Arts, events and city officials back tourism advisory committee; council to send recommendation to full council

Arts, culture and events organizers told the Fall River City Committee on Economic Development and Tourism that coordination, shared promotion and targeted grants have expanded programming across the city — and they asked the council to form a tourism advisory committee to help sustain and scale that work.

Samantha Barbosa, the city’s event resource coordinator, said she built a single application and coordination process to streamline permitting and allow city departments to coordinate logistics in one place rather than requiring organizers to visit multiple offices. "It's one application... once I get the application and it's approved, I sit down with whoever the event organizer is and... get their logistics," Barbosa said.

Local partners described a high volume of activity: Carl Pelletier of Redok's Hospitality said his organizations and the Fall River Carousel host about 150 events per year and expect roughly 25,000 visitors; Nelson Rego of SoCo Arts Labs reported 20–30 indoor events per month. Panelists described funding from state grants, private foundations (with average grants discussed in the meeting at roughly $25,000), sponsorships, micro‑grants and earned revenue.

Speakers emphasized digital marketing and platforms such as Eventbrite and social media as primary drivers of attendance — and urged a tighter relationship with the city's grant writer to pursue state and private funding. "Eventbrite tends to be the industry standard at this point," one panelist said, describing how search and ticketing platforms bring last‑minute attendees.

The conversation also turned to tourism strategy. Councilors and organizers discussed the advantages of recent commuter‑rail service, outreach to cruise lines, and a proposed "hub‑to‑hub" e‑bike program to connect the station with waterfront and district sites. Several councilors and organizers recommended forming an advisory committee to coordinate tourism strategy and share accountability before hiring a dedicated tourism director. Councilor Peckham and others framed the committee as a practical near‑term step to build capacity and produce a unified approach.

The committee voted to recommend to the full City Council the creation of a five‑to‑seven‑member tourism advisory committee and to send a letter to the mayor advising the same. Committee members said staff and stakeholders will work to draft the formal recommendation and membership criteria before the full‑council vote.

Next steps: staff will draft the advisory‑committee recommendation and return to the council or place the item on the full‑council agenda for a vote.