that uses CARES Act 'Meet in Utah' funds, state cooperative marketing, website and email outreach, and potential payroll consolidation with convention center staff.
Representatives of Explore Utah Valley presented a proposed budget and asked the Utah County Commission for $1,100,000 to support tourism marketing, sales and operations for the year.
Lee Adamson of Explore Utah Valley told commissioners the proposal prioritizes conservative spending and leverages state "Meet in Utah" CARES Act funds and cooperative marketing with the Utah Office of Tourism. "The proposed funding that we request from Utah County is $1,100,000," Adamson said.
Charlene Christiansen outlined components of the proposal, including marketing aimed at nearby drive markets, a partnership media buy on utah.com, and tools to measure economic impact. The group also proposed website development and hosting costs, CrowdRift user‑generated content to avoid hiring photographers, and an email program that currently serves more than 25,000 subscribers. Christiansen said the approach is meant to stretch county dollars by using matching state funds and partnerships.
Adamson and Christiansen also described a possible, but not finalized, consolidation that could shift some Utah Valley Convention Center employees to Explore Utah Valley payroll and said any unused funds would be returned to the county or reduced in future requests.
Commissioners asked clarifying questions about the website line items, how the group measures return on investment and whether 2021 payroll implications were included in the request; Explore Utah Valley said it uses industry calculators to estimate economic impact and will refine their projections as contracts are finalized. Commissioners did not take a vote on funding during the work session; the presentation was informational and staff follow up was anticipated.
