Visiting Longmont Visitor Information Center Receives State Grant for National Marketing Campaign – Longmont Times-Call

Whether you’re looking for craft brews or Rocky Mountain sunsets, Visit Longmont believes there are plenty of reasons to stay in Longmont. Now, a grant will help the tourist information center spread the word through a national marketing campaign.

Visit Longmont this month found he was among 22 recipients to receive a matching marketing grant. The grant was reward by the Colorado Office of Tourism. Established in 2001, the grant program provides funds for projects that promote Colorado as a tourist destination.

Kimberlee McKee, Acting Chair of the Visit Longmont Board of Directors, said Visit Longmont was thrilled to win the grant and is excited to partner with the Colorado Office of Tourism and Avocet Communications on the campaign.

While the state will contribute $40,000, Visit Longmont will match nearly $24,000, which will be funded through the Tenant tax, a tax collected by hotels, motels and short-term rentals. Avocet Communications, a Longmont advertising and public relations agency, will also donate $20,000 in in-kind services.

“Not only is Longmont a fantastic place to stay in itself, it’s a great place to use as a base as you visit other places on the Front Range,” McKee said.

The funding will be used for a mix of social media and paid advertising, as well as refreshing the Visit Longmont logo, visitor guide, website and will involve working with the tourist board to reach more potential visitors.

Lori Jones, president and CEO of Avocet Communications, said the agency wants to support the community and businesses through the marketing opportunity.

“We look forward to sharing all the wonderful things that make Longmont Longmont with the rest of the state and even places beyond Colorado,” she wrote in an email. “When you know how special this community is, it’s easy to sing its praises, and it’s a joy to do so.”

The effort will leverage Longmont’s economic development partnerships national marketing campaign, which launched last summer and calls the town “Colorado’s best-kept secret.”

“As we envision a national campaign, we really want national messages to be consistent across organizations,” McKee said. “We want to make sure that we keep this cohesion. We also believe that there are so many things that are not at the forefront of people’s minds when they travel.

McKee said it ranges from outdoor recreation to things to do while visiting family in Longmont.

Jill McGranahan, acting director of marketing and communications for the Office of Economic Development and International Trade, said while agriculture is Colorado’s biggest industry, tourism ranks second.

“It covers a wide range of hotels, attractions and restaurants,” McGranahan said. “It’s a key economic driver for rural Colorado.”

McGranahan said Visit Longmont was chosen for the grant award because of its strong and comprehensive plan for the funds. A total of $710,461 in grants was awarded this year. In response to the coronavirus pandemic, which has posed challenges for the tourism industry, the state has increased the maximum grant from $25,000 to $40,000.

The funds will be available for Visit Longmont from January. In the meantime, McKee said Visit Longmont will do preparatory and research work.

“I think tourism is a huge industry for Colorado, maybe an industry that people don’t necessarily always think of in Longmont,” McKee said. “I think we can introduce new people and bring more money to the community as a whole.”