Consolidation at Visit SWV to save city, county money

Josephine Moore, The Register-Herald, Beckley, W.Va.
Updated ·3 min read

Feb. 21—The Raleigh County Commission approved plans Tuesday for Visit Southern West Virginia to absorb the Beckley-Raleigh County Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Visit Southern WV Director Lisa Strader told commissioners at their meeting Tuesday morning that the move would be a cost saver for the county and city.

"Right now, Visit Southern WV actually operates Beckley Raleigh County (CVB)," Strader said. "They have two separate boards, two separate budgets, that type of thing so a lot of duplication of efforts."

She added that some of the duplicated efforts are costly and include employing two accounting firms for Beckley Raleigh County CVB and Visit Southern WV as well as separate insurances for the organizations.

Strader said Beckley Raleigh County CVB does not even have its own staff as it's all run by employees from Visit Southern WV and the salaries for those employees come from the Visit Southern WV budget.

Strader said the Beckley-Raleigh County CVB receives roughly $100,000 from Raleigh County and Beckley's hotel/motel tax.

Even with the consolidation, Strader said those funds will continue to be earmarked for Beckley and Raleigh County just as they would when the two were separate entities.

"What we're doing is bringing that in house, bringing it and making it one CVB. Nothing really changes," she said. "... It's actually going to free up funds. We're going to have more dollars to put toward the marketing of Beckley (and) Raleigh County, because some of the things we have to pay as two different businesses overlap, so we will have one."

In addition to Raleigh County, Visit Southern WV promotes eight other counties: Mercer, Fayette, Greenbrier, Monroe, McDowell, Nicholas, Wyoming and Summers.

"As a regional CVB, nothing goes out of our office that doesn't have Raleigh County in it," Strader said. "We do, do separate pieces for Beckley (and) Raleigh County through that (hotel/motel tax) funding. So that funding is not going to change. We'll have that percentage that we keep to the side just for Beckley, Raleigh County projects and that funding is going to stay intact; if anything, it's going to increase."

Strader said the move is also needed to ensure Visit Southern WV is able to receive all the funds from Raleigh County and Beckley's hotel/motel tax following changes to state code made by state legislators.

"The oversight bill that passed for convention and visitors bureaus, now counties and cities must give their funds to accredited CVBs," she said. "Visit Southern WV is an accredited CVB. Beckley Raleigh County (CVB) isn't and because of the way we run it under our umbrella, we can't get it accredited."

Strader said Beckley Raleigh County CVB's board, which is made up of members appointed by the county and the city, would continue to have a role in Visit Southern WV.

"Instead of a board it will become a marketing committee," she said.

Strader said the consolidation will still need the approval of the Beckley Common Council before it can take effect.

Email: jmoore@register-herald.com

Email: jmoore@register-herald.com