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Clarksburg CVB reports lead gains and vows to correct accreditation paperwork; council seeks clearer metrics
Summary
The city’s Convention & Visitors Bureau reported a 41% increase in tourism leads and said a paperwork/portal issue caused a temporary accreditation lapse; staff promised to submit the required packet when the state portal reopens in May and to improve tracking of lead conversion to local economic impact.
A representative of the local Convention & Visitors Bureau told council the office had recovered from administrative setbacks and was reporting measurable gains in visibility.
The presenter said the CVB regained its 501(c)(6) status and addressed back taxes and accounting oversight. She reported a 41% increase in tourism leads from West Virginia Tourism and described efforts to convert online interest into economic benefit for Clarksburg businesses. "If 10% of all of those leads actually turn into dollars and just say they spend $200 on average, we're looking at a growth of $20,000," she said as a conservative estimate, while also acknowledging the CVB currently lacks a robust conversion-tracking mechanism.
The presenter said a paperwork submission error — filing outside the state portal — caused a temporary accreditation lapse; she said the portal is expected to reopen in May and the CVB will submit the materials then. She also noted the CVB reports it spends what the presenter described as "91¢ of every dollar that we bring in" on programming and outreach rather than overhead.
Council members asked how leads are measured and whether there are plans to track conversion to in-city spending, and discussed options to reduce CVB rent by locating the office in city-owned space. The CVB representative said staff were working to improve measurement tools and maintain outreach partnerships to promote events and local attractions.
