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Gallup completes $19K marketing and economic analysis

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Report measures event viability, success

Four annual Gallup events were the subject of individual marketing and economic analysis reports that were done in July of this year. The reports have not been released to the public, but are available upon request.

Gallup Acting Tourism and Marketing Director Jennifer Lazarz said reports were done on the city’s Inter-Tribal Indian Ceremonial, the Gallup Film Festival, the Squash Blossom Classic and the Ride Flight and Cruise.

The reports were authorized by the city’s Lodgers Tax Committee, comprised at the time of Cindy Tanner, Yogash Kumar, Ron Samardzia, Jeremy Boucher and Steve Harper, and in conjunction with Gallup City Manager Maryann Ustick and former City Tourism Director Catherine Sebold. Sebold left the job a few months ago.

The reports cost $19,000 and were done by Southwest Planning Corporation of Santa Fe. At the moment, there are no plans to bring the results of the reports before the Gallup City Council, Lazarz said.

“The [lodgers tax] committee is working closely with the tourism and marketing manager to examine the report for each organization,” Lazarz explained. “The goal is to create a report or plan with those organizations on how they can more effectively market their event in the future. Rather than just giving funds and saying ‘good luck,’ the committee is moving forward with their plan to provide recommendations that can help events that, in turn, help the community.”

Lazarz said tourism is one of the highest grossing financial industries in New Mexico, saying the city is “fortunate to have the funds to distribute to help market events.”

She added, “A majority of the events are done by local folks and they don’t have the time or knowledge of a marketing person at hand.”

LODGERS TAX FUNDING

Each of the organizations mentioned received city lodger tax funds. The Inter-Tribal Indian Ceremonial is one of New Mexico’s longest-running and most attractive annual events. Lazarz noted that due to the lodgers tax initiatives that have been developed by the tourism and marketing office that now is the first time such reports have done.

“The responsibility of the [tourism manager] is to interpret the reports, report to the committee and discuss, and then go back to the organizations and give then the resources that we have available.”

Lazarz, who is the full-time manager of the city-owned El Morro Theatre, said the state’s hospitality sector is working with convention and visitor bureau officials, hotel owners, and city council members across New Mexico to develop a Best Practices Handbook that helps recipients of lodgers tax funds that help the communities put on the events.

“Once that is completed the city’s lodgers tax committee will adopt a new set of best practices on the local level, a set that heavily takes into account the reach of event marketing plans and the economic impacts of grant-recipient events,” Lazarz said.

A MEASURING STICK FOR THE FUTURE

Bill Lee, executive director at the Gallup-McKinley County Chamber of Commerce, said the marketing analysis is a good measuring stick for what is needed to be done and not something that is negative with respect to the events.

“This gives one an idea of, to some degree, what groups should your event target and how you should go about doing that,” Lee said. “We have events that are put on annually and something like this can only make them better.”

The city entered into an $185,000 professional services agreement with the chamber earlier this year.

Lazarz said the lodgers tax committee chose the events for diversity purposes. “The [committee] decided to evaluate four different events – a sporting event, a film event, Ceremonial and a multi-faceted downtown event.”

Lazarz said the committee can direct people to the various organizations to view one or more of the reports.

By Bernie Dotson
Sun Correspondent


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