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Hayward Lakes Visitor Convention Bureau outlines history, funding mix and calls for continued county support
Summary
Cheryl Treland of the Hayward Lakes VCB reviewed the bureau’s origins, membership and funding (member dues, marketing partners, room tax and county support), said room tax brought in roughly $283,000 in 2023, and urged continued county investment while noting staffing and housing constraints in the tourism workforce.
Cheryl Treland, representing the Hayward Lakes Visitor Convention Bureau, told the Sawyer County Board the VCB has evolved from volunteer-run lake associations dating to the 1930s into the consolidated countywide bureau the board now funds and oversees.
"I'm speaking on behalf of the Hayward Lakes visitor convention Bureau Sawyer County Wisconsin USA," Treland said as she began a historical summary that traced tourism promotion from small lake associations through the 1950s and the 2003 merger that created the modern Hayward Lakes VCB. She described the VCB as a 501(c)(6) entity that earns revenue through membership dues, marketing partners, room taxes and county contributions.
Treland said room-tax revenue was a substantial component of VCB income: "in 2023 we took in like $283,000," and she explained the statutory limitation on room-tax uses: room-tax receipts must be used for activities that promote overnight stays ("heads-in-beds") and cannot be spent on staffing or building operating costs in most cases. County funds, she said, are necessary to run countywide promotion and the visitor-information center because room-tax funds are restricted.
Board members asked what additional county funds would buy. Treland and discussion participants pointed to digital marketing, search-engine optimization and professional marketing expertise as moves that could expand overnight stays. Several board members raised structural constraints that limit tourism growth: a regional labor shortage, a lack of affordable seasonal housing for workers and competition from larger, better-funded markets such as Door County.
Treland described past efforts to use J-1 or other visa programs to bring seasonal workers and noted the logistical and housing requirements that accompany those programs. She said marketing investment can help attract visitors, but labor and housing supply must be in place for businesses to serve an increased visitor base.
The presentation concluded with an offer to return with more-targeted requests if the board wanted to examine specific uses for additional county investment.
What happens next: Treland said the VCB would continue to coordinate with towns that collect room tax and provide additional detail about how county contributions are spent if the board asks for a follow-up.
