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CVB director pitches paid listings for Discover Denison website; board OKs moving forward
Summary
CVB staff outlined a proposed paid‑advertising and sponsored‑listing program for the new Discover Denison website (local business‑only placements, estimated $85–$175/month), showed a seasonal visitor guide and discussed event promotion and Main Street/Heritage Park timelines.
The CVB director (unnamed in the record) updated the advisory board on the new Discover Denison website and proposed an advertising and sponsored‑listing program limited to locally owned businesses. The director said the program would offer tiers of placement — featured listings, homepage or event placement — and estimated pricing for Denison’s market at roughly $85 to $175 per month depending on placement and contract length. "We are not going to allow any chains or franchise businesses," the director said, adding the program would be limited to local business owners on an approved list.
Board members raised concerns about perceived fairness and directory placement; the director said the paid listings would not appear on the Main Street micro‑site but would be on the Discover Denison parent pages and that the design would integrate with the site so listings look like regular content.
The director also shared a draft seasonal visitor guide intended to be published twice yearly, with an interactive online version integrated into Discover Denison (clickable business listings, event links). Printing costs were discussed; the director estimated print‑run and printing costs in the mid‑five figures and noted prior experience (a 10,000‑copy run in 2024).
Separately, staff previewed event promotion plans for Dads & Drafts (in partnership with Downtown Inc.), Music on Main beginning this Friday, and the July 4 "America 250" celebration (including staged entertainment, a reading of the Declaration of Independence and fireworks at the stadium). The director said staff will produce graphics for Winewalk and Rhythm on Rails promotions and will begin outreach on the ad program in late July or early August if the board is comfortable moving forward.
The board did not record a formal vote on the advertising program during this meeting; staff stated they would move forward to the next steps with the sites and outreach.
