Destination Caldwell reports rising visitor metrics, seeks partnership on downtown master plan

Destination Caldwell presented its annual report at the Caldwell City Council workshop on Dec. 23, outlining plaza programming, marketing wins and requests for city partnership on planning and impact analysis.

Danae, a representative of Destination Caldwell, told councilors the nonprofit is the city’s management partner for Indian Creek Plaza and "is responsible for programming the plaza for 250 days annually." She described Destination Caldwell as "a destination marketing agency also for Caldwell" and said the group’s mission centers on promoting the city’s agricultural, wine and local food assets to attract visitors and keep locally earned dollars in town.

The presentation highlighted recent marketing and visitation metrics. Danae said the organization’s social media following grew from about 40,000 in 2023 to "almost 57,000 followers," and cited Placer AI data showing "we actually had 7,000 more visitors downtown than we did last year." She also reported a roughly 6% increase in visitations in 2024 and said Destination Caldwell uses grant-funded advertising (through partners such as the Southwest Idaho Travel Association) to market to audiences up to 200 miles away.

Danae described several operational investments and initiatives: a council-approved downtown video board activated during Cinco de Mayo that can also feature participating businesses; a lineup of signature events supplemented by lower-lift series (movies, a Creekside kids series and fitness programs); and plans for a playground expansion and safety fencing. She said Destination Caldwell has raised about $154,000 in private funds toward park improvements.

On programming, Danae said the group will keep about 17 signature events per year—each defined as drawing about 1,000 people at minimum—but is adding series programming to increase total event days without overburdening staff. She said three new signature events will replace or augment prior events next year. To support longer-term growth, she asked the council to partner on the downtown master-plan update (the comprehensive-plan project covering roughly 1,500 acres) and on an economic-impact study to quantify Destination Caldwell’s contribution over the past seven years.

Councilors asked questions but made no formal motions. Councilor Stottick asked about a drop in the "feature stories" earned-media metric; Danae said earned-media tracking can vary by method and her team took a conservative approach when counting placements. Councilor Denver asked whether plaza capacity could rise from about 200 annual events to 240; Danae answered that a mix of series and signature events makes additional programming feasible and that the organization has hired another event coordinator for 2026 to manage the increased load. Councilor Williams asked about the BID’s role; Danae called the BID partnership "essential and reciprocal."

The presentation included recognitions and awards: Danae said Destination Caldwell won a regional "Best of 2025" holiday-event award and that Winter Wonderland will kick off in four days. She also referenced an upcoming appearance by consultant Roger Brooks in January related to the downtown master plan.

No council decisions were taken during the workshop; the council president said one scheduled item was canceled for further evaluation and closed the workshop to return for the regular meeting at 6 p.m.

Next steps: Destination Caldwell plans to continue programming, run Winter Wonderland, pursue the park expansion and follow up with the council about the proposed economic-impact study and master-plan engagement.